THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


MEMOIRS 


OF  THE 


NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES 


"Volume    XIII 


•WASHINGTON 
1915 


E 


NATIONAL    ACADEMY    OF    SCIENCES. 


Volume   XIII. 


CATALOGUE 


OF   THE 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA, 

TO  JANUARY  1,  1909. 


BY 

OLIVER  COIMIXGS  FARRIXGTON. 


EXPLANATION  OF  ABBREVIATIONS  USED  ON  MAPS. 


The  terms  are  those  of  the  Rose-Tschermak-Brezina  classification.    The  capital  of  each  State  is  shown. 


Cc  Stone,  Spherulitic  chondrite. 

Cca  Stone,  Veined  spherulitic  chondrite. 

Ccb  Stone,  Breccia-like  spherulitic  chondrite. 

Ceo  Stone,  Ornans  spherulitic  chondrite. 

Cck  Stone,  Crystalline  spherulitic  chondrite. 

Cg  Stone,  Gray  chondrite. 

Cga  Stone,  Veined  gray  chondrite. 

Cgb  Stone,  Breccia-like  gray  chondrite. 

Chla  Stone,  Veined  chladnite. 

Cho  Stone,  Howarditic  chondrite. 

Ci  Stone,  Intermediate  chondrite. 

Cia  Stone,  Veined  intermediate  chondrite. 

Cib  Stone,  Breccia-like  intermediate  chondrite. 

Ck  Stone,  Crystalline  chondrite. 

Cka  Stone,  Veined  crystalline  chondrite. 

Ckb  Stone,  Breccia-like  crystalline  chondrite. 

Cs  Stone,  Black  chondrite. 

Csa  Stone,  Veined  black  chondrite. 

Csb  Stone,  Breccia-like  black  chondrite. 

Cw  Stone,  White  chondrite. 

Cwa  Stone,  Veined  white  chondrite. 

Cwb  Stone,  Breccia-like  white  chondrite. 

D  Iron,  Ataxite. 

Db  Iron,  Babb's  Mill  ataxite. 

DC  Iron,  Cape  ataxite. 
4 


Dl  Iron,  Linville  ataxite. 

Dn  Iron,  Nedagolla  ataxite. 

Dr  Iron,  Rafruti  ataxite. 

Ds  Iron,  Siratik  ataxite. 

Dsh  Iron,  Shingle  Springs  ataxite. 

Dt  Iron,  Tucson  ataxite. 

H  Iron,  Hexahedrite. 

Ha  Iron,  Granular  hexahedrite. 

Hb  Iron,  Breccia-like  hexahedrite. 

Ho  Stone,  Howardite. 

Kc  Stone,  Carbonaceous,  spherulitic  chondrite. 

M  Iron-stone,  Mesosiderite. 

Mg  Iron-stone,  Grahamite. 

0  Iron,  Octahedrite. 

Of  Iron,  Fine  octahedrite. 

Off  Iron,  Finest  octahedrite. 

Offbp  Iron,  Breccia-like  finest  octahedrite. 

Og  Iron,  Coarse  octahedrite. 

Ogg  Iron,  Coarsest  octahedrite. 

Oh  Iron,  Hammond  octahedrite. 

Om  Iron,  Medium  octahedrite. 

P  Iron-stone,  Pallasite. 

Pi  Iron-stone,  Imilac  pallasite. 

Pk  Iron-stone,  Krasnojarsk  pallasite. 

Pr  Iron-stone,  Rokicky  pallasite. 


CONTEXTS. 


BIOLOGY 
LIBRARY 


Introduction 7 

list  of  meteorites .' 16 

Description  of  falls -21 

5 


LIST  OF  MAPS. 


New  England  States 

New  York. 

Pennsylvania 

New  Jersey 

Maryland  and  Delaware 

Virginia  and  West  Virginia 

North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Alabama 

Kentucky  and  Tennessee 

Ohio.. 


Indiana. . . 
Michigan. . 
Wisconsin. 
Minnesota. 

Iowa 

Missouri. . . 
Arkansas. . 


Plate. 
1 

North  Dakota.  .  .  . 

2 

South  Dakota. 

3 

Nebraska  

4 

Kansas 

5 

Texas. 

6 

Montana  

7 

Idaho 

g 

Wvomin"'.  . 

g 

Colorado  

10 

New  Mexico 

11 

Utah  

12 

Arizona 

13 

California  

14 

Oregon  

15 

Alaska  and  western 

Canada  

16 

Ontario.  .    .        

17 

Mexico  

18 

flontral   Amprirajin 

i  West  Indies.  . 

Plate. 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 


CATALOGUE  OF  THE  METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA, 

TO  JANUARY  1,  1909. 

By  OLIVER  CCMMENGS  FABBINGTOI!. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Individual  meteorite  falls  have  an  importance  more  or  less  comparable  to  that  of  individual 
species.  The  phenomena  of  fall,  shape,  size,  chemical  composition,  and  structure  are  largely 
peculiar  to  each  fall  and  for  purposes  of  exact  knowledge  should  be  fully  recorded.  The  pursuit 
of  the  study  of  meteorites  since  they  first  began  to  attract  attention  has,  however,  been  very 
irregular.  The  phenomena  of  fall  and  the  more  obvious  features  of  shape  and  size  have  usually 
attracted  sufficient  attention  to  be  described  at  the  time,  but  the  more  intimate  details  of  struc- 
ture and  composition,  if  described  at  all,  have  usually  been  recorded  in  stray,  scattered  studies 
often  published  without  regard  to  the  earlier  history  of  the  meteorite.  Moreover,  the  advance 
of  knowledge  regarding  meteorites  has  led  to  the  observation  of  many  features  which  were 
overlooked  by  earlier  investigators.  This  is  especially  true  with  regard  to  structure,  the  inti- 
mate details  of  which  have  received  great  amplification  under  modern  methods.  On  the  other 
hand,  classification  has  permitted  grouping  of  features  which  were  once  described  independently. 
Thus  iron  meteorites  once  regarded  as  peculiar  on  account  of  the  lack  of  Widmannstatten  figures 
are  now  readily  grouped  as  hexahedrites  or  ataxites.  Unless,  however,  we  have  a  careful  con- 
tinuous record  of  the  knowledge  regarding  each  fall  the  details  are  liable  to  be  hopelessly  lost 
and  the  fall  becomes  more  or  less  mythical  in  character. 

Publications  undertaking  the  preservation  of  such  records  have  not  been  wanting  hitherto. 
As  early  as  1803  Chladni  prepared  a  chronological  list  of  known  meteorites l  and  issued  sup- 
plementary lists  up  to  1826.  The  first  general  catalogue  which  was  at  the  same  time  descriptive, 
however,  was  published  by  Buchner 2  in  1863.  This  catalogue  gave  a  brief  description  of  each 
fall,  its  bibliography,  and  a  statement  of  the  distribution  of  its  specimens.  The  order  of  treat- 
ment was  chronological,  and  there  was  a  subgrouping  into  stone  and  iron  meteorites,  also  of 
those  seen  to  fall  as  distinguished  from  those  found.  Up  to  1869  Buchner  continued  this  work 
by  means  of  appendixes,  but  at  that  time  ceased  his  labors.  Subsequent  to  this  various  lists  of 
all  meteorites  were  made,  some  of  the  most  useful  being  those  by  Brezina,  Meunier,  Wadsworth, 
and  Huntington,  but  none  of  them  gave  comprehensive  accounts  .of  all  meteorites. 

The  largest  comprehensive  work  following  Buchner's  was  that  of  Wulfing,  published  in 
1897.s  This  included  all  known  meteorites,  but  the  number  of  these  had  so  largely  increased 
since  Buchner's  time  that  his  plan  of  giving  an  account  of  each  meteorite  was  not  followed. 
Wulfing  confined  his  catalogue  to  a  bibliography  of  each  fall  and  a  statement  of  the  distribution 
of  the  specimens.  Wulfing's  work  was  performed  with  excellent  judgment  and  thoroughness, 
and  his  catalogue  has  been  of  the  greatest  service  in  systematizing  and  advancing  the  study  of 
meteorites. 

Although  the  plan  of  giving  an  account  of  each  meteorite,  its  bibliography  and  distribution, 
would  seem  impracticable  when,  as  is  now  the  case,  the  number  of  known  meteorites  exceeds 
600,  yet  the  task  was  undertaken  by  Cohen.  Volumes  III,  IV,  and  V  of  his  Meteoritenkunde 
were  intended  to  be  made  up  in  this  way.  Of  these,  only  Volume  III  was  completed  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  This  described  in  full  96  iron  meteorites,  comprising  the  classes  of  ataxites, 

»  Gflb.  Ann.  Bd.  15,  p.  307-S.       «  Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungeu.    Leipzig,  1883.        » Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlongen.    Tubingen,  1897. 

7 


8  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

hexahedrites,  and  firm  octahedrites.  Had  Cohen  lived  to  complete  his  task,  little  more  could 
be  asked  for  in  the  way  of  a  systematic  account  of  meteorites,  but  unfortunately  this  was  not 
to  be.  Cohen's  bibliography  differed  from  "Wulfing's  in  giving  only  the  works  which  recorded 
new  facts,  whereas  Wulfing  listed  every  mention  of  the  meteorite.  In  his  statement  of  their 
distribution  Cohen  also  mentioned  only  the  most  important.  Both  of  these  practices  of  Cohen 
seem  to  the  present  writer  more  nearly  ideal  than  those  of  Wulfing.  Neither  of  the  catalogues 
mentioned  undertook  any  mapping  of  falls. 

In  all  these  catalogues  there  is  a  confusing  difference  in  the  methods  adopted  for  the  grouping 
of  those' falls  which  have  often  been  regarded  as  distinct.  Thus  Wulfing,  to  speak  of  American 
falls  alone,  grouped  together  Jewell  Hill  and  Duel  Hill,  Lime  Creek  and  Walker  County,  Coahuila, 
Sancha  Estate  and  Fort  Duncan,  Brenham  and  Anderson,  and  Chupaderos,  Adargas  and 
Morito. 

In  earlier  times  the  Red  River  meteorite  of  Texas  and  the  Santa  Rosa  meteorite  of  the 
United  States  of  Colombia  were  regarded  by  Shepard  *  as  belonging  to  a  single  fall.  Jackson 2 
thought  that  the  Port  Orford,  Oregon,  meteorite  should  be  considered  of  the  same  fall  as  the 
Pallas  iron.  More  recently  Huntington3  placed  together,  as  originating  from  one  fall,  Fort 
Duncan,  Holland's  Store,  and  Scottsville,  although  found  hundreds  of  miles  from  each  other; 
and  Cocke  County,  Sevier  County,  Wayne  County,  Greenbrier  County,  Waldron's  Ridge,  and 
Tazewell,  although  scattered  over  three  States.  Preston 4  concluded  that  the  meteorites  of 
western  Kansas — Kansada,  Jerome,  Long  Island,  and  Prairie  Dog  Creek — came  from  a  single 
shower. 

It  seems  obvious  that  such  practices  would  in  time  produce  great  confusion  and  that  the 
chances  of  lessening  such  a  confusion  would  decrease  as  time  passed.  The  history  and  geography 
of  a  fall  must  be  the  important  factors  in  determining  its  right  to  be  regarded  individual.  Of 
these  two  factors  the  history  must  be  determined  from  all  available  literature,  while  the  geography 
can  readily  be  shown  by  mapping.  To  undertake  this  task  for  the  meteorites  of  a  single  large 
geographic  province  such  as  North  America  seemed  to  the  writer  desirable,  not  only  for  the 
intrinsic  value  of  the  record,  but  to  throw  light  on  the  question  of  the  extent  to  which  individual 
falls  may  be  naturally  or  artificially  distributed.  Funds  for  assistance  having  been  generously 
provided  through  a  grant  from  the  J.  Lawrence  Smith  Fund  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences, 
such  a  catalogue  was  undertaken  and  is  here  presented. 

Prof.  W.  C.  MacNaul,  of  Chicago,  rendered  valuable  assistance  in  the  bibliographic  work  and 
translating.  In  the  preparation  of  the  text  of  this  catalogue  the  endeavor  of  the  writer  has 
been  to  collect  all  published  facts  of  importance  regarding  the  different  falls.  Several  methods 
of  grouping  these  facts  were  considered,  but  it  was  finally  concluded  that  an  essentially  chrono- 
logical treatment  would  be  the  most  satisfactory.  Such  a  grouping  shows  in  historical  order 
the  growth  of  knowledge  regarding  each  fall  and  enables  one  to  appreciate  the  difficulties  of 
the  earlier  investigators  and  the  manner  in  which  features  overlooked  or  not  understood  by  them 
were  later  made  clear.  For  example,  Cambria  was  early  described  as  showing  nodules  composed 
of  two  kinds  of  iron  sulphide,  one  decomposable  and  regarded  as  troilite,  the  other  unattacked 
by  acids  and  regarded  as  pyrrhotite.  It  remained  for  later  investigation  to  show  that  the  unde- 
composable  constituent  was  schreibersite. 

In  this  catalogue  original  articles  are  generally  given  in  full.  This  plan  was  not  adopted 
without  thorough  consideration,  especially  as  the  practice  of  previous  compilers  had  been  to 
present  only  abstracts.  By  such  a  method  desirable  data  may  be  omitted,  however,  since 
abstracts  are  necessarily  affected  by  the  ability  of  the  abstractor  to  choose  that  which  is  im- 
portant. The  ideal  to  be  attained  seems  to  the  mind  of  the  writer  to  be  the  preservation  of  all 
known  data  regarding  the  meteorites.  This  does  not  mean  that  data  shall  be  repeated,  and 
the  writer  has  omitted  from  later  reports  observations  already  recorded  by  earlier  investigators. 
This  was  deemed  desirable,  not  only  in  order  to  reduce  the  bulk  of  the  catalogue,  but  also  to 
give  due  credit  to  the  first  observer,  and  while  it  may  seem  to  some  to  involve  too  great  ver- 

'  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  16, 1829,  p.  219.  »  Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  24, 1889,  pp.  30-35. 

«  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  7, 1860,  p.  161.  « Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  9, 1900,  p.  412. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  9 

bosity  the  writer  is  confident  that  in  the  long  run  it  will  be  found  the  most  satisfactory.  The 
absence  of  repetition  affords  a  proper  perspective  of  the  work  already  done  on  each  fall  and 
should  result  in  a  clear  appreciation  of  the  lines  along  which  further  study  should  be  carried 
out;  in  fact,  the  writer  hopes  that  this  may  be  one  of  the  chief  values  of  the  catalogue. 

In  the  bibliography  given  with  each  fall,  only  works  which  have  treated  in  some  detail  of 
the  meteorite  have  been  recorded.  The  apparent  plan  of  Wulfing  to  record  every  mention  of 
the  meteorite,  while  having  its  uses,  has  not  been  deemed  practicable  or  necessary  for  this  cata- 
logue. Undoubtedly,  some  of  the  references  recorded  by  Wulfing  and  omitted  by  the  writer 
would  at  times  be  useful,  but  on  the  whole  they  are  more  of  a  burden  than  an  addition.  Thus, 
mention  of  a  meteorite  in  various  catalogues  seems  hardly  worth  perpetuating,  and  the  plan  of 
Buchner  and  Wulfing  of  recording  in  detail  the  distribution  of  the  different  specimens  of  each 
meteorite  among  different  collections  has  not  been  deemed  by  the  present  writer  worthy  of 
continuance.  The  distribution  of  meteoritic  material  has  now  become  so  extensive  and  its 
subsequent  exchange  so  general  that  such  a  record  can  have  little  permanent  value.  Accord- 
ingly, the  only  record  of  the  distribution  of  each  fall  given  in  the  present  catalogue  is  that  of 
the  larger  or  more  important  pieces  or,  if  the  fall  has  been  widely  distributed,  a  statement  to 
that  effect. 

In  determining  what  falls  to  admit  to  the  catalogue  it  was  decided  to  include  only  those 
known  to  be  meteoric.  All  false  or  doubtful  meteorites  were  thus  set  aside,  together  with 
occurrences  like  that  of  Oktibbeha,  which,  though  usually  regarded  as  meteoric,  are  so  anomalous 
in  composition  that  their  meteoric  origin  is  uncertain.  The  Abert  iron  is  also  omitted  because 
of  its  lack  of  locality  and  the  possibility  of  its  belonging  to  Toluca. 

The  extent  to  which  different  falls  have  been  studied  is,  as  shown  by  the  catalogue,  very 
unequal.  Thus,  the  meteorites  of  the  great  showers,  such  as  Brenham,  Canyon  Diablo,  Esther- 
ville,  Forest  City,  Homestead,  New  Concord,  Toluca,  and  Weston  have,  as  a  rule,  been  exten- 
sively studied.  This  may  be  due  either  to  the  striking  character  of  the  phenomena  of  the  fall 
or  to  the  large  quantity  of  material  available  for  distribution  to  investigators.  Conversely, 
of  those  meteorites  represented  by  only  a  small  amount  of  material  little  investigation  has  been 
made,  although  in  no  case  can  the  amount  of  material  be  said  to  be  too  small  for  adequate 
study.  North  American  meteorites  of  which  our  knowledge  is  still  quite  unsatisfactory, 
are  the  following:  Bethlehem,  Cosina,  Deal,  Emmetsburg,  La  Charca,  Ottawa,  Oroville,  Price- 
town,  Rushville,  and  San  Pedro  Springs.  Several  of  the  Mexican  meteorites,  in  addition,  are 
little  more  than  names,  their  only  record  being  that  of  preservation  in  one  of  the  Mexican 
museums. 

Of  the  following  North  American  meteorites  the  major  portion  seems  to  be  lost,  at  least 
its  present  whereabouts  are  unknown:  Botetourt,  Danville,  Forsyth,  Greenbrier  County,  Har- 
rison County,  Hopper,  Kokomo,  Little  Piney,  Nobleboro,  Petersburg,  Pittsburg,  Ponca  Creek, 
Port  Orford,  Shingle  Springs,  Warrenton,  and  Wooster.  The  preparation  of  the  present  cata- 
logue has  served  the  purpose  of  locating  a  number  of  masses,  the  disposition  of  which  was  not 
recorded  in  Wulfing's  catalogue.  These  are  as  follows: 

Name  of  meteorite.  WTtere  chiefly  preserved. 

Auburn Amheret. 

Bald  Eagle Lewisbuig. 

Bear  Creek Amherst. 

Bethlehem Albany. 

•  Coetilla  Peak Ward  Collection. 

Dalton Philadelphia. 

Deep  Springs Raleigh. 

Denton  County Austin. 

Descubridora City  of  Mexico. 

Grand  Rapids Distributed. 

Iron  Creek Toronto. 

^  Ivanpah San  Francisco. 

Ken  ton  County Chicago. 


10  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Name  of  meteorite.  Where  chiefly  preserved. 

LaCharca Guanajuato. 

La  Grange Amherst. 

Losttown Amherst. 

Madoc Ottawa. 

Marshall  County Amherst. 

Marion Amherst. 

Morristown Ward  Collection. 

Nelson  County Vienna. 

Putnam  County Amherst. 

Rancho  de  la  Pila London. 

Ruffs  Mountain Amherst. 

Russel  Gulch New  York. 

Searsmont Amherst. 

Smithville > Distributed. 

Staunton Distributed. 

Tazewell Amherst. 

Tonganoxie Distributed. 

Trenton Distributed. 

Tucson Washington  and  San  Francisco. 

Union  County Amherst. 

Wichita Austin. 

Zacatecas City  of  Mexico. 

The  mapping  of  the  exact  location  of  each  fall  or  find  has  often  proved,  as  might  be  expected, 
difficult.  In  addition  to  a  frequent  lack  of  definite  statement  in  the  description  of  a  meteorite 
as  to  where  it  was  obtained,  it  is  probable  that  full  credence  can  not  always  be  given  to  the  state- 
ments of  a  finder  who  may  wish  to  conceal  the  exact  location  of  the  specimens,  either  in  the 
hope  of  obtaining  more  or  to  avoid  all  question  as  to  their  ownership.  The  artificial  distribu- 
tion of  iron  meteorites  from  their  original  point  of  fall  for  purposes  of  artisanship  is  also  likely 
to  occur.  Decision  in  each  case  as  to  how  far  the  reported  point  of  fall  may  have  been  affected 
by  such  considerations  must  obviously  depend  on  individual  judgment.  In  almost  no  instance, 
however,  among  the  many  investigated  and  mapped  by  the  writer  has  there  been  proof  of 
deliberate  misrepresentation  as  to  the  point  of  discovery. 

The  greatest  hindrance  to  exact  knowledge  has  arisen,  apparently,  from  lack  of  careful 
inquiry  as  to  its  place  of  fall  on  the  part  of  those  to  whom  has  been  given  the  privilege  of  describ- 
ing the  meteorite.  By  earlier  writers  it  was  deemed  sufficient  to  characterize  the  locality  of  the 
meteorite  by  the  name  of  the  State  in  which  it  was  found.  As  this  practice  soon  became  obvi- 
ously faulty,  due  to  the  finding  of  several  meteorites  in  the  same  State,  the  next  plan  largely 
adopted  was  that  of  naming  the  meteorites  from  the  counties  in  which  they  fell.  This  practice 
was  soon,  of  course,  also  found  open  to  the  objection  of  covering  too  much  territory  and  was 
superseded  by  the  modern  method  of  naming  the  meteorite  from  a  place  of  importance  nearest 
its  place  of  fall,  a  practice  the  establishment  of  which  is  largely  due  to  Brezina.  This  method 
seems  to  be  all  that  can  be  desired,  and  it  is  hoped  that  no  other  will  in  the  future  be  used.  One 
very  desirable  end  attained  is  that  the  name  of  the  meteorite  gives  at  once  its  locality.  The 
choice  of  the  name  should,  if  possible,  be  that  of  a'  town  of  sufficient  size  to  be  locatable  in  a 
good  atlas,  but  where  this  would  place  the  name  of  the  meteorite  too  far  from  its  place  of  fall 
the  name  of  a  smaller  place  may  be  used. 

Where  meteorites  are  known  only  by  the  State  or  county  in  which  they  fell  it  has  often 
been  impossible  to  show  their  exact  location  on  the  accompanying  maps.  If  the  only  designation 
of  the  locality  of  a  meteorite  has  been  that  of  a  county,  the  writer  has  indicated  the  counfy 
seat  as  the  locality,  although  this  is  obviously  a  purely  arbitrary  assumption.  The  class  to 
which  a  meteorite  belongs  has  been  indicated  on  the  maps  by  an  abbreviation  of  the  term  in 
the  German  classification.  This  is  a  most  concise  and  practicable  way  of  determining  at  a 
glance  the  character  of  contiguous  meteorites.  If  meteorites  of  the  same  type  appear  close 
together  there  appears  to  be  strong  presumption  for  inferring  that  they  belong  to  a  smgle 
fall,  but  such  associations  are  rare.  Where  they  do  occur,  as  in  the  case  of  Madoc  and  Thvfrlow, 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  11 

study  of  the  individuals  is  necessary  to  determine  whether  or  not  they  belong  together.  In 
all  such  cases  here  studied,  except  possibly  that  of  Cleveland  and  Dalton,  the  individuals  have 
shown  characters  so  different  that  one  would  not  be  warranted  in  placing  them  together.  The 
placing  of  type  symbols  upon  the  maps  also  affords  an  opportunity  of  determining  whether 
related  types  have  a  tendency  to  fall  in  the  same  region,  but  a  study  of  the  maps  betrays  little 
evidence  of  such  a  grouping. 

The  total  number  of  meteorites  recognized  by  the  writer  in  North  America  up  to  January  1, 
1909,  is  247,  a  number  which  will  obviously  increase  with  the  occurrence  of  new  falls  and  finds. 
Of  the  247  recognized  meteorites,  161  are  iron  meteorites,  10  are  iron-stone,  and  76  are  stone — 
a  notable  excess  of  irons.  Of  the  irons,  3  (Cabin  Creek,  Charlotte,  and  Mazapil)  have  been 
seen  to  fall,  of  the  iron-stones,  1  (Estherville),  and  of  the  stones,  56.  Only  meteorites  actually 
observed  are  here  regarded  as  having  been  seen  to  fall.  When  a  meteorite  has  been  found 
it  has  customarily  been  referred  to  some  meteor  which  some  one  remembers  to  have  seen  in 
the  neighborhood  at  some  previous  tune.  This  practice  does  not  seem  to  the  writer  a  sound 
one,  since  there  are  few  meteorites  to  which  such  a  tune  of  fall  could  not  be  ascribed  without 
a  possibility  of  verifying  the  connection. 

Considering  the  province  of  North  America  as  a  whole,  the  distribution  of  known  meteorites 
is  most  abundant  in  the  eastern  United  States  and  in  Mexico.  Few  meteorites  are  known  in 
British  North  America  and  the  western  United  States.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the 
apparent  scarcity  in  the  localities  indicated  is  largely  due  to  lack  of  observers,  as  the  writer 
has  elsewhere  urged.1  It  is  not  safe,  however,  to  ascribe  too  much  to  this  cause,  since  areas 
equally  populated  show  great  discrepancies  in  the  number  of  their  meteorites.  One  of  the 
best  illustrations  of  this  is  the  State  of  Illinois.  This  is  an  area  of  56,000  square  miles  in  which 
there  are  no  known  meteorites.  The  greatest  massing  of  meteorites  in  the  whole  province  of 
North  America  occurs  in  the  region  of  the  southern  Appalachians,  where  the  States  of  Kentucky, 
Virginia,  Tennessee,  North  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Alabama  adjoin.  A  circle  with  a  radius 
of  300  miles  drawn  about  Mt.  Mitchell,  North  Carolina,  as  a  center,  will  include  nearly  half 
of  the  known  meteorites  of  North  America.  Twenty-five  of  these,  or  nearly  hah*  of  the  known 
falls  of  the  continent,  are  observed  falls,  and  it  would  seem  possible  at  first  thought  that  many 
of  the  meteorites  in  this  area  might  have  come  from  a  single  shower.  This  would  reduce  the 
number,  but  the  writer  has  made  a  careful  study  of  the  history  of  each  meteorite  and  its  geo- 
graphic relation  to  those  of  similar  character  without  finding  any  support  for  such  a  view.  Not 
only  does  the  area  contain  a  large  number  of  observed  falls,  but  the  finds  embrace  a  variety 
of  types  larger  than  any  known  to  be  produced  by  a  single  sho'wer.  Meteorites  of  a  single  type 
are,  as  a  rule,  much  more  widely  scattered  than  those  of  any  single  observed  shower.  As 
regards  population  in  the  area,  conditions  are  only  moderately  favorable,  since  the  area  is  not 
very  thickly  settled.  The  climate  of  the  region  is  moist,  the  average  yearly  rainfall  being 
50-60  inches,  so  that  a  relatively  rapid  disintegration  of  iron  meteorites  might  be  expected. 
Yet  in  spite  of  so  many  conditions  unfavorable  to  their  occurrence  in  large  numbers,  meteorites 
are  superabundant  in  this  area.  This  seems  to  leave  little  doubt  that  some  force  tends  to 
bring  about  their  concentration  here.  It  is  noteworthy  that  this  region  includes  the  highest 
summits  of  the  Appalachians,  and  this  suggests  either  the  presence  of  an  extra-gravitational 
force  or  that  a  purely  obstructive  effect  has  been  exerted  by  the  high  peaks.  Studies  of  the 
gravitational  effects  of  mountain  masses  indicate  no  force  seemingly  sufficient  to  affect  the  fall 
of  a  meteorite,  though  some  such  force  may  exist.  Magnetic  influences  may  also  be  suggested. 
Next  to  the  massing  of  meteorites  about  the  southern  Appalachians,  the  most  striking  grouping 
seems  to  be  within  the  borders  of  Kansas.  Within  the  area  of  this  State,  about  82,000  square 
miles,  15  meteorites  occur.  Of  these,  four  are  observed  falls.  Those  of  the  western  part  of 
the  State  are  all  stones,  and  an  effort  has  been  made2  to  show  that  they  may  have  been  the 
result  of  a  single  shower,  but  the  history  and  characters  of  the  meteorites,  to  the  writer's  mind, 
negative  this  view.  The  soil  of  the  western  part  of  Kansas  is  especially  favorable  to  the  finding 

1  Pop.  Sci. Mon.,  1904,  pp.  351-354.  »  Preston,  Amer.  Joum.  Sci., 4th  ser.,  vol. 9, 1900, p.  412. 


12  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

of  meteorites,  as  it  contains  few  terrestrial  rocks,  but  this  advantage  is  perhaps  neutralized 
by  the  scantiness  of  the  population.  The  climate  is  dry,  thus  tending  to  the  preservation  of 
meteorites.  The  region  is  not  itself  mountainous,  but  is  elevated  and  within  a  few  hundred 
miles  of  the  mountain  masses  which  culminate  in  Pike's  Peak. 

Another  grouping  of  meteorites  in  the  province  of  North  America  appears  to  be  that  of 
the  large  iron  masses  along  the  Cordilleras.  Such  is  the  distribution  of  the  two  Chupaderos 
masses,  weighing  20,881  kgs.;  Morito,  11,000  kgs.;  Bacubirito,  27,000  kgs.;  Port  Orford,  possibly 
10,000  kgs.;  and  Willamette,  13,000  kgs.  In  addition  several  smaller  iron  masses  and  the 
showers  of  Toluca  and  Canyon  Diablo  are  included  in  this  zone.  Here  again,  gravitational  or 
obstructive  influences  are  suggested. 

The  three  greatest  meteorite  showers  of  North  America  have  all  occurred  within  the  State 
of  Iowa,  two  of  them  within  65  miles  of  each  other,  the  third  130  miles  distant  from  either. 
The  localities  were  Estherville,  Forest  City,  and  Homestead.  Other  great  showers  must 
have  occurred  when  the  iron  meteorites  of  Canyon  Diablo  and  Toluca  fell,  but  the  fall  was 
unobserved. 

The  boundaries  of  States  can  have  no  influence  on  the  distribution  of  meteorites,  as  they 
include  areas  of  very  different  extent,  yet  some  interest  and  convenience  attaches  to  a  record 
of  the  falls  in  the  United  States  by  States.  Arranged  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  they  are 
as  follows: 

Name  of  State.  Number  of  meteorites. 

North  Carolina 20 

Tennessee 16 

Texas 15 

Kansas 15 

Kentucky 14 

Alabama 11 

Georgia 9 

Missouri 9 

Virginia. 6 

Indiana 6 

Ohio 6 

Nebraska 6 

New  Mexico 6 

California 6 

New  York 5 

South  Carolina : 5 

Maine 4 

Iowa 4 

Wisconsin 4 

Colorado 4 

Maryland 3 

Pennsylvania 3 

Michigan 3 

Arizona 3 

West  Virginia 2 

Arkansas 2 

Minnesota 2 

North  Dakota 2 

South  Dakota 2 

Oregon 2 

Connecticut 1 

New  Jersey 1 

Wyoming 1 

Utah .  i 

Montana 1 

Idaho 1 

It  is  evident  that  the  distribution  of  the  localities  from  which  meteorites  are  known,  or 
what  may  be  in  short  known  as  the  distribution  of  meteorites,  will  be  affected  by  at  least  four 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  13 

terrestrial  factors:  (1)  density  of  population,  (2)  character  of  population,  (3)  climate,  and 
(4)  character  of  soil.  Density  of  population  will  increase  the  number  of  meteorites  known  from 
a  region,  because  the  greater  the  population  the  greater  the  number  of  observers  and  the  more 
numerous  the  chances  both  that  the  meteorite  will  be  observed  when  it  falls  and  that  it  will  be 
found  after  it  has  fallen.  As  regards  character  of  population,  a  high  order  of  intelligence  is 
favorable  not  only  to  the  observation  but  to  the  preservation  of  meteorites.  The  writer  has 
elsewhere  called  attention  *  to  the  fact  that  the  distribution  of  meteorites  on  a  map  of  the 
world  is  almost  exactly  that  of  the  Caucasian  race.  This  seems  to  prove  quite  conclusively  that 
the  distribution  of  meteorites  is  largely  dependent  on  the  degree  of  civilization  attained  in  a 
region.  That  this  factor  is  more  important  than  density  of  population  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
no  meteorites  are  known  from  China  in  spite  of  its  immense  numbers  of  people.  In  the  province 
of  North  America  it  is  hardly  likely  that  the  different  degrees  of  intelligence  existing  in  different 
regions  would  exert  any  discernible  influence  on  the  number  of  meteorites  known.  As  regard 
climate,  aridity  may  be  doubtless  considered  favorable  and  humidity  unfavorable  to  the  preser- 
vation of  meteorites.  In  a  humid  climate  the  iron  meteorites  disintegrate  much  more  rapidly 
than  in  an  arid  climate,  and  to  a  certain  extent  the  same  is  true  of  stone  meteorites. 

As  regards  character  of  soil,  it  is  obvious  that  soils  free  of  rocks  would  be  most  favorable 
to  the  finding  of  meteorites.  The  existence  of  such  soils  in  Kansas  and  Texas  has  led  to  the 
discovery  in  those  regions  of  meteorites  that  would  probably  have  been  overlooked  in  stony 
localities.  An  iron  meteorite  is,  of  course,  more  likely  to  attract  attention  in  any  soil  than  a 
stony  meteorite,  but  the  latter  is  quite  likely  to  be  overlooked  in  stony  soils.  From  the  above 
it  appears  that  the  most  favorable  terrestrial  conditions  for  the  finding  of  meteorites  are  those 
of  a  dense,  intelligent  population  living  in  an  arid  climate  and  upon  a  pebbleless  soil.  Such 
conditions  are  not  likely  to  exist  together,  but  now  one  and  now  another  will  predominate  in 
any  given  region.  To  a  certain  degree  the  absence  of  one  is  likely  to  offset  the  presence  of  another, 
but  where  several  of  these  conditions  are  lacking  and  a  preponderance  of  meteorites  occurs 
other  reasons  must  be  sought.  The  eastern  States  of  the  United  States  as  compared  with  the 
western  States  possess  a  relatively  dense  population,  but  a  moist  climate  and  rocky  soil.  Canada 
has  a  scanty  population,  a  moist  climate,  and  rocky  soil.  Mexico  has  the  advantage  of  an  arid 
climate  but  the  disadvantage  of  a  scanty  and  an  illiterate  population,  and  a  more  or  less  rocky 
soil. 

No  evidence  has  been  obtained  in  the  preparation  of  the  catalogue  which  proves  to  the 
writer  that  the  individual  meteorites  of  a  single  shower  may  be  scattered  over  wide  areas.  No 
observed  shower  has  ever  been  known  to  distribute  individuals  over  an  'area  greater  than  16 
miles  in  length.  Only  complete  similarity  between  more  widely  separated  meteorites  should 
warrant  belief  in  more  extended  showers,  and  such  similarity  has  never  been  established.  A 
considerable  likeness  exists,  it  is  true,  among  the  medium  octahedrites  of  the  southern  Appa- 
lachians, but  a  careful  study  of  the  history  and  structure  of  each  discloses  differences  too  great 
to  warrant  their  being  classed  together.  Another  group  of  North  American  meteorites  showing 
strong  similarity  is  that  of  Coahuila.  These  are  hexahedrites  and  are  reported  from  localities 
the  most  extreme  of  which  are  nearly  300  miles  apart.  As  hexahedrites  are  relatively  rare 
among  meteorites,  it  hardly  seems  probable  that  several  would  fall  within  a  hundred  miles  of 
each  other,  although  this  is  by  no  means  impossible.  It  is  of  course  true  that  there  may  have 
been  artificial  distribution,  but  of  this  there  seems  to  be  no  positive  evidence.  A  considerable 
uncertainty,  however,  attaches  to  the  statements  of  the  localities  where  the  specimens  were 
found,  and  until  the  localities  can  be  more  definitely  established,  either  by  new  finds  or  by 
reliable  evidence  regarding  the  old  finds,  the  question  as  to  whether  they  represent  parts  of  a 
widely  distributed  shower  must  remain  an  open  one. 

Important  meteorite  collections  are  possessed,  at  the  present  time,  by  seven  institutions  in 
North  America:  The  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Amherst  College,  Field  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  Harvard  University,  Mexican  National  Museum,  United  States  National 
Museum,  and  Yale  University.  Of  these,  the  Yale  University  collection  is  probably  the  oldest. 

i  Pop.  Sd.  Hon.,  1904,  p.  352. 


14  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Professors  Silliman  and  Kingsley,  as  early  as  1807,  collected  specimens  of  the  Weston  meteorite 
for  the  college,  and  the  Red  River  meteorite,  at  that  time  the  largest  meteorite  known,  was 
presented  to  it  in  1835.  The  growth  of  the  Yale  collection  since  that  time  has  been  steady  and 
the  latest  catalogue  (1897)  gives  a  total  of  201  falls,  having  a  weight  of  1,374  kgs.  Besides  the 
Weston  and  the  Red  River  meteorites,  important  North  American  specimens  in  this  collection 
are  those  of  Cape  Girardeau,  Castine,  Estherville,  Forest,  Hammond,  Jerome,  and  Salt  Lake 
City. 

The  Amherst  collection  began  with  the  deposit  there  in  1861  of  Shepard's  meteorites, 
numbering  151  falls,  several  of  which,  however,  later  proved  to  be  pseudometeorites.  The 
chief  additions  to  the  collection  were  made  by  Shepard  and  the  latest  manuscript  catalogue 
gives  300  falls,  having  a  weight  of  660  kgs.  Important  North  American  specimens  in  this 
collection  are  those  of  Bear  Creek,  La  Grange,  Losttown,  Marshall  County,  Putnam  County, 
Richmond,  Ruff's  Mountain,  Tazewell,  and  Union  County. 

The  Harvard  collection,  according  to  Huntington,  had  its  nucleus  in  a  collection  of  about 
50  falls  made  by  Prof.  J.  P.  Cooke,  but  obtained  its  chief  importance  through  the  purchase  in 
1883  of  the  collection  of  J.  Lawrence  Smith.  In  1897,  according  to  Wulfing,  the  collection 
numbered  244  falls  and  had  a  weight  of  1,754  kgs.  Important  North  American  specimens  are 
those  of  Butler,  Charlotte,  Coahuila,  Cynthiana,  Estherville,  Frankfort,  New  Concord,  Vernon 
County,  and  Warrenton. 

The  collection  of  the  United  States  National  Museum  is  the  gradual  result  of  gift,  exchange, 
and  purchase.  It  has  maintained  a  steady  growth  by  this  means  and  in  addition  includes  a 
series  of  chiefly  small  specimens  deposited  by  Shepard.  The  latest  catalogue  of  the  collection 
(1902)  gives  a  total  of  348  falls,  weight  not  stated.  Important  North  American  specimens 
are:  Allegan,  Arispe,  Bishopville,  Canyon  Diablo,  Casas  Grandes,  Felix,  Gargantillo,  Hender- 
sonville,  Lexington  County,  Mount  Vernon,  Persimmon  Creek,  Travis  County,  and  Tucson. 

The  meteorite  collection  of  the  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History  originated  in  the  purchase, 
at  the  time  of  founding  the  museum  in  1894,  of  collections  made  by  Kunz  and  Ward.  One 
hundred  and  eighty  falls  were  then  acquired,  having  a  weight  of  2,099  kgs.  The  collection  has 
gradually  been  increased  so  that  it  now  numbers  300  falls  and  has  a  weight  of  2,310  kgs.  The 
most  important  North  American  specimens  are  Brenham,  Canyon  Diablo,  Farmington,  Indian 
Valley,  Kenton  County,  Leighton,  Long  Island,  Modoc,  Saline,  Shelburne,  and  South  Bend. 

The  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  possessed  no  important  meteorite  collection 
until  the  purchase  of  the  Bement  collection  in  1898.  This  contained  over  400  falls,  mostly  in 
small  specimens,  but  many  of  them  rare,  and  included  Ottawa,  Plymouth,  Pricetown,  Rushville, 
and  San  Pedro  Springs.  Subsequent  to  the  acquisition  of  the  Bement  collection  the  Museum 
acquired  the  great  Cape  York  and  Willamette  meteorites  and  Selma.  In  addition  the  private 
collection  of  Ward  is  at  present  on  deposit  at  this  museum. 

The  meteorite  collection  of  the  Mexican.  National  Museum  and  School  of  Mines  is  chiefly 
notable  for  containing  a  number  of  the  great  Mexican  iron  meteorites.  These  include  Adargas, 
Chupaderos,  Descubridora,  Morito,  and  Zacatecas,  together  with  several  smaller  stones  and 
irons  which  have  never  been  described. 

Other  institutions  in  North  America  which  contain  meteorite  collections  of  some  size  are 
Adelbert  College,  reputed  to  possess  143. falls  (Wulfing);  the  California  State  Mining  Bureau, 
containing  among  others  Chilcat,  Oroville,  and  the  Carleton  mass  of  Tucson;  the  Public  Museum 
of  Milwaukee,  containing  several  masses  of  Trenton  and  other  meteorites;  the  University  of 
Minnesota,  containing  54  falls;  the  Academy  of  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  containing  Cleveland 
and  about  50  other  falls;  and  the  Academy  of  Sciences  of  St.  Louis,  containing  Fort  Pierre  and 
about  40  other  falls. 

Private  collections  of  meteorites  have  not  been  wanting  in  North  America,  but  they  have 
for  the  most  part  been  acquired  by  institutions.  The  earliest  collections  were  those  of  Troost, 
Shepard,  and  Smith.  The  disposal  of  the  collections  of  the  two  latter  collectors  has  already 
been  stated ;  the  collection  of  Troost  was  probably  in  part  acquired  by  Smith  and  in  part  scat- 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AFRICA.  15 

tered.  Later,  Bailey,  Bement,  Knnz,  and  Ward  formed  important  collections,  all  of  which  were 
placed  in  institutions,  with  the  exception  of  that  of  Bailey,  whose  last  catalogue  recorded  309 
falls  weighing  about  50  kgs.  The  last  collection  formed  by  Ward  was  the  largest  private  col- 
lection of  meteorites  ever  made  and  excelled  all  others  in  number  of  falls.  In  1904  this  collection 
numbered  603  falls  and  had  a  weight  of  2,495  kgs. 

Several  foreign  institutions  possess  important  specimens  of  North  American  meteorites, 
those  chiefly  rich  in  this  material  being  the  British  Museum  of  Natural  History,  the  Museum  of 
Natural  History  of  Paris,  and  the  Vienna  Natural  History  Museum.  Important  North  American 
specimens  in  the  British  Museum  are  those  of  Cosby  Creek,  Greenbrier  County,  and  Mesquital; 
in  the  Paris  Museum  that  of  Charcas;  and  La  the  Vienna  Museum,  those  of  Babb's  Mill,  Bridge- 
water,  Cabin  Creek,  Castalia,  Chulafinnee,  De  Cewsville,  Eagle  Station,  Joe  Wright,  Kendall 
County,  Lick  Creek,  Mazapil,  Mincy,  Mount  Joy.  Nelson  County,  Prairie  Dog  Creek,  Silver 
Crown,  and  Summit. 

Among  the  authors  who  have  been  especially  active  in  the  investigation  and  description 
of  North  America  meteorites,  probably  the  foremost  place  should  be  given  to  Prof.  J.  Lawrence 
Smith,  the  founder  of  the  J.  Lawrence  Smith  Fund  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences.  Pro- 
fessor Smith's  contributions  to  the  subject  of  meteorites  cover  a  period  of  about  30  years, 
from  1854  to  1883,  and  number  about  40  titles  descriptive  of  meteorites,  chiefly  American. 
This  work  of  Professor  Smith  is  characterized  by  his  customary  accuracy  and  insight  and  is 
of  enduring  value.  Its  chief  importance  lies  in  careful  description  and  correct  recognition  of 
chemical  and  mineralogical  characters  many  of  which  had  been  badly  confused  by  other  investi- 
gators. Thus,  he  was  the  first  to  establish  the  fact  that  the  chief  constituent  of  the  Bishopville 
meteorite  was  enstatite,  after  other  able  investigators,  such  as  Waltershausen,  Rammelsberg, 
and  Rose  had  failed  properly  to  determine  its  composition.  Smith's  establishment  of  the  fact 
that  copper  is  a  constant  ingredient  of  iron  meteorites  was  another  important  discovery. 

Charles  Upham  Shepard  was  also  an  active  investigator  of  North  American  meteorites, 
his  investigations  covering  a  period  much  longer  even  than  those  of  J.  Lawrence  Smith.  Shep- 
ard's  first  paper  (on  the  Richmond  meteorite)  was  published  in  1829  and  his  last  in  1885.  The 
intervening  years  were  rarely  without  a  description  by  him  of  some  American  meteorite.  In 
addition  to  his  descriptive  work,  Shepard  was  very  active  as  a  collector,  and  the  preservation 
of  much  valuable  meteoritic  material  is  due  to  him.  The  collection  now  possessed  by  Amherst 
College  is  chiefly  the  result  of  his  labors.  While  Shepard  was  thus  an  important  contributor, 
from  the  historical  and  material  side,  to  the  study  of  meteorites,  some  of  his  observations  failed 
to  be  confirmed  by  later  investigators.  Several  new  species  of  minerals  which  he  reported  in 
meteorites  and  several  classifications  which  he  outlined  have  not  been  generally  accepted. 

Other  early  American  investigators  who  described  more  than  one  fall  were  Jackson,  who 
gave  several  excellent  descriptions  and  analyses,  Troost,  and  the  elder  and  junior  Silliman. 

In  later  years  those  connected  with  the  collections  at  Harvard,  Yale,  and  the  National 
Museum  have  been  chiefly  instrumental  in  advancing  our  knowledge  of  American  meteorites. 
They  have  included  at  Harvard,  Wadsworth  and  Huntington;  at  Yale,  Brush,  E.  S.  Dana, 
Penfield,  Newton,  and  Wright;  at  Washington,  Merrill,  Eakins,  Whitfield,  and  Tassin;  and 
in  New  York,  Hovey  and  Davidson.  Other  investigators  who  may  be  mentioned  are  Genth, 
N.  H.  Winchell,  and  Snow.  Among  private  collectors  who  were  also  investigators,  G.  F.  Kunz 
and  H.  A.  Ward  have  been  especially  active,  Kunz  having  collected  and  described  many  falls, 
and  Ward  having  rescued  from  oblivion  many  little-known  meteorites  and  given  accurate 
information  in  regard  to  them.  Other  collectors  who  have  furnished  both  excellent  material 
and  descriptions  are  Howell,  Hidden,  A.  E.  and  W.  M.  Foote,  Preston,  H.  L.  Ward,  and  S.  C.  H. 
Bailey,  while  the  collection  of  C.  S.  Bement  contained  several  meteorites  not  otherwise  preserved. 
On  the  astronomical  side  should  be  mentioned  the  important  work  of  Newton,  Kirkwood,  and 
Bowditch. 

In  spite  of  the  large  number  of  meteorites  of  Mexican  origin,  and  the  fact  that  many  of 
them  have  been  known  for  centuries,  little  investigation  has  been  made  of  North  American 
meteorites  by  Mexican  authorities.  In  fact,  the  catalogue  of  Castillo  may  be  said  to  be  the  only 


16 


MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 


important  paper  of  Mexican  origin  on  meteorites,  and  this  catalogue  is  very  brief.  This  lack 
of  local  investigation  of  Mexican  meteorites  has  compelled  obtaining  accounts  of  these  mete- 
orites chiefly  from  foreign  travelers  and  their  reports  are  often  incomplete  and  conflicting. 
Accordingly,  our  knowledge  of  Mexican  meteorites  is  far  from  satisfactory.  From  the  Dominion 
of  Canada  few  meteorites  are  known,  but  these  have  been  quite  satisfactorily  described. 

To  foreign  students  North  American  meteorites  have  furnished  material  for  valuable 
contributions  to  meteorite  knowledge.  Chladni's  early  studies  were  in  part  based  on  North 
American  material  and  Partsch,  Rose,  Reichenbach,  Haidinger,  and  Rammelsberg  later  classified 
and  analyzed  many  of  these  bodies.  Succeeding  or  in  part  contemporaneous  with  the  above 
investigators  were  Daubrfie  and  Meunier  in  France,  and  Maskelyne  and  Flight  in  England. 
Original  investigations  of  single  American  falls  by  these  authors  were,  however,  not  numerous, 
and  the  publications  relating  to  American  meteorites  in  foreign  works  previous  to  the  Vienna 
catalogue  were  largely  copies  of  descriptions  made  by  American  students. 

In  later  years  the  foreign  investigation  of  American  meteorites  has  been  carried  on  chiefly 
by  Tschermak,  Brezina,  Cohen,  and  Berwerth,  and  to  some  extent  by  Weinschenk  and  others. 
The  completeness  of  the  collection  at  Vienna  enabled  Brezina  in  1885  and  1895  to  make  much 
needed  careful  comparisons  of  different  meteorites,  to  determine  to  what  falls  they  belonged  and 
to  clear  up  much  of  the  confusion  resulting  from  a  previous  lack  of  such  opportunity.  Thus  he 
was  able  to  show  the  distinctness  of  Misteca  and  Yanhuitlan,  although  they  had  been  assigned 
to  one  fall,  and  of  Chupaderos,  Morito,  and  Adargas,  also  generally  grouped  as  one.  In  addition, 
Brezina  gave  careful  descriptions  of  the  structural  characters  of  a  large  number  of  iron  meteor- 
ites. A  somewhat  similar  work,  though  under  a  different  classification,  was  performed  by 
Meunier.  An  admirable  work  was  performed  by  Cohen  in  his  extensive  studies  of  a  large  number 
of  iron  meteorites,  many  of  them  North  American  in  origin.  These  studies  were  historical, 
chemical,  and  structural,  and  thoroughly  gave  the  characters  of  the  meteorites  investigated. 
Some  of  Cohen's  results  which  directly  affect  the  identity  of  American  meteorites,  were  his 
distinction  of  Duel  Hill  and  Jewell  Hill  and  of  Lime  Creek  and  Walker  County  and  his  detection 
of  the  pseudometeoric  character  of  Scriba  and  Long  Creek. 

List  of  meteorites  by  States  or  countries. 


I 

County. 

Classi- 
fica- 
tion. 

Latitude 
north. 

Longi- 
tude 
west. 

Remarks. 

ALABAMA: 
Auburn  

Lee  

H  

32°  37' 

85°  32' 

Found  1867. 

Chulafinnee  

Clebume       .          ......... 

Om.  .  . 

33°  35' 

85°  42' 

Found  1873. 

Danville  

Morgan 

Cea 

34°  24' 

87°    5' 

Fell  1868,  Nov.  27. 

Desotoville 

Choc  taw 

IT 

32°  13' 

88°  KK 

Found  1859 

Felix  

Perry 

Kc. 

32°  33' 

87°  12' 

Fell  1900,  May  15. 

Frankfort  

Franklin 

Ho 

34°  307 

87°  52' 

Fell  1868,  Dec.  5. 

Leighton  

Colbert  

Cgb   . 

34°  43' 

87°  33' 

Fell  1907,  Jan.  1. 

Limestone  Creek  . 

Monroe 

DC 

31°  34' 

87°30/ 

Found  1834. 

Selma           ...   . 

Dallas 

Cc 

32°  25' 

87°    I' 

Found  1906. 

Summit  

Blount  

Ha  . 

34°  13' 

86°3(X 

Found  1890. 

Walker  County  

H 

33°  5<X 

87°  15' 

Found  1832. 

ARIZONA: 
Canyon  Diablo  

Coconino  

Og 

35°  1(K 

111°    V 

Found  1891. 

Tucson  

Pima.  . 

Dm 

32°  12' 

110°  55' 

Found  1851. 

Weaver  

Maricopa 

D 

33°  58' 

112°  35' 

Found  1898 

ARKANSAS: 
Cabin  Creek  

Johnson      ...    . 

Om 

35°  24' 

93°  17' 

Fell  1886,  Mar.  27. 

Joe  Wright  Mountain 

Independence 

Om 

35°  43' 

91°  27' 

Found  1884 

CALIFORNIA: 
Canyon  City 

Trinity 

Oe 

40°  35' 

123°    5' 

Found  1875 

Ivanpah  

San  Bernardino 

Om 

35°  3(X 

115°  28' 

Found  1880. 

Oroville  

Butte 

Om 

39°  18' 

122°  38' 

Found  1893 

San  Emigdio  Range 

San  Bernardino  (southern  part 

Cc 

Found  1887 

Shingle  Springs  

of  county). 
El  Dorado          ... 

Dsh     . 

38°  43' 

120°  53' 

Found  1869. 

Surprise  Springs  .  . 

San  Bernardino  .  . 

Om.. 

34°  12' 

115°  54' 

Found  1899. 

METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 
List  of  meteorites  by  States  or  countries — Continued. 


17 


County. 

Classi- 
fica- 
tion. 

Latitude 
north. 

Longi- 
tude 
west. 

Remarks. 

COLORADO: 
Bear  Creek 

Jefferson           

Of 

39°  38' 

105°  l& 

Found  1866 

Franceville  

El  Paso  

Om 

38°  48' 

104°  3S7 

Found  1890. 

Russel  Gulch   

Gil  Din.. 

Of 

39°  47' 

105°  31' 

Found  1863 

Ute  Pass  

Summit:.  .  

Oeg 

39°  48' 

106°  IV 

Found  1894. 

CONNECTICUT: 
Weston  

Fairfield  

Ccb  .. 

41°  IS' 

73°  27' 

Fell  1807,  Dec.  14. 

GEORGIA: 
Canton  

Cherokee  

OCE 

34°  12* 

84°  any 

Found  1894. 

Dalton        

Whitfield  

Om 

34°  59' 

84°  54' 

Found  1877. 

Fore>-th  

Monroe  

Cwa 

33°    3' 

83°56/ 

Fell  1829,  May  8. 

Holland's  Store  

Chattooga        

Ha 

34°  22' 

85°  26^ 

Found  1887. 

Locust  Grove  

Henrv  

Ds 

33°  2V 

84°   V 

Found  1857. 

Loettown  Creek     

Cherokee  

Om 

34°  107 

84°  32' 

Found  1868. 

Lumpkin  

Stewart  

Cck 

31°  54' 

84°  57' 

Fell  1869,  Oct.  6. 

Putnam  County       

Of 

33°  167 

83°  2? 

Found  1839. 

Union  County  

1  i<~> 

34°  53' 

83°  58' 

Found  1853. 

IDAHO: 
Havden  Creek  

Lemhi  

Om 

45°    V 

113°  4S7 

Found  1895. 

INDIANA: 

Harrison  County  

Cho 

38°  12' 

86°   8' 

Fell  1859,  Mar.  28. 

Kokomo       .   .   .   ......... 

Howard   

DC 

40°  34' 

86°   V 

Found  1862. 

Plymouth  

Marshall  

Om 

41°20/ 

86°  18' 

Found  1893. 

Rochester            ,    ........ 

Fulton      

Cc 

4i°  y 

86°  13' 

Fell  1876,  Dec.  21. 

Rush  ville  -  

Rush  

c« 

39°22/ 

85°    3' 

Found  1866. 

South  Bend  

St  Joseph  

Pi 

41°  40' 

86°  iy 

Found  1893. 

IOWA: 
Estherville   

Emmet   

M 

43°  24' 

94°  507 

Fell  1879,  May  10. 

Foreet  City 

Winnebago           ............. 

Ccb 

43°  17' 

93°  38' 

Fell  1890,  May  2. 

Homestead  

Iowa  

Ceb  . 

41°  zy 

91°  3^ 

Fell  1875,  Feb.  12. 

Marion                

Linn       .   ................... 

Cwa 

41°  57' 

91°  34' 

Fell  1847,  Feb.  25. 

KANSAS: 
Admire  

Lvon.  . 

Pr  .. 

33°   V 

96°  y 

Found  1891. 

Brenham  

Kiowa  

Pk 

37°  38' 

99°  13' 

Found  1885. 

Elm  Creek  

Lyon          

Ceo 

38°3<X 

96°  IV 

Found  1906. 

Fannington  

Washington  

Csa 

39°  48' 

97°   y 

Fell  1890,  June  25. 

Jerome     

Gove    °  

Cck 

38°  47' 

100°  14' 

Found  1894. 

Long  Island  

Phillips  

Ck 

39°  S67 

99°  34' 

Found  1891. 

Modoc  

Scott       

Cwa. 

38°  29' 

101° 

Fell  1905,  Sept.  2. 

Ness  County  

Cib 

38°  SCX 

99°  37' 

Found  1897. 

Oakley  

Lo^an 

Ck 

38°  bo' 

101°   V 

Found  1895. 

Ottawa  

Franklin  

Cho 

38°  37' 

95°  18' 

Fell  1896,  Apr.  9. 

Prairie  Dog  Creek.  

Decatur    

Cck 

39°  42' 

100°  24' 

Found  1893. 

Saline  

Sheridan  

Cck 

39°  22' 

100°  27' 

Fell  1898,  Nov.  15. 

Scott  

Scott  

Stone 

38°  29' 

100°  54' 

Found  1905. 

Tonganoxie 

Leavenworth 

Om 

39°    8' 

95°    T 

Found  1886. 

Waconda  

Mitchell  

Ccb 

39°  20' 

98°  107 

Found  1873. 

KENTUCKY: 
Bath  Furnace  

Bath  

Cia 

38°    2' 

83°  37' 

Fell  1902,  Nov.  15. 

Casev  County  

Og.  . 

37°2<X 

84°  55' 

Found  1877. 

Cvnthiana  

Harrison  

cf 

38°  24' 

84°  16' 

Fell  1877,  Jan.  23. 

Eagle  Station  .  . 

Carroll        ... 

P? 

38°  37' 

85°   V 

Found  1880. 

Frankfort  

Franklin    

Om 

38°    7' 

84°  57' 

Found  1866. 

Kenton  County  

Om.. 

38°4<X 

84°  29' 

Found  1889. 

La  Grange  

Oldham  

Of 

38°  37' 

85°  25' 

Found  1860. 

Marshall  Countv  

Om  

36°  SO' 

88°  17' 

Found  1860. 

Mount  Vernon  

Christian  

Pk 

36°  507 

87°  28' 

Found  1868. 

Nelson  Countv  

Ogw 

37°  4<y 

85°  27' 

Found  1860. 

Salt  River. 

Bullitt 

cSl 

37°  56' 

85°  54' 

Found  1850. 

Scottsville  
Smithland  . 

Allen  

T.ivin«strm 

H  
Db 

36°  45' 
37°  18' 

86°  10' 
88°  17' 

Found  1867. 
Found  1839. 

Williamst/Ynrn 

Grant  

Om... 

38°  38' 

84°  3V 

Found  1892. 

MAINE: 
Andover          ,    . 

Oxford 

Cc 

44°  36' 

70°  47' 

Fell  1898  Aug.  5. 

Pa-stinA 

Hancock 

Cwa 

44°  24' 

68°  48' 

Fell  1848  May  20. 

Nobleborough  

Tnnooln. 

Ho 

44°    4' 

69°  28' 

Fell  1823,  Aug.  7. 

Searsmont.  . 

Waldo.  . 

Cc.. 

44°  22' 

69°  12' 

Fell  1871,  May  21. 

716°— 15- 


18 


MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 
List  of  meteorites  by  States  or  countries — Continued. 


County. 

Classi- 
fica- 
tion. 

Latitude 
north. 

Longi- 
tude 
west. 

Remarks. 

MARYLAND: 
Emmitsburg  

Frederick                   

Om.  . 

39°  43' 

77°  20' 

Found  1854. 

Lonaconing. 

Allegheny                  .     ....... 

Og.  . 

39°  28' 

79°    2' 

Found  1888 

Nanjecnoy  

<&... 

38°  25' 

77°  12' 

Fell  1825,  Feb.  10. 

MICHIGAN: 
Allegan  

Allegan            .     ............. 

Ceo.  . 

42°  34' 

85°  52' 

Fell  1899,  July  10. 

Grand  Rapids  

Kent                          

Of  

42°  59' 

85°  42' 

Found  1883. 

Reed  City 

Om.  .  . 

43°  53' 

85°  32' 

Found  1895 

MINNESOTA: 
Arlington  

Sibley                        

Om.  .  . 

44°  30' 

93°  56' 

Found  1894 

Fisher  

Polk                  

Cia  

47°  48' 

96°  49' 

Fell  1894,  Apr.  9. 

MISSOURI: 
Billings  

Om.  .  . 

37°    5' 

93°  28' 

Found  1903. 

Butler  

•gates                          

Off  

38°  18' 

94°  25' 

Found  1874. 

Cape  Girardeau  

Cc... 

37°  13' 

89°  32' 

Fell  1846  Aug  14 

Central  Missouri  

Oeg.  . 

(i) 

(i) 

Found  1855. 

Little  Piney  

Pulaski                   •-- 

Cc.. 

37°  55' 

92°    5' 

Fell  1839,  Feb.  13. 

Mincy  

Taney                       -  .-..-.-. 

M  

36°  35' 

93°    7' 

Found  1856. 

St.  Francois  County  

Og  

37°  55' 

90°  36' 

Found  1863. 

St.  Genevieve  County  

Of.. 

37°  47' 

90°  22' 

Found  1888. 

Warren  ton  

Ceo..  . 

38°  44' 

91°  12' 

Fell  1877,  Jan.  3. 

MONTANA: 
Illinois  Gulch  

Dn 

46°  39' 

112°  32' 

Found  1897. 

NEBRASKA: 
Ainsworth  

Brown                          .   ...... 

Om.. 

42°  33' 

99°  48' 

Found  1907. 

Maria  ville  

Rock                                

Iron 

2  42°  45' 

99°  25' 

Des.  1897. 

Lancaster  County  

Iron  .  .  . 

40°  50' 

96°  35' 

Found  1903. 

Ponca  Creek  

Holt                   

Ogg.  . 

42°  45' 

98°  55' 

Des.  1863. 

Red  willow  County  

T   °6 

Iron  .  .  . 

40°  22' 

100°  30' 

Dea.  1897. 

York  

York                                

Om.  . 

40°  52' 

97°  33' 

Found  1878 

NEW  JERSEY: 
Deal  

Monmouth 

Ci  .. 

40°  14' 

74°    1' 

Fell  1829,  Aug.  14. 

NEW  MEXICO: 
Costilla  

Taos                        

Om  

36°  50' 

105°  13' 

Found  1881. 

El  Capitan  

Om 

33°  30' 

105°  30' 

Found  1893. 

Glorieta  Mountain  

Santa  Fe                 

Om.  .  . 

35°  22' 

105°  50' 

Found  1884. 

J.iiia  T,npf>7.  , 

Om. 

34°    0' 

107°    0' 

Found  1896. 

Oscuro  Mountains  

Socorro                     

Og  

33°  45' 

107°  20' 

Found  1895. 

Sacramento  Mountains.  .  .  . 

Otero                      

Om.  . 

32°  32' 

105°  20' 

Found  1896. 

NEW  YORK: 
Bethlehem  

Albany                   

Cck.  .  . 

42°    6' 

73°  47' 

Fell  1859,  Aug.  11. 

Burlington  

Otsego.  .                 

Om.  .  . 

42°  40' 

75°    8' 

Found  1819. 

Cambria  

Of  

43°  13' 

78°  45' 

Found  1818. 

Seneca  Falls  

Seneca                    

Om.  .  . 

42°  57' 

76°  58' 

Found  1850. 

Tomhannock  Creek  .... 

Cgb. 

42°  52' 

73°  36' 

Found  1863. 

NORTH  CAROLINA: 
Asheville  

Buncombe              ...   - 

Om.  . 

35°  36' 

82°  31' 

Found  1839. 

Black  Mountain  

Buncombe              

Og  

35°  53' 

80°    3' 

Found  1839. 

Bridgewater  

Burke                     

Of.. 

35°  45' 

81°  53' 

Found  1890. 

Castalia  

Nash 

Cgb. 

36°   4' 

78°    4' 

Fell  1874,  May  14. 

Colfax  

Rutherford             

Om.  . 

35°  18' 

81°  45' 

Found  1880. 

Cross  Roads  

Wilson                    

Cg... 

35°  38' 

78°    7' 

Fell  1892,  May  24. 

Deep  Springs  

Rockingham 

Dl 

S6°  20' 

79°  35' 

Found  1846. 

Duel  Hill  

Madison 

Og 

35°  51' 

82°  44' 

Found  1873. 

Ferguson  

Haywood                ....... 

Stone.. 

35°  36' 

83°    0' 

Fell  1889,  July  18. 

Flows  

Cabarrus 

Cca 

35°  18' 

80°  33' 

Fell  1849,  Oct.  31. 

Forsy  th  County  

Dn  

36°    8' 

80°  20' 

Found  1895. 

Guilford  County  

Om..  . 

36°    4' 

79°  48' 

Des.  1822. 

Henderson  ville  

Henderson 

Stone 

35°  19' 

82°  28' 

Found  1901. 

Jewell  Hill  

Madison                         

Of... 

35°  49' 

82°  45' 

Found  1854. 

Lick  Creek  

Davidson 

H 

35°  40' 

80°  12' 

Found  1879. 

Linville  

Burke 

Hch 

35°  48' 

81°  55' 

Found  1882. 

Murphy  

Cherokee 

H 

35°    6' 

84°    2' 

Found  1899. 

Persimmon  f>eok  

Cherokee 

Offbp.. 

35°    3' 

84°    4' 

Found  1893. 

Rich  Mountain  

Jackson 

Cia  .. 

35°  19' 

83°    8' 

Fell  1903,  June  20. 

Smith  's  Mountain  

Rockingham 

Of.. 

36°  32' 

79°  58' 

Found  1863. 

NORTH  DAKOTA: 
Jamestown  

Stutsman 

Of.. 

46°  42' 

98°  34' 

Found  1885. 

Niagara.. 

Grand  Forks... 

Oe... 

47°  58' 

97°  52' 

Found  1879. 

i  Central  portion  of  State. 


» About. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 

List  of  meteorites  by  States  or  countries — Continued. 


19 


County. 

Classi- 
fica- 
tion. 

Latitude 
north. 

Longi- 
tude 
west. 

Remarks. 

OHIO: 
Anderson  Township  

Hamilton.  .           ,        

P... 

39°  KK 

34°  18' 

Des  1884 

Hamilton        .  ,             

Ds.... 

39°    V 

84°  W 

Des  1898 

Hopewell  Mounds      

Ross  

Om  

39°  W 

83°  20/ 

Des  1902 

Guernsev.  ...        

Cia 

39°  58' 

81°  44" 

Fell  1860  May  1 

Highland  

Cw  

33°  11' 

83°  44' 

Fell  1893*  Feb  '13 

Wayne  I  

Om  

40°  48' 

81°  58' 

Found  1858 

OREGON: 
Port  Orford         

Curry  

P  

42°  47' 

124°  28' 

Found  1859 

Willamette               

Clackamas  

Om  

45°  22' 

122°  35' 

Found  1902 

PENNSYLVANIA: 
Bald  Eagle                  

Lvcomine.  .  . 

Om  

41°  12' 

77°    5' 

Found  1891 

\dams..  . 

Ore 

39°44/ 

77°  20/ 

Found  1887 

Pittsburgh                     

Allegheny... 

Oee 

40°  27' 

79°  57' 

Found  1850 

SOUTH  CAROLINA: 

Sumter  

Chla 

34°  12' 

80°  18' 

Fell  1843  Mar  25 

Chesterville                 

Chester  

Dn.. 

34°  42' 

81°  15' 

Found  1847 

Laureng  County            ..... 

Off 

34°  W 

82°  14' 

Found  1857 

Lexington  County 

O" 

33°  57' 

81°  18' 

Found  1880 

Ruff  's  Mountain  ...       .... 

Newberry  

Om 

34°  IS7 

81°  21' 

Found  1844 

SOUTH  DAKOTA: 
Bath    

Brown  

Ccb... 

45°  27' 

98°  iy 

Fell  1892,  Aug.  29. 

Fort  Pierre.  .  

Stanley  

Om 

44°  23' 

100°  46' 

Found  1856 

TENNESSEE: 
Babb'sMill  

Greene  

Db 

36°  18' 

82°  54' 

Found  1842 

Carthage  

Smith  

Om  

36°  207 

85°  56' 

Found  1844. 

Charlotte  

Dickson  

Of.. 

36°  13' 

87°  W 

Fell  1835.Aug.  1 

Cleveland  

Bradlev  

Om 

35°    8' 

84°  53' 

Found  1860. 

Coopertown  

Robertson  

Om 

36°  25' 

87°    (X 

Found  1860. 

Cosby  Creek  

Cooke  

35°  48' 

83°  15' 

Found  1837 

Crab  Orchard  

Cumberland  

Me 

35°  53' 

84°  48' 

Found  1887 

Drake  Creek.  .  

Snmner  ,    . 

Cwa 

36°  18' 

86°  34' 

Fell  1827  May  9 

Jackson  County  

Om 

36°  25' 

85°  37' 

Found  1846. 

Jonesboro  ..          ......... 

Washington  

Of 

36°  16' 

82°  30/ 

Found  1891 

Morristown  

Hamblen  

MR 

36°    9/ 

83°  24' 

Found  1887. 

Murfreesboro.  .         

Rutherford  

Om 

35°  50/ 

86°  2CK 

Found  1847 

Petersburg  

Lincoln  

Ho 

'     35°  2(K 

86°  38' 

Fell  1865,  Aug.  5. 

Smithville  

Dekalb  

35°  55' 

85°  46' 

Found  1840 

Tazewell                        .   . 

Claiborne 

Off 

36°  27' 

83°  48' 

Found  1853 

Wallens  Ridge  

Claiborne  

Oe 

36°  yy 

83°  SO' 

Found  1887 

TEXAS: 
Bluff  

Fayette  

Ckb 

29°  52' 

96°  48' 

Found  1878 

Carl  ton  

Hamilton  

Off 

31°  50' 

98°  KX 

Found  1887. 

Denton  County  

•Om 

33°  14' 

97°    8' 

Found  1856 

Estacado  

Crosby  

Cka 

33°  35' 

101°  25' 

Found  1902. 

Fort  Duncan  

Maverick  

H 

28°  35' 

100°  24' 

Found  1852 

Iredell  

Bosque  

H 

31°  53' 

97°  52' 

Found  1898. 

Kendall  Countv  

Hb 

29°  24' 

98°  3(X 

Found  1887. 

MacKinnev  

Collin  

Cs 

33°    y 

96°  45' 

Fell  1870. 

Mart  ".  

McLennan  

Off 

31°  W 

96°  45' 

Found  1898 

Pipe  Creek  

Bandera  

Cka 

29°  43' 

98°  56' 

Found  1887 

Red  River  

Om 

32°    7' 

95°  10' 

Found  1808. 

San  Angelo  

Tom  Green  

Om 

31°  2<X 

100°  2(/ 

Found  1897. 

San  Pedro  Springs  

Bexar  

Cw 

29°  27' 

98°  27' 

Found  1887. 

.    Travis  County  

Cs 

30°  207 

97°  29' 

Found  1890. 

Wichita  County  

o? 

34°   (K 

98°  407 

Found  1836. 

UTAH: 
Salt  Lake  Citv 

Salt  Lake 

Ctrb 

40°  58' 

111°  25' 

Found  1869 

VIRGINIA: 
Rntpt/mrt.  County 

D 

37°  3<X 

79°  50' 

Found  1850. 

Hopper  

Henry  

Om 

36°  35' 

79°  45' 

Found  1889 

Indian  Valley  

Floyd.. 

Hb 

36°  58' 

80°  39' 

Found  1887 

Poplarhill  

Giles  

Of 

37°  13' 

80°  47' 

Found  1852.            • 

Richmond  

Hpnriro  . 

Cck 

37°  29' 

77°  28' 

Fell  1828  June  4. 

Staunton  .  . 

Aucrusta 

Om 

38°  14' 

79°    1' 

Found  1858 

WEST  VIRGINIA: 
Greenbrier  County  

Og.. 

37°  52' 

80°  18' 

Found  1880. 

Jennie's  Creek  .  . 

Wavne.  . 

of.... 

37°  53' 

82°  22' 

Found  1883. 

MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 
List  of  meteorites  by  States  or  countries — Continued. 


County. 

Classi- 
fica- 
tion. 

Latitude 
north. 

Longi- 
tude 
west. 

Remarks. 

WISCONSIN: 
Algoma                          . 

Kewaunee  

Om.  . 

44°  3(X 

87°  307 

Found  1887. 

St.  Croix   

Oh  

44°  55' 

92°  22' 

Found  1884. 

Trenton                      .  •  

Washington  

Om.  .  . 

43°2<X 

88°  12' 

Found  1858. 

Cka.  .  . 

43°3(X 

91°  10/ 

Fell  1865,  Mar.  26 

WYOMING: 

Silver  Crown 

Laramie  .*  

Og.. 

41°  1(X 

105°  20/ 

Found  1887. 

ONTARIO  AND  QUEBEC, 
CANADA: 
Chambord  

Lake  St.  John  

Om.  .  . 

48°  35' 

73°    8' 

Found  1904. 

Haldimand  

Cw. 

44°  56' 

79°  55' 

Fell  1887,  Jan.  21 

Of 

44°  29' 

77°  2<y 

Found  1854 

Cea 

44°    V 

80°  11' 

Fell  1904  Aug  13 

Thurlow          

Hastings  .•  

Of  

44°  22' 

77°  20/ 

Found  1895. 

Welland         .          .       ... 

Welland  

Om 

42°  59' 

79°  14' 

Found  1888 

ALASKA: 
Chilcat                 

Territory  or  Province. 

Om.  . 

59°    (X 

135°  15' 

Found  1881. 

WESTERN  CANADA: 
Beaver  Creek 

British  Columbia  

Cck 

51°  1(X 

117°  30/ 

Fell  1893,  May  26. 

Iron  Creek  

Saskatchewan.  .^  

Om.  .  . 

52°40/ 

111°  5(X 

Found  1871. 

GREENLAND: 
Cape  York  

Melville  Bay  

Om.  .  . 

76°  12' 

65°    V 

Found  1895. 

CENTRAL  AMERICA: 
Heredia  

Country. 
Costa  Rica  

Ccb.. 

10°    1' 

84°  41' 

Fell  1857,  Apr.  1. 

Rosario  

Northern  Honduras  

Og.  . 

14°  38' 

88°  42' 

Found  1897. 

MEXICO: 
Adargas 

State. 
Chihuahua  

Om 

26°    6' 

105°  14' 

Found  1780. 

A  mates  . 

Guerrero  

Om 

18°  307 

99°  22' 

Found  1889. 

Apoala  ......       .       ..  «. 

Oaxaca.  

Of  

17°40/ 

97°   (X 

Found  1889. 

Arispe  

Sonora  

Oss. 

30°  15' 

110°    0/ 

Found  1898. 

A  vile  z 

Durango  .".  

Cc 

24°  5(X 

103°  52' 

Fell  1856,  June. 

Bacubirito  

Sinaloa  

Off  

26°    (X 

107°  54' 

Found  1871. 

Bella  Roca 

Durango  

Of  . 

24°  55' 

105°  25' 

Found  1888. 

Bocas  

San  Luia  Potosi  

Cw  

22°  28' 

101°    5' 

Fell  1804,  Nov.  24. 

Oacaria  ..... 

Durango  

Oh.   . 

24°  28' 

104°  50' 

Found  1867. 

Casas  Grandes 

Chihuahua  

Om 

30°  27' 

107°  48' 

Des.  1867. 

Charcas     

San  Luis  Potosi  

Om.  .  . 

23°    0' 

100°  30' 

Des.  1804. 

Zacatecas               f 

Found  1901 

Chupaderos  

Chihuahua  

Of.. 

27°  20' 

105°  10 

Found  1852. 

Coahuila  (State  of) 

H 

(t) 

C) 

Found  1857. 

Cosina  

Guanajuato  

Ck  

21°    T 

100°  34' 

Fell  1844,  Jan. 

Descubridora 

San  Luis  Potosi  

Om 

23°  50' 

101°  10' 

Found  1780. 

La  Charca  

Guanajuato  

c  

20°  53' 

100°  55' 

Fell  1878,  June  11. 

Mazapil  ..... 

Zacatecas  

Om.  .  . 

24°  35' 

102°  15' 

Fell  1885,  Nov.  27. 

Mezquital 

Durango  

Ds 

23°  40' 

104°  28' 

Des.  1868. 

Misteca  

Oaxaca  

Om.  .  . 

16°  45' 

97°    4' 

Des.  1804. 

Moctezuma  . 

Sonora  

Om 

28°  49' 

109°  40' 

Found  1899 

Mori  to 

Chihuahua      

Om 

27°    (X 

106°  10' 

Found  1600. 

Pacula  

Hidalgo  

Cwb... 

21°    3' 

99°  18' 

Fell  1881,  June  18. 

Rancho  de  la  Pila 

Durango  

Om 

23°  15' 

104°    0' 

Des.  1804. 

Rancho  de  la  Presa  

Michoacan  

Cc  

19°  50' 

100°  30' 

Found  1899. 

Pvodeo  

Durango  

Of.      . 

25°20/ 

104°  40' 

Found  1852. 

Santa  Apolonia 

Tlaxcala  

o 

19°  14' 

98°  15' 

Found  1872. 

Sierra  Blanca  

Chihuahua  

Og.. 

27°    8' 

105°  22' 

Found  1784. 

Teocaltiche  .  

Jalisco  

0   . 

21°  25' 

102°  27' 

Found  1903. 

Tlaco  tepee  . 

Puebla  

o 

18°  45' 

97°  39 

Found  1903 

•     Toluca  

Mexico  

Om  

19°  20' 

99°  45' 

Found  1784. 

Tomatlan  

Jalisco  

Cc  

20°  IT 

105°  12' 

Fell  1879,  Sept.  17. 

Yanhuitlan.  . 

Oaxaca 

Of 

17°  40' 

97°  0' 

Known  1830 

Zacatecas  . 

Zacatecas 

Obz 

22°  40' 

102°  36' 

Des  1796 

i  Central  portion  of  State. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  FALLS. 

ADARGAS. 

Sierra  de  los  Adargas,  Chihuahua,  Mexico. 

Here  also  Conception. 

Latitude  26°  6'  N.,  longitude  105°  14'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Known  for  centuries;  rediscovered  1780  (or  1784?). 

Weight:  3,325  kgs.  (7,315  Ibe.),  according  to  the  label  in  the  Mexican  School  of  Mines. 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Bartlett  *  °  as  follows: 

\Ve  came  to  a  Email  stream,  where,  encompassed  in  a  grove  of  cottonwoods,  lay  the  pretty  village  (Conception) 
to  which  we  were  destined.  On  our  arrival  we  stopped  under  the  shade  of  some  large  trees,  and  dismounting  at  once 
discovered  the  object  of  our  search,  about  50  yards  distant,  at  the  corner  of  a  huge  building.  This  was  the  residence 
of  Don  Juan  Urquida  (i.  e.,  Urquidi),  the  proprietor  of  the  hacienda  and  large  estates  adjoining,  and  formerly  governor 
of  the  State.  That  no  time  might  be  lost,  Doctor  Webb  immediately  set  to  work  with  his  hammer  and  cold  chisels  to  cut 
off  some  pieces  from  the  large  mass  of  iron  before  us.  This  he  found  to  be  an  undertaking  of  great  labor  in  consequence 
of  the  extreme  tenacity  and  hardness  of  the  mass.  After  an  hour's  work  with  a  man  to  assist  him,  he  succeeded  in  cut- 
ting off  3  or  4  Email  pieces,  which  did  not  altogether  weigh  an  ounce,  and  were  barely  sufficient  for  an  analysis.  Five 
chisels  having  been  broken,  the  doctor  had  to  desist  from  his  labors,  much  to  our  regret,  as  we  were  desirous  to  obtain 
some  specimens  for  cabinets.  While  this  was  going  on,  I  took  a  couple  of  sketches  of  the  mass  showing  opposite 
sides,  and  also  took  measurements;  but  the  form  was  so  irregular  that  these  measurements  can  only  aid  in  conveying 
an  idea  approximately  of  its  bulk.  Its  greatest  height  is  46  inches;  greatest  width,  37  inches;  circumference  in  thickest 
part,  8  feet  3  inches.  Its  estimated  weight,  according  to  Sefior  Urquida,  is  3,853  pounds.  While  we  were  at  work, 
Sefior  Urquida,  the  younger,  the  brother  of  Don  Juan,  came  out.  He  said  it  was  originally  found  about  3,000  varas 
(270  yards)  from  its  present  location,  and  had  been  moved  at  different  periods  by  the  people  of  the  hacienda  to  the 
place  where  it  now  stands.  It  was  brought  hither  with  the  design  of  putting  it  in  a  blacksmith's  shop  to  be  used  as 
an  anvil,  although  it  had  never  been  so  employed.  An  attempt  had  been  made  to  reduce  it,  by  building  a  large  fire 
around  it  and  heating  it  to  a  white  heat.  But  so  intense  was  the  heat  from  so  huge  mass  that  the  workmen  could  not 
approach  it,  and  all  their  labor  was  lost.  The  expense  of  this  operation  was  more  than  $100,  and  resulted  in  obtaining 
a  piece  of  the  metal  large  enough  to  work  into  a  pair  of  spurs. 

Smith,*  writing  in  1855  under  the  heading  "Meteoric  iron  from  Chihuahua,  Mexico," 
quotes  Bartlett's  description  and  gives  two  figures  of  the  mass.  He  states  that  the  mass  is 
at  the  Hacienda  de  Conception  about  10  miles  from  Zapata. 

Connolly,7  in  the  Smithsonian  Report  for  1865,  gives  the  following  account: 

In  the  State  of  Chihuahua,  and  at  the  hacienda  of  Don  Juan  Xepumocena  Urquida,  about  180  miles  south  of  the 
city  of  Chihuahua,  and  directly  on  the  road  from  the  city  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  30  to  50  yards  from  the  main  road, 
is  what  is  supposed  to  be  a  meteorite.  I  saw  it  nearly  every  year  for  20  years,  the  last  time  in  1846.  It  is  a  large  mass 
of  solid  iron,  standing  like  a  post  in  the  earth,  from  which  it  projects  about  4  feet.  Its  diameter  at  the  surface  of  the 
ground  is  2  to  3  feet.  It  diminishes  in  size  toward  the  apex,  which  is  irregularly  rounded.  The  part  above  ground 
would  weigh  a  ton  or  more.  How  far  it  is  embedded  in  the  earth  had  never  been  ascertained.  Some  small  pieces,  or 
chips,  had  been  detached  by  cold  chisels  and  carried  off  as  curiosities,  but  these  pieces  were  insignificant  in  point  of 
size,  and  their  removal  has  not  disfigured  the  general  mass  as  a  specimen. 

Simson 9  says  of  it: 

About  halfway  between  El  Valle  and  Parral,  on  a  bend  of  the  Rio  Florido,  at  a  place  called  Conception,  is  a  most 
splendid  specimen  of  meteoric  iron.  It  is  4  feet  above  ground,  and  almost  pure  in  quality.  It  is  from  2  to  3  feet  one 
way  by  probably  2  to  5  feet  the  other,  very  regular  in  shape,  and,  where  worn  by  the  rubbing  of  hands,  etc.,  of  passers- 
by,  is  bright,  and  to  all  appearances  is  nearly  pure  metal.  The  steel  hatchet  cuts  into  it  easily.  It  stood  at  the  comer 
of  the  house,  apparently  to  guard  the  corner  from  collisions  of  wagons  and  the  like.  The  major-domo  said  that  this 
meteorite  had,  as  he  had  heard,  fallen  from  the  heavens,  and  had  been  brought  from  a  distance,  from  a  place  where 
other  specimens  also  existed.  Such  we  found  to  be  the  prevailing  account  of  this  mass  among  the  people  of  the  place. 

o  The  reference  numbers  refer  to  the  bibliography  following  the  description  of  each  fall. 

21 


22  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

A  further  account  is  given  by  Urquidi 13,  as  follows  in  a  letter  to  Professor  Henry: 

Nothing  is  known  with  certainty  regarding  the  fall  of  this  meteorite  nor  is  it  mentioned  in  the  deed  of  the  Hacienda 
Conception.  There  ia  an  inscription  engraved  on  the  upper  part  of  it  which  reads:  "A  1600";  and  the  antiquated 
character  of  this  inscription  has  created  the  general  belief  that  it  refers  to  the  year  in  which  the  meteorite  fell,  or  rather 
to  that  of  its  discovery,  since  historical  tradition  (not  to  speak  of  the  absurd  fable  to  the  effect  that  Malinche  let  it  fall, 
while  transporting  it  hidden  through  the  air,  on  account  of  a  cock  having  crowed)  only  tells  us  that  during  the  last 
century  it  was  discovered  buried  in  the  sand  on  a  piece  of  bushy  land  which  had  been  drained,  situated  800  yards 
south  of  the  main  house  of  the  hacienda,  whence  it  was  taken  about  100  yards  off,  where  it  remained  a  long  time;  and 
that  in  the  year  1810,  Don  Manuel  Concha,  then  administrator  of  the  hacienda,  removed  it  and  placed  it  as  a  sign  at 
the  door  of  a  blacksmith  shop,  situated  about  15  yards  from  the  south  corner  of  the  main  house.  There  it  was  when 
I  first  knew  it,  in  1823,  and  from  there  my  brothers  and  I  managed  to  roll  it  to  its  present  place,  at  the  south  corner 
of  the  main  house.  Lately  it  has  been  necessary  to  straighten  it,  as  it  has  been  leaning,  in  consequence  of  the  sinking 
of  the  ground,  or  of  the  effects  of  a  stroke  of  lightning  in  1859,  which  also  probably  damaged  the  walls  of  the  comer  in 
question. 

With  much  difficulty  and  after  spoiling  chisels  of  good  steel,  several  pieces  have  been  cut  at  different  times,  leav- 
ing a  brilliant  surface  where  separated.  Even  a  bridle  bit,  knives,  and  some  other  small  objects  have  been  made  of  it. 
The  blacksmiths  assert  that  the  iron  is  very  ductile  and  malleable.  It  is  said  to  consist  almost  entirely  of  iron,  with 
a  little  nickel.  The  peculiar  appearance  of  the  many  little  holes  seen  in  its  surface  show  that  at  some  time  it  was  in 
a  state  of  fusion,  since  such  holes  are  identical  with  the  cavities  left  by  bursting  bubbles. 

In  regard  to  its  weight  and  dimensions,  I  copy  what  I  find  in  some  notes  in  my  possession,  which  read  thus:  "  From 
the  above  reckoning,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  meteorite  measures  39,299  cubic  inches.  Considering  the  metal  as  cast 
iron,  the  weight  of  which  is  to  the  weight  of  distilled  water,  frozen,  as  72.070  is  to  1,000  and  that  the  cubic  centimeter 
of  such  water  weighs  20.031  grains,  we  may  infer  that  the  meteorite  weighs  154.0132  arrobas."  (One  arroba  is  equiva- 
lent to  25  pounds.) 

Wiilfing  u  shows  that  the  above  weight  in  arrobas  would  be  about  1,700  kg.,  while  the 
cubic  contents  above  given  would  weigh  5,000  kg. 

Brezina 19  in  1885  classed  the  meteorite  as  an  ataxite,  but  remarked  that  a  new  section 
was  needed. 

Castillo 20  gives  the  location  of  the  Hacienda  de  Concepcion  as  22  km.  south  of  the  valley  of 
San  Bartolome,  now  called  Valle  de  Allende,  or  simply  Allende,  upon  the  road  leading  from  the 
Hacienda  de  Rio  Florido  out  of  the  Valle  de  San  Bartolome.  The  meteorite,  he  says,  has 
nearly  the  form  of  a  parallelopipedon  1  meter  long,  1  meter  wide,  and  0.4  meter  high.  He 
goes  on  to  say: 

By  its  submersion  in  water  M.  F.  Urquidi  has  calculated  that  it  has  a  volume  of  403,365  c.  c.  Its  density  being 
7.76,  it  has  then  a  weight  of  3,130  kg.  It  is  riddled  with  cylindrical  holes  in  part  filled  with  troilite.  M.  F.  Urquidi 
has  stated  in  a  letter  to  M.  A.  Urquidi,  his  uncle,  that  the  meteorite  was  moved  April  29,  1780,  from  the  Sierra  de  las 
Adargas  near  Huejuquilla  to  Concepcion. 

Castillo  further  states  that  the  meteorite  was  at  the  time  of  his  writing  at  the  Hacienda  de 
Concepcion,  but  that  it  would  soon  be  moved  to  the  School  of  Mines  in  Mexico. 

His  map  shows  the  location  of  the  mass  near  the  Rio  Concepcion. 

Fletcher 21  gives  the  above  accounts  in  full  and  also  states  that  Don  Jose"  de  la  Soto,  the 
owner  of  the  Hacienda  of  Chupaderos,  informed  him  that  the  location  of  the  Sierra  de  las 
Adargas  was  8  or  9  leagues  south  of  Jimenez. 

Brezina 23  in  1895  adopts  the  name  Adargas  and  places  the  meteorite  among  octahedrites 
with  medium  lamellae.  He  rejects  Castillo's  (Fletcher's)  suggestion  that  the  irons  of  Morito 
and  Adargas  belong  with  Chupaderos,  and  gives  a  figure  of  an  etched  plate  of  Adargas  to  show 
its  differences  from  Chupaderos  and  Morito.  He  states  that  uniting  Adargas  with  Morito  is 
prevented  by  the  breadth  of  lamellae  of  Adargas  which  is  near  that  of  the  coarse  octahedrites, 
while  Chupaderos  differs  from  both  in  the  character  of  the  tsenite.  He  describes  a  section  of 
Adargas  received  from  Castillo  as  follows: 

Strongly  spotted,  quite  broad  kamacite  (1.3  mm.),  similar  to  Misteca  and  to  a  piece  obtained  from  Krantz  as  Toluca 
which  I  regard  as  Misteca.  Tsenite  strongly  developed;  fields  generally  completely  filled  with  combs,  rarely  with 
dark  gray  plessite.  On  the  surface  are  projecting  octahedral  ridges  weathered  free  as  in  Pila  and  Cranbourne.  After 
etching,  irregular,  dark  gray,  mold-like  spots  appear  everywhere. 

The  name  of  Adargas,  used  by  Brezina  has  been  adopted  by  later  writers  and  is  here  used, 
although  in  the  view  of  the  present  writer  the  name  of  Concepcion  would  on  many  accounts 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  23 

be  preferable.     The  locality  of  Adargas  seems  uncertain  and  the  various  accounts  given  by 
Urquidi  indicate  that  none  of  them  are  based  on  positive  evidence. 

The  main  mass  of  the  meteorite  is  now  preserved  in  the  School  of  Mines  of  the  City  of 
Mexico.  A  few  hundred  grams  are  distributed  among  collections,  Vienna  and  Ward  possessing 
the  largest  pieces.  The  distribution  is,  however,  slight. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1625:  PurchaS  his  Pilgrines  in  five  bookes  etc.,  London,  1625;  Fourth  part:  The  Eighth  booke,  Chap.  Ill,  pp.  1565- 

1567. 

2.  1854:  BARTLETT.    Personal  Narrative  of  Explorations  in  Texas,  New  Mexico,  California,  Sonora,  and  Chihuahua. 

New  York,  1854,  vol.  2,  p.  457. 

3.  1855:  SMITH.    Memoir  on  meteorites:  Amer.  Joum.  ScL,  2d  ser.,  vol.  19,  pp.  160  and  163. 

See  also  Original  Researches,  1SS4,  pp.  378-379. 

4.  1856:  BURKABT.    Fundorte  I.  Neuee  Jahrb,  1856,  pp.  280-281. 

5.  1857:  PIETBO  GARCIA  CONTE.    Boletin  de  la  Sociedad  Mexicans  de  Geog.  y  Estad,  Prima  epoca,  Mexico,  1857, 

Bd.  5,  p.  251. 

6.  1858:  BtJRKAHT.    Fundorte  II.    Neues  Jahrb,  1858,  pp.  770  and  772. 

7.  1865:  COXOLLY.    Smithsonian  Report  for  1865,  p.  124. 

8.  1866:  BCRKART.    Fundorte  III.    Neues  Jahrb,  1866,  p.  408. 

9.  1868:  SIMSON.    Smithsonian  Report  for  1867,  p.  472. 

10.  1870:  BCRKART.  Fundorte  IV.    Neues  Jahrb,  1870,  p.  691. 

11.  1871:  BUREART.  Briefl.  Mitt.,  Neues  Jahrb,  1871,  p.  852-854. 

12.  1871:  URQUIDI.  Boletin  de  la  Sociedad  Mexicana  de  Geog.  y  Estad,  Segunda  e'poca,  Mexico,  1871,  Bd.  3,  p.  275. 

13.  1872:  UHGLKDI.  On  the  Meteorites  of  the  Hacienda  "La  Concepcion  and  San  Gregorio."    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d 

ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  207-208. 

14.  1876:  BARCENA.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Hist.    Philadelphia,  1876,  p.  122. 

15.  1879:  RASLMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  p.  31.  , 

16.  1880:  McSos  LUKBIER.    Los  Aer61itos  de  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  1880,  pp.  16  and  17. 

17.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  p.  441. 

IS.  1884:  VOM  RATH.    Meteoriten.    Verhandl.  Naturhist.  Verein  Bonn  (Sitzber.),  Bd.  41,  p.  126. 

19.  1885:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  221  and  234. 

20.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  6-7. 

21.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites.    Mineral  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  122,  123,  124,  127-128,  131,  139,  140-144,  150 

and  151-152. 

22.  1890:  B^EZINA.  Reise.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist,  Hofmus,  Wien,  Bd.  4  (Not),  p.  117. 

23.  1895:  BREZINA.  Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  269,  272,  273,  275,  and  298. 

24.  1897.  WULFING.  Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  151-152. 


ADMIRE. 

Lyon  County,  Kansas. 

Latitude  38°  3(K  N.,  longitude  96°  2y  W. 

Iron-stone.    Pallasite.    Rokicky  group  (Pr)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1861;  described  1902. 

Known  weight,  30  kgs.  (66  Ibs.).    Weight  of  several  masses  not  recorded. 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Merrill  *  as  follows: 

The  first  piece  of  this  meteorite  was  plowed  up  about  1881  by  Mr.  W.  Davis,  of  Admire,  Kansas,  the  original  mass 
weighing  some  12  or  15  pounds.  This  was  all  broken  up  and  lost,  except  some  432  grams.  Later  finds  were  made  as 
follows: 


:i  -  :  _  :  p 

.    Range, 

Section. 

Grams. 

16 

12 

35 

6,725 

16 

12 

36 

7.  2-1 

16 

12 

25 

2.04S 

16 

12 

14 

432 

16 

17 

1 

5,460 

On  casual  inspection  the  masses  have  the  appearance  of  ordinary  limonite  segregations  and  do  not  suggest  meteoric 
origin.  The  specimens  are  deeply  fissured  and  weathering  has  produced  extensive  alterations  in  the  metallic  portion 
of  the  rock.  Lawrenceite  was  the  first  to  yield,  and  following  this,  troilite  and  native  iron,  leaving  the  schreibersite 
standing  in  relief  and  quite  conspicuous. 

The  first  product  of  oxidation  is  a  highly  lustrous — on  polished  surfaces,  blue — material  which  crushes  down 
readily  to  a  fine  magnetic  powder.  On  further  exposure  this  goes  over  into  ordinary  limonite.  Where  oxidation  has 


24  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

gone  on  largely,  the  silicates  are  shattered,  and  veins  of  the  oxidized  material  traverse  them  in  every  direction,  pro- 
ducing a  network  of  fine  lines,  which,  in  thin  sections,  show  up  with  a  pronounced  blue  reflection,  at  first  scarcely 
distinguishable  from  the  native  iron  itself.  On  breaking  a  mass  open  it  is  found  to  consist  of  metallic  iron  and  chrysolite, 
both  easily  determined  by  the  naked  eye.  A  polished  surface  exhibits  interesting  structural  peculiarities.  The 
silicate  mineral  is  chrysolite,  which  occurs  in  single  crystals  and  aggregates  of  from  1  to  30  mm.  in  diameter,  almost 
universally  fractured,  and  many  of  them  in  a  decidedly  sharp,  angular  condition.  The  proportional  amount  of  iron 
varies  considerably,  but  as  a  rule  constitutes  one-third  in  bulk  of  the  mass  and  performs  the  function  of  a  binding  or 
cementing  constituent.  Schreibersite  is  comparatively  abundant  and  easily  distinguished  by  its  luster  from  the 
metallic  iron.  Troilite  in  sporadic  patches  is  common,  and  chromite  granules  up  to  1.5  mm.  are  fairly  Abundant.  All 
but  the  last  named  are  readily  distinguished,  on  a  polished  surface,  by  the  naked  eye. 

Lawrenceite  exudes  from  the  freshly  cut  surfaces  here  and  there,  and  sometimes  from  the  mass  itself,  but  is  most 
abundant  along  the  line  between  the  iron  and  the  schreibersite  plates.  Polished  surfaces  quickly  tarnish  with  it  and 
must  be  protected  by  immersing  in  paraffin. 

The  chrysolite  is  brecciated,  a  condition  due  not  to  ordinary  crushing,  but  to  a  sudden  change  from  intense  heat 
to  cold  or  the  reverse.  Native  iron,  schreibersite  and  troilite  often  penetrate  the  silicates  along  these  lines  of  fracture. 
The  threads  or  veinlets  of  iron  and  schreibersite  vary  from  a  mere  line  to  1  or  2  mm.,  and  indicate  beyond  question  a 
solidification  and  perhaps  reduction  subsequent  to  the  shattering  of  the  crystals. 

The  metallic  minerals  often  occur  associated  in  a  suggestive  manner.  Between  a  broad,  white,  outer  band  of 
nickeliferous  iron  and  an  inner  area  interspersed  with  blebs  and  dashes  of  iron,  are  always  thin  metallic  plates,  sug- 
gestive of  tsenite,  but  which  chemical  tests  have  shown  to  be  invariably  schreibersite.  Often  these  areas  quickly 
tarnish,  after  polishing,  and  exude  a  greenish  material  which  reacts  for  chlorine  and  leaves  the  iron  beneath,  when 
washed  off,  of  a  dull  black  color  and  pitted.  In  such  cases  the  material  appears  to  be  a  spongy  mass  of  metallic  iron 
and  iron  chloride,  presumably  lawrenceite.  Other  portions  seem  like  spongy  mixtures  of  iron  and  iron  sulphide,  and 
others  still,  of  pure  iron. 

Spicules  of  iron  on  the  above  described  areas  of  iron  and  schreibersite  are  seen  extending  from  points  of  attachment 
on  the  white  metallic  border  inward  or  nearly  across  the  interior  dark  gray  area  which  is  composed  of  lawrenceite. 
These  spicules  have  all  the  appearance  of  incipient  stages  of  crystallization,  where  the  process  has  been  arrested  before 
completion.  They  resemble  greatly  in  general  appearance  frost  crystals  on  a  window  pane. 

Etching  does  not  produce  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  but  brings  out  sharply  the  line  of  demarcation  between  the 
outer  zone  of  iron  and  the  inner,  very  brilliant,  thin  plate,  which,  though  suggestive  of  tsenite,  proves  to  be  schreibersite. 

But  one  nickel-iron  alloy  exists,  that  most  nearly  corresponding  to  kamacite. 

No  chemical  analysis  of  the  mass  as  a  whole  was  attempted,  owing  to  its  extremely  coarse  nature  and  the  varying 
proportions  of  the  metallic  and  silicate  constituents.  The  chrysolite,  however,  yielded  the  following  results  (analysis 

by  Tassin): 

Si02        MgO          FeO 
39.14        47.63        13.185    =99.955 
The  chromite  gave: 

Cr30j        FeO        MgO       SiO2 

65.49        33.00        0.40        0.50     =100.39 

The  magnesia  and  silica  of  the  above  probably  came  from  the  included  olivine.  A  portion  of  the  iron  relatively 
rich  in  the  iron  gave  percentages  corresponding  to: 

Nickeliferous  iron 98.273 

Schreibersite 1.  645 

Troilite..,  0.082 


100.000 
Specific  gravity,  3.95  to  4.2. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed  among  various  collections. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

1.  1902:  MEHKILL.    Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  vol.  24,  pp.  907-912. 


Aeriotopos,  see  Bear  Creek. 

Ainsa,  see  Tucson. 

Alabama,  1834,  see  Limestone  Creek. 
Albany  County,  1859,  see  Bethlehem. 

Albuquerque,  see  Glorieta. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  25 

ALEXANDER  COUNTY. 

North  Carolina. 

Latitude  37°  57'  N.,  longitude  81°  13'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina;  Braunite  (type  3)  of  Meunier. 

Found  before  1875;  described  1891. 

Weight,  assignable,  206  grams. 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Venable l  in  his  catalogue  of 
North  Carolina  meteorites.  He  gives  the  locality  as  Cedar  Creek,  Alexander  County,  and 
states  that — 

This  iron,  weighing  about  56  grams,  was  given  by  Gen.  T.  L.  Clingman  to  Mr.  S.  C.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York,  about 
the  year  1875.  It  has  not  been  analyzed,  nor  have  I  been  able  to  learn  more  of  ita  origin.  The  piece,  Mr.  Bailey 
writes,  is  evidently  a  fragment  of  a  larger  mass,  and  is  sufficiently  characteristic  to  be  distinguishable  from  any  other 
iron,  though  it  more  nearly  resembles  the  Sarepta  (Russia)  iron. 

Later  the  iron  was  described  by  Bailey  *  as  follows : 

This  is  a  small  piece  of  meteoric  iron,  evidently  a  fragment  of  a  larger  mass,  found  some  years  prior  to  1875,  in 
Alexander  County,  N.  C.  Nothing  more  definite  is  known  as  to  the  date  and  place  of  its  fall. 

It  is  rather  smoothly  rounded  upon  its  broadest  surface  and,  although  wholly  devoid  of  a  proper  crust,  it  is  protected 
from  further  oxidation  by  the  change  produced  by  weathering.  The  surface  shows  no  pittings. 

Its  structure  is  coarsely  granular,  or  made  up  of  polygonal  fragments  slightly  adherent,  with  intervening  thin  films 
of  schreibersite  and  cracks  or  veins  of  iron  oxide,  cementing  the  mass  together.  Small  lumps  of  schreibersite  with 
rounded  outlines  also  sometimes  appear.  It  cuts  readily  where  free  from  schreibersite,  takes  a  good  polish,  and  is  very 
light  colored;  but  it  does  not  show  either  Neumann  lines  or  Widmannstatten  figures  upon  the  etched  surface  which 
turns  black  and  slowly  corrodes.  The  separate  grains  are  quite  malleable,  but  it  is  quite  brittle  in  mass.  It  is  probable 
that  the  fragment  came  from  near  the  surface  of  the  main  mass,  and  the  deeper  interior  portions,  which  have  been 
protected  from  the  soil  and  atmosphere  may  present  different  conditions.  Specific  gravity,  7.635. 

Analysis  (Venable): 

Fe  Xi  Co  P       O  (and  loss) 

91.70  5.86  0.63  0.095  L  72  =100.00 

The  above  analysis  shows  that  the  iron  is  a  true  meteorite  if  the  locality  is  in  truth  a  dis- 
tinct one.  Brezina  *  marks  it  '  'pseudometeorite  ? "  and  gives  1882  as  the  year  of  find.  Wulfing  * 
lists  it  in  his  appendix  and  gives  a  weight  of  206  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1891:  VENABLE.    A  catalogue  of  the  meteorites  of  North  Carolina,  p.  2. 

2.  1891:  BAILEY.    Journ.  Elisha  Mitchell  ScL  Soc.,  vol.  8,  pt.  1,  pp.  17-19. 

3.  1895:  BREZINA.     "Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  339. 

4.  1897:  WULFTSG.     Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  396. 


AINSWORTH. 

Brown  County,  Nebraska. 

Latitude  42°  33'  N.,  longitude  99°  48'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1907;  described  1908. 

Weight:  10.65  kgs.  (23.5  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Ho  well 2  as  follows: 

This  siderite,  for  which  I  propose  the  name  of  the  town  near  which  it  was  found,  was  purchased  from  Mr.  J.  C. 
Toliver.  It  was  found  last  winter  by  one  of  Mr.  W.  G.  Townsend's  little  boys,  who  called  his  father's  attention  to  it 
as  it  lay  partly  buried  in  the  sand  beside  a  small  creek  in  Brown  County,  Nebraska,  about  6  miles  northwest  of  Ainsworth. 
It  measured  approximately  4.5  by  6  by  7  inches,  and  weighed  23.5  pounds  (10.65  kg.)  with  a  specific  gravity  for  the 
whole  mass  of  7.85.  Two  of  the  projections  on  one  side  are  flattened,  as  if  by  pounding,  but  closer  examination  shows 
fine  stria  running  evenly  across  both  surfaces,  which  are  in  the  same  plane,  suggesting  that  the  meteorite  in  falling 
may  have  glanced  on  a  rock — making  a  slickensided  surface.  The  most  noticeable  feature,  however,  is  the  presence, 
in  a  number  of  places  on  the  surface,  of  bright  unaltered  troilite  and  schreibersite.  This  fact,  in  connection  with  the 
general  freshness  of  the  mass,  would  indicate  that  the  "fall"  was  a  comparatively  recent  one.  A  fractured  surface  on 
one  of  the  sharp  comers,  and  adjoining  flat  side,  shows  where  perhaps  2  pounds  had  been  broken  from  the  mass  antecedent 
to  its  burial,  probably  when  it  fell.  The  fractured  corner  exhibits  the  coarse  octahedral  structure,  while  the  fractured 
side  has  the  appearance  of  columnar  structure,  and  there  seems  to  be  considerable  tendency  to  columnar  fracturing 
at  this  particular  part  of  the  iron,  columnar-like  pieces  breaking  from  the  sections  as  they  were  cut.  Eight  sections 
have  been  cut  all  parallel  to  the  first — the  one  figured.  The  principal  veins  and  the  mixed  figures  of  troilite  and  schrei- 


26  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

bersite  continue  through  them  all;  in  addition,  however,  three  typical  nodules  of  troilite  were  encountered,  which 
contrast  strongly  in  color  and  form  with  those  in  which  the  schreibersite  forms  a  prominent  part.  The  sections  etch 
very  slowly;  in  time,  however,  lines  appear  which  I  did  not  hesitate  to  call  Neumann  lines  until  Mr.  Tassin  proved 
the  iron  to  be  an  octahedrite,  as  was  at  first  indicated  by  the  fracture.  These  lines  do  not  cross  the  veins  referred 
to,  and  they  are  differently  oriented  in  each  of  the  blocks  outlined  by  these  veins,  making  the  blocks  appear  as  separate 
units.  Mr.  Tassin  finds  the  structure  of  this  iron  to  be  unique,  although  in  general  appearance — especially  in  the 
irregular  graphic  segregations  of  schreibersite  and  troilite — it  very  closely  resembles  the  Sao  Juliao,  and  in  a  less  degree 
the  Tombigbee  River,  and  in  some  respects  the  Kendall  County. 

Mr.  Wirt  Tassin  of  the  United  States  National  Museum  has  devoted  considerable  time  to  the  study  of  this  iron  and 
gives  a  summary  of  his  results  as  follows: 

"The  iron  here  described  is  triangular  in  outline  and  shows  a  well-marked  octahedral  fracture  on  one  edge,  in 
fact  the  three  edges  of  the  section  approximate  three  directions  of  an  octahedron  with  the  cut  surface  forming  a  fourth, 
giving  the  mass  as  a  whole  the  appearance  of  a  flattened  octahedron.  The  surface  as  cut  shows  octahedral  lamellae 
of  the  largest  size,  so  large  that  they  are  not  at  once  apparent,  as  the  specimen  is  not  big  enough  to  contain  more  than 
a  few  of  them.  Careful  etching  develops  a  surface  having  in  places  a  mottled  or  dappled  appearance.  These  mottlings 
when  magnified  under  a  vertical  illumination  show  a  definite  octahedral  structure  and  an  etch  figure  directly  com- 
parable with  that  of  other  octahedrites,  and  may  be  regarded  as  centers  of  crystallization,  which  though  minute,  possess 
a  well-defined  lamellar  structure  and  usually  show  the  three  characteristic  alloys.  The  accessory  constituent,  shown 
in  the  figure  as  rows  of  crystals  in  relief,  is  unknown  but  is  here  assumed  to  be  nickel-free  iron.  Such  a  structure,  a 
most  coarse  octahedrite  containing  very  minute  octahedrites,  has  never  before  been  observed  by  the  writer.  Contained 
in  the  mass  as  a  whole  are  irregularly  shaped  segregations  of  troilite,  in  forms  suggesting  graphic  characters.  These 
troilite  areas  contain  more  or  less  carbon  with  grains  of  nickel-iron  and  phosphide  of  iron  and  they  are  commonly  bounded 
with  a  thin  wall  of  schreibersite.  This  compound  also  appears  abundantly  elsewhere  on  the  surface,  usually  as  bright 
points  which,  under  the  microscope,  appear  to  be  cross  sections  of  the  lath-like  form  known  as  rhabdite. 

"The  surface  is  also  marked  by  veins  or  fissures  of  varying  widths,  certain  of  which  are  parallel  to  the  several 
directions  of  the  octahedron  and  form  octahedral  partings.  These  veins  are  commonly  bounded  by  schreibersite  and 
are  filled  with  a  carbonaceous  material  containing  phosphorous,  sulphur,  and  iron. 

"The  material  available  for  analysis  gave  the  following  values: 

Iron 92.  22 

Nickel 6.  49 

Cobalt 0.  42 

Copper : 0.  01 

Phosphorus -0.  28 

Sulphur 0.  07 

Chromium — 0.  01 

Silicon 0. 049 

Carbon 0. 09 

99.  639 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1908:  HOWELL.    Two  new  meteorites.    Science,  n.  s.,  vol.  27,  1908,  p.  27. 

2.  1908:  HOWELL.    The  Ainsworth  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  25,  1908,  pp.  105-107. 

ALGOMA. 

Kewaunee  County,  Wisconsin'. 

Latitude  44°  35'  N.,  longitude  87°  25'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1887;  described  1905. 

Weight  4  kgs.  (9lbs.). 

This  meteorite  has  been  described  wholly  by  Hobbs  '  as  follows: 

The  meteoric  iron  which  is  here  described  was  plowed  up  in  the  spring  of  1887  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Henry  Runke, 
about  4  miles  west  of  Algoma  post  office,  Ahnapee  township,  Kewaunee  County,  Wisconsin.  The  man  who  was  guid- 
ing the  plow  noticed  the  heavy  metal  as  it  was  turned  up  by  the  plow  from  the  depth  of  but  a  few  inches.  Mr.  Richard 
Runke,  son  of  the  farmer,  was  present  and  reports  that  the  hired  man  placed  the  object  upon  a  large  stone  and  struck 
it  a  number  of  blows  with  another  stone  used  as  a  sledge,  in  an  attempt  to  break  it.  The  evidence  of  this  maltreat- 
ment it  bears  in  a  series  of  dents,  especially  upon  its  convex  surface.  Subsequently  it  was  vigorously  attacked  with 
cold  chisel  and  hammer.  A  curiosity  merely,  the  Algoma  iron  remained  about  the  farm  on  which  it  was  found  until 
March  of  the  present  year  (1902),  when  Mr.  Richard  Runke,  now  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin  and 
teacher  of  science  in  the  Madison  High  School,  brought  it  to  the  writer  for  examination.  On  being  told  that  it  was 
a  meteorite  and  of  considerable  scientific  value  Mr.  Runke  very  generously  presented  it  to  the  university. 

The  spot  at  which  the  meteorite  was  plowed  up  can  be  located  within  a  few  feet,  because  of  its  proximity  to  a  large 
pile  of  bowlders  upon  the  lot.  Mr.  Runke  has  made  some  search  in  the  vicinity  and  has  also  made  extensive  inquiries 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  27 

among  the  neighbors,  but  as  yet  with  no  positive  results.    As  will  be  shown  below,  there  was  reason  to  think  that 
fragments  might  exist  in  the  vicinity  and  the  search  was  continued  with  the  aid  of  dial  compass  and  dip  needle,  but 

without  success. 

SIZE  AND  SHAPE. 

Instead  of  the  usual  irregular  form  or  the  paraboloid  shape  of  some  oriented  meteorites  (Hraschina,  Allegan,  Long 
Island),  the  Algoma  iron  is  almost  unique  in  having  a  discoid  or  shieldlike  form.  In  the  surface  of  greatest  extension 
the  outline  is  roughly  elliptical,  with  major  and  minor  axes  25  and  16.5  cm.  From  a  thickness  of  about  2.5  cm.  near 
the  geometric  center  the  disk  varies  irregularly,  generally  to  smaller  values  and  locally  even  to  a  knife  edge  at  and  near 
the  circumference.  The  convex  surface  in  the  plane  of  the  minor  axis  of  its  outline  and  its  normal  has  a  radius  of 
curvature  of  about  21  cm.,  and  the  concave  surface  a  considerably  larger  value,  about  32  cm.  The  two  broad  sur- 
faces are  spoken  of  as  the  convex  and  concave  surfaces,  respectively,  because  the  former  invariably  recedes  near  its 
margin  (though  concave  at  one  place  and  in  one  plane  near  its  center).  The  other  surface  is  more  nearly  concave  than 
convex,  and  in  one  plane  (that  of  the  minor  axis  and  the  normal)  is  distinctly  concave. 

WEIGHT  AND  SPECIFIC  GRAVITY. 

When  brought  to  the  university  the  Algoma  iron  weighed  a  little  less  than  9  pounds,  or  somewhat  more  than  4 
kilograms  (weighed  with  a  spring  balance).  A  small  slice,  in  the  widest  place  less  than  3  cm.  in  width,  was  sawed 
from  one  end,  and  due  to  a  misunderstanding  of  instructions  a  saw  cut  was  made,  running  partly  through  the  meteorite 
at  a  greater  distance  from  the  end.  After  suffering  these  losses  the  main  meteorite  mass  now  weighs  3,716  grams. 

A  block  weighing  a  little  over  39  grams,  polished  on  two  sides,  after  boiling  in  water  for  half  an  hour  and  cooling 
to  room  temperature, was  weighed  in  the  water,  and  then,  after  drying,  in  air  by  the  suspension  method.  The  result 

obtained  for  the  specific  gravity  was  7.75. 

SURFACES. 

THE  CONVEX  SURFACE. 

Larger  irregularities. — The  convex  surface,  for  reasons  which  will  appear,  designated  the  front  of  the  meteorite 
(Brustseite),  merits  a  careful  consideration.  Marks  which  this  surface  owes  to  its  maltreatment  subsequent  to  its  dis- 
covery in  1887  are  the  dents  from  pounding  with  a  sharp  rock  edge,  the  grooves  from  attack  with  a  cold  chisel  and 
hammer,  and  the  abraded  surface  and  scratches  which  are  the  work  of  a  file.  In  addition  to  these  disfigurements, 
there  are  *  *  *  relatively  deep  pita  of  markedly  irregular  outline  which  doubtless  owe  their  origin  to  the  fusion 
and  removal  of  a  mineral  (schreibersite)  more  fusible  than  the  nickel-iron  itself.  The  manner  in  which  such  pits  are 
formed  is  well  illustrated  by  the  small  pitting  cut  through  by  the  saw,  at  the  bottom  of  which  may  be  seen  the  schrei- 
bersite crystals  separated  by  walls  of  swathing  kamacite.  One  pit  corresponds  in  position  with  a  similar  pit  upon  the 
back  of  the  meteorite  and  doubtless  was  once  continuous  through  the  disk,  as  it  may  now  be  followed  nearly  through  and 
appears  to  be  choked  for  a  short  distance  by  the  oxide  scale  which  lines  its  walls. 

The  low  fusibility  of  schreibersite  is  well  known  and  was  well  brought  out  during  the  polishing  of  the  section, 
the  smaller  crystals  of  schreibersite  at  once  revealing  their  position  by  their  fusion,  due  to  the  moderate  frictional 
heat  of  grinding. 

Larger  shallow  pittings,  which  more  resemble  the  conventional  "thumb  marks,"  have  doubtless  been  produced 
in  a  similar  manner  by  fusion  of  schreibersite,  combined  with  fusion  and  abrasion  of  the  outer  walls,  since  their  sides 
toward  the  meteorite  center  possess  the  same  steep,  irregular  slopes  as  the  others,  with  some  accumulation  of  oxide 
scale.  Being  located  near  the  circumference  of  the  disk,  they  lie  within  the  zone  of  maximum  erosion  from  the  action 
of  the  compressed  air,  and  the  thin  walls  which  presumably  once  separated  them  from  the  present  circumference  of  the 
meteorite  would  be  hardly  able  to  withstand  the  erosive  action. 

The  marginal  area  of  the  meteorite  front,  on  which  the  "thumb  mark"  pittings  are  found  (for  convenience  called 
the  straighter  margin)  is  in  rather  sharp  contrast  with  the  opposite  front  margin  (the  lobate  margin).  From  the 
nearly  plane  central  boss  of  elliptical  shape  (axes,  9  and  7  cm.)  the  surface  of  the  disk  slopes  away  sharply  on  the  side 
of  the  larger  pittings  and  is  there  also  deeply  furrowed  in  directions  nearly  radial.  The  lobate  side  recedes  in  more 
gradual  curves,  is  marked  by  small  and  irregularly  distributed  pittings,  and  is  covered  with  a  thin  film  of  oxide. 
Through  this  coating  of  oxide  the  nearly  radial  furrows  and  ridges  which  characterize  the  opposite  margin  can  be  fol- 
lowed without  difficulty,  though  they  are  much  less  distinct,  and  the  effect  produced  is  altogether  like  that  which 
would  be  expected  if  this  side  had  lain  in  a  moist  soil  while  the  other  had  received  greater  protection.  The 
margin  not  covered  by  the  oxide  (that  of  the  shallow  pittings)  shows  a  steely,  metallic  luster.  Near  the  ends  of  the 
front  the  surface  resembles  that  of  the  margin  where  the  shallow  pittings  are  found.  The  end  opposite  the  saw  sec- 
tion, however,  projects  to  the  front  from  the  margin  of  the  central  boss  before  its  surface  recedes  in  the  regular  curves 
characteristic  of  other  parts  of  the  front.  This  suggests  that  the  meteorite  may  have  been  bent  in  about  its  geometric 
center  by  a  force  acting  normal  to  its  surface. 

The  central  boss  of  the  front  shows,  even  under  the  lens,  little  trace  of  the  radial  furrows,  and  then  only  in  circum- 
ferential portions.  On  the  straighter  side,  where  the  surface  slopes  away  rapidly  from  this  boss,  the  furrows  begin 
with  great  distinctness  at  the  line  where  the  flat  boss  gives  place  to  the  backward  slope. 

Drift  ridges  and  furrows. — The  radial  markings  could  perhaps  better  be  described  as  ridges  than  as  furrows;  they 
are  in  reality  the  material  left  in  sharp,  knife-edge  lines  between  very  shallow  furrows  having  nearly  flat  bottoms.  The 
ridges  have  a  basal  thickness  of  a  fifth  to  a  tenth  of  a  millimeter,  and  where  best  developed  the  intervening  furrows 
widen  from  about  a  millimeter  at  the  margin  of  the  central  boss  to  two  millimeters  at  the  present  circumference  of  the 


28  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

meteorite.  Approximating  to  right  lines  the  ridges  appear  to  have  been  modified  in  their  direction  to  some  extent 
by  the  crystalline  structure  of  the  meteorite,  but  even  where  deviated  from  their  initial  direction  the  tendency  to 
maintain  rectilinear  directions  is  apparent.  They  sometimes  cross  one  another  at  extremely  acute  angles. 

While  at  first  sight  the  ridges  would  appear  to  be  strictly  radial,  closer  examination,  especially  when  made  by 
stretching  a  fine  thread  along  them,  reveals  the  fact  that  they  are  in  reality  slightly  curved  in  a  common  direction, 
the  radius  of  curvature  diminishing  as  the  circumference  of  the  meteorite  is  approached.  They  represent,  therefore,  the 
arms  of  an  Airy's  spiral.  This  variation  from  a  straight  line  is  approximately  1  in  30  or  1  in  50,  and  is  greatest  where 
the  slope  from  the  central  boss  is  the  steepest.  In  only  one  instance  was  any  variation  from  the  common  direction  of 
curvature  to  the  left  (Isevo-rotation)  observable,  and  this  was  in  the  bottom  of  the  larger  of  the  two  marginal  pita,  where 
for  a  short  distance  the  curvature  is  reversed  only  to  resume  its  regularity  near  the  edge  of  the  disk. 

Surface  markings  due  to  crystalline  structure. — Beneath  the  prominent  drift  scorings  the  lens  seldom  fails  to  reveal 
the  crystalline  structure  of  the  metal  in  regular  cross-linings  of  lesser  prominence.  These  show  to  the  best  advantage 
in  the  bottom  of  the  deepest  marginal  pit  on  the  side  nearest  the  center  of  the  mass — in  the  ' '  lee  of  the  wall "  of  that  side. 

Fracture  lines. — Perhaps  in  some  way  connected  with  the  crystalline  structure  is  the  series  of  parallel  cracks  which 
course  over  the  front  of  the  meteorite  in  a  direction  about  parallel  to  its  greatest  cross-diameter.  These  joint-like 
cracks  are  observable  by  the  unaided  eye  *  *  *.  In  places  they  are  crowded  together,  separated  by  rather  uniform 
space  intervals  of  1  to  2  mm.,  and  at  times  they  are  lined  with  oxide,  especially  on  the  more  oxidized  side  of  the  front. 

THE   CONCAVE    SURFACE. 

"Thumb  marks." — The  generally  concave  surface  of  the  meteorite,  as  already  explained,  is  in  sharp  contrast  with 
the  convex  surface  or  front.  In  general  aspect  it  does  not  differ  from  the  surface  of  the  greater  number  of  meteoric 
irons,  and  may  be  described  as  undulating,  due  to  the  presence  of  large  and  very  shallow  pits  ("thumb  marks  ")  which 
coalesce  with  one  another. 

Oxide  scale. — Over  all  this  surface  of  the  meteorite  is  a  coating  of  oxide  of  iron  which  varies  in  thickness  from  less 
than  0.5  to  about  1  mm.  in  thickness.  Thickest  on  the  side  of  the  most  protected  hollow  of  the  surface,  it  hat,  scaled 
off  locally  and  left  a  series  of  irregular  depressions  on  the  larger  pittings  of  a  second  order  of  magnitude.  As  this  edge 
is  the  one  which  corresponds  to  greater  oxidation  upon  the  front,  it  is  probable  that  some  small  portion  of  the  oxidation 
occurred  subsequent  to  the  fall,  due  to  the  unfavorable  conditions  for  preservation  as  regards  air  and  moisture. 

On  this  surface  of  the  meteorite  there  are  no  distinct  markings  observable  which  can  by  any  probability  be  ascribed 
to  erosive  agencies  within  the  aerosphere. 

Infolding  of  edges. — Of  some  interest  is  the  apparent  folding  back  of  the  edges  on  the  concave  surface.  This  infold- 
ing of  the  edges  appears  to  have  been  before  observed,  and  is  quite  noticeable  on  the  models  of  the  meteorites  from 
Puquios,  Chile,  and  Rancho  de  la  Pila,  Mexico.  The  regular  curving  of  both  surfaces  of  the  Algoma  meteorite  near 
the  edges  that  are  turned  back  favors  the  view  that  this  phenomenon  is  a  result  of  slight  bending  of  the  marginal  area 
from  the  pressure  of  the  compressed  air  on  the  front,  the  greater  curvature  of  the  front  (over  that  of  the  back)  being 
ascribed  to  the  erosive  action. 

THE    MARGINAL   SURFACE. 

The  marginal  surface  of  the  meteorite  in  all  cases  where  the  front  does  not  meet  the  back  in  a  sharp  line  has  a 
very  hackly  appearance  and  indicates  with  little  doubt  a  fracture  surface.  The  more  irregular  contour  of  the  disk 
along  its  margin  is  for  about  half  its  length  rounded  off  by  the  curved  front  surface  meeting  the  thumb-marked  rear 
surface.  Elsewhere,  however,  it  has  just  the  appearance  of  the  fracture  surface  of  a  malleable  metal  ruptured  by 
tensile  stresses,  small  fibers  or  horns  of  metal  being  still  attached  to  the  surface.  The  small  V-shaped  notches  in  the 
marginal  contour  are  rather  striking,  and  perhaps  indicate  that  there  was  a  shearing  component  of  the  stress  by 
which  the  metal  was  ruptured.  A  very  thin  film  of  oxide  quite  unlike  the  scale  upon  the  back  covers  the  marginal 

area  of  fracture. 

COMPOSITION  AND  TEXTURE. 

CHEMICAL  COMPOSITION  OF  METEORITE. 

The  chemical  analysis  of  the  Algoma  iron  was  kindly  undertaken  at  my  request  by  Mr.  Arthur  A.  Koch,  laboratory 
assistant  in  quantitative  analysis  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  Duplicate  analyses  were  made  of  samples  of  5  grams 
each.  The  material  used  for  this  purpose  was  in  thin  plates  from  the  sawed  cross  section. 

On  dissolving  in  acid,  evaporating  to  dryness,  and  redissolving,  the  residue  was  very  slight.  After  weighing, 
this  residue  was  treated  with  hydrofluoric  acid,  and  no  gritty  substance  remained.  The  analyses  yielded  results  as 
follows,  the  iron  being  in  the  one  case  determined  by  the  gravimetric  and  in  the  other  by  the  volumetric  method: 

1  2 

Iron 88.  60  88.  64 

Nickel 10.  64  10.  62 

Cobalt 77  .91 

Phosphorus .14  .16 

Silica 02  .02 

Sulphur Trace.  Trace. 

Copper None.  None. 

Carbon None.  None. 

100.17        100.35 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  29 

WIDMANNSTATTEN   FIGURES — THE   TRIAD. 

The  Algoma  meteorite  is  an  octahedral  siderite  rich  in  kamacite  and  tenite  and  relatively  poor  in  pleseite.  The 
kamacite  bands  are  of  three  types:  First,  there  are  the  relatively  thick  hands  (0.6  to  1  mm.)  which  cover  the  space 
of  the  section  in  a  fairly  regular  network;  second,  there  are  parallel  series  of  perfectly  contiguous  finer  bands  (0.1  to 
0.5  mm.)  or  Kamme,  which  completely  fill  the  large  areas  (Cohen's  Gescharrter  Kamazit),  and,  lastly,  there  are  the 
swathing  bands  about  schreibersite  (Wickelkamazit),  which  are  usually  of  exceptional  width  and  generally  swollen 
and  irregular  as  regards  outlines.  Gradations  between  these  varieties  occur,  but  the  firet  two  types  are  nevertheless 
very  clearly  marked  in  the  general  structure.  The  wickelkamazit  frequently,  though  not  always,  produces  a  merely 
local  swelling  of  the  coarser  bands.  Tsenite  in  jagged,  irregular,  and  occasionally  interrupted  lines  surrounds  the 
kamacite  of  all  types.  The  plessite  is  of  the  structureless  variety  (Fleckiger  pleseit). 

XEUMAXK   LINES. 

The  kamacite  bands  when  etched  to  any  considerable  depth  reveal  beautiful  Neumann  lines  (Schraffirter  Kamazit). 
•  REICHENBACH'S  LAXELLS — SCHREIBERSITE. 

The  schreibersite,  which  is  prominent  on  etched  surfaces  by  reason  of  its  brilliant  luster  and  it#  great  suscepti- 
bility to  oxidation,  is  arranged  in  rather  distinct  lines  within  the  kamacite  (Reichenbach's  lamella).  Always  envel- 
oped in  kamacite,  the  largest  area  within  the  principal  section  has  a  wide  aureole  of  kamacite  about  it.  Being  at 
the  front  surface  of  the  meteorite,  its  fusion  on  one  side  has  produced  a  noticeable  depression  on  that  surface.  The 
hardness  of  this  mineral  was  at  the  limit  for  the  band  saws  used  in  cutting,  even  small  areas  of  schreibersite  sufficing 
to  break  them,  and  the  hardness  and  brittleneas  were,  moreover,  serious  obstacles  in  the  way  of  securing  well-polished 
surfaces  for  etching .  The  analysis  shows  that  schreibersite  comprises  about  1  per  cent  of  the  entire  mass  of  the  meteorite. 
The  mineral  is  developed  in  relatively  thin  plates,  often  of  considerable  size.  The  one  which  figures  in  all  the  sections 
was  also  encountered  in  the  saw-cut  which  extends  partly  through  the  meteorite  at  a  distance  of  2  to  4  cm.  from  the 
sawed  end,  and  must,  therefore,  have  been  not  less  than  3.5  or  4  cm.  in  length.  The  small  branches  of  this  crystal 
conform  to  the  Reichenbach  lines. 

The  fractures  noticed  on  the  front  surface  of  the  meteorite  are  seen  in  section  on  the  forward  margin  of  the  etched 
surfaces  as  local,  small  dark  lines  extending  into  the  mass  for  a  depth  of  1  or  2  mm.  These  are  evidently  filled  with 
an  oxidation  product  (perhaps  the  "Eisenglas"  of  some  authors). 

Owing  to  the  markedly  swollen  character  of  the  kamacite  bands  (Wulstiger  Kamazit),  it  is  difficult  to  determine 
whether  any  slight  distortion,  such  as  would  be  induced  by  bending  of  the  disk,  has  occurred.  It  can  hardly  have 
been  more  than  a  few  degrees  at  the  most,  since  the  general  direction  of  the  bands  is  well  maintained  across  the  section. 

From  the  above  it  is  clear  that  the  Algoma  iron  belongs  in  the  Charlotte  group  and  is  in  many  respects  similar 
to  Cohen's  Charlotte  type  which  fell  in  Charlotte,  Dixon  County,  Tenn.,  in  1835.  In  all  the  respects  of  coarseness 
of  structure,  proportions  of  the  members  of  the  triad,  varieties  of  kamacite  and  plessite,  Neumann  lines  in  kamacite, 
fractures  and  their  fillings,  resistance  to  weathering,  Reichenbach's  lamellae,  and  their  distribution  in  the  network, 
it  seems  to  correspond  very  closely;  and  one  of  Brezina  and  Cohen's  plates  would  fairly  well  represent  the  Algoma 
iron.  In  composition  also  there  is  but  slight  variation.  Both  irons  are  remarkably  free  from  the  elements  not  consti- 
tuting the  triad.  Algoma  has  10.5  as  against  8  per  centof  nickel;  Charlotte  has  0. 06  percent  of  copper,  which  is  not 
found  in  Algoma,  and  the  latter  has  0.15  per  cent  of  phosphorus,  which  is  absent  in  the  former. 

This  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1905:  HOBBS.    Bull.  Geol.  Soc.  Amer.,  vol.  14,  pp.  97-116. 


ALLEGAN. 

Allegan  County,  Michigan. 
Latitude  42°  32'  N.,  longitude  85°  53'  W. 

Stone.    Omansite.     Omans  group  of  spherical  chondrites  (Ceo)  of  Brezina. 
Fell  8  a.  m.,  July  10,  1899. 
Weight,  30.45  kgs(70  Ibs.). 

This  stony  meteorite  fell  on  Thomas  Hill,  on  the  Saugatuck  Road  in  Allegan,  Michigan, 
about  8  a.  m.,  July  10,  1899.  The  main  mass  of  the  stone  weighed  62.5  pounds  and  the  whole 
probably  weighed  not  less  than  70  pounds. 

According  to  Mr.  Walter  Price,  as  quoted  by  H.  L.  Ward,1  this  stone  came  from  the  north- 
west and  passed  within  40  feet  of  where  he  was  working,  striking  the  ground  about  10  rods 
beyond,  in  sand,  and  burying  itself  to  the  depth  'of  about  a  foot  and  a  half.  The  attention  of 
observers,  it  is  stated,  was  first  attracted  by  a  cannonlike  report,  followed  by  a  rumbling  sound 


30  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

lasting  about  five  minutes (?),  which  was  followed,  as  the  stone  came  nearer,  by  a  hissing  sound, 
compared  to  that  of  an  engine  blowing  off  steam.  When  first  seen  in  the  air  the  stone  had  the 
appearance  of  a  black  ball  about  the  size  of  a  man's  fist.  As  it  passed  the  observer  "there 
seemed  to  be  a  blue  streak  behind  it,  about  6  feet  long,  which  tapered  back  to  a  sharp  point." . 
The  stone  was  dug  up  about  five  minutes  after  striking  and  is  said  to  have  been  too  hot  for 
handling,  necessitating  its  removal  with  a  shovel.  "The  sand  was  hot  for  about  2  feet  around 
where  it  struck."  Messrs.  H.  Stern  &  Co.,  of  Allegan,  furnished  corroborative  evidence.  They 
stated  that  the  sand  about  the  hole  made  by  the  meteor  was  quite  warm  for  an  hour  after  the 
fall,  and  that  the  stone  itself  was  warm  when  placed  in  their  shop  window,  some  two  and  a 
half  hours  later. 

The  stone  was  flat  on  one  side,  forming  the  base,  and  rose  to  a  rounded  eminence  on  the 
upper  side,  which  was  probably  foremost  in  its  passage  through  the  atmosphere,  whereas  the 
broad  side  was  first  to  strike  the  ground.  That  the  latter  is  true  was  shown  by  the  adherence  of 
grass  stems  and  earth  to  this  surface;  whereas  the  former  supposition  is  supported  by  the  fact 
that  the  furrows  on  the  outer  crust,  due  to  atmospheric  friction,  radiated  from  the  rounded 
point  where  the  crust  was  thinner.  On  the  opposite  side  the  crust  was  thicker,  glassy,  and 
enclosed  only  residual  portions  of  unfused  silicates;  where  the  crust  is  thickest  it  is  blebby, 
vesicular,  and  crowded  with  minute  silicate  crystals  imperfectly  secreted  from  the  glassy  base. 

The  grass,  leaves,  and  earthy  matter  on  the  under  side  were  not  charred  and  showed  no 
other  indications  of  heat,  only  the  black  crust  showed  the  effect  of  atmospheric  friction. 

To  the  unaided  eye  the  fractured  surface  of  this  stone  shows,  according  to  Merrill 2,  a  quite 
even  granular  structure  of  gray  color,  and,  on  closer  inspection,  abundant  beautifully  spheru- 
litic  chondri,  averaging  not  more  than  1  or  2  mm.  in  diameter,  in  two  cases  nearly  5  mm.  These 
beautifully  spherulitic  chondri  are  sometimes  elongated  or  irregular,  and  may  have  pitted 
surfaces  like  those  seen  in  compressed  pebbles  in  conglomerates.  The  majority  of  them  are 
dark  gray  in  color,  but  some  are  greenish  white.  They  are  composed  of  both  chrysolite  and 
enstatite.  Numerous  brilliant  metallic  points  of  a  silver-white  color  indicate  the  presence  of 
disseminated  iron.  Viewed  more  closely  the  stone  is  seen  to  be  made  up  of  chondri,  iron,  and 
dark  gray  silicates,  embedded  in  a  light  gray,  ashy  groundmass. 

The  stone  is  exceedingly  friable,  crumbling  away  readily  between  the  thumb  and  fingers. 

Under  the  microscope  the  thin  section  exhibits  in  a  very  marked  degree  the  granular 
fragmental  structure  which  sometimes  characterizes  chondritic  meteorites,  and  which  is  regarded 
by  Tschermak  and  some  other  authorities  as  indicative  of  a  tuffaceous  origin.  Three  types  of 
chondri  are  observable:  First,  the  ordinary  enstatite  chondri  showing  the  eccentric,  fan-shaped 
structure;  second,  those  composed  of  chrysolites,  sometimes  quite  idiomorphic,  developed  in  a 
black  glass;  and,  third,  those  which  are  apparently  of  enstatite  but  are  almost  completely 
structureless  and  of  a  greenish-white  color. 

These  chondri  are  in  most  cases  sharply  differentiated  from  the  groundmass  and  break 
away  from  it  so  readily  as  almost  to  prevent  the  preparation  of  thin  sections.  Many  of  them  are 
fragmental  and  show  by  the  condition  of  the  fractured  surfaces  and  the  fact  that  the  fragments 
do  not  fit  together  that  the  fractures  antedate  the  consolidation  of  the  mass. 

The  groundmass  of  the  stone  is  a  confused  agglomerate  of  chrysolite  and  enstatite  particles 
with  interspersed  metallic  iron,  iron  sulphide,  and  chromic  iron.  In  no  case  do  the  silicates 
occur  with  perfect  crystallographic  outlines,  nearly  all,  both  chrysolite  and  enstatite,  being  of 
fragmental  nature  and  of  varying  size,  ranging  from  particles  of  a  millimeter  in  diameter  down  to 
the  finest  dust.  The  iron  has  the  usual  form  of  blebs  and  extremely  irregular  patches,  serving 
as  a  cement.  By  reflected  light  it  shows  up  in  strong  contrast  with  the  dull  brassy  yellow  sul- 
phide, which  is  also  irregular  in  form,  sometimes  isolated,  and  again  associated  with  the  iron. 
So  far  as  observed,  the  sulphide  never  occurs  in  rounded  blebs  inclosed  in  the  iron,  as  sometimes 
happens  in  large  masses  of  meteoric  iron.  On  the  other  hand,  the  silicate  minerals  do  thus 
occur.  Chromite  in  black  specks  is  often  associated  with  the  sulphides,  but  does  not  present 
good  crystal  outlines  in  the  section.  No  feldspar  was  found  in  it. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  31 

Analysis  (Stokes)*  of  the  metallic  portion  (23.06  per  cent): 

Fe  Ni          Co          CTI 

21.09        1.81       0.15       0.01 

Stony  portion  (76.94  per  cent) : 

SiOj       TiOj       Pi06      AljO,       OjO,      FeO        PeS       MnO     NiO      CaO       MgO        K^)        Na,O        Li,O 
3495        a08        0.27        2.55        0.53        8.47        5.05        a  18        tr.        L73        2L99        0.23        0.66          tt. 

H20         H,0 
(110°)     (110°+) 

0. 06  0. 19=100 

Specific  gravity  (Merrill) :  3.905.    • 

The  stone  is  in  large  part  in  the  possession  of  the  United  States  National  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1899:  WARD.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  8,  pp.  412-414. 

2.  1900:  MEHSILL  and  STOKES.    Proc.  Washington  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  2,  pp.  41-s>l.    (Plates  illustrate  external  appear- 

ance and  fragmental  and  microscopic  structure  of  stone.) 


Allegheny  County.    See  Pittsburgh. 
Allegheny  Mountains.    See  Greenbrier  County. 
Allen  County.    See  Scottsville. 
Atrnma,     See  Homestead. 

AMATES. 

Rancho  de  los  Amates,  north  of  Iguala,  State  of  Guerrero,  Mexico. 

Here  also  Morelos. 

Latitude  18°  307  N.,  longitude  99°  22/  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octabedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1889. 

Weight  (assignable)  3  grams. 

The  only  knowledge  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  be  given  in  the  mention  by  Castillo1  as 
follows: 

Morelos.  Meteorite  of  Los  Amates.  This  is  a  nodule  of  meteoric  iron  found  among  a  nttmber  of  specimens  of 
minerals  of  iron  coming  from  the  Rancho  de  los  Amates,  a  place  situated  upon  the  road  from  Mexico  to  Iguala  and  near 
the  latter  village. 

Ward  *  gives  Iguala  as  in  the  State  of  Guerrero,  instead  of  Morelos.     Ward  possesses  3 
grams.     No  other  mention  of  weights  seems  tcwoccur. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1889:  CASTILLO,  Cat.  Descript.  des  Meteorites  du  Mexique,  p.  3. 

2.  1904:  WABD,  Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection  of  meteorites,  p.  3. 


Ameca-Ameca.    See  Toluca. 


AMECA  AMECA. 
Mexico,  D.  F.,  Mexico. 
Latitude  19°  5'  N.,  longitude  98°  407  W. 
Iron. 

Described  1889. 
Weight  not  recorded. 

The  only  description  of  this  meteorite  is  by  Castillo,1  who  says: 
It  is  a  small  nodule  of  iron  found  in  the  village  of  Ameca  Ameca.    It  is  in  the  Mexican  National  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1889:  CASTILLO,    Catalogue,  1889,  p.  3. 


32  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

ANDERSON. 

Anderson  township,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio. 

Here  also  Turner  Mound  and  Little  Miami. 

Latitude  39°  1(X  N.,  longitude  84°  18'  W. 

Iron-stone.    Pallasite,  Krasnojarsk  group  (Pk)  of  Brezina. 

Prehistoric,  described  1884. 

Weight,  847  grams,  besides  worked  masses. 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Kinnicutt,1  as  follows: 

In  the  spring  of  1883  the  curator  of  the  Peabody  Museum  of  American  Archaeology  and  Ethnology  placed  in  my 
hands  for  examination  certain  specimens  which  had  been  "found  on  the  altar  of  Mound  No.  3  of  the  Turner  group  of 
earthworks  in  the  Little  Miami  Valley,  Ohio." 

These  specimens  included  portions  of  two  ornaments  made  of  iron,  several  others  covered  or  overlaid  with  iron, 
and  some  separate  pieces  which  were  thought  to  be  either  an  ore  of  iron,  or,  possibly,  metallic  iron. 

These  separate  pieces  were  covered  with  cinders,  small  pieces  of  charcoal,  pearls,  broken  ornaments  made  of  shells, 
and  other  materials  which  were  firmly  attached  to  the  coating  of  iron  oxide,  showing  that  these  pieces  had  been  sub- 
jected to  a  comparatively  high  temperature.  On  removing  this  foreign  matter  it  was  found  that  these  specimens  con- 
sisted mainly  of  metallic  iron,  which  was  of  a  steel  gray  color  and  easily  malleable.  That  this  iron  was  obtained  by 
the  reduction  of  an  ore  of  iron  seemed  at  first  most  probable;  still  there  was  a  possibility  that  it  might  be  of  meteoric 
origin  and  a  careful  investigation  was  consequently  undertaken. 

The  first  piece  taken  for  this  purpose  was  of  an  irregular  cubical  shape,  weighing  28  grams,  and  was  evidently  a 
detached  piece  of  some  larger  mass.  It  was  thickly  coated  with  oxide  of  iron,  had  in  general  the  appearance  of  limon- 
nite,  and  could  only  with  difficulty  be  cut  or  broken.  The  specific  gravity  was  6.42.  A  small  piece  perfectly  freed 
from  rust  gave  on  analysis: 

Iron 86.  66 

Nickel 12.67 

Cobalt 33 

Copper Trace. 

Insoluble  residue - 10 


99.76 

A  polished  surface,  when  etched,  gave  well-marked  Widmannstattian  figures,  and  at  one  corner  small  crystals  of 
olivine  and  bronzite  could  be  easily  identified  under  the  microscope.  Traces  of  a  third  mineral  could  also  be 
detected  on  the  polished  surface,  the  exact  nature  of  which  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  determine. 

The  second  specimen  examined  weighed  52  grams,  was  a  square-shaped  piece,  and  had  evidently  been  hammered 
into  its  present  form.  Crystals  of  olivine  could  be  easily  detected  inclosed  within  the  iron.  The  specific  gravity 
was  found  to  be  6.51. 

A  piece  of  the  iron  thoroughly  cleaned  from  rust  gave  on  analysis: 

Iron 88.  37 

Nickel 10.  90 

Cobalt 44 

Copper v Trace. 

Phosphorous .' Trace. 

Insoluble  residue  . .  12 


99.83 

I  did  not  consider  it  necessary  to  have  a  surface  of  this  piece  polished,  as  its  general  characteristics  were  the  same 
as  those  of  the  first  specimen  examined. 

The  remaining  separate  pieces  of  iron,  as  well  as  the  iron  overlying  the  copper  ornaments,  were  now  carefully 
examined,  and  in  each  and  every  case  the  element  nickel  was  shown  to  be  present,  and  in  most  of  the  separate  pieces 
crystals  of  olivine  could  be  detected.  This  seems  to  prove  conclusively  that  all  the  iron  obtained  from  the  mound 
was  of  meteoric  origin,  and  in  all  probability  portions  of  one  large  meteorite,  which  belongs,  according  to  Daubree's 
classification,  to  the  Syssiderites. 

Two  months  after  receiving  the  specimens  above  described  the  curator  of  the  museum  placed  in  my  hands  a  mass 
of  iron  weighing  767.5  grams,  which  had  been  found  "on  the  altar  in  Mound  No.  4  of  the  Turner  group. 

This  mass  consisted  principally  of  metallic  iron  and  olivine;  the  crystals  of  olivine  have  a  diameter  of  5  to  10  mm., 
and  are  inclosed  within  the  iron.  The  specific  gravity  was  found  by  Professor  Lattimore  of  Rochester,  New  York,  to 
be4.72. 

A  section  of  the  stone  was  made  and  polished.  The  dark  portions  showing  the  size  and  shape  of  the  crystals  of 
olivine,  which  were  of  dark  green,  weighing  from  200-800  milligrams  and  had  a  specific  gravity  of  3.33.  An  analysis 
of  the  olivine  gave  the  following  results: 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  33 

SiO, 40. 02 

FeO 14.06 

MnO 10 

MgO 45.60 

99.78     , 

The  iron  which,  inclosed  these  crystals  had  a  specific  gravity  of  7.894  and  gave  by  J.  Lawrence  Smith's  process  of 
analysis: 

Iron 89.00 

Nickel 1 10.65 

Cobalt 45 

Copper Trace. 

Phosphorus Trace. 

Insoluble  residue. . .  .09 


100.19 

A  polished  surface  under  the  microscope  showed,  beside  the  crystals  of  olivine,  small  crystals  of  bronzite,  which 
substance  could  also  be  easily  detected  by  reflected  light.  Small  quantities  of  schreibersite  were  also  undoubtedly 
present,  as  shown  by  the  traces  of  phosphorus  found  in  the  analysis  of  the  iron. 

The  meteorite  was  entered  in  Brezina's  1885  Vienna  catalogue 3  under  the  name  of  Ander- 
son. On  the  discovery  of  the  Eagle  Station,  Carroll  County,  meteorite,  Kunz  5  suggested  that 
the  Turner  mound  material  may  have  been  obtained  from  this  locality,  but  on  later  investigation 
and  discovery  of  the  Brenham,  Kiowa  County,  pallasites  he  revised  8  this  opinion  and  concluded 
it  very  probable  that  the  iron  was  the  same  as  Brenham. 

Huntington 7  discussed  this  possibility  and  reached  the  conclusion  that  there  was  no 
reason  for  regarding  them  identical.  He  also  discussed  the  possibility  that  the  iron  might  have 
come  from  Krasnoyarsk. 

In  the  Vienna  catalogue  for  1895  Brezina  8  lists  the  meteorite  still  under  the  head  of  Ander- 
son and  suggests  that  with  it  belong  probably  also  meteoric  material  from  Daniel  Harness 
Mound,  Liberty  Township,  Scioto  Valley,  Ross  County,  Ohio,  found  in  1884 ;  Till  Porter  Mound, 
latitude  38°  9'  N.,  longitude  84°  52'  W.,  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  found  in  1889;  the  problematic 
Circleville,  latitude  39°  32'  N.,  longitude  82°  52'  W.,  Ohio,  described  in  1820;  and  Marietta, 
latitude  39°  27'  N.,  longitude  81°  26'  W.,  Ohio,  described  in  1820;  perhaps  also  Brenham. 

Brezina  in  this  catalogue  further  describes  Anderson  as  showing  rounded  olivine  in  a 
strongly  developed  nickel-iron  network,  and  the  latter  as  showing  swollen  swathing  kamacite 
0.5-1  mm.  broad,  separated  by  taenite  from  gray  plessite,  which  is  free  of  skeleton  structure. 
The  pallasite  has,  he  says,  the  greatest  similarity  in  composition  and  structure  with  that  of 
Brenham. 

Wulfing9  lists  Anderson  as  belonging  to  Brenham,  giving  it,  however,  a  separate  bibliography. 
Ward  10  lists  Anderson  separately.  This  the  present  writer  believes  to  be  the  best  usage,  as  a 
local  fall  of  the  iron  is  quite  probable.  As  Huntington 7  points  out,  it  is  quite  as  reasonable  to 
suppose  Krasnojarsk  and  Anderson  of  common  origin  as  Brenham  and  Anderson.  Unless 
there  can  be  traced  a  more  positive  connection  than  has  hitherto  been  done,  it  seems  better  to 
consider  Anderson  separate. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1884:  KiNNicuTT.    Report  on  the  meteoric  iron  from  the  Altar  Mounds  in  the  Little  Miami  Valley,  Ohio.     Kept. 

Peabody  Mus.,  1884,  pp.  381-384.    (Analyses  and  cut  of  section.) 

2.  1884:  WADSWOKTH.    Studies,  p.  71. 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  251. 

4.  1886:  PUTNAM.    The  Marriott  Mound  and  its  contents.    Eept.  Peabody  Mus.,  1886,  pp.  463-165.    (Cut  of  earrings.) 

5.  1887:  KUNZ.    On  two  new  meteorites  from  Carroll  County,  Kentucky,  and  Catorze,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  33,  pp.  228-232. 

6.  1890:  KUNZ.    On  five  new  American  meteorites.'  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  40,  pp.  312-323. 

7.  1891:  HUNTINGTON.    The  Prehistoric  and  Kiowa  County  Pallasites.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  26. 

12pp. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  263-2G4  and  339. 

9.  1897:  WULFIJJO.     Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  48. 

10.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  p.  29. 

716°— 15 3 


34  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

ANDOVER. 

Oxford  County,  Maine. 
Latitude  44°  36'  N.,  longitude  70°  42'  W. 
Stone.    Spherulitic  chondrite  (Cc)  of  Brezina. 
Fell  August  5,  1898,  7.30  a.  m.;  described  1902. 
Weight,  3.17  kgs.  (7  Ibs.). 

This  stone  fell  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Lincoln  Dresser  hi  Andover,  Oxford  County,  Maine. 
Ward  l  gives  the  following  account  of  its  fall  as  stated  by  Dresser: 

Mr.  Dresser  was  within  25  feet  of  it  when  it  fell.  It  came  from  the  northwest  at  an  angle  of  75°.  It  was  accompanied 
by  a  loud  noise  resembling  that  of  a  buzz  saw,  and  left  a  trail  of  blue  smoke.  It  was  intensely  hot  when  it  struck  and 
grazed  a  stone  wall.  In  its  fall  it  passed  down  through  the  branches  of  an  elm  tree,  cutting  many  of  them  off  as  clearly 
as  if  done  with  a  sharp  knife.  I  supposed  at  the  time  it  was  a  gaseous  ball  of  fire,  and  thought  it  exploded,  but  after 
examination  I  found  where  it  embedded  itself  in  the  earth  to  the  depth  of  2J^  feet.  I  secured,  by  digging,  a 
large  piece  weighing  7.5  pounds,  and  two  or  three  small  ones  which  were  broken  by  striking  the  rock  fence.  This 
represents  probably  about  half  of  the  meteorite,  as  a  large  broken  surface  was  apparent  when  it  was  found.  People 
in  the  adjoining  towns  heard  the  peculiar  buzzing  noise,  and  a  loud  report,  probably  when  it  burst. 

In  June,  1902,  Ward  visited  the  spot  where  the  stone  fell,  and  states: 

A  sharp  dent  in  the  granite  wall  still  showed  freshly  where  the  stone  struck  in  its  first  impact.  In  falling  it  had 
passed  through  thickly  set,  small  branches  of  an  elm  tree  directly  above.  Mr.  Dresser  said  that  it  was  seeing  these 
branches  fall,  cut  off  by  the  stone,  which  had  changed  his  first  impression  of  the  gaseous  character  of  the  phenomenon. 
I  obtained  a  portion  of  a  branch  2  inches  in  diameter,  half  cut  through  by  the  meteorite.  The  large  mass  weighs  6.5 
pounds.  In  general  shape  it  is  an  irregular  lengthened  polygon  like  a  flattened  triangle,  with  the  three  points  largely 
truncated.  One  side  measures  7.75  by  4  inches;  the  opposite  side,  which  was  broken  off  by  the  fall,  is  of  the  same 
length,  but  5.5  inches  in  measure  at  right  angles.  All  other  sides  are  well  coated  with  a  brownish-black  crust,  relieved 
by  occasional  patches  of  lighter  brown.  The  crust  is  roughened  by.  little,  slightly  raised  pimples,  often  connected 
with  very  short  ridges  of  the  molten  matter.  On  several  sides  are  shallow  pittings  as  large  as  the  impressions  of  finger 
ends.  Some  of  these  are  separated,  others  confluent,  the  latter,  as  is  to  be  expected,  all  on  the  same  side  of  the  mass, 
having  their  depressed  rim  in  the  same  direction  or  aspect.  The  broken  side  of  the  mass  shows  an  interior  of  a  light 
gray  color,  and  is  granular,  with  a  few  chondri  of  a  much  darker  color.  The  whole  mass  is,  in  a  fresh  fracture,  brilliant 
with  points  of  nickeliferous  iron  sparsely  interspersed  with  bronze-colored  troilite. 

The  mass  is  now  chiefly  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Henry  V.  Poor,  of  Brooklme,  Mass. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1902:  WARD.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  p.  79.    Cut  of  stone. 


Annapolis,  see  Nanjemoy. 
Anighito,  see  Cape  York. 


APOALA. 

Oaxaca,  Mexico. 

Latitude  17°  40/  N.,  longitude  97°  0'  W. 
Iron.  Fine  octahe'drite  (Of)  of  Brezina. 
Weight,  85  kgs.  (187  Ibs.). 

The  first  published  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Cohen1  in  1901.  He 
considered  it  at  that  tune  a  piece  of  Misteca.  He  called  attention  to  the  markedly  granular 
structure  of  the  kamacite  and  compared  the  iron  with  Teposcolula  and  Moctezuma. 

Ward's  catalogue2  of  1904  stated  that  the  main  mass  of  85  kilos  was  "in  the  Museum 
of  the  Instituto  Geologico,  City  of  Mexico,  not  yet  described."  It  was  also  stated  that  Apoala 
is  10  miles  east  of  Coixtlhuaca. 

Cohen  3  in  1905  further  described  the  structure  as  follows: 

According  to  a  small  piece,  quite  insufficient  for  a  proper  characterization,  Apoala  consists  of  short,  puffy,  irregularly 
bounded  lamellae,  which  are  hatched  only  in  exceptional  cases.  Where  several  lie  close  together,  they  are,  as  a 
rule,  divided  by  small  particles  of  plessite.  The  kamacite  is  composed  of  irregular  grains  of  variable  form,  which 
are  sometimes  much  less  distinctly  divided  from  one  another  than  usual,  attain  a  diameter  of  0.1  mm.,  and  show  the 
same  oriented  luster.  The  tsenite  is  markedly  developed.  The  fields  are  less  prominent  than  the  bands  and  the 
smaller  ones,  which  consist  of  compact,  dark  plessite,  are  sometimes  intersected  by  one  or  more  fine  lamellae  which 
are  united  with  the  principal  lamellae,  at  one  or  both  ends.  In  the  larger  fields  the  structure  of  the  iron  as  a  whole 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  35 

is  repeated;  the  small  bands,  which  do  not  seem  to  be  outgrowths  of  the  larger,  here  also  are  composed  of  granular 
kamacite,  but  of  a  finer  structure,  and  consequently  appear  darker.  Schreibersite  occurs  in  tolerably  large  crystals; 
in  their  neighborhood,  as  well  as  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  natural  surface,  rust  is  readily  developed. 

The  principal  mass,  as  above  stated,  is  in  the  City  of  Mexico. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1901:  COHEN.    Verzeichniss  Greifswald  Sammlung:  Mitth.  naturw.  Ver.  Neu  Vorp.  u.  Rugen,  vol.  32,  pp.  70-71. 

2.  1904:  WAKD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection:  p.  3. 

3.  1905:  COHEN:  Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  p.  384. 


ARISPE. 

15  miles  N.  W.  of  Arispe,  Sonora,  Mexico. 
Here  also  Moctezuma  (Berwerth). 
Latitude  30°  \V  N.,  longitude  110°  V  W. 
Iron.    Coarsest  octahedrite  (Ogg)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1898;  described  1902. 
Weight,  18  kgs.  (40  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  is  chiefly  described  by  Ward.1     An  abstract  of  his  account  follows: 

It  was  first  discovered  in  1898  by  some  Mexican  mescaleros  in  the  mountains  some  15  miles  northwest  of  Arispe, 
Sonora,  Mexico.  Thinking  it  to  be  silver,  they  hid  it;  but  another  party,  following  up  the  trail,  stole  it.  After  some 
time  and  some  strife,  personal  and  in  the  courts,  the  mass  was  acquired  by  Sefior  Canizaris  at  Cucurpe,  in  the  Mag- 
dalena  district.  This  gentleman  had  a  hole  drilled  in  it  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter  by  2.5  inches  in  depth  to  test 
it  for  gold  and  silver.  Finding  no  trace  of  either,  the  mass  was  laid  aside.  Its  existence  was  subsequently  referred 
to  during  a  visit  to  that  vicinity  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Wuensch,  a  mining  expert,  who  first  recognized  its  meteoric  character, 
and  transported  it  to  his  home  in  Denver,  Colorado.  It  is  as  irregular  and  shapeless  as  nearly  all  masses  of  meteoric 
iron,  notably  those  from  Mexico  and  the  southwestern  portions  of  the  United  States,  where  prolonged  decomposition 
has  in  most  cases  corroded  and  broken  down  the  sharper  angles.  The  area  of  one  side  measures  16  by  12  by  9  inches, 
and  shows  no  pittings,  but  a  few  shallow  concavities,  one  of  them  nearly  an  inch  across,  doubtless  due  to  decompo- 
sition since  its  fall.  The  opposite  side  measures  18  by  13.5  inches,  with  a  thickness  of  13  inches.  This  surface  is  cov- 
ered with  evenly  distributed  shallow  pittings,  ranging  from  1.5  to  3  or  4  cm.  in  diameter,  and  having  sharp  outlines, 
indicating  less  decomposition  on  this  surface. 

On  one  side  is  a  large  semilunar  depression,  nearly  3  inches  wide  and  deep  and  with  nearly  vertical  walls  on  two 
sides  and  smooth  surfaces  free  from  ridges  or  pittings,  indicating  that  the  cavity  was  due  to  the  decomposition  of  a 
great  troilite  nodule.  This  empty  cavity  is  the  most  striking  exterior  feature  of  the  mass. 

A  section  surface  shows  numerous  troilite  nodules,  up  to  30  mm.  in  diameter,  with  a  surrounding  envelope  of 
schreibersite,  and  sometimes  containing  small  patches  and  angular  fragments  of  nickeliferous  iron  and  even,  occa- 
sionally, masses  of  chromite  4  to  5  mm.  in  diameter.  Polished  or  etched  surfaces  sometimes  show  arborescent  groups 
of  crystals,  as  large  as  10  by  18  mm.,  of  what  is  apparently  cohenite.  Numerous  large  masses  of  schreibersite  are 
scattered  through  the  iron  30  to  40  mm.  in  diameter;  blades  of  the  same  material  also  occur,  3  mm.  in  width  by  45  mm 
in  length.  The  Widmannstatten  figures  are  sharp  and  clear,  showing  distinctly  the  octahedral  structure  of  the  iron. 
The  kamacite  plates  are  of  unusual  width,  averaging  3  to  4  mm.,  and,  in  one  instance,  195  mm.  in  length.  The 
tsenite  films  are  comparatively  small,  but  are  noticeable  from  their  difference  in  color  as  compared  with  the  adjoining 
kamacite  plates.  The  iron  is  further  characterized  by  the  almost  entire  absence  of  plessite. 

A  section  across  the  meteorite  shows  it  to  belong  to  the  class  of  brecciated  siderites,  and  its  individual  pieces,  or  sol- 
dered fragments,  are  as  large  as  the  largest  that  have  ever  been  recorded.  A  Y-shaped  fissure  divides  a  section  into 
three  areas.  This  fissure  varies  from  a  fine  line  in  width  to  a  broken  vein  of  from  1  to  6  mm.  in  width  and  filled  with 
troilite.  This  fracture  and  its  filling  with  troilite  probably  occurred  while  the  original  mass  was  still  in  a  state  of 
fusion.  The  long  kamacite  plates  do  not  match  at  the  edges  of  this  bifid  fissure,  but  the  three  areas  formed  by  it 
show  them  running  in  different  directions,  as  if  the  three  pieces  had  slipped  out  of  their  original  position  and  been 
joined  together  again  by  different  edges:  or  it  may  be  that  each  of  these  three  divisions  represents  an  area  of  original 
crystallization. 

Analysis  (Whitfield): 

Fe 92. 268 

XL.  7.040 


99.308 
Specific  gravity,  7.855. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Davison,  of  the  Reynolds  laboratory,  Rochester,  New  York,  noted  the  .presence 
of  a  trace  of  platinum  in  the  Arispe  meteorite,  also  1.84  per  cent  of  schreibersite.     He  also 


36  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

found  some  black  particles  of  chromrte  in  the  center  of  a  troilite  nodule;  with  also,  perhaps,  a 
trace  of  cohenite. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
1.  1902:  WARD.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  82  and  following. 


Arizona,  1851.    See  Tucson. 
Arizona,  1891.    See  Canyon  Diablo. 


ARLINGTON. 

Sibley  County,  Minnesota. 

Latitude  44°  3(X  N.,  longitude  93°  56'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1894;  described  1896. 

Weight,  9  kgs.  (19J  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  has  been  described  wholly  by  Winchell,1  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  found  on  the  farm  of  Jos.  Barry,  si.,  2.5  miles  northeast  of  Arlington,  in  Sibley  County,  Minnesota, 
in  March,  1894.  It  was  from  the  first  suspected  of  being  meteoric,  but  was  not  examined  with  care  until  the  spring  of 
1896.  A  small  piece  having  been  broken  off  and  submitted  to  Mr.  Buck,  of  Arlington,  it  was  forwarded  to  the  writer 
for  examination,  after  which  the  whole  specimen  was  procured  for  the  museum  of  the  state  university,  where  it  is  now 
preserved.  The  weight  of  the  entire  piece  was  19.75  pounds.  The  following  statement  was  given  by  W.  J.  McLeod, 
Esq.,  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Barry: 

"Found  in  Sibley  County,  Minnesota,  on  the  farm  of  Joseph  Barry,  sr.,  2.5  miles  northeast  of  Arlington,  in  March, 
1894.  As  it  was  found  on  a  field  that  had  long  previously  been  cultivated,  in  the  rich  black  soil  and  far  from  any  high- 
way, in  a  level  country  free  from  «tone,  it  is  confidently  believed  by  the  owners  to  be  a  meteor,  and  the  boy  who 
found  it,  Joe  Barry,  jr.,  expects  it  has  some  value  as  a  curiosity." 

Four  and  one-half  pounds  were  broken  by  a  sledge  hammer  from  one  corner,  previous  to  which  it  was  somewhat 
heart-shaped.  The  missing  prong  from  this  break  was  a  precise  counterpart  in  shape  to  the  remaining  one. 

A  figure,  reduced  to  one-third  the  natural  size,  shows  the  shape  of  this  iron,  and  the  average  thickness  is  about 
0.5  inch.  The  upper  (convex)  surface  is  tolerably  smooth,  but  has  an  indistinct,  pock-marked  aspect,  due  appar- 
ently to  an  internal  crystalline  structure,  or  to  variation  in  the  relative  amounts  of  the  ingredients.  The  lower  surface 
which  is  about  a  plane,  is,  however,  curiously  pitted  and  rough.  Some  of  the  pits  are  so  deep  as  to  nearly  pierce  the 
specimen.  They  are  smooth,  and  conico-thimble  shaped.  This  surface  has,  moreover,  a  thin  scale,  or  rust,  which 
suggests  a  meteoric  crust.  This  scale  is  best  preserved  in  the  depressions.  The  general  appearance  of  the  whole 
piece  is  that  of  a  refuse  piece  of  iron  from  a  furnace. 

On  polishing  a  small  portion  of  the  upper  surface  and  applying  dilute  nitric  acid  for  a  short  time,  the  character- 
istic crystalline  structure  becomes  beautifully  expressed. 

Throughout  the  etched  surface  sharp  ridges  stand  up,  thus  outlining  the  coarse  Widmanstatten  structure.  These 
elevations  consist  of  some  composition  different  from  the  depressions  between  them,  for  they  not  only  resist  the  acid 
but  they  do  not  show  the  bright  iron  reflections  that  prevail  in  the  depressions.  These  ridges  are  not  entirely  persistent 
and  continuous,  but  disappear  suddenly  and  rise  again. 

Between  these  long  ridges  the  surface  has,  after  etching,  a  brilliant  metallic  iron  luster,  which  is  due  to  the  reflection 
of  light  from  crystalline  lamellse.  These  lamellae  are  apparently  cleavages  that  are  in  the  Widmanstatten  bands,  and 
they  stand  at  different  angles  in  different  bands.  They  show  that  the  bands  themselves  are  crystalline  throughout 
their  substance.  For  instance,  when  placed  in  the  direct  sunlight  the  position  at  which  some  of  the  lamellse  are  most 
illuminated  by  reflections  is  about45°  different  from  that  in  which  the  rest  of  the  long  lamellse  are  illuminated.  Another 
system  of  coarse  lamellae  in  like  manner  consists  of  two  series.  The  broader  upper  band  reflects  light  in  a  position 
at  an  angle  of  ±90°  from  that  at  which  the  rest  of  the  associated  lamellse  reflect  it.  The  same  fact  is  observable  in 
other  parts  of  the  etched  surface. 

These  fine  lamellse,  however,  which  might  be  called  cleavages,  and  which  characterize  the  metallic  depressions, 
are  crossed  by  a  fine  striation  wholly  independent  of  the  long  Widmanstatten  structure.  In  most  of  these  metallic 
surfaces  this  striation  runs  in  the  same  direction,  but  in  some  of  the  bands  it  is  at  a  different  angle  with  the  grand 
structure.  This  striation,  in  like  manner,  consists  of  dark  ridges  separating  metallic  grooves.  They  seem  to  differ 
from  the  coarse  structure  only  in  being  much  finer.  Thus  this  iron  has  not  only  a  coarse  Widmanstatten  crystallization, 
each  band  being,  as  it  were,  an  individual  crystal,  but  it  has  what  might  be  considered  a  fine  cleavage  and  a  minute 
internal  structure,  which,  throughout  the  separate  crystals,  maintains  its  direction  and  individuality. 

These  finer  markings  suggest  those  described  byj.  Lawrence  Smith  and  named  Laphainite  marks,  but  they  seem 
to  differ  from  them  in  an  important  manner,  if  they  be  compared  with  the  description  published  by  Smith,  yet  there 
is  no  doubt  that  they  both  are  due  to  a  fine  internal  structure  of  the  iron  itself.  The  reflecting  cleavages  do  not  indicate 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  37 

• 

any  variation  in  the  composition  of  the  iron  and  are  more  likely  to  represent  the  marfe-inga  noted  by  Dr.  Smith,  but 
the  dark  elevated  ridges,  both  coarse  and  fine,  are  apparently  of  a  different  chemical  composition. 
An  analysis  was  made  by  F.  F.  Sharpless,  and  the  following  was  the  result: 

Sulphur None. 

Silicon None. 

Manganese None. 

Chromium Trace. 

Copper Trace. 

Carbon  (combined) Trace. 

Iron 90.  781 

Nickel 8.605 

Cobalt L023 

Phosphorus 0. 045 

100.454 

Mr.  Sharpless  adds: 

"The  only  way  in  which  I  can  account  for  the  excess  over  100  per  cent,  is  that  the  composition  does  not  appear 
to  be  uniform.  Four  determinations  were  made  for  iron,  giving  resulta  varying  from  90.58  per  cent  to  91.74  per  cent. 
In  the  attempt  to  make  a  carbon  determination  the  variation  in  composition  was  also  noticed.  Of  three  samples, 
weighing  about  3  grams  each,  treated  with  potassium-copper  chloride,  one  sample  gave  a  particle  of  carbon  much 
larger  than  a  pinhead,  one  sample  gave  two  small  specks,  while  the  third  dissolved  without  giving  a  trace  of  carbon. 
When  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid  all  samples,  with  the  exception  of  one,  dissolved  without  giving  evidence  of  com- 
bined carbon;  this  one  sample  gave  a  very  strong  odor  resembling  that  given  off  when  dissolving  steel  in  hydrochloric 
acid. 

"About  3  grams  were  used  in  making  the  test  for  the  metals  noted  as  'none'  or  'trace,'  or  sufficient  to  be  sure  that 
the  results  given  are  very  nearly  correct. 

"This  supposed  variation  in  composition  is  in  keeping  with  the  spotted  appearance  of  the  weathered  convex 
surface  of  the  specimen." 

The  iron  is  chiefly  in  the  possession  of  the  University  of  Minnesota. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1896:  WINCHELL.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol.  18,  pp.  267-271.    (Cut  of  etched  plates  and  outline  of  Mass.) 


Asheville,  1836.    See  Black  Mountain. 
Asheville,  1854.    See  Jewell  Hill. 

ASHEVILLE. 

Buncombe  County,  North  Carolina. 

Here  also  Asheville;  Asheville,  1839;  Baird'sfarm;  Baird's  plantation;  and  Buncombe  County, 

1839. 

Latitude,  35°  36'  N.,  longitude,  82°  31"  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina.    Agramite  (type  21)  of  Meunier. 
Known  since  1839;  described  1839. 
Weight  9  to  10  ounces.     Detached  from  mass  "the  size  of  a  man's  head." 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Shepard  *  as  follows: 

A  specimen  of  supposed  native  iron  was  lately  presented  to  me  by  Dr.  J.  F.  E.  Hardy,  for  examination,  accom- 
panied with  the  observation  that  it  was  not  completely  soluble  in  acids.  It  weighed  between  9  and  10  ounces;  and 
had  been  detached  from  a  rounded  mass  nearly  as  large  as  a  man's  head,  which  mass  was  found  loose  in  the  soil,  about 
5  miles  west  of  Asheville  village,  near  the  southwestern  base  of  an  elevation  of  land  500  feet  high.  It  was  the  opinion 
of  Dr.  Hardy  that  other  masses  existed  at  the  same  place. 

The  shape  of  the  specimen  in  hand  evinces  a  distinct  crystalline  structure,  approaching  that  of  a  flattened  octa- 
hedron. Its  surface  presents  a  dissected,  or  pitted  appearance,  occasioned  by  the  removal  of  portions  of  the  external 
laminae  during  its  separation  from  the  original  mass.  The  cells  and  cavities  are  perfectly  geometrical  in  shape,  being 
either  rhomboidal,  tetrahedral,  or  in  the  figure  of  four-sided  pyramids.  Indeed,  the  resemblance  of  the  mass  in  this 
respect  to  that  of  an  imperfectly  formed  crystal  of  alum  is  very  striking. 

It  requires  the  application  of  numerous  and  powerful  blows  to  disengage  fragments  from  the  specimen.  The 
hammer  slightly  indents  the  surface;  and  at  length  loosens  sections  of  the  external  laminae,  which  may  be  detached 
by  the  aid  of  a  forceps.  Their  shape  is  commonly  that  of  an  acute  rhomboid,  considerably  flattened  in  its  dimensions; 
but  they  are  capable  of  an  easy  division  into  regular  octahedrons  and  tetrahedrons,  whose  exactness  of  form  rivals  the 
cleavage-crystals  of  fluor.  Some  of  the  plates  will  separate  into  leaves  nearly  as  thin  as  mica,  which  substance  they 


38  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

• 

even  resemble  in  color  (being  silver-white,  inclining  to  steel  gray),  and  are  slightly  elastic,  though  when  twisted  up, 
they  remain  as  a  piece  of  thin  iron  would  do  under  the  like  circumstances.  The  shape  of  the  thinnest  fragments  is  as 
regular  in  outline  as  the  layers  of  the  most  highly  crystalline  fluor,  and  are  delicately  striated  in  every  direction  in 
accordance  with  the  octahedral  cleavages. 

Prior  to  the  separation  of  any  fragments,  the  surface  of  the  specimen  did  not  afford  the  metallic  luster;  but  was 
coated  with  a  thin  blebby  pellicle,  apparently  of  hydrous  peroxide  of  iron.  Those  surfaces  which  have  been  recently 
developed  lose  their  silvery  gray  luster  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  but  without  any  sensible  attraction  of  moisture 
from  the  atmosphere. 

Its  specific  gravity  varies  from  6.5  to  7.5;  indeed  one  fragment  mounted  as  high  as  8.  This  diversity  of  result  is 
no  doubt  dependent  on  the  compression  of  the  fragments  produced  during  their  separation  from  the  specimen. 

The  methods  of  analysis  are  then  given  in  great  detail  by  Shepard,  and  the  following  result 

was  obtained: 

Fe  Ni         Si          Cl          Cr,  S,  Co,  As 

96.5        2.6        0.5        0.2  traces    =99.8 

Eight  years  later  Shepard  3  made  a  second  mention  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Asheville  (Baird's  Plantation,  near  French  Broad  River,  6  miles  north  of  Asheville),  Buncombe  County,  North 
Carolina.  As  this  county  has  of  late  afforded  two  other  localities  of  meteoric  iron,  I  have  taken  pains  to  ascertain  as 
nearly  aa  possible  the  exact  position  of  each.  The  Hon.  T.  J.  Clingman  informs  me  that  this  locality  is  6  miles  north 
of  Asheville  on  the  estate  of  Col.  Baird,  who  is  of  the  opinion  that  other  fragments  may  there  be  found,  as  he  has  within 
two  years  observed  small  pieces  of  rusty  iron  in  the  same  field  from  which  Dr.  Hardy's  mass  was  obtained.  Further 
experiments  on  the  composition  of  this  iron  enable  me  to  add  to  what  was  before  made  known  that  it  contains  cobalt, 
magnesium,  and  phosphorus;  and  that  the  nickel  is  sometimes  present  in  a  ratio  as  high  as  5  per  cent,  while  the  silicon 
is  considerably  below  0.5  per  cent,  as  formerly  quoted. 

Brezina 12  hi  1885  placed  this  meteorite  among  the  fine  octahedrites  and  described  the  struc- 
ture as  follows: 

Bands  0.6  mm.  wide,  kamacite  somewhat  hatched  but  at  the  same  time  granulated,  plessite  dark,  schreibereite 
plates  in  kamacite  abundant  but  irregularly  distributed. 

In  189513  he  changed  this  meteorite  with  others  of  the  Hraschina  group  to  the  medium 
octahedrites. 

The  small  quantity  known  of  the  meteorite  is  distributed.  Vienna  possesses  271  grams, 
Tubingen  171  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1839:  SHEPARD.    On  meteoric  iron  from  Asheville,  Buncombe  County,  North  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st 

ser.,  vol.  36,  p.  81-85. 

2.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Meteoriten,  p.  116. 

3.  1847:  SHEPARD.    Keport  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  4,  p.  79. 

4.  1852:  CLARK.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  pp.  55-56. 

5.  1854:  v.  BOGUSLAWSKI.    Zehnter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Ergz.-Bd.  4,  p.  403. 

6.  1859:  HARRIS.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  p.  112. 

7.  1858-62:  von  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  p.  638;  No.  7,  p.  551;  No.  9,  pp.  163, 174, 182;  No.  10,  p.  359;  No.  12,  p.  457; 

No.  14,  p.  390;  No.  15,  pp.  100,  110,  114,  124;  No.  16,  pp.  253,  255,  256,  261;  No.  17,  pp.  264,  265,  266,  272; 
No.  18,  pp.  480,  484,  487,  489;  No.  19,  p.  155;  No.  20,  pp.  621,  628,  629,  630;  No.  21,  pp.  583,  587. 

8.  1863:  BUCHNER.    Meteoriten,  p.  163. 

9.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  65,  153. 

10.  1867:  GOEBEL.    Kritische  Uebersicht.    Bull.  Acad.'  Imp.  Sci.  St.  Petersburg,  Bd.  7,  p.  325. 

11.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Me'tforites,  pp.  116  and  120. 

12.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  200  (Asheville),  209,  and  233. 

13.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  268,  272,  300,  and  329. 


AUBURN. 

Lee  County  (formerly  Macon  County),  Alabama. 

Here  also  Macon  County. 

Iron.    Hexahedrite  (H)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1867;  described  1869. 

Weight,  3.5  kgs.  (8  Ibs.). 

The  original  mass  was  ploughed  up,  prior  to  its  being  brought  to  public  notice  in  1868,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  East  Alabama  College,  having  been  overlooked  in  the  collection  of  Prof.  J. 
Darby  of  this  institution  until  1868. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  39 

Professor  Darby  described  the  mass  as  consisting  of  agglutinated,  irregularly  shaped  con- 
cretions, as  if  suddenly  compressed  together  into  a  single  rounded  mass  from  a  previous  state 
of  separation. 

Professor  Darby  states,  as  quoted  by  Shepard:1 

The  man  who  brought  it  to  me  (and  who  was  ita  discoverer)  had  taken  it,  without  my  knowledge,  to  a  black- 
smith's shop,  where  in  the  cold  state  it  was  broken  in  two  upon  an  anvil  by  means  of  a  sledge  hammer.  Originally  it 
must  have  been  nearly  globular  in  form.  The  surfaces  produced  by  the  separation  had,  when  I  received  the  specimen, 
a  metallic  luster.  The  finder  made  known  to  me  the  exact  spot  where  he  had  ploughed  it  up.  It  was  on  what  is  known 
as  the  Daniel  plantation,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  our  college  building,  and  near  the  eastern  edge  of  a  field, 
just  across  a  branch  (a  small  stream) .  I  have  searched  in  the  region  indicated  for  further  specimens  without  effect,  but . 
have  instructed  the  negroes  to  bring  to  me  anything  unusual  which  they  may  hereafter  discover.  The  name  of  the 
man  who  found  the  mass  and  his  present  address  are  unknown. 

According  to  Shepard1— 

The  surface  of  the  fracture,  or  separation,  is  coarsely  granular,  exhibiting  large  irregularly  shaped  concretions, 
which  show  only  obscure  traces  of  octahedral  cleavage.  The  former  metallic  luster  is  now  replaced  by  a  rusty  brown 
film;  while  numerous  cracks  or  chinks  are  observable,  not  merely  separating  the  concretions,  but  often  traversing  the 
mass  of  each  individual.  Indeed  the  entire  specimen  is  thus  cracked  up  and  subdivided  by  these  open  veins  as  if  it 
had  been  shattered  when  in  a  semifused  state  by  striking  against  a  rock  at  the  time  of  ite  fall.  So  imperfect  is  the 
cohesion  at  present  that  it  would  not  be  very  difficult  to  break  it  into  pieces  (from  the  size  of  a  large  pea  up  to  that  of 
an  almond)  by  vigorous  blows  from  a  sledge  hammer.  Some  of  these  concretions  are  partially  stalactitic,  tuberose,  or 
submammillary,  as  if  a  secondary  softening  or  fusion  of  the  iron  had  taken  place  at  the  time  of  its  descent. 

The  larger  concretions  have  a  tendency  to  separate  into  smaller  ones  of  the  size  of  peas,  whose  figure,  however, 
is  that  of  the  granular  individuals  of  magnetite  and  pyrites,  except  perhaps,  in  the  tendency  to  elongation  in  the  con- 
cretion which  occasionally  passes  into  the  subcolumnar  structure.  One  single  troilite  globule  half  an  inch  in  diameter 
is  visible  upon  the  fractured  surface  of  the  mass.  It  is  compact  in  texture  and  yellowish  brown  in  color.  •  A  polished 
surface  half  an  inch  square  on  being  etched  gave  a  series  of  markings  extremely  fine  and  delicate  in  their  dimensions, 
and  requiring  a  strong  light,  with  the  aid  of  a  microscope,  to  be  seen  with  distinctness.  The  first  character  that  displays 
itself  is  that  of  a  mesh  or  network,  arising  from  the  polygonal  boundaries  of  the  granular  concretions.  The  areas  within 
these  lines  or  edges  (which  are  exceedingly  thin)  have  a  glittering  luster  when  held  at  a  fixed  angle  to  the  light,  though 
this  angle  often  varies  for  different  concretions.  The  second  character  of  interest  is  the  finely  striated  surface  of  each 
concretion,  one  set  of  lines  being  perfectly  straight  and  equidistant,  while  a  second  set,  less  distinct,  cross  these  at  right 
angles.  The  final  peculiarity  of  the  markings  is  that  these  fine  stria  are  wholly  made  up  of  dots  or  beads,  which 
are  arranged  in  almost  absolute  contact,  and  are  therefore  to  be  regarded  as  consisting  wholly  of  sections  of  rhabdite 
needles,  while  on  the  other  hand,  the  mesh-like  markings  first  noticed  are  composed  of  plates  of  schreibersite. 

The  iron  is  classified  by  Brezina 5  as  a  normal  hexahedrite.     Analysis  by  Shepard  *  of  about 

2  grams  gave: 

Fe.  Ni.  P.  Insol.  Mg.,  Ca.,  Si.,  &  loss 

94.58        3.015       0.129          0.523  1.753      =100 

Sp.  gr.,  7.0-7.17  (mean  7.05). 

Shepard  notes  that  neither  cobalt,  tin,  nor  copper  was  detected  in  this  iron,  a  statement 
which  Smith 2  criticises  as  questionable.  Cohen  *  also  remarks  that  Shepard's  analysis  of  Auburn 
needs  revision. 

Cohen  8  gives  a  further  description  and  analysis  as  follows : 

According  to  the  description  of  Shepard  it  seems  probable  that  Auburn  should  be  considered  a  granular  hexahedrite, 
but  since  neither  the  piece  in  Vienna,  nor  the  material  accessible  to  me  indicates  such  a  structure  I  place  Auburn 
among  the  normal  hexahedrites.  It  etches  easily  and  shows  abundant  Neumann  lines  first  visible  under  the  lens. 
These  lines  frequently  intersect  and,  as  usual,  some  systems  are  distinguished  by  their  length.  Numerous  uniformly 
distributed  pits  are  present  which  may  be  referred  in  considerable  number  to  rhabdite  lying  perpendicular  to  the  plane 
of  the  section.  Further,  there  appear  on  an  etched  surface,  dull,  dark,  dimly  bounded  spots.  Minute,  dull,  dark  flakes 
which  could  not  be  further  determined  lie  between  the  pits.  They  are,  perhaps,  carbonaceous  particles.  Larger 
inclusions  of  schreibersite  are  only  sparingly  present  in  the  form  of  grains  and  rod-like  crystals.  Particles  of  iron  glass 
lie  on  the  edge,  and  a  thin  rust  crust  forms  the  natural  surface.  Since  single  spots  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  latter 
rust  easily,  the  iron  can  not  be,  as  Shepard  states,  free  from  chlorine. 

Analysis  by  Hildebrand :  * 

Fe.    Ni.    Co.    Cu.     Cr.     P.     S. 
94. 49    4.  67    1.  03    0. 101    0.  024    0.  46    0. 002  =100. 777 

The  iron  of  Auburn  is  somewhat  distributed,  but  the  whereabouts  of  much  of  the  origiually 
reported  quantity  is  not  known. 


MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1869:  SHEPAED.     Notices  of  new  meteoric  irons  in  the  United   States. — 1.  Meteoric  iron  from  Auburn,  Macon 

County,  Alabama.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  47,  pp.  230-233  (analysis). 

2.  1870:  SMITH.    On  the  presence  of  cobalt  in  meteoric  irons.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  49,  p.  331. 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.     Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  218  and  234. 

4.  1891:  COHEN  und  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist,  Hofmus,  Wien,  Bd.  6,  p.  160. 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  290. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  215-217. 

Augusta,  1848.     See  Castinc. 
Augusta  County.    See  Staunton. 


AVILEZ. 

Near  Cuencam6,  Durango,  Mexico. 
Latitude,  24°  507  N.;  longitude,  104°  34'  W. 
Stone.     Spherulitic  chondrite  (Cc)  of  Brezina. 
Fell  June,  1856;  described  1867. 
Weight  236  grams  (0.5  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  mentioned  by  Wohler  1  as  a  gift  to  the  University  collection  at 
Gottingen  received  from  Bremen.  It  was  a  stone  brought  from  Mexico  by  Julius  Hildebrand, 
who  lived  several  years  at  Durango.  According  to  a  verbal  statement  made  by  Hildebrand 
to  Wohler,  he  obtained  the  stone  soon  after  its  fall  in  the  summer  of  1855  or  1856  from  an  ac- 
quaintance who  lived  at  Cuencame',  about  30  miles  northwest  of  Durango.  This  gentleman 
had  heard  from  the  natives  of  that  place  that  stones  had  fallen  from  heaven  upon  the  estate 
of  Avilez  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuencame,  and  lay  buried  deep  in  the  earth.  This  stone  was  still 
hot  when  dug  up,  but  as  it  was  supposed  to  be  of  no  value,  it  was  thrown  away  again.  At 
the  instance  of  this  gentleman  one  of  the  pieces  was  found  again  and  brought  to  him,  and  he 
sent  it  to  Hildebrand.  The  usual  fire-phenomena  seem  not  to  have  been  observed  by  the  people. 

The  stone  obtained  by  Hildebrand  weighed  146  grams.  It  was  evidently  a  fragment  of  a 
larger  stone,  apparently  broken  from  the  corner  of  the  original.  It  was  covered  on  three  sides 
with  a  black,  dull,  wavy  crust.  The  interior  was  gray,  fine  grained,  and  enclosed  here  and  there 
brighter  particles  and  chondri.  It  contained  unequally  distributed  grains  of  metallic  iron 
and  strongly  affected  the  magnetic  needle. 

Burkart 3  pointed  out  that  Cuencame'  does  not  lie  northwest,  but  20  leagues  northeast  of 
Durango,  and  that  it  was  not  an  estate,  as  Buchner  stated,  but  a  mining  village  and  chief  place 
of  the  region  of  the  same  name,  which,  according  to  the  map  of  Garcia  y  Cubas,  lies  24°  40'  N. 
and  4°  8'  W.  of  Mexico. 

Avilez  was  formerly  set  down  as  Cg  by  Tschermak,  but  Brezina  10  convinced  himself 
that  it  belonged  to  Cc. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1867:  WOHLER.     Notice  of  a  meteoric  stone  from  Mexico.     Gottingische  Gelehrte  Anzeigen  (Nachr.),  1867, 

pp.  57-58. 

2.  1869:  BUCHNER.    Vierter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorif,  Bd.  136,  pp.  450-451. 

3.  1870:  BURKART.    Fundorte  IV.     NeuesJahrb.,  1870,  pp.  683-684,  689. 

4.  1884:  HAPKE.    Beitrage.     Abhandl.  naturwiss.  Verein  Bremen,  Bd.  8,  pp.  515-516. 

5.  1885:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  182  and  232. 

6.  1887:  FLIGHT.    Meteorites,  p.  92. 

7.  1887:  BREZINA.     Neue  Meteoriten  III.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  2  (Not.),  p.  115. 

8.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  13. 

9.  1890:  FLETCHER.     Mexican  Meteorites.    Mineral  Mag.,  vol.  9,  p.  95. 
10.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  249  and  255. 


Austin,  1836.     See  Wichita  County. 
Austin,  1856.     See  Denton  County. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA  41 

BABE'S  MILL. 

Greene  County,  Tennessee. 

Here  also  Green  County. 

Latitude  36°  18'  N.,  longitude  82°  52'  W. 

Iron.    Babb's  Mill  ataxite  (Db)  of  Brezina;  Braunite  (type  3)  of  Meunier. 

Mentioned  1842;  described  1845. 

Weight  136-141  kgs.  (300-310  Ibs.). 

Of  the  Babb's  Mill,  Greene  County,  Tennessee,  meteorite,  two  finds  are  known;  one  was 
described  by  Troost  in  1845  as  Babb's  Mill,  the  other  by  Blake  in  1886  as  Green  County.  Since, 
however,  the  former  is  also  known  in  the  literature  as  Green  County,  the  two  irons  may  here  be 
denoted  as  the  Troost  iron  and  the  Blake  iron,  in  order  to  avoid  mistake. 

The  Troost  iron,  according  to  Troost,1  was  ploughed  up  in  a  field  near  Babb's  Mill  some  tune 
in  1842.  It  was  irregular  in  shape  and  weighed  about  14  pounds.  It  had  the  appearance  of 
having  been  melted  and  had  been  tested  for  silver.  Its  color  was  whiter  than  that  of  pure  iron 
and  it  was  highly  malleable.  Fittings  characterized  its  surface. 

Shepard's  2  description  of  this  mass  does  not  altogether  agree  with  that  of  Troost;  according 
to  him  two  pieces  of  some  5§  and  2f  kg.  were  found,  of  which  only  the  former  was  heated  and 
divided,  while  the  second  came  into  his  possession  entire  and  unchanged  and  was  figured  by  him. 
He  gives  the  following  characteristics:  Yellowish-brown  crust,  conspicuous  saucer-bice  depres- 
sions, fine  grained,  compact,  taking  good  polish,  lighter  than  steel,  specific  gravity  7.548,  fine- 
grained fracture  with  silvery  luster,  after  etching  small  bright  specks  appearing  in  irregular 
distribution. 

Clark 3  gives  the  specific  gravity  as  7.839  and  furnishes  an  analysis  from  filings. 

Reichenbach  9  compares  Babb's  Mill  with  the  Cape  iron.  Like  the  latter  it  consists,  he  says, 
apparently  of  plessite;  it  is  dark  gray,  dull,  without  figures,  and  poor  in  inclusions,  of  which 
he  mentions  patches  (of  lamprite),  fine  needles  (of  crystalline  ttenite),  as  well  as  traces  of 
kamacite. 

Rose  n  also  calls  attention  to  its  similarity  with  the  Cape  iron.  Half  of  the  plate  appears, 
he  says,  dark  gray,  the  other  half  brighter,  and  both  shades,  which  run  into  one  another,  show 
the  same  changes  in  color  tones  according  to  the  change  in  the  position  of  the  piece,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  Cape  iron,  but  straight  striping  is  not  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  Glistening  inclusions  occur 
in  the  form  of  crooked  lines. 

In  1884  Meunier 15  referred  Babb's  Mill  to  his  CaiUite  group,  which  consists  of  a  mixture  of 
kamacite  and  taenite,  and  in  1896  he  classified  it  with  Braunite  (Braunine  Fe^Ni)  and  in  oppo- 
sition to  his  earlier  statement  characterized  it  as  homogenous  and  wanting  in  rhabdite. 

In  1885  Brezina  18  identified  Babb's  Mill  with  the  Cape  iron  group  under  the  supposition 
that  in  larger  sections  than  those  before  him  it  would,  like  the  Cape  iron,  show  bands,  since, 
upon  the  whole,  the  physical  and  chemical  characteristics  were  quite  similar. 

In  1886  Huntington  18  states  in  the  same  work,  in  one  place,  that  an  authentic  piece  in  the 
Harvard  College  collection  shows  distinct  Widmannstatten  figures,  while  in  another  place  he 
says  the  iron  appears  to  be  entirely  homogenous.  Since  in  his  catalogue  a  year  later  he  empha- 
sizes the  absence  of  all  figures,  the  first  statement  may  be  attributed  to  an  error  or  to  an  exchange 
of  labels. 

In  1892  a  new  analysis  was  published  by  Cohen24  which  confirmed  the  high  content  of 
nickel  and  cobalt  found  by  Clark.  The  material  at  hand  at  that  time  did  not  suffice  for  an 
examination  of  the  structure. 

The  second  Babb's  Mill  mass  was  first  described  by  Blake.19  According  to  him  it  was 
found  by  a  farmer  in  Green  County,  Tennessee,  while  plowing.  It  was  completely  buried  in 
the  earth,  and  there  was  nothing  known  as  to  the  time  of  its  fall.  In  the  year  1876  it  was  sent 
with  the  minerals  of  Tennessee  to  the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  then  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Blake. 


42  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Blake  goes  on  to  say: 

It  weighed  290  pounds  (639.36  kg.),  its  original  weight  having  been  probably  300  pounds.  It  was  reduced  by 
cutting  small  portions  from  the  ends  of  the  iron  and  by  exfoliation.  Its  form  was  its  most  striking  visible  peculiarity, 
it  being  an  extremely  regular  long  ellipsoid,  tapering  at  each  end  to  a  flattened  point,  but  having  throughout  its  length 
an  ellipsoidal  section.  It  thus  resembled  somewhat  the  form  of  a  flattened  cigar. 

Its  dimensions  were: 

Inches.  Meters. 

Length 36  0.9144 

Breadth 10  0.2540 

Thickness 6  0. 1524 

Circumference 24  0.5991 

It  had  probably  been  shortened  about  3  to  6  inches  by  cutting  off  pieces  from  the  ends.  The  surface  was  scaly 
and  rusty,  but  is  in  general  smooth  and  evenly  curved,  with  the  exception  of  several  cup-shaped  indentations  or 
depressions,  one  of  which,  near  one  edge,  gives  the  inward  curvature  in  an  elliptical  outline.  One  of  the  depressions 
was  nearly  3  inches  broad  and  1  inch  in  depth.  These  depressions  did  not  seem  to  be  due  to  the  weathering  out  of 
more  or  less  globular  inclusions,  such  as  troilite  or  schreibersite,  but  rather  to  the  unequal  exfoliation.  The  mass  when 
struck  by  a  hammer  was  remarkably  sonorous  and  seems  to  be  very  compact  and  sound  throughout. 

The  oxidized  crust  was  in  some  places  very  thin,  and  a  few  strokes  of  a  file  developed  the  unchanged  bright  iron 
below;  but  in  other  parts  of  the  mass  the  crust  was  found  to  be  much  thicker,  especially_after  the  meteorite  had  stood 
unmoved  for  several  years.  Flakes  as  broad  as  the  hand  and  nearly  0.25  inch  in  thickness  have  been  scaled  off  from 
the  lower  side.  This  scaling  was  the  result  of  the  gradual  oxidation  of  the  surface  of  the  iron  by  the  deliquescence 
of  included  iron  protochloride,  as  shown  by  the  abundant  reactions  for  chlorine  and  the  constant  accumulations  of 
moisture,  especially  upon  the  under  surface  of  the  iron.  This  deliquescence  for  several  years  was  sufficient  to  cause 
drops  of  perchloride  of  iron  to  form  and  fall  off  at  times  upon  the  support  below.  The  heavier  of  the  oxidized  crusts 
exhibited  thin  successive  layers  with  smooth  mammillated  surfaces  like  the  surface  of  limonite.  They  consisted  of  a 
mixture  of  hydrous  sesquioxide  of  iron  and  magnetic  oxide.  They  affected  the  magnetic  needle  and  exhibited  feeble 
.  polarity,  as  some  fragments  of  the  bright  iron  also  did,  but  this  might  have  been  in  consequence  of  the  presence  of  an 
invisible  scale  of  the  magnetic  oxide.  The  exudation  of  moisture  seemed  to  be  greatest  from  small  seams,  which  on 
cutting  into  the  iron  were  found  to  extend  for  0.5  inch  or  more  below  the  surface  and  were  filled  up  with  dark  and 
hard  magnetic  oxide.  Freshly  cut  surfaces  of  the  iron,  when  laid  upon  a  sheet  of  white  paper,  soon  caused  rusty  spots, 
and  moisture  accumulated  upon  the  surface,  particularly  in  damp  weather.  This  constant  exfoliation  of  the  mass 
perhaps  gives  an  explanation  of  its  peculiar  symmetrical  form.  It  maybe  regarded  as  the  kernel  or  residuary  nodule 
of  a  much  larger  and  probably  much  more  irregularly  shaped  mass. 

The  iron  could  be  readily  cut  by  a  saw  with  oil  and  it  works  well  under  a  file,  giving  a  uniform  dense  surface 
without  any  signs  of  inclusions  or  of  crystalline  structure.  The  surface  of  fracture  exhibited  a  fine  granular  structure, 
but  with  no  crystalline  facets.  It  was  perfectly  malleable;  thin,  fin-shaped  projections  could  be  readily  bent  back 
and  forth  repeatedly  without  cracking.  A  fragment  heated  to  redness  and  quenched  in  cold  water  was  not  percept- 
ibly hardened,  and  could  be,  as  before,  spread  into  thin  sheets  under  the  hammer,  without  impairing  its  malleability. 
The  metal  took  a  high  mirrorlike  polish,  but  yielded  no  structural  markings  on  etching.  The  iron  dissolved  equally 
on  all  sides  leaving  a  delicate  velvety  or  frosted  surface  indicating  a  very  even  and  fine  granular  structure. 

According  to  Brezina22  the  iron  was  already  known  in  1818,  but  was  lost  sight  of  until 
1876.  Upon  its  arrival  at  Vienna  the  block  weighed  131  kg.;  the  portions  cut  off  from  the 
pointed  ends  being  estimated  at  5-10  kg.  In  this  publication  Brezina  holds  that  from  its  form 
the  iron  must  have  been  an  inclusion  in  a  large  meteorite,  and  instances  a  cylindrical  inclusion 
in  Bolson  de  Mapimi.  He  emphasizes  the  fact  that  the  form  can  not  be  accounted  for  on  the 
ground  either  of  fusion  in  the  atmosphere  or  of  weathering  by  lying  on  the  ground.  The  in- 
terior is  compact,  with  insignificant  scattered  lumps  and  needles. 

In  1895,  Brezina27  added  that  the  Blake  iron  and  Troost  iron  correspond  perfectly. 
Both  were  referred  by  him  to  the  ataxites,  and,  indeed,  to  the  rather  heterogeneous  group  of 
Babbs  Mill.  The  very  soft  iron  becomes  dull  by  etching,  with  a  velvethke  luster;  the  Blake 
iron  is  distinguished  by  many  irregularly  directed,  straight  or  less  frequently  crumpled  cracks, 
which  appear  to  be  due  to  weathering. 

Cohen  and  Weinschenk 23  published  in  1891  a  new  analysis,  which  gave  an  essentially  dif- 
ferent result  from  that  obtained  by  Blake;  among  other  things,  it  showed  that  cobalt  was  never 
wanting,  as  was  especially  emphasized  by  the  latter.  On  a  very  small  quantity  of  material, 
small  angular  rust  spots  appeared  which  were  renewed  quickly  on  a  perfectly  compact-appear- 
ing, freshly  polished  surface,  and  indeed  always  occupied  the  same  spot  and  exactly  the  same 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  43 

space.     Small  splinters  were  present  on  the  inclusions,  with  apparently  rectangular  orientation 
to  one  another. 

Analyses:  1  to  4,  Troost  iron;  5  and  6,  Blake  iron. 

l.                2.                3.                4.  5.                6. 

Troost.         Shepard.          Clark.            Cohen.  Blake.        2?hfn^ld1 

Weinschenk. 

Specific  gravity  .........            .....              7.548             7.839            ......  7.858            ...... 

Fe  .....................            87.16             85.30             80.59             81.54  91.42             86.30 

Xi  ....................             9.76             14.70             17.10             17.74  7.95             12.58 

Co  ....................            .....            ......               2.04               1.26  .....               1.66 

Cu  ...............................             ...........  ............ 

Ca  ....................            .....            trace.               .....            ......  .       .....            ...... 

Mg  ....................            .....            trace.              .....            ......  .....           ...... 


Al  .....................  .....  trace.  .....  ...... 

P  .................................  .....  0.11 

Rhbdite..  0.12  0.05 


96.92     100.00     99.85     100.70     99.37     100.54 

Since,  according  to  the  statement  of  Brezina,  the  irons  do  not  differ  structurally,  while 
the  analyses  gave  very  various  results,  Cohen  investigated  sections  from  both  ends  of  the  Blake 
iron.  A  few  small  fragments  and  a  section  weighing  392  grams,  with  a  cut  surface  of  52.5  sq. 
cm.  were  used  from  one  end  of  the  cigar-shaped  mass ;  and  from  the  other  end  two  sections 
with  cut  surfaces  of  8.5  sq.  cm.  and  10  sq.  cm.;  from  the  Troost  iron  two  sections  of  16  grams 
weight  together,  and  cut  surfaces  of  6  sq.  cm.  each  were  used. 

Structurally,  all  these  sections  corresponded  exactly.  By  weak  etching  the  nickel-iron 
took  on  a  varnish-like  luster,  characteristic  for  the  most  part  of  ataxites  rich  in  nickel.  The 
etched  surface  appeared  homogenous  to  the  unaided  eye.  By  strong  magnification,  however, 
a  structure  made  up  of  grains  0.01  mm.  in  size  could  be  seen;  moreover,  tiny,  glistening  points 
also  appeared.  By  stronger  etching  the  cut  surface  became  dull,  with  a  velvet-like  sheen, 
on  account  of  the  diffuse  reflection  of  the  light  on  the  numerous  small  lumps  which  varied  in 
size  from  0.01  to  0.03  mm.  A  division  into  distinct  grains  did  not,  however,  occur,  and  in 
general  the  etching  surface  remained  of  an  unusually  homogenous  structure.  The  glistening 
particles  in  question  may,  in  reflected  light,  be  somewhat  enlarged  and  appear  to  be  very 
regularly  distributed.  Whether  etching  pits  were  present  or  whether  it  was  the  reflection 
of  an  uneven  surface  which  the  etching  has  made  manifest  was  not  easily  determined;  but 
the  latter  was  the  more  probable.  Disregarding  the  absence  of  etching  bands,  the  etching  sur- 
face is  suggestive  of  that  of  the  Cape  iron,  as  Reichenbach  and  Rose  have  previously  shown. 

Of  subsidiary  material  only  a  round  kernel  of  graphite  of  3  mm.  in  size  occurs,  in  a  section 
of  the  Vienna  mass.  Of  the  needles  which  Reichenbach  mentions,  and  the  splinters  which 
Cohen  thought  he  observed  in  the  earlier  investigation  of  this  meteorite,  nothing  has  been  noted 
in  the  later  more  comprehensive  material  examined.  Troost  also  emphasized  the  absence  of 
all  inclusions.  Babbs  Mill  was  the  most  homogenous  nickel-iron  and  the  poorest  in  subsidiary 
material  known  to  Cohen. 

The  same  sections  of  both  lumps  which  were  taken  from  near  the  original  surface  of  the 
meteorite  contained  fine  cracks  running -out  in  very  irregular  directions  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  surface,  along  which  cracks  rust  formations  occurred;  these  large  sections  had  a 
very  characteristic  appearance  owing  to  the  fine  brown  veins  which  were  sharply  marked  off 
from  the  other,  perfectly  fresh  nickel-iron.  Here  again  it  was  noted  that  iron  chloride  in 
meteorites  accumulates  in  those  places  where  the  structure  is  least  compact,  and  that  when 
such  places  are  present  it  is  usually  confined  to  them.  The  softness  of  this  iron  has  already 
been  noted  by  Troost,  Blake,  and  Brezina. 


44  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Besides  the  two  pieces  of  the  Blake  iron  just  mentioned,  Cohen28  had  the  Troost  iron  once 
more  investigated  by  J.  Fahrenhorst,  in  order  to  be  able  to  compare  analyses  by  one  hand  and 
by  new  and  better  methods.  The  results  were  as  follows: 


Fe  

1. 
88.41 

2. 
88.23 

3. 
81.45 

4. 
88.22 

5. 
88.22 

6. 
81.11 

Ni  

11.  09 

11.01 

17.30 

11.07 

11.01 

17.11 

Co  

0.  66 

0.72 

1.67 

0.66 

0.72 

1.65 

Cu 

indet. 

indet. 

0.03 

0.03 

Cr         .  . 

0.  02 

0.02 

0.03 

0.02 

0.02 

0.03 

C  

0.03 

0.03 

0.07 

0.03 

0.03 

0.07 

Cl. 

0.02 

0.01 

indet. 

s  

....       trace 

trace 

0.01 

P.. 

trace 

trace 

0.12 

100. 23     '  100. 02        100. 68        100. 00        100. 00        100. 00 

1. — Blake  iron  (Green  County,  1876),  from  the  end  of  the  block  with  a  large  section  surface. 
2. — Blake  iron,  from  the  end  of  the  block  with  a  small  section  surface. 
3.— Troost  iron  (Babbs  Mill,  1842). 

4  to  6. — The  three  analyses  reckoned  to  100,  disregarding  the  sulphur,  after  abstraction  of  lawrencite  (in  the 
Blake  iron)  and  echreibersite  (in  the  Troost  iron). 

The  analysis  of  the  Troost  iron  thus  corresponds  very  well  with  the  two  former  analyses 
by  Clark  and  Cohen.  That  this  is  not  the  case  with  that  of  the  Blake  iron  specimens  may  be 
due  to  the  fact  that  in  the  first,  by  Cohen  and  Weinschenk,  less  trustworthy  methods  of  sepa- 
ration were  employed. 

The  difference  between  the  chemical  composition  of  the  Troost  iron  and  Blake  iron 
specimens  is,  according  to  the  above  results,  so  noticeable  as  to  occasion  doubt  whether  both 
masses  really  belong  to  the  same  fall  or  not.  On  the  other  hand,  it  seems  hardly  probable  that 
so  unusual  a  phenomenon  as  the  occurrence  of  ataxites  rich  in  nickel  should  have  happened 
twice  in  a  narrowly  bounded  space,  and,  moreover,  two  ataxites  which  are  structurally  abso- 
lutely alike.  Also,  in  respect  to  chemical  composition,  a  noteworthy  chromium  content  is  in 
both  masses  combined  with  the  total  or  almost  complete  absence  of  sulphur,  a  phenomenon 
which  has  hitherto  been  noted  only  in  the  Cape  iron.  Cohen 29  inclines  to  the  supposition, 
therefore,  that  both  masses  belong  to  the  same  fall. 

The  mass  of  1876,  or  Blake  iron,  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Vienna  Museum;  the  Troost 
iron  is  more  or  less  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1845:  TROOST.    Description of  a  mass  discovered  in  Green  County,  Tennessee.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.;  let 

ser.,  vol.  49,  pp.  342-344. 

2.  1847:  SHEPAHD.    Report  on  Meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  4,  pp.  76-77.    (Illustrations.) 

3.  1852:  CLARK.    Dissert.  G6ttingen,  pp.  65-66. 

4.  1852:  WOHLER.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  85,  pp.  448  and  449. 

5.  1854:  VON  BOGUSLAWSKI.    Zehnter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Ergz.-Bd.  4,  p.  400. 

6.  1859:  BUCHNEK.  Feuermeteore,  p.  136. 

7.  1859:  HARRIS.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  p.  114. 

8.  1860:  RAMMELSBERG.    Mineralchemie,  pp.  916  and  946. 

9.  1859-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  9,  pp.  176,  177, 182.    No.  10,  pp.  359,  363.    No.  11,  p.  291.    No.  13,  p.  354. 

No.  15,  p.  100.    No.  17,  pp.  267,  268,  269,  273.    No.  18,  p..  488.    No.  19,  p.  151. 

10.  1863:  BUCHNBR.    Meteoriten,  p.  172. 

11.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  26,  72-73,  and  153. 

12.  1867:  GOEBEL.     Kritische  Uebersicht.    Phys.-Math.  Acad.  Imp.  Sci.  St.  Petersbourg,  Bd.  7,  p.  325. 

13.  1870:  RAMMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  p.  79. 

14.  1880:  BREZINA.    Bericht  I.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  82  I,  p.  351. 

15.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  pp.  116  and  122. 

16.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  200,  201,  203,  219,  and  234. 

17.  1886:  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  I.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  1  (Not.),  pp.  12  and  25. 

18.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  285  and  298. 

19.  1886:  BLAKE.    Amer.  Journ.   Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  31,  pp.  41-46.    (Illustration.). 

20.  1887:  VON  HAUER.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.    Wien,  Bd.  2  (Not.),  p.  38. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  45 

81.  1890:  EASTMAN.    Met.  Astron.,  p.  318, 322. 

22.  1890:  BBEZINA.    Oesterr.  Zeitechr.  f.  Berg-  u.  Huttenw.,  Bd.  38,  p.  358. 

23.  1891:  COHEN  0.  WETNSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  131, 

132,  142-143  (Analysis),  and  160. 

24.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  7,  pp.  147-148  (Analysis),  and  162. 

25.  1893:  MEUNIER.    ReVision  des  fere  m&ebriques,  pp.  16  and  21. 

26.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  I,  pp.  67,  68,  86,  and  99. 

27.  1395:  BRBZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  297. 

28.  1895:  COHEN.     Meteoreisen  Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  83,  90,  91. 

29.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  X    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  vol.  15,  pp.  88-94. 

30.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  III,  pp.  104-112. 


BACUBIRITO. 
Sinaloa,  Mexico. 
Here  also  Ranchito. 

Latitude,  26°  1'  N.;  longitude,  108°  3'  W. 
Iron.    Finest  octahedride  (Off)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1863;  mentioned  1876. 
Estimated  weight,  27  tons. 

The  first  mention  of  this  mass  was  by  Senor  Mariano  Barcena,1  a  Mexican  scientist  and 
astronomer,  in  an  article  devoted  to  Mexican  meteorites.  He  spoke  of  it  simply  as  "an  enormous 
meteoric  mass  lately  discovered  in  the  state  of  Sinaloa."  He  stated  that  he  could  not  remember 
its  exact  dimensions  but  could  assure  the  Academy  that  its  length  was  more  than  12  feet.  The 
mass  is  also  mentioned  by  Castillo  in  his  catalogue  of  Mexican  meteorites.3  But  no  one  who 
mentioned  it  claimed  to  have  seen  it  and  there  was  no  definite  description  of  the  mass  until 
a  personal  investigation  was  made  by  Prof.  Henry  A.  Ward*  in  the  spring  of  1902. 

He  found  the  meteorite  7  miles  due  south  from  Bacubirito,  a  small  but  very  old  mining 
town,  situated  on  the  Rio  Sinaloa  in  latitude  26°  X.,  longitude  107°  W.,  at  an  elevation  of  2,000 
feet  above  sea  level.  It  was  near  a  little  hamlet  called  Palmar  de  la  Sepulveda.  It  was  found 
on  a  farm  called  Ranchito,  which  fills  the  narrow  mountain  valley  or  interval  between  two  spurs 
of  the  foothills,  running  nearly  north  and  south.  It  lay  in  a  corn  field,  close  by  the  eastern 
edge  of  this  vale,  where  the  level  ground  began  to  rise  against  the  hillside.  The  valley  and 
the  field  were  of  black  vegetable  soil,  some  two  yards  in  thickness.  In  this  soil  the  meteorite 
lay  imbedded,  its  surface  being  but  little  below  the  general  level  of  the  field  around  it,  but  one 
end  projecting  slightly  above  the  ground.  The  other  end  was  deeply  imbedded  in  the  soil,  which 
had  never  apparently  been  disturbed. 

On  digging  away  the  soil  the  meteorite  was  found  to  lie  in  a  depression  crushed  into  the 
rock  with  absolutely  no  trace  of  soil  between  it  and  the  part  where  the  full  weight  of  the  mass 
•  had  fallen  and  lain.  It  would  thus  seem,  according  to  Ward,  that  the  meteorite  had  fallen 
on  the  bare  surface  of  the  district  at  a  period  before  the  vegetable  soil  had  begun  to  form.  On 
the  other  hand  the  mass  appeared  to  be  well  preserved.  It  showed  little  oxidation,  and  the  pit- 
tings  were  clean  and  sharp-rimmed,  thus  seeming  to  point  to  a  rather  recent  fall. 

The  form  suggested  a  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw  of  a  mammal,  but  was  quite  irregular.  The 
extreme  dimensions  of  the  mass  as  given  by  Ward  are:  Length,  13  feet  1  inch;  width,  6  feet 
2  inches;  thickness,  5  feet  4  inches.  Owing  to  the  irregularity  of  form  the  cubic  contents 
could  be  only  roughly  estimated.  Ward  estimates  the  weight  at  50  tons,  and  regards  it  as 
the  largest  meteoric  mass  in  the  world. 

In  structure,  according  to  Ward,  the  mass  exhibits  well-defined  octahedral  crystallization. 
Fractured  surfaces  show  crystallization  plates  with  faces  from  3  to  19  mm.  in  greatest  diameter. 
Many  of  these  are  covered  with  fine  films  of  taenite,  mostly  of  the  characteristic  bronze-yellow 
color.  Well-defined  Widmannstatten  figures  of  fine  pattern  are  brought  out  by  etching.  The 
kamacite  plates  are  but  a  fraction  of  a  millimeter  in  diameter.  Some  of  these  blades  appear 
to  be  of  double  that  thickness,  but  the  glass  shows  these  to  consist  of  several  single  blades.  There 
is  thus  a  strong  development  of  plessite.  The  rhombic  figures  on  the  etched  face  average  from 


46  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

1.5  to  5  mm.  in  diameter,  the  two  angles  being  60°  and  120°,  while  the  triangular  markings 
range  from  8  to  15  mm.,  with  angles  of  55°,  55°,  and  70°.  Troilite  nodules  are  rare  The 
iron  is  tough,  but  not  more  dense  than  in  the  majority  of  siderites.  In  fact  its  specific  gravity 
is  rather  low  on  account  of  numerous  clefts  which  permeate  it. 

Brezina  7  describes  a  section  in  the  Vienna  museum  received  from  Castillo  as  showing 
lamellae  0.05  mm.  in  width,  somewhat  cracked,  fibrous,  and  appearing  to  consist  only  of  taenite. 
Meshes  prominent,  plessite  dark  and  full  of  taenite  points.  A  cut  of  the  section  shows  curved 
lamellae. 

Angermann  "  states  the  meteorite  lies  in  a  north  and  south  valley  and  that  the  rocks  of 
the  region  are  of  eruptive  origin,  belonging  to  the  group  of  andesites.  He  further  states  that 
the  mass  was  first  discovered  in  1863  by  being  struck  by  a  plough.  The  brilliant  surface  of  the 
scratches  led  the  people  living  near  to  think  it  might  be  silver,  but  a  local  blacksmith  assured 
them  from  the  character  of  the  rust  that  it  was  iron.  The  priest  at  Bacubirito  informed  the 
people  that  the  mass  had  come  from  hell,  and  advised  them  not  to  disturb  it.  This  advice  was 
heeded,  and  hence  no  word  of  it  reached  the  outside  world  until  the  mention  of  it  by  Barcena 
in  1876. 

Measurements  of  the  mass  are  given  by  Angermann  and  compared  with  those  of  Ward  and 

Castillo  as  follows: 

Ward.  Castillo.  Angermann. 

Length 3.99m.  3.65m.  3.50m. 

Breadth 1.9    m.  2.00m.  2.20m. 

Thickness 1.6    m.  1.50m.  1.20m. 

From  a  specific  gravity  of  7.69  Angermann  calculates  the  weight  as  25  metric  tons =27. 6 
tons  avoirdupois.  The  fissure  in  the  meteorite  Angermann  regards  as  produced  by  the  shock 
of  striking  the  earth,  and  thinks  that  pieces  broken  off  at  the  tune  may  be  found  in  the  vicinity. 

As  Whitfield's  analysis  of  this  iron  showed  a  loss  of  4  per  cent,  Cohen  obtained  from  Ward 
material  for  conducting  a  new  investigation,  besides  a  specimen  of  some  85  grams  weight  having 
a  section  surface  of  14  sq.  cm. 

This  he  describes  10  as  forming  a  section  1  cm.  thick  with  an  octahedral  boundary  in  con- 
formity with  which  it  was  very  easy  to  break  off  fragments,  as  there  were  many  cracks  visible 
conforming  to  the  above  octahedrons.  Upon  the  polished  and  etched  surface  the  twinned 
lamellae  appeared  in  thin,  ragged  edged  blades,  which  are  of  varying  width  and  as  much  as  1 
cm.  in  length. 

Cohen  goes  on  to  say: 

Ranchito  consists  conspicuously  of  a  fine-grained,  dark  plessite,  with  small,  shining,  evenly  distributed  scales, 
which  are  mainly  tsenite  skeletons.  The  fine  lamellae,  about  0.05  mm.  wide,-  intersect  at  an  angle  of  60°  upon  the 
section.  They  seldom  lie  isolated,  but  group  themselvess  as  a  rule  in  bundles,  which  attain  a  breadth  of  0.5  mm., 
but  mostly  are  much  finer.  From  the  macroscopic  appearance  the  lamellae  might  be  supposed  to  consist  of  taanite; 
under  the  microscope,  however,  they  are  distinctly  perceived  to  be  built  up  of  extremely  fine-grained  kamacite  and 
a  taenite  envelope.  The  bundles  of  lamellae  are  quite  uniformly  distributed,  and  occasionally  so  long  that  they  reach 
clear  across  the  section,  while  the  remainder  lie  isolated  in  the  plessite.  Nevertheless,  the  areas  are  in  general  bounded 
by  quite  uniform  dimensions,  from  which  fact  the  etched  surface  acquires  a  characteristic  aspect.  On  account  of  the 
fineness  of  the  tsenite  leaves  and  the  slight  distinction  between  the  kamacites  of  the  bands  and  fields  the  lamellae  are 
faint  in  luster  and  color. 

Analysis  (Whitfield) :" 

Fe  Ni  Go  S  P  Si 

88.944        6.979          0.211        0.005        0.154        trace     =96.293 

Specific  gravity  (Ward),  7.59 

Cohen  10  criticised  the  above  analysis  on  account  of  the  loss  of  nearly  4  per  cent  shown,  and 
suggested  that  a  meteorite  so  rich  in  tsenite  ought  also  to  show  a  higher  content  of  nickel. 
Later  he  published  an  analysis  with  results  as  follows: 

Fe        Ni       Co       Cu       Or        C         P         S        Cl      Chromite 
89.54    9.40    0.98    0.02    0.02    0.01    0.12    0.02    0.02        0.01    =100.14 

Specific  gravity,  7,589. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  47 

Ward  removed  about  11  pounds  of  the  meteorite  and  distributed  it  among  various  col- 
lections. The  remainder  of  the  mass  lies  in  its  original  position. 

A  model  of  the  mass  was  exhibited  by  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  at  the  Louisiana  Pur- 
chase Exposition. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1876:  BARCENA.    On  certain  Mexican  Meteorites.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philadelphia,  1876,  p.  122. 

2.  1884:  HAPKE.    Beitrage.    Abh.  naturwiss.  Verein  Bremen,  Bd.  8,  pp.  517-518. 

3.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  5. 

4.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mineral  Mag.,  Bd.  9,  pp.  151  and  174. 

5.  1890:  SOSA  T  AVILA.    Minero  Mexicano,  vol.  17,  Nov.  19. 

6.  1892:  EASTMAK.    The  Mexican  meteorites.    Bull.  Philos.  Soc.  Washington,  vol.  12,  p.  45. 

7.  1893:  BREZIXA.    Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nflrnberg),  p.  163. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  267. 

9.  1902:  WARD.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  67-74.    (With  cuts  of  mass  in  different  positions.) 

10.  1903:  COHEN.    Mitth.  nat.  Verein  Neu- Vorpommern  und  Rugen,  vol.  35,  pp.  3-13. 

11.  1904:  ANGERMANN.    Parergones  del  Inst.  Geol.  Mexico,  Tom.  I,  No.  4,  pp.  113-116.    (With  cuts  of  mass.) 

12.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  278-281. 


Badger,  see  Sacramento  Mountains. 
Baird's  Farm,  see  Asheville. 


BALD  EAGLE. 

Lycoming  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Here  also  Williamsport. 

Latitude  41°  10"  N.,  longitude  77°  3'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1891;  described  1892. 

Weight,  3.3  kgs.  (7  Ibe.).  . 

This  iron  is  described  by  Ward  2  as  having  been  found  about  September  25,  1891,  by  some 
Italian  laborers  on  the  east  side  of  Bald  Eagle  Mountain,  7  miles  south  of  Williamsport,  Penn- 
sylvania. It  was  covered  with  a  fungous  growth,  as  were  the  stones  under  which  it  was  buried 
to  the  depth  of  several  feet.  Nothing  is  known  as  to  the  time  of  its  fall,  although  the  stones 
under  which  it  lay  buried  have  not  been  sensibly  moved  since  the  valley  of  the  river  on  whose 
banks  it  was  found — the  Susquehanna — has  been  inhabited  by  white  men. 

Its  weight  was  3.3  kgs.  (7  pounds  1  ounce). 

In  form  it  resembled  a  human  foot,  the  flat  face  corresponding  to  the  sole,  measuring  16.6 
by  8  cm.,  with  a  height  at  the  heel  of  14  cm.  It  was  very  irregular  in  outline  and  was  covered 
with  many  rough  notches  and  depressions,  few  of  which  are  well-defined  pittings.  The  upper 
part  of  the  "ankle"  only  had  a  well  smoothed  surface  with  a  fine  granulation  akin  to  a  "skin" 
or  crust.  The  surface  was  covered  with  a  reddish  brown  iron  rust,  which  scaled  off  easily 
and  showed  the  bright  metal  beneath. 

As  far  as  can  be  learned  this  is  the  only  specimen  of  the  fall  that  has  been  found. 

Two  cavities  were  seen  on  the  back  above  the  "heel,"  one  round  and  three-eighths  of  an 
inch  in  depth  and  diameter;  the  other  a  parallelogram,  half  as  deep  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch 
long  by  one-third  of  an  inch  wide,  and  both  having  vertical  walls — cavities  probably  produced 
by  the  erosion  of  troilite  nodules.  On  top  of  the  front  part  of  the  "foot"  was  a  deep  cavity, 
due  to  the  folds  of  the  iron,  which  passed  nearly  through  to  the  sole.  The  sole  was  very  flat, 
which  permitted  the  cutting  of  a  slice  from  it  like  the  "sole"  of  a  shoe.  Sharp  and  peculiar 
Widmannstatten  figures  were  easily  etched  on  the  polished  surface  with  dilute  acid,  showing 
a  typically  octahedral  structure.  The  figures  were  composed  mainly  of  short  kamacite  blades, 
with  an  average  thickness  of  about  1  mm.  and  from  5  to  10  mm.  in  length,  which  departed 
from  the  usual  angular  figures,  being  largely  curved  or  snake-like  in  form  and  forming  a  pattern 
resembling  floss  or  tangled  yarn.  Many  of  these  kamacite  blades  were  club  shaped.  The  patches 
of  plessite  were  minute,  sometimes  showing  clearly  the  alternate  layers  of  kamacite  and  tsenite. 


48  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  taenite  plates  lying  between  the  kamacite  blades  were  very  narrow,  but  stood  out  in  promi- 
nent relief  on  the  etched  surface,  and  were  fairly  distinguishable  by  their  bronze  yellow  color 
from  the  tin-white  kamacite. 

Two  fissures,  each  about  25  mm.  in  length  and  averaging  1  to  2  mm.  in  width,  crossed  the 
"sole"  diagonally,  and  were  filled  with  troilite.  No  rounded  nodules  of  this  mineral  were  to  be 
seen  in  the  section.  Several  patches  of  schreibersite,  rudely  representing  cuneiform  characters, 
were  scattered  throughout  the  etched  surface.  These  were  brighter  and  with  denser  surface 
than  the  troilite,  the  latter  being  granular  and  less  lustrous. 

Ananlysis  (Owens) : * 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  S  Si 

91.36        7.56        0.70        0.09        0.06        Trace   =99.77 

Specific  gravity,  7.06. 

The  iron  is  chiefly  preserved  at  Bucknell  University. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1892:  OWENS.    A  meteorite  from  central  Pennsylvania.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  43,  pp.  423-424. 

2.  1902:  WARD.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  p.  86. 


Bartlett  Meteorite,  see  Tucson. 
Bates  County,  see  Butler. 
Batesville,  see  Joe  Wright. 


BATH. 

Brown  County,  South  Dakota. 
Here  also  Aberdeen,  Dakota,  1892. 
Latitude,  45°  21'  N.;  longitude,  98°  15'  W. 

Stone.    Brecciated  spherical  chondrite  (Ccb)  of  Brezina.    Type  38,  Montrejite;  second  sub- 
type, Limerickite,  of  Meunier.  • 
Fell  4  p.  m.,  August  29,  1892;  described  1893. 
Weight,  21.2  kgs.  (46.75  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Foote  *  as  follows : 

On  the  29th  of  August,  1892,  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  while  Mr.  Lawrence  Freeman  and  his  son  were 
stacking  hay  upon  his  farm  about  2  miles  south  of  Bath,  they  were  alarmed  by  a  series  of  explosions.  On  looking  up 
they  saw  a  meteoric  stone  flying  through  the  air  followed  by  a  cloud  of  smoke.  Its  course  waa  easily  traced  to  the 
point  where  it  fell,  within  about  20  rods  from  where  they  were  standing.  The  stone  penetrated  the  hardened  prairie 
to  a  depth  of  about  16  inches  and  when  reached  it  was  found  to  be  so  warm  that  it  had  to  be  handled  with  gloves. 
Small  pieces  of  an  ounce  or  two  each  had  apparently  been  blown  off  by  the  explosions,  but  the  stone  still  weighed 
46.75  pounds.  One  of  these  small  pieces  was  found  by  some  men  not  far  distant  and  was  broken  up  and  distributed 
among  them.  The  explosions  were  plainly  heard  by  a  large  number  of  persons  at  Bath,  2  miles  away.  At  Aberdeen, 
9  miles  away,  the  sound  was  like  that  of  distant  cannonading. 

The  exterior  of  the  stone  presents  the  usual  black  crust.  The  interior  is  described  by 
Foote  *  as  quite  close  grained  and  containing  nickel-iron  abundantly  disseminated  through  the 
mass,  in  small  grains,  easily  distinguished  and  separable  on  pulverizing. 

Brezina  3  describes  the  crust  as  primary,  without  marked  orientation.  He  notes  an  abun- 
dance of  rounded  nickel-iron  crystals  (cubes)  from  2  to  5  mm.  in  length;  and  one  nickel-iron 
grain  a  centimeter  in  size,  with  a  troilite  inclusion.  Many  faint  slipping  surfaces,  one  concave 
and  ribbed  like  a  Pecten,  are  noted  by  the  same  author  and  the  chondri  are  stated  to  be  of  two 
kinds:  One  yellow,  reaching  in  some  cases  a  diameter  of  8  mm.,  and  breaking  in  two  easily; 
the  other  smaller,  not  reaching  above  1.5  mm.  in  diameter,  dark  and  smooth  and  retaining 
their  form. 

This  stone  is  quite  generally  distributed  among  collections. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1893:  FOOTE.    Preliminary  notice  of  a  meteoric  stone  seen  to  fall  at  Bath,  South  Dakota.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  45,  p.  64.    (With  cut  of  stone.) 

2.  1893:  BREZINA.    Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Niirnberg),  p.  162. 

3.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  259. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  49 

BATH  FURNACE        • 
Bath  County,  Kentucky. 
Latitude  38°  5"  N.,  longitude  83°  45'  W. 
Stone.    Intermediate  chondrite  (Ci),  of  Brezina. 
Fell  6.45  p.  m.,  November  15,  1902;  described  1903. 
Weight:  Three  stones,  87.3,  5.7,  and  .2  kgs.  (178,  13,  and  .5  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  fall  was  given  by  Miller,1  as  follows : 

On  the  evening  of  November  15,  at  6.45  central  standard  time,  a  very  brilliant  meteor  was  observed  in  its  fall  to' 
the  earth  by  many  persons  in  the  States  of  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  and  Georgia. 
Atonce,  though  at  first  independently  of  each  other,  Prof.  H.  C.  Lord,  of  the  Emerson  McMillan  Observatory,  Columbus, 
Ohio,  and  the  writer  began  a  series  of  investigations  with  a  view  to  determining  where  it  should  have  fallen.  We 
secured  reports  from  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  observers  scattered  over  the  States  mentioned  above;  none  of  them, 
however,  were  expressed  very  definitely  in  terms  of  angular  measurements,  excepting  those  of  Professor  Lord  and 
myself,  and  we  evidently  had  not  noted  the  altitude  and  azimuth  of  the  meteor  at  exactly  the  same  point  of  its 
descent.  Satisfied,  however,  that  if  any  pieces  came  to  earth,  they  must  have  fallen  somewhere  between  Lexington 
and  a  point  in  Elliott  County,  Kentucky,  where  an  observer  saw  the  meteor  to  the  west  of  him,  I  was  induced  to  hunt 
down  a  rumor  that  it  had  fallen  in  Bath  County,  and  was  rewarded  by  finding  that  it  had  indeed  come  to  earth  in  the 
extreme  southern  portion  of  that  county,  and  had  been  picked  up  by  the  man  who  saw  it  strike  the  ground.  The 
exact  point  struck  was  a  stone  in  the  road  in  front  of  the  home  of  Mr.  Buford  Sjtaton,  5  miles  due  south  of  Salt  Lick, 
Kentucky. 

The  stone  (for  it  is  an  aerolite)  is  roughly  8.5  by  6  by  4  inches,  has  a  volume  oi  1,642  c.  c.,  and  now  weighs,  with 
some  pieces  chipped  off  for  analysis,  5,725  grams,  or  about  12  pounds  10.5  ounces.  It  exhibits  the  usual  black  crust 
or  varnish,  the  pittings,  the  grayish  interior,  and  shows  on  analysis  the  disseminated  nickeliferous  metallic  iron. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that,  though  the  approximate  place  of  this  aerolite's  fall  was  not  determined  by  calcu- 
lations based  upon  observations  giving  the  azimuths  of  the  point  where  it  appeared  to  burst,  as  seen  from  different 
stations — -the  meteorite  itself  having  been  brought  in  before  our  investigations  had  reached  the  calculating  stage — 
yet  had  it  not  been  seen  to  strike  the  earth,  it  is  not  improbable  that  it  would  have  soon  been  found  as  a  result  of 
special  search.  A  projection  of  the  lines  of  observation  in  accordance  with  the  azimuths  of  the  Columbus  and 
Lexington  determinations  (S.  15°  W.  and  N.  81°  E.)  cross  in  the  southern  portion  of  Bath  County,  Kentucky. 

Ward3  gave  a  further  account  of  the  fall  and  description  of  the  stone  found,  as  follows: 

On  the  evening  of  November  15,  1902,  at  about  6.45  o'clock,  a  brilliant  meteor  was  seen  by  many  persons  in  the 
States  of  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Georgia,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  Ohio,  in  its  progress  from  southwest 
to  northeast  over  a  course  of  more  than  600  miles.  Its  passage  was  simultaneously  noticed  by  two  trained  observers — 
Prof.  A.  H.  Miller,  of  the  State  College  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  Prof.  H.  C.  Lord,  of  the  Emerson  McMillan 
Observatory,  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  These  gentlemen  both  secured  the  altitude  and  azimuth  of  the  point  where  it 
appeared  to  burst  and  vanish,  as  seen  from  their  rather  widely  separated  standpoints.  Calculations  based  upon  these 
observations  gave  the  approximative  place  of  the  fall,  where,  indeed,  it  had  already  been  announced,  as  in  Bath 
County,  Kentucky.  The  detonations  which  immediately  preceded  its  descent  to  the  earth  were  heard  over  a  large 
area  in  that  region,  most  persons  thinking  that  they  were  due  to  the  explosion  of  nitroglycerin,  which  is  often  used 
in  "shooting"  wells  in  the  neighboring  Ragland  oil  fields. 

The  aerolite,  for  such  it  was,  came  to  the  earth  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Bath  County,  at  an  old  settlement 
called  Bath  Furnace.  It  struck  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  directly  in  front  of  the  home  of  Mr.  Buford  Staton.  Mr. 
Staton  and  his  wife  at  once  made  search  for  it,  but  on  account  of  the  darkness  they  failed  to  find  it  that  night.  The 
next  morning,  however,  Mr.  Staton  readily  discovered  the  meteorite  lying  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  on  the  side  of 
the  road,  whither  it  had  bounded.  It  had  lost  some  small  chippings  by  the  collision  of  its  fall,  but  was  in  the  main 
quite  entire. 

Mr.  Staton,  in  a  letter  tells  me:  "It  was  dark.  I  saw  the  light  and  heard  the  report.  It  came  through  the  air, 
whizzing  like  a  steam  saw  going  through  a  plank.  *  *  *  The  stone  struck  in  the  middle  of  our  hard  road  and 
bounded  away  for  about  5  feet  to  one  side.  The  hole  which  it  made  in  the  road  was  about  1  foot  long,  9  inches  wide, 
and  5  inches  deep." 

The  aerolite  is  in  general  shape  a  five-sided  polygon,  somewhat  wedge-shaped  when  viewed  from  either  the  side 
or  the  end  aspect.  Its  length  is  8.25  inches,  height  6.5  inches,  width  4.75  inches.  The  weight  of  the  mass  is  12  pounds 
13.5  ounces.  The  clippings  broken  off  in  the  fall,  if  added,  would  doubtless  make  a  total  weight  of  just  13  pounds. 
Its  specific  gravity  is  3.48. 

The  stone  is  covered  over  ita  entire  surface  with  a  very  dark,  nearly  black,  crust.  This  crust,  although  abso- 
lutely opaque  and  protective,  shows  itself  at  the  few  fractured  spots  to  be  very  thin,  less  than  a  half  millimeter  thick. 
It  is  dull  and  matte  in  surface  appearance,  with  a  uniform,  fine  granulation.  This  is,  however,  broken  at  frequent 
points  by  minute  pimples,  interspersed  with  equally  minute  angular  or  slightly  lengthened  protuberances.  None 
of  all  of  these  have  an  elevation  of  more  than  1  mm.  These  pimples,  where  they  have  been  rubbed,  show  a  bright 
character,  and  are  undoubtedly  outside  individuals  of  the  minute  points  of  bright  iron  which  are  sprinkled  some- 
what abundantly  through  the  entire  stone  mass. 
716°— 15 1 


50  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  inner  structure  of  the  stone,  as  shown  in  a  section,  is  quite  compact  and  dense,  taking  a  good  polish.  It  is 
a  light  gray  base,  blotched  evenly  throughout  with  patches  of  clove-brown  iron  oxide.  Most  of  these  are  cloudlike 
in  indefinite  contour;  but  a  few,  ranging  from  1  to  3  mm.  in  diameter,  are  round,  and  seem  to  be  limited  to  the  decom- 
position of  a  single  previous  iron  inclosure.  Very  few  denned  chondri  are  detachable. 

The  whole  mass  is  sprinkled  liberally  throughout  with  bright  iron  particles.  Most  of  these  are  distributed  as  a 
bright  star  constellation;  but  among  them  are  scattered  a  small  number  which  are  from  1  to  4  mm.  in  diameter,  mostly 
of  irregular,  angular  shape.  In  several  instances  these  are  broken  sharply  in  two  and  are  crossed  by  granular  troilite, 
fine-grained  and  fresh  shining.  One  of  these  is  a  6  mm.  triangle  in  which  the  three  points  only  are  of  bright  nickel 
iron,  while  the  balance  is  troilite.  In  two  other  cases,  nodules  2  mm.  in  diameter  have  a  center  of  troilite,  with  a  cir- 
cumference of  bright  iron.  That  the  brown  blotches  before  referred  to  are  due  to  the  oxidation  of  iron  can  not  be 
doubted;  but  as  there  has  been  no  opportunity  for  this  process  to  have  gone  on,  either  since  the  fall  of  the  stone  or 
during  its  passage  through  our  atmosphere,  the  question  is  raised  as  to  its  having  found  the  oxygen  in  the  parent  body 
from  whence  it  came? 

Piezographs,  or  finger-mark  pittings,  are  visible  on  all  surfaces  of  the  mass,  yet  varying  notably  on  different 
sides.  On  two  sides  they  are  few  in  number,  and  only  dim  depressions,  though  still  unmistakable  in  their  nature. 
On  the  other  three  surfaces  they  are  frequent,  and  are  3  to  5  mm.  in  depth,  with  area  as  large  as  the  end  of  an  adult 
human  finger.  Some  few  are  independently  placed,  but  most  of  them  are  confluent,  and  show  the  line  of  movement 
of  the  mass  through  the  furrowing  air.  One  notable  gathering  is  curiously  like  the  crowded  tracks  of  three  or  four 
kittens'  feet.  Two  of  the  smaller  sides  of  the  mass  have  a  very  different  pitting,  that  thickly  crowded  raindrop 
appearance  which  is  often  found  on  «a  secondary  crust  which  has  formed  on  a  fresh  surface  after  the  breaking  of 
the  mass  in  the  air.  In  one  place  there  is  a  furrow  1.5  inches  long  and  2  to  4  mm.  deep  and  wide,  with  walls  of  over- 
hanging crust.  So  far  as  examination  has  yet  been  carried,  this  new  aerolite  presents  no  features  of  form  or  of 
composition  which  are  materially  different  from  others  of  its  class.  A  careful  petrographical  examination  may,  how- 
ever, reveal  something  of  especial  moment.  The  relation  of  the  intruding  troilite  to  the  riven  particles  of  nickel 
iron  certainly  merits  further  investigation. 

At  my  request,  Professor  Merrill,  of  the  National  Museum,  has  kindly  made  a  couple  of  slides  of  the  mass,  and 
reports  as  follows:  "The  stone  consists  essentially  of  olivine  and  pyroxene,  with  the  usual  metallic  sprinklings  and 
troilite.  There  is  present  also  in  small  quantities  a  completely  colorless,  almost  isotropic  mineral,  which  is  probably 
maskelynite,  although  if  such  is  the  case,  it  is  a  product  of  original  crystallization  and  has  not  been  altered  by  fusion, 
as  suggested  by  Tschermak.  The  mineral  is  in  too  small  quantities  to  be  determined  accurately  from  the  two  sec- 
tions which  I  have  thus  far  prepared.  The  stone  is  chondritic,  but  the  chondrules  show  no  disposition  to  separate 
from  the  ground  mass,  and  I  am  inclined  to  classify  it  with  Brezina's  intermediate  chondrites  (Ci)." 

Miller 3  gave  a  later  account  of  the  fall  as  follows: 

Since  the  announcement  concerning  Bath  Furnace  Aerolite  No.  1,  which  appeared  in  Science  of  January  16,  two 
other  pieces  have  been  found;  one  picked  up  within  100  yards  of  where  No.  1  fell  and  the  other  one  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  south  of  this.  Named  in  the  order  in  which  they  were  found,  we  have  designated  these  as  No.  2  and  No.  3, 
respectively. 

No.  2  weighed  223  grams.  It  was  completely  coated  with  the  black  enamel  or  varnish,  and  pitted.  It  has  been 
sawed  into  two  pieces,  one  for  the  Field  Columbian  Museum  and  the  other  for  the  Kentucky  State  College  Museum. 
It  has  the  same  specific  gravity  and  presents  the  same  interior  appearance  as  Bath  Furnace  No.  1. 

No.  3,  found  about  the  middle  of  May  last  by  a  hunter  who  was  led  to  search  for  it  by  noticing  a  skinned  place 
some  distance  up  on  a  white-oak  sapling,  will  weigh  about  200  pounds.  It  is  also  completely  coated  with  the  black 
enamel  and  is  very  characteristically  pitted  and  furrowed.  These  furrows  radiate  from  a  smooth  nose  or  boss.  It 
was  this  portion  which  bruised  its  way  downward  into  the  base  and  roots  of  the  tree.  The  side  opposite  to  this  is  flat 
and  not  furrowed  nor  pitted,  but  presents  a  few  nodular  excrescences. 

As  a  result  of  visiting  the  locality,  examining  the  places  where  the  pieces  struck,  and  securing  the  accounts  of  the 
residents,  all  of  whom  were  much  startled  by  the  blinding  light  and  terrific  detonations  accompanying  the  fall,  I  gather 
thefollowing:  There  was  probably  one  mass  originally,  which  burst  at  a  height  of  from  8  to  9  miles  into  many  fragments. 
These  fragments  struck  the  earth  in  a  district  some  4  miles  square,  situated  in  the  knobs  of  the  extreme  southern  portion 
of  Bath  County.  Most  of  the  region  is  thinly  populated.  No.  3  was  found  almost  in  the  center  of  this  thinly  populated 
district.  The  accounts  given  by  the  residents  of  the  noise  made  by  the  "explosion,"  of  the  singing  of  the  fragments  as 
they  hurtled  through  the  air,  and  the  sound  made  by  their  striking  the  ground  or  hitting  the  timber  on  the  knobs  were 
very  graphic. 

No.  3,  which  is  probably  the  main  portion  of  the  original  mass,  has  left  some  record  from  which  possibly  the  trajec- 
tory of  this  celestial  body  may  be  computed.  From  the  way  in  which  it  grazed  the  sapling  in  its  descent  and  bruised 
its  way  into  the  roots  of  the  tree  at  the  base  of  which  it  was  found,  I  estimate  that  it  came  in  from  a  direction  13°  south 
of  west  and  at  an  angle  from  the  horizontal  of  77°.  As  previously  announced,  the  altitude  of  the  point  of  the  bursting 
of  the  meteor,  as  seen  from  Lexington,  was  9°  30'.  The  azimuth  of  this  point  is  N.  81°  E.  The  point  of  fall,  however, 
plots  out  on  the  map  almost  due  east  of  Lexington  and  distant  51  miles. 

Two  other  saplings  in  the  vicinity  of  where  No.  3  fell,  distant,  respectively,  about  100  and  200  yards  in  an  easterly 
direction,  have  been  broken  off  by  missiles  striking  them  from  the  west.  Search  for  where  these  buried  themselves  in 
the  ground  was  not  rewarded  with  success. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  51 

The  dent  in  the  road  made  by  No.  1  had  become  obliterated,  but  from  the  accounts  of  those  who  saw  it  soon  after 
it  was  made  it  dipped  eastward,  and  so  is  in  line  with  the  evidence  afforded  by  the  other  fragments. 

Ward  *  gave  a  resume"  of  the  previous  history  of  the  meteorite  and  described  as  follows 
the  largest  stone: 

The  third  piece  was  found  near  the  middle  of  May,  1903,  about  1.75  miles  south  of  the  other  two  pieces,  by  asquirrel 
hunter,  Jack  Pegrim,  whose  attention  was  drawn  to  a  scar  on  a  white-oak  tree,  some  15  feet  from  the  ground.  Looking 
around  he  found,  a  few  yards  farther  on  at  the  foot  of  a  larger  tree,  broken  roots  and  a  hole  beneath.  Searching  here, 
he  found  the  great  aerolite  buried  less  than  2  feet,  its  apex  crowded  in  among  the  roots,  some  of  which  had  been  cut 
through  by  the  impact.  Two  other  saplings  in  this  vicinity,  respectively  about  100  and  300  yards  farther  east,  were 
broken  off  by  missiles  coming  from  the  west,  and  it  is  therefore  probable  that  there  were  several  other  pieces  besides 
the  three  here  recorded,  although  search  for  them  has  been  unsuccessful.  *  *  *  All  three  of  the  original  masses  of 
this  aerolite  are  quite  covered  with  a  dense,  black  crust  which  is  of  two  degrees,  primary  and  secondary.  The  primary 
crust  covers  the  entire  surface  of  mass  No  1,  two  sides  of  No.  2,  and  all  but  one  of  the  sides  of  No.  3,  with  the  exception 
of  the  parts  where,  as  mentioned,  pieces  have  chipped  off.  These  last  faces  or  scars  have,  indeed,  a  crust  quite  covering 
them,  but  it  is  much  thinner  than  the  other,  and  through  it  appears  the  texture  of  the  broken  surface  beneath.  These 
areas  of  secondary  crust  attest  to  a  breaking  of  the  stone  in  the  air  while  it  yet  had  great  velocity  and  while  it  had 
still  so  great  distance  to  fall  that  there  was  time  for  a  second  crust  to  form.  *  *  * 

The  base  of  mass  No.  3,  the  largest  single  surface,  has  the  usual  thick  crust  which  characterizes  the  rear  of  all  well- 
oriented  aerolites.  It  has  been  protected  from  the  pitting  and  farrowing  effect  of  the  rushing  air,  while  all  the  results 
of  melting  have  remained,  not  being  swept  away.  On  the  opposite  point  or  prominence  of  the  front  there  is  (as  is 
usual  on  this  form  of  aerolites)  a  very  thin  crust  and  bare  of  all  pittings. 

This  third  mass  oi  the  Bath  Furnace  is  one  of  the  most  completely  furrowed  and  definitely  oriented  aerolites  known 
to  science.  We  know  no  stone  of  American  fall  which  equals  it  in  this  respect.  The  furrowing  of  the  front  side  is  most 
complete.  These  furrows  radiate  from  the  apex  in  all  directions,  covering  that  surface  and  streaming  back  upon  and 
over  all  the  sides. 

Farrington 5  gave  a  further  account  of  the  small  stone  as  follows: 

Of  the  three  known  stones  of  this  fall,  one-half  the  smallest  one,  weighing  223  grams,  came  into  the  possession  of 
the  Field  Museum.  This  individual  is  of  irregular  disklike  form,  of  2J  by  1J  "by  f  inches  dimension.  Though  its 
shape  indicates  that  it  was  a  scaling,  it  was  completely  incrusted  and  shows  orientation.  One  of  the  broad  surfaces 
was  plainly  the  front  side,  the  opposite  the  rear  side.  The  front  side  shows  lines  of  flow  radiating  from  an  eccentric 
point.  These  lines  have  under  the  lens  the  form  of  ridges  of  inverted  V-shape,  gradually  branching  and  tapering  out. 
These  ridges  are  of  shining  black  glass  and  rise  above  a  dull-black  ground.  The  interior  substance  of  the  meteorite  ia 
gray,  with  rusted  spots  about  the  metallic  grains.  It  is  of  sufficiently  firm  texture  to  take  a  good  polish.  Under  the 
microscope  the  crust  is  seen  to  be  relatively  thin,  .2  to  .3  mm.  The  zones  of  Tschermak  are  indicated,  but  are  by  no 
means  well  marked.  For  the  most  part  the  crust  appears  as  a  black,  opaque  aggregate  bordering  the  edge  of  the  section, 
with  here  and  there  transparent  grains  of  various  sizes  seen  in  polarized  light  to  be  unaltered  olivine.  The  remainder 
of  the  section  appears  in  ordinary  light  a  confused  mass  of  transparent  grains  considerably  iron  stained  and  interspersed 
with  metallic  grains  of  very  irregular  but  usually  elongated  shapes.  Among  these  troilite  is  more  numerous  than 
nickel  iron.  An  opaque,  black  substance  also  occurs  in  small  quantity  connected  here  and  there  with  the  metallic 
grains.  It  may  be  of  ferrous  or  carbonaceous  nature.  Chondri  are  but  occasionally  and  imperfectly  outlined.  In 
polarized  light  the  chondri  can  be  more  readily  recognized.  They  are  not  numerous,  however,  the  greater  part  of 
the  section  being  made  up  of  anhedral  grains  of  various  sizes.  Chondri  where  visible  are  for  the  most  part  sharply 
outlined  from  the  surrounding  mass.  Those  composed  of  alternate  lamellae  of  olivine  and  glass  are  the  most  common,  and 
next  in  number  are  those  composed  chiefly  of  fibrous  enstatite.  Large  chondri  composed  of  porphyritic  anhedral 
olivines  or  of  olivine  and  enstatite  also  occur.  These  olivines  frequently  reach  a  length  of  .2  to  .3  mm.  and  have  well- 
defined  prismatic  outlines.  The  interstices  between  the  crystals  are  usually  filled  with  a  turbid  glass.  The  outlines 
of  these  chondri  as  a  rule  are  less  marked  than  are  those  composed  of  olivine  and  glass.  Most  of  the  chondri  have 
spheroidal  outlines,  though  a  few  fragments!  forms  occur.  Among  the  constituents  of  the  general  mass,  lath-shaped 
crystals  of  enstatite  .3  to  .5  mm.  in  length,  with  cleavage  parallel  to  the  direction  of  length,  are  the  most  conspicuous. 
These  and  the  enstatite  chondri  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  indicate  a  large  proportion  of  this  mineral  in  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  mass.  Besides  enstatite.  grains  of  olivine  of  various  sizes  and  outlines  are  to  be  seen  in  considerable  quantity. 
The  meteorite  in  falling  grazed  a  tree,  leaving  a  scar  the  observation  of  which  by  a  squirrel  hunter  led  to  the  dis- 
covery of  the  mass.  Erection  of  a  pole  connecting  the  scar  and  the  place  of  fall  of  the  meteorite  seemed  to  the  writer 
to  indicate  a  nearly  vertical  direction  of  fall.  Miller,  however,  estimated  the  angle  to  be  77°  with  the  horizon,  or  13° 
from  vertical.  The  large  roots  of  the  tree  prevented  the  stone  from  going  deeply  into  the  soil,  and  it  was  found  resting 
on  them.  Considering  the  weight  of  the  mass  and  the  distance  of  its  fall  it  is  remarkable  that  it  was  not  shattered  by 
the  impact  and  that  the  roots  on  which  it  fell  were  not  more  deeply  bruised. 

The  large  stone,  and  most  of  the  13-pound  mass,  are  now  in  the  Ward-Coonley  collection. 


52  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1903:  MILLER.    Science,  n.  s.,  vol.  17,  pp.  114—115. 

2.  1903:  WARD.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  15,  pp.  316-319.    (With  cut  showing  external  appearance  of  the  13 

Ib.  mass.) 

3.  1903:  MILLER.    Science,  n.  a.,  vol.  18,  pp.  243-244. 

4.  1905:  WARD.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  193-202.     (Illustrations  of  largest  stone.) 

5.  1907:  FARRINGTON.    Meteorite  Studies  II.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  111-112. 


Battle  River,  see  Victoria. 


BEAR  CREEK. 

Jefferson  County,  Colorado. 

Here  also  Aeriotopos,  Bear  River,  Colorado,  Denver  County,  and  Jefferson. 

Latitude,  39°  48'  N.,  longitude,  105°  5'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 

Found,  1866;  described,  1866. 

Weight  (estimated),  227  kgs.  (500  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Shepard  1  under  the  title  of  "Colorado'-  and 
was  as  follows : 

If  neither  of  the  two  preceding  irons  are  likely  to  be  represented  in  our  collections  there  is  certainly  a  prospect 
that  it  will  be  quite  otherwise  with  the  mass  just  discovered  upon  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Madre  Range  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

For  my  acquaintance  with  this  discovery  I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Mr.  J.  Alden  Smith,  a  practical  miner- 
alogist, at  present  residing  in  Colorado.  This  gentleman  has  transmitted  to  me  by  mail  a  very  interesting  cleavage 
lamina,  1.5  inches  long  by  three-fifths  of  an  inch  wide  and  one-eighth  thick,  and  which  shows  on  one  edge  a  portion 
of  the  natural  coating  of  the  meteorite.  His  letter,  dated  June  21st,  is  very  brief,  though  it  contains  important  particu- 
lars which  I  can  not  withhold  from  the  scientific  public  until  his  return  to  the  East  in  the  coming  autumn.  By  means 
of  the  promised  specimens  he  expects  to  bring  with  him  on  his  return,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  give  a  more  circumstantial 
account  of  the  discovery. 

The  detection  of  the  mass,  and  which  has  occurred  only  within  a  few  weeks,  is  due  to  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Morrison, 
by  whom  Mr.  Smith  was  shown  to  the  locality.  It  is  situated  within  a  very  deep  ravine,  at  the  elevation  of  8,000  feet 
above  the  ocean  and  surrounded  with  high  mountains  on  all  sides.  The  exact  dimensions  of  the  mass  are  not  given; 
but  its  weight  is  supposed  to  be  several  hundred  pounds.  "  It  seems  to  have  struck  a  crevice  in  the  solid  ledge,  and 
thereby  to  have  been  much  shattered  at  one  extremity — a  circumstance  that  enabled  the  finders  to  detach  several 
small  pieces."  They  inferred  the  fall  to  have  taken  place  at  a  very  remote  period,  as  the  mass  exhibited  a  coating  of 
oxyds  half  an  inch  thick.  "  Its  composition  is  principally  the  native  metals,  iron,  nickel,  cobalt,  a  little  manganese, 
and  a  trace  of  copper.  In  some  parts,  iron  forms  the  chief  ingredient,  while  in  others  nickel  and  cobalt  are  largely 
in  excess." 

The  specimen  in  my  possession  exceeds  every  iron  I  have  seen  in  the  perfection  of  its  crystallization.  It  is  as 
coarsely  crystalline  as  that  of  Arva  (Hungary)  or  Cocke  County  (Tennessee),  but  much  more  intimately  laminated  with 
schreibersite  than  either.  The  laminoo  of  this  substance  are  unusually  thick  and  possess  a  light  color  together  with  a 
bright  luster.  As  they  are  disposed  in  accordance  with  the  octahedral  cleavage  of  the  iron  they  render  the  Widman- 
stattian  figures  strikingly  apparent  without  polishing  or  the  use  of  acids.  No  pyrites  or  graphite  is  visible  in  my  speci- 
men. Specific  gravity=7.43. 

Further  details  were  given  by  Henry  2  the  same  year  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science, 
as  follows : 

Professor  Henry  has  transmitted  to  the  editors  a  note  respecting  the  discovery  of  a  mass  of  iron  in  a  deep  gulch 
near  Bear  Creek,  Colorado  Territory,  about  25  or  30  miles  from  Denver,  and  800  or  1,000  feet  below  the  top  of  a  steep 
hill.  Mr.  James  L.  Wilson,  who  describes  it  in  the  Daily  News  published  at  Denver,  Colorado  Territory,  May  14th, 
states  that  it  was  at  first  mistaken  by  himself  and  Mr.  G.  R.  Morrison,  who  accompanied  him,  and  who  had  seen  it  before, 
for  the  "blossom"  or  "iron  hat"  of  a  mineral  lode.  " It  is  irregular  in  form,  being  about  22  inches  long,  9  to  10  broad, 
and  14  wide.  Four  of  its  faces  are  flat  and  two  rounded.  This  form  indicates  it  to  be  a  fragment  of  a  much  larger 
mass.  It  is  magnetic.  Its  weight  is  estimated  at  500  pounds.  The  force  with  which  it  struck  the  rocks  at  the  time 
of  its  fall  had  so  shattered  one  end  as  to  enable  the  discoverers  to  break  off  a  piece  that  weighed  about  11  pounds.  Ita 
composition  appears  to  be  iron,  nickel,  cobalt,  and  copper,  unequally  distributed  in  its  mass.  In  one  part  the  nickel 
and  cobalt  are  largely  in  excess  of  the  other  metals,  while  in  other  parts  iron  forms  the  chief  ingredient.  These  metals 
are  aggregated  and  highly  crystallized .  A  coating  of  the  oxyd  of  iron  half  an  inch  thick  has  taken  the  place  of  the 
shining  black  crust  observed  on  aerolites  when  they  first  reach  the  earth.  The  less  oxydizable  metals,  nickel  and 
cobalt,  still  remain  in  their  metallic  state  in  this  coating  of  iron  rust." 

It  is  pretty  certain  from  this  not  satisfactory  description,  that  this  is  an  example  of  an  iron  meteor-mass  found 
where  it  has  fallen,  the  shattering  of  the  mass  and  of  the  adjacent  rocks  being  rarely  observed.  It  was  exposed  by  a 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  53 

freshet  which  had  washed  away  the  loose  stones  and  earth.  This  is  the  same  mass  noticed  by  Professor  Shepard  at 
page  250  of  this  issue,  who  appears  to  have  been  in  possession  of  some  scales  from  the  concussion  which  disintegrated 
the  specimen.  We  have  taken  steps  to  obtain  more  detailed  information  respecting  it. 

The  next  year  Smith  3  published  an  analysis  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

The  first  of  these  irons  (Russel  Gulch)  I  described  in  the  September  number  of  this  journal,  calling  it  the  "Colo- 
rado meteorite."  Owing  to  the  discovery  of  another  in  the  same  territory  (specimens  of  which  have  been  in  my  pos- 
session for  some  little  time),  it  will  be  proper  to  designate  the  first  mass  as  the  "Russel  Gulch"  iron  and  the  other 
as  the  "Bear  Creek"  iron.  Of  this  last  there  are  two  short  notices  in  the  November  number  of  this  journal.  The 
specimen  of  it  in  my  possession  has  enabled  me  to  make  a  thorough  examination  of  the  constituents.  The  piece  I  have 
has  a  portion  of  the  exterior  attached. 

As  has  already  been  stated  by  Professor  Shepard,  it  is  coarsely  crystalline  and  laminated  from  the  effects  of  decom- 
position between  the  crystals;  the  surface  contains  considerable  pyrites,  although  Professor  Shepard  did  not  dis- 
cover any  in  his  specimen.  I  was  enabled  to  separate  and  analyze  magnetic  pyrites,  schreibersite,  and  nickeliferous 
iron.  Of  the  magnetic  pyrites  sufficient  was  separated  to  make  a  quantitative  determination,  which  was  as  follows: 

Sulphur 35.  08 

Iron 61.  82 

Nickel 41 

Insoluble  residue 1.  81 

99.12 

The  schreibersite  was  not  obtained  in  sufficient  quantity  for  a  complete  analysis;  about  50  milligrams  of  the  pure 
mineral  gave  all  the  constituents  usually  found  in  this  interesting  mineral. 

The  nickeliferous  iron,  constituting  of  course  the  great  bulk  of  the  mass,  was  composed  as  follows: 

Iron 83.89 

Nickel 14.  06 

Cobalt 83 

Copper minute  quantity         • 

Phosphorus 21 

98.99 

The  laminse  of  iron  are  often  very  brilliant,  having  the  luster  of  silver,  and  caused  me  to  suspect  more  nickel  than 
was  found .  It  was  supposed  that  in  the  decomposition  of  the  crystals  the  iron  would  disappear  more  rapidly  than 
the  nickel,  and  that  by  a  process  of  cementation  the  nickel  would  accumulate  in  the  laminae;  but  from  careful  exam- 
ination of  the  process  of  decomposition  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  interior  of  the  mass  will  not  differ  materially  in  ita 
composition  from  the  analysis  already  given  of  the  nickeliferous  iron.  Besides  the  minerals  already  mentioned,  and 
which  properly  belong  to  the  original  mass,  there  is  much  oxyd  of  iron  containing  some  nickel  arising  from  the  decom- 
position of  the  surface. 

Shortly  after,  Jackson  *  also  published  an  analysis,  as  follows: 

I  received  last  Tuesday,  November  6,  a  piece  of  meteoric  iron  from  Rev.  Mr.  Thompson,  who  brought  it  from 
Colorado,  and  who  had  negotiated  for  the  large  mass  with  the  intention  of  presenting  it  to  the  Boston  Society  of 
Natural  History.  I  have  just  learned  that  Professor  Shepard,  through  the  agency  of  a  friend  in  Denver  City,  has 
secured  the  original  mass,  said  to  be  2  feet  in  diameter,  for  his  cabinet.  It  appears,  from  Professor  Shepard's  letter  to 
me,  that  it  is  the  same  mass  that  is  mentioned  in  the  last  (September)  number  of  your  journal,  page  250.  I  made  the 
chemical  analysis  of  it  before  being  aware  it  was  the  same  meteorite  described,  andmnce  no  previous  analysis  of  it  has 
been  made  I  offer  mine  to  you  for  the  journal,  Professor  Shepard  expressing  a  desire  that  it  should  be  published. 

The  piece  of  meteoric  iron  given  me  by  Mr.  Thompson,  who  brought  it  from  Colorado,  weighs  4  ounces.  It  has 
been  heated  in  a  forge  fire  in  order  to  cut  it  more  easily;  but  still  the  Widmanstattian  figures  come  out  when  dilute 
nitric  acid  is  applied  to  the  polished  surface,  as  distinctly  as  possible,  and  consist  of  a  series  of  small,  nearly  equi- 
lateral triangles  with  the  lines  well  defined  and  quite  elevated.  On  one  side  of  the  specimen  was  a  crust  about  one- 
eighth  of  an  inch  thick,  consisting  of  sulphid  of  iron.  This  probably,  in  the  unaltered  meteorite,  is  a.bisulphid  of 
iron  mixed  with  oxyd  of  iron. 

A  portion  of  the  clean  metal  sawed  off  from  the  mass  has  a  specific  gravity  of  7.692. 

On  chemical  analysis  by  the  most  approved  method,  separating  the  iron  from  the  nickel  by  succinate  of  ammonia 
and  determing  the  nickel  as  oxyd  of  nickel,  and  then  analyzing  this  oxyd  for  cobalt  and  copper — a  separate  portion  of 
the  meteorite  being  employed  in  analysis  for  the  tin,  which  was  twice  determined,  and  the  nitric  solution  being  tested 
for  phosphoric  acid  and  sulphuric  acid,  etc. — the  results  of  my  analysis  in  per  cent  are  as  follows: 

Metallic  iron .. 90.  650 

Metallic  nickel 7.867 

Metallic  cobalt 010 

Metallic  tin 020 

Insoluble  matter  consisting  of  a  little  silica,  schreibersite,  and  chrome,  as 
proved  by  blowpipe  investigation 950 

99.  497 


54  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Brezina 5  classed  the  meteorite  as  an  octahedrite  with  fine  lamellae  in  the  Hraschina 
group.     He  gives  the  breadth  of  the  bands  as  0.5  mm.  and  notes  that  the  plessite  is  bright. 
Meunier 6  grouped  the  meteorite  as  Caillite,  and  described  its  structure  as  follows: 

The  figure  given  by  the  iron  of  Bear  Creek  is  finer  than  that  of  the  iron  of  Caille,  and  in  some  characters  it  departs 
'a  little  from  the  type  without  being  altogether  distinguishable.  The  kamacite,  in  little  bands  alternating  with  the 
lamella-  of  tenite,  forma  compact  groups,  at  times  thick,  which  surround  places  occupied,  now  by  plessite  associated 
with  taenite,  and  now  by  pyrrhotine  enveloped  by  an  extremely  thin  layer  of  graphite.  Schreibereite  occurs  in 
scales  at  times  quite  abundant. 

Leick 7  noted  a  parting  in  the  troilite  of  Bear  Creek,  which  indicated  that  it  crystallized 
in  the  isometric  system.  The  planes  which  he  recognized  by  goniometric  measurement 
were  those  of  the  cube  and  dodecahedron.  Later,  however,  he 10  concluded  that  these 
measurements  were  not  trustworthy.  He  found8  the  troilite  of  the  meteorite  a  good  con- 
ductor of  electricity. 

Preston9  gave  the  following  note  regarding  the  locality  of  the  meteorite: 

Bear  Creek  has  been  noted  in  most  catalogues  as  having  been  found  in  Denver  County,  Colorado,  which  is  a  mistake, 
as  Colorado  has  no  county  by  this  name.  It  was  first  mentioned  by  Shepard  as  found  upon  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Sierre  Madre  Range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Again  Henry  notes  it  as  found  in  a  deep  gulch  near  Bear  Creek,  about 
25  or  30  miles  from  Denver.  Smith  in  describing  this  meteorite  gave  it  the  name  of  Bear  Creek.  As  Denver  is  on 
the  boundary  line  between  Arapahoe  and  Jefferson  Counties,  and  as  there  is  a  Bear  Creek  extending  clear  across  Jefferson 
County  from  west  to  east,  emptying  into  the  Platte,  according  to  Henry's  description,  this  would  bring  the  locality 
of  the  Bear  Creek  meteorite  in  the  western  central  part  of  Jefferson  County.  Therefore,  it  seems  likely  that  the  iron 
noted  in  the  Shepard  collection  as  "Jefferson,  30  miles  from  Denver,"  is  in  reality  a  portion  of  the  Bear  Creek  meteorite 
labelled  "Jefferson"  meaning  Jefferson  County,  and  that  the  date  of  fall,  June,  1867,  is  an  error.  Particularly  so  as 
the  Bear  Creek  is  described  by  Henry  as  being  "shattered  at  one  end,"  so  that  small  pieces  could  be  readily  detached. 

Denver  County  has  evidently  been  substituted  for  Denver  city  in  many  of  the  meteorite  lists,  as  no  county  is 
given  in  any  of  the  early  reports  of  the  Bear  Creek  meteorite.  Moreover,  the  Sierre  Madre  Range  is  west  of  Denver, 
and  Bear  Creek  is  described  as  having  been  found  on  its  eastern  slope,  which,  in  all  probability,  would  bring  it  in  Jeffer- 
son County.  So  it  would  seem  best  that  "Jefferson  "  should  be  discarded  entirely  as  a  distinct  fall  and  be  called  Bear 
Creek,  and  that  Denver  County  in  all  meteorite  lists  should  read  Denver  city. 

Cohen  "  described  the  structure  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

The  lamellse  are  long,  straight,  swollen,  seldom  grouped,  and  consist  of  strongly  hatched  granular  kamacite,  with 
very  fine  etching  pits  and  well-developed  tsenite.  Since  the  hatching  lines  penetrate  without  hindrance  the  forks 
between  the  granules,  the  latter  are  separation  phenomena  and  do  not  indicate  a  granular  structure  of  the  kamacite. 
The  fields  are  uniformly  distributed  and  vary  little  in  their  size.  They  are  strongly  developed,  although  somewhat 
subordinate  to  the  bands.  The  gray,  rather  bright  plessite  consists,  as  a  rule,  of  grains  whose  size  averages  0.03mm., 
and  varies  between  boundaries  of  0 .02  and  0. 10  mm .  On  strong  magnification  grains  appear  in  it  surrounded  by  delicate 
tsenite-like  borders  and  separated  by  fine  veins  distinguished  by  lack  of  luster  and  by  a  dark  color  from  the  nickel-iron 
of  the  grains.  Since  it  is  remarkably  depressed  it  is  perhaps  a  nickel-free  or  nickel-poor  iron.  At  the  edge  of  the 
fields  the  grains  go  over  into  short,  compressed  bands.  Plessite  of  this  character  was  described  by  Tschermak  from 
Ilimse.  Tsenite  ramifies  into  many  fields  and  the  kamacite  grains  often  lie  isolated  in  the  tsenite  groundmass  which 
is  sharply  distinguished  by  its  smooth  surface,  luster,  and  light  yellow  color,  and  seems  to  be  an  outgrowth  of  the  taenite 
surrounding  the  bands.  Again,  in  other  fields,  the  dull,  depressed  black  veins  extend,  producing  a  very  fine-grained 
or  striated  structure,  and  form  a  groundmass  in  which  are  imbedded  isolated  kamacite  grains.  Finally,  some  fields 
show  combs  which,  in  consequence  of  their  unusual  breadth,  are  plainly  outgrowths  of  the  bands.  Rarely  does  the 
intimate  structure  of  plessite  exhibit  itself  so  clearly.  Schreibersite  is  very  richly  present.  In  part  it  forms  large 
crystals  up  to  15  mm.  in  length,  occasionally  showing  hieroglyphic  forms;  in  part  there  are  smaller  individuals  which 
either  lie  in  the  bands,  producing  a  lumpy  shape,  drare  surrounded  by  typical  swathing  kamacite.  At  times  one  can 
plainly  see  that  the  latter  is  a  deformed  lamella,  since  one  such  lamella  of  normal  development  widens  at  the  end 
to  a  ring  which  incloses  a  grain  of  schreibersite.  In  addition,  small  shining  grains  and  short  rods  occur  in  many  bands 
which  likewise  appear  to  be  schreibersite  but  could  also  be  cohenite.  Large  troilite  nodules  surrounded  by  swathing 
kamacite  show  a  peculiar  angular-granular  appearance  and  a  lamellar  structure  of  each  grain  gives  a  resemblance  to  the 
so-called  coral  ore. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  (436  pounds)  in  the  Amherst  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1866:  SHEPARD.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  42,  pp.  250-251. 

2.  1866:  HENRY.    Mass  of  meteoric  iron  in  Colorado  Territory.     Idem,  pp.  286-287. 

3.  1867:  SMITH.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  43,  pp.  66-67. 

4.  1867:  JACKSON:  Analysis  of  a  meteoric  iron  from  Colorado.     Idem,  pp.  280-281. 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  210. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  55 

6.  1893:  MEUNIBR.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  pp.  52  and  57. 

7.  1894:  COHEN-.    Meteoritenkunde  Heft  1,  pp.  188  and  191. 

8.  1898:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien  VII.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist,  HofmuB,  Wien,  Bd.  13,  p.  58. 

9.  1902:  PBBSTON.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  77-78. 

10.  1903:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  2,  p.  248. 

11.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  301-302. 


BEAVER  CREEK. 

West  Kootenai  district,  British  Columbia. 

Latitude,  51°  10"  N.;  longitude,  117°  307  W. 

Stone.    Crystalline  spherical  chondrite  (Cck)  of  Brezina;  Sigenite  (type  35)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  between  3  and  4  p.  m.,  May  26,  1893;  described  1893. 

Weight,  14  kgs.  (31  Ibs.) 

A  detailed  description  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Howell,*  Hillebrand,4  and  Merrill s 
as  follows: 

In  the  number  of  "Science  "  dated  July  21,  1893,  I  (Howell)gave  a  brief  history  of  this  meteorite  as  then  known, 
and  proposed  the  above  name  from  the  stream  near  which  it  fell. 

The  accompanying  cut  gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  stone  as  first  seen  by  me.  It  measured  6  by  7  by  9.5  inches  and 
weighed  22.5  pounds.  About  3  or  4  pounds  had  been  broken  from  the  bottom  as  shown  in  the  cut.  The  original  weight 
must  have  been  approximately  26  pounds  and  the  length  12  inches. 

After  repeated  efforts  and  much  correspondence  I  have  been  unable  to  secure  any  more  of  the  fall.  The  reports 
at  first  stated  that  two  smaller  pieces  of  a  few  pounds  each  were  seen  to  fall.  This,  however,  seems  to  have  been  a 
mistake,  as  only  one  other  piece  of  4  or  5  pounds,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  was  seen.  A  portion  at  least  of  this  smaller 
piece  was  broken  into  fragments  and  distributed  the  same  as  the  most  of  that  which  was  broken  from  the  larger  mass 
before  it  came  into  my  possession,  July  6,  1893,  by  purchase  from  Mr.  James  Hislop,  a  civil  engineer,  who  found  and 
dug  it  up  the  morning  after  it  fell  and  brought  it  to  Washington.  It  buried  itself  in  the  earth  about  3  feet — 2  feet  in 
soil  and  1  foot  in  hardpan. 

The  direction  of  the  hole  was  south  60°  east,  true  meridian,  and  at  an  angle  of  58°  with  the  horizon.  Fresh  earth 
was  scattered  about  the  hole  in  all  directions,  but  farthest  (10  feet)  in  the  direction  from  which  the  stone  came. 

It  fell  between  the  hours  of  3  and  4  p.  m.  May  26,  1893,  near  Beaver  Creek,  West  Kootenai  district,  British 
Columbia,  a  few  miles  north  of  the  United  States  boundary  and  about  10  miles  above  where  the  creek  joins  the.  Columbia 
River. 

The  report  was  heard  by  persons  within  a  radius  of  nearly  25  miles,  and  it  was  believed  by  many  who  heard  it 
that  larger  pieces  must  have  fallen  than  those  secured.  The  stone  is  a  typical  aerolite  of  very  pronounced  chondritic 
structure,  has  the  usual  fused  black  crust,  but  has  one  feature  unlike  any  other  meteorite  with  which  I  am  familiar. 
Beneath  the  crust  there  is  a  slight  oxidation  for  a  distance  of  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  which  seemingly 
must  have  occurred  before  it  struck  the  earth,  and  for  which  thus  far  no  satisfactory  explanation  is  suggested. 

There  is  no  occasion  to  further  describe  the  character  of  this  stone  as  that  part  will  be  found  fully  discussed  in  the 
accompanying  paper  by  Doctors  Hillebrand,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  and  Merrill,  of  the  U.  S.  National 

Museum. 

CHEMICAL  DISCUSSION  BY  DR.  W.  F.  HILLEBKAXD. 

The  material  received  for  chemical  examination  was  in  a  crushed  state,  much  of  it  in  fine  powder,  being  the  waste 
resulting  from  cutting  the  rocky  mass.  There  was  scattered  throughout  it  some  organic  matter  derived  from  a  burnish- 
ing brush,  which,  though  insignificant  as  regards  weight,  rendered  useless  any  attempt  to  look  for  organic  matter  proper 
to  the  meteorite  itself. 

Of  this  mass,  26.1892  grams,  after  repeated  separation  under  alcohol  by  an  electro-magnet,  yielded  5.0710  grams  of 
magnetic  material  which  still  contained  over  10  per  cent  of  unmagnetic  substance,  as  shown  by  the  following  analysis: 


Anoiytit  cf  magnetic  material. 

Fe 80.21 

Xi 7.78 

Co 44 

Cu 026 

Silicates 5.17 

SiO, L  31 

MgO L31 

FeO '..     L20 

Fe304 ! 83 

FeS 77 

PA 057 

Ai,O3,  CaO,  Alk.,  and  loss  by  diff 897 

100.000 


h88.456 


56  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  metallic  part  therefore  comprises  17.13  per  cent  of  the  meteorite  and  is  composed  as  follows: 

Fe 90.68 

Ni 8.80 

Co 49 

Cu 03 


100.00 

By  the  procedure  outlined  in  one  of  the  footnotes  to  the  foregoing  analysis  the  isolation  of  the  magnetite  from  all 
but  a  very  small  proportion  of  siliceous  matter  is  easy.  It  then  appears  under  the  microscope  as  irregular  grains  of  a 
dull-black,  lusterless  surface.  Only  one  grain  presented  an  apparently  octahedral  aspect. 

The  main  portion  of  the  meteorite  material,  now  freed  from  all  magnetic  matter,  was  thoroughly  mixed  and  pul- 
verized. Its  composition  follows: 

Analysis  of  unmagnetic  material. 

S 2'21\6.08  troilite. 

Fe" ' 3.87J 

Fe° 24^     75chromite. 


Cr203 51 

Si02 45.  87 

Ti02 09 

A12O3 2.  30 

FeO 12.44 

NiO 07 

MnO 26  (too  low). 

CaO 1.  96 

MgO 28.  24 

K20 15 

Na-jO 98 

Li2O None. 

H20  above  100°  C 34 

PA 30 

Cl...  •- Trace. 


99.83 

The  assumption  of  FeO  as  the  sole  divalent  element  in  the  chromite  is  entirely  arbitrary.  Qualitative  tests  on  a 
minute  quantity  separated  from  the  silicates  showed  that  the  mineral  carried  magnesia  and  alumina  also.  The  extremely 
weak  magnetism  of  the  troilite  appears  clearly  from  the  fact  that  the  electromagnet  produced  only  a  barely  perceptible 
concentration  of  it  in  the  magnetic  mixture,  as  shown  by  comparing  the  percentages  of  troilite  and  of  silicates  therein 
with  those  just  above. 

A  portion  of  the  unmagnetic  powder  was  then  divided  into  a  soluble  and  an  insoluble  part  by  digesting  for  a  few 
hours  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  on  the  water  bath,  filtering,  separating  gelatinized  silica  by  dilute  solution  of 
potassium  hydroxide,  and  repeating  the  treatment  of  the  residue  with  acid  and  alkali.  In  this  way  there  was  decom- 
posed 51.11  per  cent  of  the  whole.  The  composition  of  both  soluble  and  insoluble  parts  as  actually  found  by  analysis 
is  as  follows,  the  S  and  P2O5  being  taken  from  the  previous  analysis,  as  also  the  water  of  the  soluble  part  after  allowing 

for  the  trifle  belonging  to  the  insoluble  portion. 

Soluble  portion.  Insoluble  portion. 

S;:::::::::::::::::::::::;:::;::::::::::::::::  J 

"1  .04  chromite.       °'        0.73  chromite. 

| 


UTjl/j  ..........................................  Oo 

Si02  .........................................   17.03      .  27.74 

Ti02  ................................................  .09 

A1203  .........................................  25  2.34 

FeO  ..........................................     8.69  3.85 

NiO  ..........................................  04  Trace. 

MnO  ..........................................  12  .17 

CaO  ............................................  46  1.65 

MgO  .........................................   17.  24  11.  14 

K,0  ...........................................  01  .12 

Na2O  ...........................................  06.  .90 

H2O  above  100°  C  ..............................  31  .03 

P206  ..........................................  30        .................. 

Cl  ............................................  Trace  ................... 

Loss  ...........................................  48  .13 

51.  11  48.  89 


I  0.  96  chromite. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  57 

Excluding  troilite  and  chromite,  but  including  phosphate,  the  percentage  composition  of  the  soluble  and  insoluble 

mixtures  is  as  follows: 

Soluble  portion.  Insoluble  portion. 

Si02 38.  26  57.  75 

Ti02 .18 

A1203 .' 56  4.89 

FeO 19.  52  8.  02 

NiO 09  Trace. 

MnO 27  .35 

CaO LOS  3.44 

MgO 38.  73  23. 19 

K20 02     •  .25 

NazO 13  L87 

H2O  above  100°  C 70  .06 

PA 68 

Cl Trace 

99.99  100.00 

Whether  the  titanium  belongs  to  the  pyroxene  or  is  to  be  credited  to  a  special  titaniferous  mineral,  such  as  ilmenite 
for  instance,  the  analysis  does  not  show.  The  siliceous  constituents  of  the  stony  matter  appear  from  the  analysis  to  be 
chiefly  olivine  and  the  bronzite  variety  of  enstatite.  In  order  to  throw  further  light,  if  possible,  on  the  character  of 
the  mineral  or  minerals  in  the  soluble  part,  a  portion  of  the  latter  was  subjected  to  prolonged  treatment  with  hydro- 
chloric acid  followed  by  dilute  potassium  hydroxide  solution,  after  which  an  attempt  was  made  to  effect  further  sepa- 
ration by  the  Sonnstadt  solution  with  very  limited  success.  The  main  portion  thus  finally  obtained  was  analyzed.  It 
gave  the  following  composition: 

FeO 0. 311 

Cr203 65| 

Si02 56.  48 

TiO., 19 

ALA 2.  66 

FeO 9. 14 

NiO 

MnO 46 

CaO 2.  97 

MgO 25.  86 

18 

f 1.20 

H20 

100.09 

Comparison  of  this  with  the  preceding  analysis  of  the  insoluble  part  of  the  meteorite  shows  unquestionably  that 
its  siliceous  component  is  a  mixture  and  that  the  effect  of  the  second  acid  and  subsequent  mechanical  treatment  was 
to  remove  partially  a  relatively  soluble  alkali-lime-alumina  silicate.  That  this  more  soluble. ingredient  is  largely 
of  feldspathic  nature  is,  however,  negatived  by  the  fact  that  the  last  analysis,  omitting  chromite  and  titanium,  affords 
almost  exactly  a  metasilicate  ratio,  and  by  the  failure  of  Doctor  Merrill  to  identify  any  feldspathic  mineral  constituent 
in  more  than  mere  traces. 

From  the  data  at  hand  the  composition  of  the  meteorite  as  a  whole  resolves  itself  as  follows,  assuming  for  the  mixed 
silicates  in  the  magnetic  portion  the  same  composition  as  that  shown  by  the  nonmagnetic  mixture: 

Nickel-iron 17. 13 

Magnetite 16 

Troilite  (0.15  in  magnetic,  4.90  in  nonmagnetic  part) 5. 05 

Soluble  silicates  and  phosphate 37.  23 

Insoluble  silicates  and  chromite 40.  43 

100.00 
MICROSCOPICAL  DISCUSSION  BY  DR.  GEORGE  P.  MERRILL. 

The  stone  is  of  a  gray  color  and  granular  structure,  quite  fine  grained  and  friable  but  showing  to  the  unaided  eye 
a  finely  granular  groundmass  studded  with  small  spherules  or  chondri  in  sizes  rarely  if  ever  exceeding  2  mm.  in  greatest 
diameter,  and  averaging  not  more  than  half  that  amount.  With  the  pocket  lens  it  is  seen  that  the  groundmass  is  also 
largely  chondritic,  but  interspersed  with  granular  material  and  glistening  metallic  particles.  So  far  as  material  is  at 
hand  for  comparison,  the  stone  macroscopically  most  resembles  that  of  New  Concord,  Ohio,  but  is  much  more  granular 
and  friable,  as  well  as  more  pronouncedly  chondritic.  In  the  thin  section  under  the  microscope  it  presents  no  feature 
not  common  to  stones  of  its  class,  and  various  portions  of  its  field  show  structures  in  every  way  similar  to  those  of  Mezo- 
Madras,  Homestead,  and  Dhurmsala.  as  figured  by  Tschermak,  or  that  of  San  Emigdio  stone  as  described  by  myself. 
There  are  the  usual  monosomatic  and  polysomatic  chondri,  sometimes  of  olivine  alone,  enstatite  aloncj  or  olivine  and 
enstatite  together,  in  granular  or  porphyritic  forms  with  glassy  base,  or  radiating  and  barred  forms.  The  olivines  not 


58  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XHI. 

infrequently  occur  with  interiors  made  up  of  small  rounded  granules  imbedded  in  a  glaaa  base,  but  extinguishing  simul- 
taneously with  the  outer  portion.  In  many  respects  the  microstructure  closely  simulates  that  of  the  San  Emigdio 
stone,  but  the  apparent  fragmental  nature  is  less  conspicuously  marked.  In  two  instances  small  irregular  colorless 
granules  were  observed  giving  faintly  the  twinning  striae  and  inclined  extinctions  characteristic  of  plagioclase  feldspars. 
It  is  not  possible  from  the  examination  of  the  two  slides  at  command  to  state  more  definitely  as  to  the  presence  or  absence 
of  this  or  of  silicate  minerals  other  than  those  mentioned. 

Brezina  8  classified  the  meteorite  as  a  crystalline  chondrite  and  gave  the  following  obser- 
vations upon  it: 

This  mass  shows  an  amalgamation  of  granular  and  crystalline  characteristics;  the  groundmass  is  porous  and  has 
the  shimmering  appearance  of  crystalline  chondrites  (Ck).  The  globules,  as  much  as  6  mm.  in  size,  are  very  abundant, 
and  for  the  most  part  remain  whole,  but  some  are  broken  in  two  and  stand  out  sharply  against  the  groundmass.  The 
color  of  the  stone  is  quite  a  deep  gray  on  the  fresher  portions,  verging  upon  the  rust  brown  of  the  altered  substance 
toward  the  outer  surface. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1893:  Ho  WELL.    Beaver  Creek  Meteorite.    "Science,"  July  21,  1893,  p.  41. 

2.  1893:  BREZINA.    TJeber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Niirnberg),  p.  162. 

3.  1894:  HOWELL.     Beaver  Creek  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  47,  pp.  430-431.     (Illustration  of  stone.) 

4.  1894:  HILLEBRAND.     Idem.  pp.  431-435. 

5.  1894:  MERRILL.     Idem.  p.  435. 

6.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  260. 

BELLA  ROCA. 

Durango,  Mexico. 

Here  also  La  Bella  Roca  and  Papasquiaro. 

Latitude  24°  55'  N.,  longitude  105°  25'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Rocite  (type  14),  of  Meunier. 

Described  1889. 

Weight  33  kgs.  (72.  6  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  found  on  a  peak  of  the  Sierra  de  San  Francisco,  called  La  Bella  Roca, 
near  Santiago  Papasquiaro  in  the  State  of  Durango,  Mexico.  The  date  of  its  discovery 
and  the  name  of  the  finder  are  unknown.  The  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Whitfield,1  as 
follows : 

The  two  greatest  dimensions  of  the  mass  were  24.13  cm.  by  34.92  cm. 

A  feature  of  the  composition  of  the  mass  was  the  presence  of  large  deep  pittings  on  one  side;  these  were  a  little 
greater  in  diameter  just  below,  than  immediately  at,  the  surface,  and  each  one  had  a  little  substance  left  on  the  bottom, 
which  evidently  was  the  remains  of  what  originally  filled  the  cavities.  As  the  analysis  shows,  this  material  was  troi- 
lite  (FeS  85.27,  Fe  9.37,  NiS,  2.13). 

The  exposed  surface  of  the  troilite  was  greatly  decomposed,  and  gave  ground  for  the  idea  that  the  deep  pittinga 
were  formed  by  the  removal  of  troilite  nodules,  partly  while  the  mass  was  hot  and  partly  by  the  subsequent  weather- 
ing. There  were  nodules  of  troilite  throughout  the  entire  mass  of  the  meteorite,  but  none  were  removed  so  as  to  form 
pittings  on  any  other  "part  of  the  surface  but  the  side  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  front.  The  mass  was  deeply 
furrowed  and  all  the  furrows  trended  away  from  the  side  containing  the  pittings. 

Slices  of  the  meteorite,  when  etched,  showed  rather  coarse  Widmannstatten  figures  and  also  dark-  diagonal 
bands  of  troilite. 

Analysis  by  Whitfield  gave  the  following  result: 

Fe 91.  48 

Ni 7.92 

Co 0.  22 

C '. .• 0. 06 

P 0.21 

S 0.  21 

100. 10 

• 

Whitfield  also  analyzed  the  inner  and  outer  portions  of  a  troilite  nodule,  the  results  being 
as  follows: 

Inner  portion.  Outer  portion. 

NiS 2.13  2.07 

FeS 85. 27  37. 51 

Fe203 37.80 

H20 19.85 

Fe 9.37  

96.  77  97.  23 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  59 

Brezina*  definitely  proved  the  association  of  tsenite  with  plessite  in  this  mass. 

Meunier7  describes  it  as  a  common  type  but  possessing  a  very  distinct  character  from  the 
association  with  nickel-iron  of  large  quantities  of  troilite  which  is  disseminated  quite  uniformly 
throughout  the  rock,  the  same  sulphide  being  also  present  as  huge  cylindrical  forms  enveloped 
in  a  thick  sheath  of  graphite  and  schreibersite.  The  result  is  a  rock  which  does  not  conform 
to  any  other. 

Brezina  'also  describes  it  as  a  highly  oriented  iron  with  an  almost  complete  fusion  crust, 
and  one  which  can  have  lain  in  the  open  air  only  a  short  time  prior  to  its  discovery.  On  the 
front  side  of  the  iron  he  notes — 

a  fusion  ridge  resembling  strands  of  hair  parting  asunder,  while  the  rear  side,  1  to  2  mm.  thick,  is  covered  with  a  gran- 
ular crust  which  appears  porous  in  cross  section,  and  sometimes  drops  measuring  1.5  cm.  in  diameter*are  reduced  to 
0.5  cm.  in  thickness.  The  regular  arrangement  of  laminae  and  interspaces,  the  very  marked  development  of  tenite 
and  its  extraordinary  richness  in  schreibersite  crystals  make  this  iron  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  instructive 
among  known  meteorites.  The  broad  bordered  kamacite  bands  are  almost  in  equal  proportion  to  the  fields  filled  with 
shimmering  plessite.  On  one  part  of  the  iron  the  triad  is  deformed,  bent.  The  large  schreibersite  laminae,  as  much 
as  5  cm.  in  length,  are  abundantly  and  evenly  distributed  throughout  the  entire  mass;  they  are  usually  embedded  in 
kamacite  1  to  1.5  mm.  thick  and  follow  the  octahedral  lamina  in  their  orientation.  Numerous  troilite  concretions, 
measuring  1.5  to  3.5  cm.  are  found  intact  on  the  inside  and  upon  the  rear  side,  but  on  the  front  side  they  are  mostly 
fused  out ;  in  numerous  places  may  be  seen  a  tonguelike  indentation  of  the  troilite  by  the  trias,  which  causes  the  envelop- 
ing kamacite  to  follow  the  indentation  like  an  intercalary  layer.  Occasionally,  also  grains  of  iron  are  found  inside  of  the 
troilite  and  a  tongue  of  iron  or  included  grains  of  iron  may  sometimes  be  observed  inclosed  entirely  in  graphite.  It  is 
frequently  found,  that  on  the  scaly  borders  of  the  trias,  on  the  side  toward  the  troilite  granules,  after  the  removal  of 
the  latter,  the  laminae  terminate  in  crystalline  boundary  surfaces. 

Schreibersite  occurs  in  individual  crystals,  some  of  which  resemble  cohenite  crystals;  it  also  occurs  in  plates  1.5 
mm.  thick  by  6  cm.  in  length  and  lying  parallel  to  the  octahedral  facets;  in  fact,  Bella  Boca  is  distinguished  by  a  very 
unusual  richness  in  Bchreibersite.  The  meteorite  is  also  noted  for  the  exceptionally  high  percentage  of  iron  sulphide 
it  contains  and  for  the  large  lumps  in  which  it  occurs. 

Cohen  "  described  the  structure  of  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

Bella  Roca  is  distinguished  by  long,  straight,  strongly  swollen,  few  and  weakly  grouped  lamellae,  unusually  well 
developed  taenite  bounding  uniformly  distributed  fields  which  are  nearly  equal  in  extent  to  the  bands.  The  kama- 
cite, which  is  occasionally  somewhat  coarse-granular,  affords  a  uniform,  dull,  peculiar  sheen.  Under  the  microscope 
it  shows  so  fine  a  granulation  that  even  under  the  strongest  enlargement  it  can  not  be  determined  what  produces  it. 
The  fields  consist  almost  wholly  of  opaque,  dark  plessite.  As  a  rule  they  are  uniformly  penetrated  by  minute,  shin- 
ing scales.  In  the  larger  fields  though,  the  shining  inclusions  are  somewhat  larger,  and  appear  on  strong  magnification 
as  closed  curves  of  various  shapes 0.01  to  0.02  mm.  in  diameter  surrounding  dark  grains.  Pne  such  field  is  surrounded 
by  a  broad,  dark  edge  0.05  to  0.1  mm.  in  width,  not  sharply  bounded  at  the  interior,  which  appears  similar  to  the  pre- 
dominant plessite.  Only  a  few  fields  cross  the  complete  lamellae,  which  are  about  0.05  mm.  in  breadth,  and  run  out — 
as  a  rule  at  both  ends,  though  at  times  only  at  one  end — into  the  principal  lamellae  so  that  their  taenite  border  unites 
with  that  of  the  latter. 

Bella  Roca  belongs  to  those  irons  which  are  distinguished  by  the  number  and  size  of  the  schreibersites,  their 
shape  being  partly  elongate-prismatic,  and  partly  elongate  lenslike.  On  a  plate  having  a  surface  of  300  sq.  cm. 
besides  many  smaller  individuals.  I  counted  20  prismatic  crystals  5  cm.  in  length.  They  are  usually  oriented  par- 
allel to  the  lamellae.  Swathing  kamacite  is  not  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  the  kamacite.  Two  plates  showed  a 
different  magnetic  relation.  One  which  was  nearly  square  took  very  strong  magnetism;  the  other  which  was  nearly 
as  long  as  broad,  only  weak  magnetism.  The  former  showed,  according  to  the  investigation  of  Leick,  a  specific  mag- 
netism of  1.68,  the  latter  of  2.39  absolute  units  per  gram.  Specific  gravity=7.8244. 

Cohen  n  also  reports  an  analysis  by  Knauer  as  follows: 

Fe 89.68 

Xi a  78 

Co a  55 

Cu 0.  02 

Or Trace. 

P 0.31 

S..  0.05 


100.39 
The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  largest  mass  being  in  the  possession  of  the  Vienna  Museum. 


60  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1889:  WHTTFIELD,    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  37,  pp.  439. 

2.  1890:  FLETCHEK.    Mexican  Meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  155-156. 

3.  1891:  VON  HATJEU.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6  (Not.),  p.  54;  and  Bd.  7,  1892  (Not.),  p.  72. 

4.  1891:  COHEN  u.  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  p.  162. 

5.  1892:  EASTMAN.    The  Mexican  meteorites.    Bull.  Philos.  Soc.  Washington,  vol.  12,  p.  45. 

6.  1893:  BKEZINA.     Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nurnberg),  p.  163. 

7.  1893:  MEUNIER.     R6vision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  p.  44-45.     (Illustration  of  etched  surface.) 

8.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  1,  pp.  116,  124,  125,  135,  156,  195,  196,  and  199. 

9.  1895:  BKEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  271.     (Illustration  of  etched  surface). 

10.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  90. 

11.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  374-377. 


BETHLEHEM. 

Albany  County,  New  York. 

Latitude  42°  37'  N.,  longitude  73°  45'  W. 

Here  also  Albany  County,  1859,  and  Troy. 

Stone.    Crystalline  spherulitic  chondrite  (Cck)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  7.20  a.  m.,  Aug.  11,  1859;  described  1859. 

Known  weight,  about  11  grams  (0.4  ounce). 

A  full  account  of  the  meteor  which  produced  the  known  stone  of  this  fall  was  given  by 
Wells  *  as  follows: 

On  the  morning  of  August  11, 1859,  at  7  o'clock  and  20  minutes  or  thereabouts,  thermometer  73°,  air  still,  and  the  sun 
shining  brightly,  a  meteoric  body  of  great  size  and  brilliancy  was  observed  throughout  a  large  portion  of  western  New 
England  and  eastern  New  York,  which,  exploding  violently,  threw  down  to  the  earth  at  least  one  fragment  of  its  mass, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Albany,  New  York. 

The  main  facts  connected  with  this  interesting  phenomenon,  collected  from  numerous  and  widely  separated  observ- 
ers, are  as  follows: 

By  observers,  generally,  north  of  Albany,  the  meteor  is  described  as  appearing  in  the  southeast,  at  an  elevation  of 
from  45°  to  60°;  thence  it  passed  rapidly  to  the  south,  and  disappeared  a  little  west  of  south,  at  an  elevation  of  from 
10°  to  15°.  Its  course,  throughout  its  visible  range,  was  marked  by  a  heavy  train  or  trail  of  smoke,  which  continued 
visible  for  some  time  after  the  meteor  itself  had  disappeared;  and  at  two  or  three  points  in  its  course,  large  volumes  of 
smoke  were  observed  to  form,  as  if  the  result  of  successive  explosions.  These  volumes  of  smoke  were  observed  to  be  in 
a  state  of  great  agitation,  and  in  size  were  compared  to  the  cloud  of  smoke  produced  by  the  discharge  of  a  6-pounder. 

To  observers,  generally.,  south  of  Albany  (20  miles  or  more  distant),  the  meteor  was  first  seen  in  the  northeast,  and 
disappeared  to  the  northwest;  a  fact  which  indicates  the  path  of  the  body  to  have  been  nearly  coincident  with  the  parallel 
of  Albany. 

A  few  minutes  after  the  disappearance  of  the  meteor,  the  lapse  of  time  being  variously  estimated  by  differently 
located  observers  at  from  30  seconds  to  2  minutes,  two  or  three  loud  and  successive  explosions  or  reports  were  heard, 
accompanied  by  prolonged  echoes  and  a  violent  concussion.  These  sounds  have  been  compared  by  some  to  sharp 
and  heavy  peals  of  thunder,  to  the  report  attending  the  explosion  of  a  powdermill,  or  steam  boiler,  and  also  to  the 
rumbling  of  heavy  carriages  on  a  bridge.  In  Troy,  the  concussion  and  jarring  were  sufficiently  intense  to  suggest  the 
idea  of  an  earthquake;  people  walking  in  the  streets  involuntarily  stopped,  and  for  a  moment  nearly  every  occupation 
was  suspended.  At  Schaghticoke,  New  York,  and  Bennington,  Vermont,  where  powdermills  are  in  operation,  the 
report  was  referred  to  as  explosions  at  the  works.  At  Eagle  Bridge,  on  the  Troy  and  Bennington  Railroad ,  the  concussion 
was  forcible  enough  to  jar  the  windows  and  shake  the  seats  of  a  train  of  cars  in  motion.  At  Greenbush,  opposite  Albany, 
numbers  of  people  rushed  to  the  docks,  under  the  supposition  that  a  passing  steamboat  had  exploded  her  boiler.  The 
noise  and  concussion  also  appear  to  have  been  noticed  to  nearly  an  equal  extent,  at  points  60  miles  east  of  the  Hudson, 
while  the  whole  area  over  which  the  sound  is  positively  known  to  have  been  heard  with  distinctness  was  upward  of 
2,000  square  miles.  The  area  of  country,  on  the  other  hand,  over  which  the  meteor  was  seen,  was,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  much  larger  than  the  area  over  which  the  explosions  were  heard,  being  at  least  equal  to  G.OOO  square  miles. 
Thus,  observations  were  made  upon  it  at  Morristown,  Lamoille  County,  Vermont,  25  miles  north  of  Montpelier,  and  at 
South  Manchester,  Connecticut,  a  point  nearly  200  miles  south;  it  was  also  observed  at  localities  west  of  the  Hudson 
River,  and  at  various  points  from  30  to  50  miles  east  of  the  Hudson.  Within  a  radius  of  30  miles  northeast  and  south- 
east of  the  city  of  Troy  it  was  probably  observed  by  every  person  out  of  doors  who  was  at  the  time  looking  in  a  southerly 
direction;  yet  such  is  the  unreliability  of  human  testimony  as  regards  natural  phenomena  that  no  two  observers  can  be 
found  to  agree  as  to  many  important  particulars,  such  as  apparent  size,  period  of  visibility,  direction,  altitude,  etc. 

The  estimates  formed  of  its  size  are  exceedingly  discrepant;  some  observers  comparing  it  to  the  sun,  or  full  moon,  . 
and  others  to  a  skyrocket,  or  the  luminous  ball  projected  from  a  Roman  candle.     All  agree,  however,  that  its  appear- 
ance even  in  full  sunshine  was  exceedingly  bright  and  dazzling,  the  light  being  at  the  same  time  of  a  reddish  color.     So 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  61 

bright,  indeed,  was  it  at  Strafiord,  Vermont,  a  locality  nearly  100  miles  north  of  the  probable  point  of  explosion,  that 
its  distance  was  estimated  as  not  exceeding  a  half  mile  from  the  point  of  observation. 

A  single  fragment  only  of  the  meteor  is  positively  known  to  have  fallen.  This  was  found  in  Bethlehem,  Albany 
County,  New  York,  and  at  a  point  about  10  miles  west  of  Albany.  The  circumstances  connected  with  the  phenomenon 
related  by  the  person  who  noticed  it  are  as  follows: 

While  standing  in  the  inclosure  adjoining  his  house,  his  attention  and  that  of  his  family  was  attracted  by  a  loud 
sound,  overhead,  which  somewhat  resembled  thunder;  and  a  few  minutes  after  a  stone  struck  the  southeast  side  of  a 
wagon  house,  and  bounding  off,  rolled  into  the  grass.  A  dog  lying  in  the  doorway  started  up  and  ran  to  the  place 
where  the  stone  fell.  When  picked  up  immediately  after,  it  was  found  to  be  quite  warm,  and  possessed  of  considerable 
sulphurous  odor.  The  fragment  in  question  was  small,  about  the  size  of  a  pigeon's  egg,  and  irregularly  shaped.  Nearly 
three-fourths  of  its  superficies  was  covered  with  a  black,  nonlustrous,  evidently  fused  crust,  while  the  remainder  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  a  fresh  fracture,  and  was  of  a  light-gray  color,  and  of  a  granular  or  semicrystalline  texture. 
Its  composition  was  apparently  siliceous  and  not  metallic.  This  specimen  was  bought  by  the  regents  of  the  University 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  is  now  deposited  in  the  State  cabinet  at  Albany.  Other  fragments  are  reported  to  have 
fallen  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Hudson,  but  careful  inquiry  has  thus  far  failed  to  discover  them. 

From  the  above  facts  it  seems  evident  that  the  meteor  of  August  11  was  of  immense  size,  probably  of  tons  weight,  and 
that  it  exploded  violently  at  no  great  distance  above  the  surface  of  the  earth.  It  is  also  an  interesting  subject  of  specu- 
lation as  to  what  became  of  the  other  fragments,  and  also  of  what  the  smoke  so  abundantly  developed  during  its  course 
was  composed. 

The  first  description  of  the  stone  was  given  by  Shepard2,  as  follows: 

The  only  stone  found  from  the  great  explosion  heard  over  a  large  district  of  northwestern  Massachusetts,  and  ex- 
tending into  the  State  of  New  York  as  far  as  10  miles  west  of  the  cities  of  Albany  and  Troy,  was  the  little  fragment, 
less  in  size  than  a  pigeon's  egg,  of  which  an  outline  is  here  subjoined. 

I  am  indebted  to  David  A.  Wells,  Esq.,  the  editor  of  the  American  Scientific  Annual,  for  several  interesting  par- 
ticulars concerning  its  discovery  and  properties.  He  was  good  enough  to  visit,  at  my  request,  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Garritt  Vanderpool  (situated  7  miles  from  Albany  and  1  mile  west  of  Bethlehem  Church),  where  the  stone  fell,  and 
to  ascertain  on  the  spot  the  facts  respecting  its  descent.  Mr.  Vanderpool  was  at  work  near  his  house,  and  heard  the 
explosion  in  common  with  other  members  of  his  family.  About  two  minutes  after,  as  it  appeared  to  him.  a  stone,  coming 
in  an  oblique  course,  struck  the  side  of  a  wagon  house,  glanced  off,  hit  a  log  upon  the  ground,  bounded  again,  and 
rolled  into  the  grass.  A  dog  lying  in  the  doorway  of  the  wagon  house  sprang  up.  darted  out  and  seized  it,  but  dropped 
it  immediately,  probably  on  account  of  its  warmth  and  sulphurous  smell.  Mr.  Wells  had  two  opportunities  of  inspecting 
the  stone  before  it  was  sold  to  the  State  Cabinet  at  Albany.  It  was  far  from  being  entire  when  first  picked  up,  no  doubt 
having  been  broken  by  its  contact  with  the  house.  On  the  second  inspection,  he  noticed  that  one  corner  had  been 
broken  away,  and  other  portions  much  marred  through  the  use  of  knife  blades  upon  its  surface  by  the  curious,  who, 
in  this  rude  way,  had  been  led  to  investigate  its  peculiarities.  About  "one-half  of  it,  however,"  he  observes,  "is  covered 
with  the  peculiar  dark  colored  crust  of  meteorites,  and  has  a  burnt  appearance.  This  is  so  well  marked  that  it  at  once 
establishes  its  identity  as  a  meteoric  stone.  The  other  sides  presenting  the  appearance  originally  bright  and  of  a  fresh 
fracture  were  clear,  but  are  now  soiled  from  handling.  The  color  is  a  light  steel-gray,  with  metallic  particles  inter- 
spersed. The  structure  is  granular." 

Through  the  recommendation  of  Hiq  Excellency,  Governor"  Morgan  to  the  officers  having  in  charge  the  State 
Cabinet,  a  small  fragment  of  the  stone,  including  a  portion  of  the  crust,  was  most  obligingly  transmitted  to  me  by  Mr. 
Wool  worth,  accompanied  by  the  following  note: 

••  ALBANY,  Xov.  11,  1859. 
Prof.  CHARLES  U.  SHEPARD. 

DEAR  SIB:  I  am  directed  by  Governor  Morgan.  as_  chairman  of  the  committee  of  the  regents  of  the  University  on 
the  State  Cabinet  of  Natural  History,  to  send  you  the  inclosed  portion  of  the  aerolite  lately  found  near  this  city.  The 
committee  had  hopes  of  finding  other  parts  01  the  stone  than  the  one  first  discovered,  but  have  not  been  successful. 
They  regret  they  can  not  send  you  more,  but  could  not  do  so  without  destroying  the  specimen  they  possess.  Hoping 
it  may  be  sufficient  for  your  purposes,  I  am,  very  truly,  yours.  &c., 

J.  B.  WOOLWORTH,  Sec'y,  <fcc." 

I  am  likewise  much  indebted  to  Henry  A.  Homes,  Esq.,  the  State  librarian,  for  his  good  offices  in  facilitating 
my  early  acquisition  of  the  specimen  which  enables  me  to  compare  it  with  those  I  possess  from  other  localities. 

The  crust  of  the  Bethlehem  stone  is  very  peculiar.  It  is  double  the  thickness  of  any  in  my  collection,  equaling 
that  of  thick  pasteboard.  It  is  perfectly  black,  and  very  open  in  its  texture.  The  outer  surface  is  rough,  being  nowhere 
perfectly  fused,  but  only  semi  vitrified .  Without  being  fragile  or  carbonaceous,  it  nevertheless  resembles  in  color, 
luster,  and  porousness,  certain  surfaces  of  mineral  charcoal.  The  interior  of  the  stone  is  equally  peculiar,  being  loosely 
granular,  the  particles  being  uniform  in  character,  small,  highly  crystalline,  and  nearly  transparent.  They  possess 
a  brilliant  luster,  a  very  light  gray  or  greenish  white  color.  They  resemble  volcanic  peridote  more  than  any  species 
of  the  augitic  or  feldspar  family.  Nickelic  iron,  of  a  bright  white  color,  in  delicate  filaments  and  semicrystalline 
grains,  is  thickly  diffused  through  the  mass;  and  these  grains,  as  well  as  those  of  the  peridotic  mineral,  are  flecked 
with  brilliant  points  of  pyrrhotine  (FeS).  The  specific  gravity  is  3.56.  In  general  color  and  effect  to  the  eye,  it  ap- 
proaches nearest  to  the  Klein-Wenden  stone  (September  16,  1S43):  but  it  differs  from  this  in  being  larger  grained, 
and  looser  in  its  texture. 


62  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

According  to  Brezina 4  the  ground  mass  is  composed  of  rather  loose,  glassy;  and  crystalline 
grains,  somewhat  similar  to  Lodran,  with  the  chondri,  however,  remaining  entirely  whole. 

The  most  of  this  meteorite  that  is  preserved  is  in  the  New  York  State  Museum  at  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  as  the  present  writer  is  informed  by  a  letter  from  Director  Clarke.  The  amount  there 
preserved  is  8.2  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1859:  WELLS.     Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  7,  pp.  176-179. 

2.  1860:  SHEPARD.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  30,  pp.  206-207.     (Outline  sketch  of  the  stone  of  the  size  of  a 

pigeon's  egg.) 

3.  1863:  BUCHNEB.    Meteoriten,  p.  102. 

4.  1895    BEEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  259. 


BILLINGS. 

Christian  County,  Missouri. 

Latitude,  37°  10'  N.;  longitude,  93°  30'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1903. 

Weight,  24.5  kgs.  (54  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Ward  l  as  follows: 

A  new  siderite  is  now  added  to  the  six  meteorites  (four  siderites  and  two  aerolites)  already  found  in  the  State  of 
Missouri.  The  mass  was  found  on  the  farm  of  George  Wolf,  about  4  miles  east  of  Billings,  Christian  County,  southwestern 
Missouri,  in  breaking  new  ground  in  September,  1903.  It  was  taken  by  Mr.  Wolf,  who  considered  it  an  iron  ore,  to 
a  street  fair  held  in  Billings  in  the  same  month,  where  it  took  the  first  prize  as  iron  ore.  The  attention  of  J.  P.  Thomas 
was  called  to  it,  and  he  had  a  horseshoe  nail  made  from  a  piece  of  it  and  a  hole  drilled  through  the  edge  of  the  mass 
to  test  its  quality.  Mr.  Thomas  shipped  it  with  a  large  number  of  specimens  of  iron  ore  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where 
it  was  bought  by  Mr.  R.  E.  Bruner,  a  gentleman  who  possesses  a  fine  collection  of  minerals.  It  remained  in  Mr.  Bruner's 
hands  until  I  obtained  it  from  him  last  November. 

In  general  shape  the  Billings  siderite  rudely  resembles  an  ax  or  hatchet.  Its  extreme  length  is  15.25  inches; 
its  greatest  breadth  8.75  inches.  The  thickness  at  the  larger  end  is  5  inches,  while  from  the  middle  the  mass  flattens 
out  into  a  blade  or  wedge,  which  is  about  3  inches  thick  on  a  medium  line,  and  slopes  off  to  a  blunt  rounded  edge 
at  the  sides  and  end.  This  iron  has  evidently  lain  in  the  ground  for  a  long  time  since  its  fall.  Its  outer  surface  is 
rusty  and  covered  with  flaking  scales  of  oxide.  There  consequently  remains  upon  its  surface  no  sure  trace  of  "  pitting  " 
or  other  aerial  action  incident  upon  its  flight  and  fall  through  our  atmosphere.  A  single  circular  concave  depression, 
4  inches  across  by  1  inch  in  greatest  depth,  on  one  side  of  the  mass  may  be  the  remains  of  an  original  pitting  on  the 
original  surface.  The  weight  of  the  mass  before  cutting  was  54  pounds.  Several  slices  have  been  made  under  my 
direction  which  show  fine  Widmannstatten  figures  of  the  octahedral  system.  Of  the  structure  and  composition  of  the 
iron  alloys  inducing  these  figures  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  Oliver  C.  Farrington,  of  the  Field  Columbian  Museum  of 
Chicago,  for  the  remarks  which  follow. 

The  Billings  iron  is  a  coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  with  lamellae  averaging  from  1  to  2  mm.  in  width.  In  length  many 
of  the  lamellae  extend  2  mm.  without  interruption.  They  are,  as  a  rule,  comparatively  straight  in  outline,  but  again 
become  irregular  and  swollen  and  at  times  merge  into  areas  where  then-  outlines  are  so  nearly  rounded  as  to  give  a 
coarse-granular  appearance.  The  substance  of  the  lamellae  is  sometimes  interrupted  and  sometimes  shows  subdivision 
longitudinally  into  narrower  bands  by  more  or  less  continuous  films  of  tsenite.  The  kamacite  is  coarsely  granular 
in  character  and  shows  oriented  sheen.  The  tsenite  appears  as  a  dark  narrow  line,  in  general  bordering  the  kamacite, 
but  also  not  infrequently  crossing  and  anastomosing.  In  portions  of  the  meteorite,  where  some  decomposition  has  taken 
place,  the  tsenite  separates  out  as  thin,  flexible,  magnetic  plates  of  a  tin-white  color. 

The  meshes  of  the  section  occupy  but  small  space  relatively  to  the  bands,  but  are  well  defined  where  they  occur. 
They  range  in  size  from  about  25  sq.  mm.  down,  and  in  outline  from  triangular  to  trapezoidal.  They  are  filled  with 
a  substance  darker  in  color  than  the  kamacite,  and  are  traversed  by  irregular  numbers,  of  delicate  plates  seen  only 
under  the  lens,  which  run  now  in  one  and  in  several  directions.  As  a  rule  these  plates  start  in  great  numbers  from  the 
borders  of  the  mesh  and  thin  out  toward  the  center,  but  in  some  of  the  meshes  they  extend  uniformly  across.  Several 
nodules  of  troilite  appear  in  the  section  examined  and  as  usual  occur  near  its  boundary.  One  of  these  nodules  is  irregu- 
larly oval  in  shape  and  has  a  diameter  of  about  1  cm.  The  others  are  smaller  and  range  in  outline  from  nearly  circular 
to  considerably  elongated.  None  of  them  has  a  border  of  swathing  kamacite.  A  line  of  irregular  parting  extends  across 
the  section  following  roughly  the  lamellar  planes,  except  at  about  the  middle  of  the  section,  where  it  runs  nearly  straight 
for  a  distance  of  about  2  mm.  quite  irrespective  of  the  lamellar  structure.  The  parting  at  this  point  has  a  width  of 
about  1  mm.  and  is  filled  with  a  substance  of  the  section.  This  substance  shows  a  foliated  structure  parallel  with 
the  length  of  the  parting,  some  of  the  foliae  suggesting  by  their  luster  and  color  taenite,  others  kamacite.  The  struc- 
ture is  evidently  secondary  in  character  and  appears  to  be  a  filling  subsequent  to  the  individualization  of  the  main 
mass. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  63 

The  chemical  analysis  of  the  iron  has  been  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols,  the  chemist  of  the  Field  Columbian 
Museum,  and  is  as  given  below: 

Fe 91.99 

Ni 7. 38 

Co 42 

Cu 01 

Si v 08 

P 15 

S..  06 


100.09 
The  larger  part  of  this  Billings  siderite  has  taken  its  place  in  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection  of  Meteorites. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1905:  WARD.    The  Billings  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  19,  pp.  240-242. 


BISHOPVILLE. 

Sumter  (Bounty,  South  Carolina. 

Latitude  34°  13'  N.,  longitude  80°  16"  W. 

Stone.    Veined  chladnite  (Chla)  of  Brezina;  Chladnite  (type  52)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  March  25, 1843;  described  1846. 

Weight,  6kgs.  (131bs). 

The  first  mention  of  this  stone  seems  to  have  been  by  Shepard  1  in  1846  in  a  description 
of  the  minerals  of  meteorites.  In  this  account  he  mentions  hyposulphates  of  magnesia  and 
soda  (epsom  and  glauber's  salts),  chlorides  of  calcium  and  magnesium,  and  soluble  silica,  as  dis- 
solved from  the  Bishopville  stone,  and  he  remarks  that  sulphurous  acid  is  evolved  from  the  stone 
by  fresh  fracture  or  slight  friction.  He  describes  three  new  species  to  which  he  gives  the  names 
apatoid,  iodolite,  and  chladnite,  the  latter  forming  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  stone. 

In  1848  Shepard  2  described  the  phenomena  of  fall  and  the  characters  of  the  stone  as 
follows : 

For  my  first  knowledge  of  this,  the  most  remarkable  of  all  the  hitherto  described  meteorites  of  the  United  States, 
I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  J.  C.  Haynsworth,  of  Sumterville,  South  Carolina.  His  letter  to  me,  dated  April  7,  1846,  which 
is  here  given,  contains  all  the  information  respecting  its  fall,  which  I  have  thus  far  been  able  to  obtain.  "I  have  in 
possession  a  meteoric  stone  which  fell  in  March,  1843,  near  Bishopville,  in  the  northern  part  of  Sumter  district.  The 
passage  of  the  meteor  and  its  explosion  were  witnessed  by  many  spectators,  over  a  region  of  country  of  30  or  40  miles 
in  diameter.  The  descent  of  the  stone  itself,  also,  was  observed  by  a  number  of  negroes.  Their  terror  was  so  great 
on  seeing  the  excavation  it  produced,  the  scattering  of  the  soil,  and  more  than  all  by  the  insupportable  sulphurous 
odors  with  which  the  air  was  filled,  that  they  fled  in  a  panic  from  the  field.  On  the  following  morning,  however, 
headed  by  a  white  man  they  returned  to  the  spot,  and  after  digging  3  feet  or  more  in  a  sandy  soil  they  came  upon 
the  stone  which  I  now  possess.  That  it  is  meteoric  is  as  well  known  as  possible,  perhaps,  in  the  absence  of  a  scientific 
analysis.  It  has  more  the  appearance  of  limestone  than  of  any  other  rock-  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  though  it  is 
much  heavier  than  the  same  bulk  of  limerock.  It  has,  moreover,  numerous  particles  resembling  oxide  of  iron  diffused 
through  it.  It  is  coated  with  a  dark  shining  surface,  resembling  glass  that  has  been  stained  with  some  metallic  oxide. 
When  first  dug  up  the  sulphurous  odor  was  said  to  have  been  overpowering.  This  has  now  subsided,  though  it  can 
be  reproduced  by  friction  or  slight  warmth.  It  begins  to  suffer  decomposition  from  the  access  of  air  and  moisture  to  the 
interior,  as  portions  of  the  vitreous  coating  have  been  removed  for  specimens  by  persons  who  have  examined  it." 

The  stone  was  purchased  for  me  by  Dr.  Haynsworth  and  is  now  in  my  possession.    Its  weight  was  13  pounds. 

It  measures  9  inches  in  its  longest  diameter  by  5.75  and  5  in  its  transverse  dimensions.  It  is  rounded  at  its  thicker 
extremity,  from  whence,  after  bulging  somewhat,  it  gradually  tapers  to  the  smaller  end,  which  is  obviously  pyramidal, 
with  four  sides. 

Being  an  uncommonly  fragile  stone,  the  glazed  coating  had  disappeared  from  the  angles  and  the  ends  of  the  mass, 
leaving  not  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  surface  protected  by  the  original  crust,  which  is  generally  smooth,  of  a  mottled 
aspect,  the  colors  being  black,  white,  and  bluish  gray,  not  unlike  certain  clouded  marbles.  The  black  portions  are 
glossy  and  obsidianlike,  the  gray  and  white  for  the  most  part  dull,  though  the  white  is  sometimes  shining  and  trans- 
parent, like  enamel  on  porcelain.  It  is  traversed  by  frequent  cracks  or  fissures,  which  penetrate  for  some  distance 
into  the  stone,  the  walls  of  these  fissures  being  themselves  partially  fused  for  a  little  way  inward  from  the  exterior. 

The  interior  view  of  the  stone  is  no  less  peculiar.  The  pearly  white  color  of  its  basis  and  its  feldspathic  crystalliza- 
tion, at  first  view,  make  it  difficult  to  regard  it  as  anything  else  than  a  decomposing  mass  of  albitic  granite.  A  nearer 
inspection,  however,  satisfies  the  observer  that  the  white  substance  (chladnite,  which  is  nearly  as  tender  as  launjontite) 
is  different  from  any  terrestrial  mineral.  It  is  seen,  moreover,  to  be  traversed  with  little  black  veins,  and  here  and  there 
to  include  little  grains  of  deeply  rusted  nickeliferous  iron,  some  of  which  are  as  large  as  a  pea.  Black  grains  and  even 


64  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

crystals  of  aulphuret  of  chromium  (schreibersite  resembling  allanite  in  form  and  color)  are  occasionally  visible.  Brown- 
colored  pyrites,  in  very  minute  quantity,  is  diffused  through  the  stone,  and  especially  is  it  visible  in  contact  with  the 
sulphuret  of  chromium.  A  peculiar  blue  mineral  (iodolite)  and  a  honey-yellow  one  (apatoid),  aa  well  as  traces  of 
sulphur,  are  likewise  present  in  traces  in  the  stone. 

Wherever  the  stone  is  broken  or  rubbed,  it  emits  the  odor  of  sulphurous  acid.  Water  dissolves  from  it  decided 
traces  of  hyposulphate  of  soda,  hyposulphate  of  magnesia,  sulphate  of  magnesia,  chloride  of  magnesium,  chloride  of 
sodium,  and  silicic  acid. 

The  proportions  in  which  the  different  visible  minerals  are  present  may  be  thus  expressed: 

Chladnite 90 

Anorthite 6 

Nickel-iron 2 

Magnetic  pyrites 

Schreibersfte 2 

Sulphur 

Iodolite  and  apatoid . . 
The  above  minerals  have  been  described  mineralogically  in  my  previous  report.    It  only  remains  to  state  the 

results  obtained  in  the  analysis  of  the  chladnite.    They  are  the  following: 

Ratio  of 
Oxygen.  oxygen. 

Silicic  acid 70.41        35.205  3 

Magnesia 28.25        11.300  1 

Soda 1.39  .338        

100.00 

It  consists,  therefore,  of  11 J  atoms  tersilicate  of  magnesia  +  J  of  an  atom  of  tersilicate  of  soda. 
In  operating  upon  the  mixed  powder  of  the  stone,  lime,  alumina,  and  phosphoric  acid  were  detected,  ingredients 
which  are  supposed  to  have  reference  to  anorthite  and  apatite. 

Three  years  later  von  Waltershausen 3  gave  an  account  of  an  analysis  of  a  small  portion 
of  the  meteorite  as  follows:  , 

In  connection  with  various  investigations  concerning  feldspar,  with  which  I  have  occupied  myself  recently,  I 
became  interested  in  the  determination  of  the  composition  of  a  meteoric  mass  which  fell  at  Bishopville,  South  Carolina, 
in  March,  1843,  from  a  small  fragment  of  10  to  20  mm.  in  length  which  was  presented  by  Professor  Shepard  to  Mr.  Clark, 
a  student  of  chemistry. 

Some  of  these  fragments  possess  a  glaze  peculiar  to  these  formations  of  about  0.3  mm.  in  thickness  and  of  a  brighter 
color  than  is  usually  seen.  The  principal  part  of  the  stone  is  composed  of  a  white  mineral,  rich  in  silica  and  of  fine 
crystalline  structure,  in  which  are  scattered  here  and  there  specks  and  grains  of  a  metallic  luster  consisting  of  mag- 
netic pyrites  and  brown  oxide  of  iron,  which  presumably  was  formed  from  the  pyrites.  The  hardness  of  this  white 
mineral,  sometimes  of  a  slightly  silken  luster,  is  6.  The  specific  gravity  is  3.039. 
The  analysis  gave  the  following  result: 

Silicic  acid 67. 140 

Magnesia 27. 115 

Calcareous  earth 1.  818 

•  Alumina , 1.  478 

Iron  oxide t 1.  706 

Water 0.  671 

Manganese trace 

99.  928 

A  glance  at  the  analysis  suffices  to  show  that  we  have  no  feldspar  to  deal  with  here.  In  order,  however,  the  better 
to  determine  the  true  composition  of  this  mineral,  the  iron  oxide  was  treated  as  a  foreign  body  evidently  added  to 
the  compound,  and  the  analysis  then  reduced  to  100,  with  the  following  atomic  weights: 

Silica 566,  820    Pelouze. 

Magnesia 250,  500    Scheerer. 

Calcareous  earth 351,  651     Berzelius. 

Alumina 641,  800          Do. 

Water 112, 480          Do. 

the  composition  then  "is:  Oxygen. 

Silica 68.  356  36. 180 

Magnesia 27.  606  11. 020 

Calcareous  earth 1.  851  0.  526 

Alumina 1.  504  0.  703 

Water 0.683  0.607 

100.  000 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  65 

Thia  analysis  makes  it  very  probable  that  the  mineral  consists  principally  of  silicious  magnesia,  with  which,  how- 
ever, is  mixed  a  small  quantity  of  calcareous  labradorite,  disregarding  for  the  latter: 

Ratio  of 
Oxygen.         oxygeo. 

Silica 2.657        1.406  6 

Alumina 1. 504        0. 703  3 

Calcareous  earth 0.824        0.224  1 

There  remains  for  the  first  compound — 

Silica 65.699 

Magnesia 27.606 

Calcareous  earth L027 

Water...  0.683 


95.  015 

Reducing  the  calcareous  earth  to  magnesia  and  likewise,  after  Scheerer,  the  water  to  the  same  basis,  ma.t-ing 
Mg=3H=(H),  we  have  in  100  parts  of  the  mineral — 

Computed  ac.  Mg  Si. 

Silica 69.493        69.350-0.143 

Magnesia 30.507        30.650+0.143 

After  completing  this  analysis  I  noticed  that  Professor  Shepard  had  already  bestowed  much  attention  upon  this 
meteoric  stone,  and  as  he  was  possessed  of  a  very  considerable  mass  of  the  meteorite  he  would  be  able  to  make  numerous 
investigations,  while  I  had  but  200  milligrams  at  my  disposal. 

He  announced  as  the  principal  ingredient  of  this  meteoric  stone  a  trisilicate  of  magnesia,  without,  however, 
having  made  an  analysis,  and  named  the  mineral  chladnite,  a  name  which  I  retained. 

The  analysis  just  given  shows,  nevertheless,  that  the  chladnite  consists  of  siliceous  magnesia  (MgSi),  and  that 
the  meteoric  stone  is  compounded  of  95.015  of  the  same  and  of  4.985  of  feldspar  resembling  labradorite. 

The  chladnite  is  most  closely  related  to  wollastonite  (CaSi)  among  terrestrial  minerals,  with  which  the  specific 
gravity,  color,  texture,  hardness,  and  crystallization  closely  conform.  Small,  entirely  microscopic  crystals,  which  I 
distinctly  observed,  did  not  show  the  monoclinic  system,  and  have  the  form  of  a  figure  shown.  Specific  measurements 
were  not  to  be  had. 

The  chladnite  is  readily  cleavable,  parallel  <x  P  oo . 

Regarding  the  chemical  relations  of  chladnite  it  is  to  be  remarked  that  I  did  not  omit  to  test  for  heavy  metal,  but 
no  trace  of  such  was  obtained.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  admixture  of  iron  oxide  and  the  grains  of  magnetic 
pyrites  may  contain  email  quantities  of  nickel,  etc. 

Shepard  stated  that  the  Bishopville  stone  contained  hyposulphurous  magnesia  and  sodium,  which  can  be  washed 
out  with  water.  I  made  this  experiment  with  a  very  email  quantity  of  material.  Traces  of  calcareous  earth  and 
magnesia  were  noticed  in  the  watery  extract,  but  they  were  so  small  that  they  almost  escaped  observation  and  made 
at  best  but  an  extremely  small  part  of  the  composition  of  the  meteorite. 

The  wollastonite  belongs  to  those  bodies  whose  volcanic  formation  can  not  be  disputed.  The  most  indubitable 
of  these  are  shown  by  the  great  lava  stream  which  lies  thick  before  Rome  from  the  foot  of  the  Alban  Mountains  to  the 
Capo  di  Bove  and  is  there  used  for  street  paving.  The  thick  gray  lava  there  contains  nepheline,  leucite,  and  wollas- 
tonite, mineral  bodies  which  frequently,  in  consequence  of  rapid  cooling,  can  onjy  be  isolated  in  crystalline  masses, 
not  in  distinct  crystals. 

I  am  inclined,  therefore,  to  ascribe  to  the  chladnite  the  same  formation,  and  conjecture  accordingly  that  this 
meteoric  stone,  just  after  the  analogy  of  the  formation  and  oxidation  of  the  terrestrial  bodies  we  have  examined,  once 
was  in  a  state  of  complete  fusion,  from  which,  by  cooling,  magnetic  pyrites,  labradorite,  and  chladnite  must  have  been 
separated.  We  are  then  compelled  to  concede  as  important  a  role  to  oxygen  in  the  composition  of  bodies  in  extra- 
terrestrial as  in  terrestrial  regions.  It  is,  finally,  more  than  probable  that  this  meteoric  mass,  upon  entering  our  atmos- 
phere underwent  a  second  fusion  process,  in  consequence  of  which  the  glaze  on  the  exterior  of  the  stone  was  produced. 

We  have  a  similar  terrestrial  phenomenon,  doubtless  never  yet  described,  which  is  still  better  suited  to  support 
this  view.  The  labradoritic  lavas  on  especially  prominent  parts  of  JStna  are  not  infrequently  struck  by  lightning,  and 
upon  the  exterior,  although  only  in  small  streaks,  they  are  melted  to  a  glaze  which  can  scarcely  be  distinguished  from 
the  glazed  crust  of  this  meteoric  stone. 

In  1855  Smith  4  remarked  that  investigations  which  he  was  making  seemed  likely  to  show 
that  chladnite  was  a  pyroxene. 

Rammelsberg  5  in  1861  carefully  investigated  the  composition  of  the  meteorite  and  gave 
his  results  as  follows: 

This  very  noteworthy  stone  fell  in  March,  1843,  in  the  northern  part  of  Sumter  County.  Professor  Shepard,  in 
his  monograph  on  North  American  meteorites,  gave  the  approximate  circumstances  of  the  fall  and  the  original  weight 
of  13  pounds  and  described  the  outward  appearance  of  the  stone.  Under  a  black  to  bluish-gray  glassy  or  porcelain-like 
crust  the  interior  mass  appears  of  a  white  crystalline  character  and,  as  Shepard  expressed  it,  more  nearly  resembles  a 
disintegrated  albite-granite  than  a  meteoric  stone.  Shepard  gave  the  name  chladnite  to  this  white  principal  mass.  It 
is  distinguished  by  great  brittleness,  and  it  seems  as  if  many  places  were  already  altered  by  weathering. 
716°— 15 5 


66  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

After  Shepard,  Sartorius  von  Waltershausen  interested  himself  in  this  white  mineral.  The  former  observed  thereon 
single  crystals,  sometimes  at  most  an  inch  in  size,  whose  form  resembled  in  general  that  of  feldspar  but  whose  faces  were 
rough,  unfit  for  measuring.  Two  fracture  planes  are  easily  distinguished.  Sartorius  found  the  chladnite  similar  to 
wollastonite  and  speaks  of  two  and  one  branched,  although  microscopic,  crystals.  The  specific  gravity  is,  according 
to  him,  3.039,  and  according  to  Shepard,  3.116. 

The  composition  of  the  so-called  chladnite  as  given  by  both  the  above  is  very  peculiar. 

Shepard.    Sartorius. 

Silicic  acid 70.41        67.14 

Alumina 1.  48 

Iron  protoxide 1.  70 

Magnesia 28.25        27.12 

Lime 1.  82 

Sodium L  39        

Water 67 

100.  05        99.  93 

If  the  above  bases  of  the  magnesia  be  added  the  whole  would  have  the  composition  magnesia-trisilicate,  a  combi- 
nation not  hitherto  known  among  minerals.  The  nearest  to  it  is  a  mineral  investigated  a  long  time  ago  by  Stromeyer, 
which  is  said  to  resemble  olivine  and  to  be  contained  in  an  alleged  iron  mass  found  near  Grimma,  but  this  substance 
is  basic  and  contains  essential  iron  protoxide. 

Silicic  acid 6L  88 

Magnesia 25.  83 

Iron  protoxide ,- 9. 12 

Manganese  protoxide 31 

Chromic  oxide 33 

Loss  by  heating 45 

97.92 

Stromeyer's  conjecture,  that  it  was  a  trisilicate,  is  not  correct,  since  the  proportion  of  oxygen  of  the  base  and  the 
acid  is  l:-2.6,  from  which,  assuming  1:  2.5,  the  composition  may  be  expressed  by  2MgSi+Mg2Si8  or  SMgSi+MgSi-j. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  nothing  more  definite  concerning  this  mineral  is  known. 

The  conjecture  of  Sartorius  von  Waltershausen  that  5  per  cent  of  a  sodium-free  labradorite  is  included,  to  which 
he  relates  the  alumina,  seems  to  be  unfounded. 

Through  the  kindness  of  G.  Rose  and  Dr.  Homes,  of  Vienna,  I  obtained  a  sufficient  amount  of  the  rare  material  to 
undertake  some  experiments  with  the  principal  mass  of  the  Bishopville  stone.  I  observed  no  signs  of  crystalline 
structure,  except  indeed  the  ready  cleavage  of  the,  for  the  most  part,  extremely  pliable  and  friable  mass.  The  colored 
portions  of  the  crust  and  the  yellowish-brown  and  bluish-green  particles  of  the  interior  of  the  mass  are  very  well  dis- 
tinguished. The  former  appeared  as  if  produced  by  the  weathering  of  iron  sulphide  or  by  the  oxidation  of  iron.  In 
fact,  a  few  metallic  particles  were  isolated  with  the  magnet,  but  these  were  much  too  little  for  further  examination. 
Shepard  also  stated  that  the  stone  contained,  here  and  there,  small  grains  of  nickel-iron  much  rusted,  as  well  as  a  small 
amount  of  brown  iron  sulphide. 

I  first  treated  the  fine  powder  from  the  stone  with  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid  and  heated  the  undissolved 
portion  with  a  solution  of  carbonate  of  soda.  There  remained  a  residue  of  90.75  per  cent,  while  the  decomposed  por- 
tion consisted  of — 

Silicic  acid 2.29 

Iron  oxide - 97 

Manganese  protoxide 20 

Magnesia 3.  51 

Lime.*. 58 

7.55 

Thereto  must  be  added  0.8  per  cent  of  moisture,  and  possibly  also  some  alkali.  What  the  acid  dissolved  is  evi- 
dently no  unusual  compound,  but  a  mixture  of  oxide  of  iron  (or  rather  hydrate)  and  the  principal  mass,  the  silicic 
acid  of  which  could  not  be  completely  separated  from  the  unaffected  portion. 

This  latter  was  divided  into  two  portions  and  dissolved  with  carbonate  of  soda  as  well  as  hydrofluoric  acid,  after 
which  100  parts  of  the  mass  contained: 

Silicic  acid 60.  86 

Alumina • 3. 00 

Iron  oxide 31 

Magnesia 34. 48 

Lime 11 

Sodium 1.  26 

Potash 93 

100.95 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  67 

If  this  result  be  reduced  to  90.75  per  cent  and  the  constituents  of  the  decomposed  portion  be  added,  we  have — 

Silicic  acid 57. 52 

Alumina. 2.  72 

Iron  oxide 1.  25 

Manganese  protoxide 20 

Magnesia 34.  80 

Lime 66 

Soda 1.14 

Potash 70 

Loss  by  heating 80 


99.79 

Next  arises  the  question,  Is  this  one  compound  or  a  mixture  of  several?  I  conjecture  the  latter,  because  the 
alumina  points  to  the  presence  of  a  small  amount  of  silicate,  and  my  own  experiments  deviate  so  widely  from  the 
former  investigation,  according  to  which  the  nearly  70  per  cent  of  acid  seemed  strange  in  every  case. 

The  stone  affords  no  opportunity  for  mechanical  separation,  however,  since  the  white  mass  shows  no  other  vari- 
ation than  that  of  greater  compactness  in  certain  places.  I  washed  it  and  examined  the  lightest  as  well  as  the  heaviest 
for  essential  constituents,  not  at  all  in  the  hope  of  effecting  a  division  of  the  constituents  thereby,  but  merely  with 
the  object  of  determining  definitely  the  similar  or  dissimilar  composition  of  both  portions. 

I  obtained  the  following: 

Silicic  acid 58.  74  67. 12 

Alumina &  16  2.13 

Oxide  of  iron L  82  2.71 

Magnesia 29.78  36.  71 

Lime 1.70  1.48 

Loss  (alkali) L80        


100. 00        100. 15 

Thus,  in  fact,  both  are  different,  the  alumina  and  alkali  bearing  silicate  being  especially  noticeable  in  the  lighter 
portions. 

After  this  it  appears  entirely  needless,  for  the  present,  to  speculate  concerning  the  nature  of  this  compound. 
But  I  do  not  omit  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  chladnite  and  the  supposed  magnesia  trisilicate  appear  as  notable 
exceptions,  and  further  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  composition  of  the  groundmass  of  the  stone  from  Bishop- 
ville,  as  determined  by  me,  shows  a  great  similarity  with  that  of  the  substance  investigated  by  Stromeyer,  if  the  iron 
protoxide  of  the  latter  be  converted  into  its  equivalent  magnesia. 

Rose6  described  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

The  group  Chladnite  contains  only  one  meteorite.  This  fell  at  Bishopville,  South  Carolina,  in  March,  1843. 
There  fell  only  one  stone  weighing  about  13  pounds,  which  was  acquired  after  its  fall  by  Professor  Shepard,  to  whom  we 
owe  the  first  description  and  analysis.  Afterwards  Sartorius  and  Rammelsberg  made  investigations  of  it.  The  Berlin 
collection  possesses  a  large  piece  weighing  4.86  ounces  and  smaller  ones.  The  stone  has  very  slight  cohesion  and 
falls  in  pieces  at  the  slightest  pressure.  It  is  in  general  of  a  porphyritic  granular  structure.  In  a  gray,  spotted  with 
white,  finely  granular  groundmass  there  occur,  besides  some  smaller  ingredients  of  lesser  importance,  only  snow-white 
crystals  of  different  sizes  in  great  quantity.  The  largest  crystal  of  the  piece  in  the  Berlin  Museum  shows  on  the  surface 
of  the  stone  a  section  of  rectangular  shape  with  truncated  angles.  It  is  0.5  inch  long  and  somewhat  less  broad. 
Another  shows  the  shape  of  a  symmetrical  hexagon  with  two  parallel  sides  over  0.5  inch  long  and  a  little  less  than  0.25 
inch  broad.  The  first  two  crystals  are  penetrated  by  parallel  cleavage  faces  which  are.  however,  not  complete  but 
broken  by  intervening  fracture.  The  fractured  surface  has  a  pearly  luster  and  is  traversed  by  dull  striae  parallel  to 
the  longer  side.  The  origin  of  these  I  do  not  know,  but  one  sees  them  on  sections  of  other  crystals  as  well  as  the 
bright  cleavage  surfaces  in  another  direction.  There  occur  also  round  white  grains  about  the  size  of  a  pea,  which  are, 
however,  not  all  round,  for  when  taken  out  they  leave  uneven  hollows  in  the  stone.  They  are  transparent  with 
vitreous  luster.  When  one  takes  the  crystals  or  grains  out  of  the  stone  they  fall  into  little  pieces  on  account  of  being 
penetrated  in  different  directions  with  many  straight  and  curving  clefts.  It  is  probable  that  the  grains  are  different 
from  the  crystals,  and  probably  also  that  these  are  distinguished  by  the  bright  and  striated  cleavage  surfaces.  Shep- 
ard mentioned  the  round  grains  and  separated  them  from  the  crystals.  He  regarded  the  former  as  anorthite,  without, 
however,  further  testing  than  with  the  blowpipe.  The  crystals  he  regarded  a  new  mineral,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  chladnite  and  which  he  has  allowed  me  to  change  to  shepardite.  Of  the  form  of  these  shepardites  he  made  no 
record,  although  he  mentions  crystals  nearly  an  inch  in  diameter.  In  general  they  have,  according  to  him,  the  appear- 
ance of  common  forms  of  feldspar  and  calcite.  The  original  form  was  a  double  prism.  By  cleavage,  which  takes 
place  easily,  angles  of  120°  and  60°  are  observed.  Sartorius  also  speaks  of  the  form  of  these  crystals  and  compares  it 
with  that  of  wollastonite  without  giving  further  angles.  He  only  mentions  the  small  microscopic  crystals  and  does 
not  state  how  these  occur.  The  hardness  of  the  shepardite  is,  according  to  his  observation,  that  of  feldspar.  The 


68  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

specific  gravity,  according  to  Shepard,  is  3.116;  according  to  Sartorius,  3.039.  Before  the  blowpipe  shepardite  fuses 
only  on  the  edges  to  a  white  enamel;  in  the  form  of  a  powder  it  dissolves  easily  to  a  clear  glass.  In  salt  of  phos- 
phorus pieces  of  the  mineral  are  slightly  fusible,  but  in  powder  it  easily  forms  a  glass  which,  though  it  contains  a 
skeleton  of  silica,  is  transparent  as  long  as  it  is  hot.  On  cooling,  it  opalizes.  It  is  attacked  with  difficulty  by  hot  hydro- 
chloric acid.  This  is  true  also  of  the  round  grains  which  Shepard  considered  to  be  anorthite.  On  powdering  finely 
and  boiling  a  long  time  with  hydrochloric  acid  a  diluted  and  filtered  solution  gives  with  ammonia  after  some  time 
brownish  flakes.  If  I  investigated  grains  of  the  same  kind  as  Shepard,  this  can  not  be  anorthite. 
The  chemical  composition  of  the  shepardite  according  to  the  three  analyses  is  as  follows: 

Shepard.  Sartorius.        Rammelsberg. 

Magnesia 28.25  27.12  34.80 

Lime 1.82  .66 

Soda 1.39  1.14 

Potash .70 

Manganese  oxide .2 

Alumina 1.48  2.72 

Iron  oxide 1.70  1.25 

Silica 70.41  67.14  57.52 

Water...  .67  .80 


100. 95  99. 93  99. 79 

According  to  Shepard,  the  shepardite,  except  for  a  small  quantity  of  soda,  is  a  mixture  of  silica  and  magnesia. 
Shepard  alone  found  no  aluminum,  probably  because  he  used  only  the  purest  crystals  for  analysis.  He  also  had  a 
larger  quantity  than  the  other  chemists,  who  had  only  small  pieces.  Shepardite  has  also  the  same  constituents  as 
olivine  in  different  quantity.  It  has  oxide  of  magnesia  in  proportion  to  silica  as  1  to  3,  while  in  olivine  it  is  1  to  1. 
It  has  the  calculated  composition — 

Magnesia 30.  2 

Silica 69.  8 

Sartorius,  thinking  that  he  had  a  mixture,  concluded  that  the  alumina  found  was  from  labradorite.  From  this 
he  reckons  a  mixture  of  5  per  cent  of  the  latter.  Deducting  this,  he  obtains  a  formula  for  shepardite.  This  does  not 
seem  to  me  warranted,  for  labradorite  of  such  composition  is  not  known,  and  no  crystals  of  this  form  can  be  recognized. 
In  the  chladnite  a  mixture  of  anorthite  seems  more  probable,  but  this  is  not  certain.  Rammelsberg  first  digested 
the  fine  powder  with  concentrated  warm  hydrochloric  acid,  and  then  treated  the  residue  with  sodium  carbonate.  The 
acid  only  dissolved  7.55  per  cent,  indicating  only  a  partial  decomposition  of  the  shepardite.  He  was  also  convinced 
that  he  was  treating  with  a  mixture,  from  the  fact  that  he  separated  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  powder  of  the  white 
crystals  by  sliming,  and  analyzed  the  lightest  and  heaviest.  In  this  he  found  some  differences  of  composition.  He 
concluded,  therefore,  that  no  formula  could  be  established  for  the  composition  of  the  whole.  Although  it  can  not  be 
doubted  that  chladnite  is  a  mineral  species,  it  is  also  probable  that  another  alumina-bearing  mineral  is  contained 
with  it.  The  other  ingredients  are  as  follows: 

(1)  Nickel-iron,  partly  in  the  groundmass  and  partly  in  and  between  the  white  crystals  in  small  quantity  in  small 
grains.    They  have,  according  to  Shepard,  at  times  the  size  of  a  pea.     In  the  piece  in  the  Berlin  collection  I  observed 
many  pieces  not  much  smaller.    The  iron  is  always  covered  with  iron  oxide,  and  this  has  colored  the  surrounding 
mass  brown  more  strongly  than  is  usual  in  meteorites.    On  scraping  the  larger  grains  with  a  knife,  however,  the 
metallic,  light,  steel-gray  color  of  nickel-iron  can  be  recognized. 

(2)  Iron  sulphide  occurs  in  small  grains  rarely. 

(3)  There  occurs  also  a  black  mineral  called  by  Shepard  chromium  sulphide.    He  named  it  schreibersite  for 
Schreiber.    This  Haidinger  changed  to  shepardite.    When  the  mineral  is  more  completely  determined,  a  new  name 
should  be  given  it.    It  occurs  in  small  grains  or  small  veins  which  penetrate  the  chladnite,  and,  according  to  Shepard, 
also  in  small  prismatic  crystals  striated  on  the  sides  and  showing  traces  of  cleavage  faces.    The  mineral  has  an  imper- 
fect metallic  luster,  is  opaque,  and  has  the  hardness  of  fluorspar.    Before  the  blowpipe  it  melts  with  difficulty  to  a 
thick  glass,  and  when  heated  in  the  crucible  it  gives  a  sublimate  of  sulphur.    With  borax  and  salt  of  phosphorus  it 
forms  a  green  glass.    The  color  is  shown  strongly,  but  stronger  in  the  borax  glass  than  in  the  phosphorus  glass,  and 
especially  by  fusion  in  the  flame  and  after  the  addition  of  tin. 

Smith 7  in  1864  reported  a  study  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Several  years  after  this  examination  (Shepard's),  a  fragment  of  this  meteoric  stone  came  into  my  possession,  and, 
separating  a  small  portion  of  the  mineral  in  question,  it  was  examined.  The  result  of  this  incomplete  examination 
justified  the  statement  in  a  note  to  a  memoir  of  mine  on  meteorites,  presented  to  the  American  Scientific  Association 
in  April,  1854,  and  published  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  for  March,  1855,  "that  from  some  investigations  just 
made,  chladnite  is  likely  to  prove  a  pyroxene." 

Since  that  announcement  I  have  been  placed  in  possession  of  other  fragments  of  the  meteorite,  and  have  been  able 
to  separate  the  "chladnite"  perfectly  pure,  and  in  sufficient  quantity  to  submit  it  to  a  thorough  analysis. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  69 

To  render  the  chladnite  soluble  in  acid,  it  was  fused  with  four  times  its  weight  of  carbonate  of  soda  and  potash, 
with  a  small  fragment  of  caustic  potash  placed  on  the  top  of  the  mixed  powders  in  the  crucible.  After  fusion,  the 
analysis  was  proceeded  with  in  the  ordinary  way;  the  result  of  two  analyses  were  as  follows: 

1  2 

Silica 60.12  59.83 

Magnesia 39.45  39.22 

Peroxide  of  iron 30  .50 

Soda,  with  feeble  potash  and  strong  lithia  reaction 74  .74 

100.61      100.29 

The  minute  quantity  of  peroxide  of  iron  came  from  exceedingly  fine  particles  of  iron  diffused  through  the  minerals, 
and  could  be  seen  by  a  magnifying  glass.    One  separate  analysis  was  made  for  the  soda. 
The  constitution  of  the  mineral,  as  made  out  from  the  numbers  in  analysis  1,  is: 

Oxygen 
Oxygen.      ratio. 

Silica 31.22          2 

Magnesia 15. 511 

Soda 19J 

corresponding  to  the  formula  Mg3Si3,  equivalent  to  the  general  formula  of  pyroxene,  R'Si2. 

The  excess  of  silica  obtained  by  Professor  Shepard  in  his  analysis  is  doubtless  due  to  an  imperfect  fusion  of  the 
mineral  with  the  carbonate  of  soda,  an  error  easily  made,  if  the  precautions  I  have  already  mentioned  are  not  attended  to. 

"Chladnite"  approaches  those  forms  of  pyroxene  known  as  white  augite,  diopside,  white  coccolite,  etc.,  these 
last-named  minerals  having  a  part  of  the  magnesia  replaced  by  lime.  It  is  identical  in  composition  with  enstatite  of 
Kenngott,  a  pyroxenic  mineral  from  Aloysthal  in  Moravia. 

From  these  observations  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Bishopville  meteoric  stone,  however  different  in  external  charac- 
teristics from  other  similar  bodies,  is,  after' all,  identical  with  the  great  family  of  pyroxenic  meteoric  stones. 

Reichenbach "  made  a  number  of  observations  on  Bishopville  of  which  the  following  are 
the  most  important.  In  Study  V,  pp.  476  and  477,  he  says: 

A  general  survey  of  a  hundred  different  meteoric  stones  in  my  possession  has  shown  me  that  according  to  outward 
appearance  at  least  three  kinds  of  fusion  crust  can  be  distinguished,  namely,  those  of  a  glassy  luster,  those  of  a  dun 
luster,  and  those  of  a  sooty  appearance.  Bishopville  belongs  to  the  first  or  glassy  variety. 

Consider  now  the  glassy  crust.  Here  Bishopville  affords  us  a  happy  example  which  stands  entirely  unique  among 
meteorites,  and  as  a  rare  plant  discovered  for  the  first  time  upon  the  Alps,  rejoices  the  heart  of  the  botanist,  so  here  a 
"heaven  stone"  exalte  the  soul  of  the  student  of  meteorites,  an  entirely  colorless,  transparent  crust  clear  as  water,  an 
aerolite,  therefore,  covered  with  a  pure  glass  coating.  The  entire  stone,  however,  is  not  covered  with  such  a  pure 
fusion  crust  since  black  specks  also  appear  where  the  stone  shows  iron  oxide  from  the  outside,  but  many  parts  of  its 
exterior  surface  are  covered  with  a  colorless,  glistening  glass.  More  distinctly  than  anywhere  else,  is  it  to  be  seen 
on  this  meteorite  that  its  crust  originates  from  a  simple  fusion  of  the  exterior.  The  stone,  which  no  one  would  take 
for  a  meteoric  stone,  is  in  fact  entirely  snow  white,  and  contains  black  specks,  threads,  and  nodules,  composed  of  black 
points  crowded  together.  The  white  material  is  a  magnesia  silicate,  transparent  under  the  microscope,  interspersed 
with  groups  of  black  iron  oxide  grains,  with  here  and  there  a  crystal  of  pyrites.  The  entire  exterior  is  melted  to  glass, 
the  silicate  to  a  simple  colorless  variety,  the  iron  oxide  to  a  black  species. 

The  data  are  presented  here  in  their  simplicity,  without  complication  with  other  matters,  and  we  can  follow  them 
critically.  I  possess  several  large  specimens  of  this  beautiful  American  meteorite  (and  consider  them  the  jewel  of  my 
collection),  in  which  the  appearance  of  the  crust  is  marked  by  a  simplicity  never  before  observed  and  probably  never 
again  to  be  observed. 

In  the  case  of  the  black  glassy  crust,  Bishopville  again  serves  as  the  primary  example.  On  all  places  where  the 
iron  oxide  lies  in  the  magnesium  silicate,  it  is  black.  It  has,  accordingly,  iron-glass,  which  is  black,  mingled  with 
silicate  glass,  which  is  colorless,  coloring  it  black  and  thereby  forming  a  scaly,  black  meteoritic  crust,  isolated  in  the 
silicate  glass  which  covers  the  colorless,  white  ground  mass.  Other  meteorites  possess  no  such  large,  pure  aggregations 
of  white  ground  mass,  they  are  mostly  mixed  interiorly  with  iron  oxide,  metallic  iron,  dark-colored  augite,  and  horn- 
blende and  are  gray. 

In  Study  XIII,  pp.  359-60,  he  describes  the  structure  of  Bishopville  as  follows: 

Bishopville  appears  at  first  sight  composed  of  an  amorphous  ground  mass  and  innumerable  larger  and  smaller  lumps 
and  masses  imbedded  therein.  These  consist  of  granules  of  the  size  of  poppy  seeds,  roundish,  elliptical,  and  of  all 
sorts  of  irregular  forms,  even  to  course  crumbs,  interspersed  without  visible  order,  usually  closely  compacted  together 
in  balls,  and  cemented  in  place  by  the  ground  mass.  Most  of  them,  especially  the  larger  ones,  show  a  foliated  structure, 
are  sectile  and  brittle  along  the  lines  of  these  folia,  and  have  a  luster  upon  the  cleavage  surfaces,  They  are  much 
purer  than  the  ground  mass,  entirely  white,  with  here  and  there  a  heterogeneous  spot  scarcely  visible  to  the  naked  eye. 
They  lend  themselves  to  analysis  better  than  the  substance  of  other  meteorites,  and  retain  their  properties,  but  unfortu- 
nately the  substance  is  dearer  than  gold,  and  accordingly  is  but  little  available  for  extensive  study.  Under  the  micro- 


70  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

scope  the  substance  appears  uniformly  white,  with  an  occasional  tiny  black  speck,  which  is  nothing  else  than  magnetite, 
only  of  much  greater  fineness  than  that  which  occurs  in  the  ground  mass.  These  lumps  and  crumbs  appear  throughout 
the  entire  stone  as  separate  formations,  as  individuals,  whose  aggregation  is  effected  by  the  ground  mass. 

The  ground  mass  is  distinguished  from  the  inclusions  first  of  all  in  this,  that  it  is  not  lumpy  but  is  like  a  cement 
which  envelops  the  inclusions,  embraces  and  holds  them  together.  Further,  it  has  no  crystalline  structure  in  general, 
but  a  granular,  sometimes  scaly,  fracture,  and  finally  it  is  by  no  means  pure  white,  but  is  interspersed  with  black 
grains  and  intersected  by  lines  of  the  same,  so  that  at  first  sight  it  appears  gray.  It  is  accordingly  without  any  com- 
parison more  mixed  than  the  lumps  or  inclusions. 

On  p.  364  of  the  same  study,  Reichenbach  confirms  Shepard's  report  of  the  presence  of  free 
sulphur  as  follows : 

A  similar  rarity  occurs  in  Bishopville,  namely,  scattered,  flat  lumps  of  pure  sulphur,  of  the  size  of  half  a  lentil, 
beautiful  pale  sulphur  yellow,  not  difficult  to  perceive,  and  first  noted  by  Mr.  Shepard. 

On  p.  375,  he  says: 

The  black  bodies  in  the  inclusions,  which  I  have  generally  regarded  as  magnetite,  judging  by  the  color,  which 
shows  through  the  thin  edges  as  brownish  black,  the  luster,  and  other  outward  aspects,  may  consist  of  augite,  horn- 
blende, or  a  similar  body.  Under  the  microscope,  they  are  everywhere  much  alike  in  appearance,  always  sharply 
distinguished  from  the  white  ground  mass,  always  having  the  same  play  of  colors  and  the  same  luster,  and  are  always 
small  and  only  occur  in  noticeable  size  where  several  individuals  run  together.  This  appears  very  distinctly  in  Bishop- 
ville, since  in  this  white  stone  there  is  nothing  of  any  account  other  than  the  black  bodies,  sometimes  isolated,  some- 
times grouped,  and  sometimes  arranged  in  layers.  The  analysis  which  Sartorius  von  Waltershausen  published,  how- 
ever, left  nothing  but  colorless  earth  and  protoxide  of  iron.  It  follows  directly  from  this  that  the  black  particles 
can  be  nothing  else  than  magnetite. 

Rammelsberg 9  made  a  study  of  the  analysis  of  Bishopville  as  follows : 

This  meteorite,  which  fell  on  the  25th  of  March,  1843,  at  Bishopville,  in  South  Carolina,  is  distinguished  by  its 
bright  gray  to  white  color,  indistinctly  crystalline  character,  and  isolated  white  grains  in  the  soft  mass,  which  is  cleav- 
able  in  one  direction. 

Shepard,  into  whose  possession  the  stone  came,  described  and  examined  it,  and  there  is  a  very  careful  description 
of  its  exterior  aspect  by  G.  Hose. 

According  to  the  former  (Shepard)  the  frequently  very  large,  snow  white  crystals,  which  form  the  ground  mass  of 
the  stone,  have  a  feldspathic  form,  but  according  to  Rose  they  are  not  sufficiently  well  formed  to  establish  this  opinion, 
to  which  also  their  structure  fails  to  answer.  Their  specific  gravity  is,  according  to  Shepard,  3.116,  and  according  to 
Sartorius,  who  compared  their  form  to  that  of  the  wollastonite,  3.039. 

From  the  chemical  characteristic  of  this  silicate,  which,  according  to  Shepard,  comprises  more  than  two-thirds 
of  the  stone  (or  as  he  says  elsewhere,  nine-tenths),  the  same  authority  states  that  it  fuses  before  the  blow  pipe  only 
on  the  edges,  and  is  attacked  only  slightly  by  hydrochloric  acid,  even  when  heated. 

According  to  Shepard's  statement,  this  mineral,  named  by  him  "chladnite,"  consists  of  70.41  silicic  acid,  28.25 
magnesia,  and  1.39  soda,  and  is  accordingly  a  tricilicate. 

Later  Sartorius  gave  as  the  composition  of  the  white  mineral:  Silicic  acid,  67.140;  magnesia,  27.115;  calcareous 
earth,  1.82;  alumina,  1.478;  iron  oxide,  1.706;  water,  0.671.  Sartorius  considered  this  as  magnesia  trisilicate  and  a  cal- 
careous aluminum  silicate.  The  former  he  compared  with  wollastonite,  which  he  took  for  a  calcareous  trisilicate. 
This  is  evidently  wrong,  it  being  a  bisilicate. 

These  analytical  results  are,  however,  evidently  entirely  wrong.  I  did  not  analyze  the  crystals  separately,  owing 
to  lack  of  material  but  only  the  total  mass  of  the  stone,  but  such  different  results  were  obtained  that  it  is  clear  that 
those  crystals  which  form  almost  the  entire  mass,  can  not  have  the  composition  given  them  by  Sartorius  and  Shepard. 

Following  is  my  analysis  of  the  mass  of  the  stone  (a)  and  the  same  (b)  after  deducting  iron  oxide  and  loss  on 
heating;  also  the  mean  of  Smith's  two  analyses  (a)  and  the  same  (b)  without  iron  oxide. 

Rammelsberg.  Smith. 


Silicic  acid  

a 
.57.52 

b 

58.84 

a 
59.97 

b 
60.21 

Alumina  . 

2.72 

2  78 

Magnesia  

.   ..                     34.80 

35.60 

39.33 

39.49 

Lime  (Kalk).    . 

0.66 

0.67 

Soda  

1.14 

1.16 

0.74 

0.74 

Potash  

0.  70 

0.71 

Iron  oxide  (Mn) 

1.45 

0  40 

Loss  by  heating  

0.  80 

99.79 

99.76 

100.  44 

100.44 

METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  71 

Oxygen  ratios  are  as  follows: 

Rammelsberg.  Smith., 

b  b 

SiOa 31.38        32.11 

A10a 1.30        

MgO 14.241  15.7 

S&::::::::::::::  S  «•• 

K30 0.12J 

My  investigations  and  those  of  Smith  show,  accordingly,  that  the  mass  as  a  whole  is  a  bisilicate,  and  the  former 
had  much  purer  crystal  masses  at  his  disposal. 

It  may  accordingly  be  concluded  with  certainty  that  the  principal  part  of  the  stone  from  Bishopville  is  enstatite= 
MgSi03(Si02,60# ;  MgO,  40%). 

Besides  this,  by  far  the  most  prominent  constituent,  there  appears  to  be  present  something  of  an  aluminous  silicate, 
which  probably  proceeds  from  lime  and  alkali.  But  this,  as  already  remarked,  is  not  feldspar,  not  anorthite,  nor 
are  the  white  grains  which  Shepard  took  for  anorthite  to  be  so  considered.  Washing  the  finely  pulverized  stone  indi- 
cates that  more  aluminum  and  lime  and  less  magnesia  are  contained  in  the  lighter  portions  than  in  the  heavier.  But 
concerning  the  nature  of  the  silicate  further  investigations  must  decide. 

The  stone  from  Bishopville  contains  very  little  meteoric  iron  indeed,  which,  moreover,  is  mostly  oxidized  and  has 
produced  specks  of  rust  in  the  mass.  Magnetic  pyrites  and  chrome  iron  are  also  present,  as  well  as  calcium  sulphide 
(oldhamite)  (noted  by  Maskelyne  in  the  stone  from  Busti). 

Maskelyne I0  suggested  that  the  yellow  grains  in  Bishopville  were  oldhamite. 
Wadsworth  u  gave  the  following  optical  study  of  the  meteorite: 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  John  Cummings  and  the  curator  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History  I  have 
been  permitted  to  make  a  microscopic  examination  of  a  small  portion  of  this  meteorite,  now  deposited  in  the  collection 
of  that  society.  The  portion  examined  is  a  grayish-white  mass  resembling,  as  Shepard  remarked,  a  grayish-white 
granite  (albitic),  with  brown  and  black  spots.  Under  the  microscope  it  is  seen  to  be  composed  of  an  entirely  crystalline 
mass  of  enstatite,  augite,  feldspar,  olivine,  pyrrhotite,  and  iron.  The  structure  is  essentially  granitic,  and  it  appears 
to  belong  to  the  gabbro  (norite)  variety  of  the  basalts  as  defined  by  myself  in  "Science  "  for  March  9,  1883. 

The  enstatite  is  clear  and  transparent.  It  shows  a  longitudinal  cleavage  parallel  to  the  line  of  extinction,  and  in 
some  specimens  this  is  crossed  by  a  cleavage  at  right  angles.  It  also  has  a  cleavage  which  is  often  well  marked  and 
breaks  the  mineral  into  rhombic  forms  with  angles,  as  approximately  determined  by  several  measurements,  of  73° 
and  107°.  The  principal  cleavage  is  parallel  to  the  longer  diagonal  of  these  rhombs.  It  is  this  rhombic  cleavage, 
probably,  which  has  led  observers  to  believe  that  chladnite  crystallized  in  the  monoclinic  or  triclinic  systems. 

The  enstatite  is  found  to  contain  many  glass  inclusions  with  polyhedral  outlines,  the  planes  being  presumably, 
as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  the  planes  of  the  inclosing  mineral.  While  many  are  arranged  in  the  enstatite  parallel  to  the 
cleavage  planes,  others  are  placed  at  every  angle  with  those  planes.  The  glass  inclusions  carry  bubbles,  microlites, 
and  rounded  lenticular  forms.  The  last  are  frequently  at  the  end  of  the  inclusion,  and  in  some  cases  show  the  cherry- 
brown  color  of  some  chromite.  This  material,  besides  forming  inclusions  in  the  glass,  is  in  lenticular  and  irregular 
rounded  grains  in  the  enstatite  itself.  It  sometimes  extends  in  a  series  of  grains  across  the  entire  enstatite  mass  and 
at  others  is  in  isolated  forms.  These  inclusions  microscopically  are  seen  to  be  composed  of  a  center  of  nickeliferous 
iron  or  pyrrhotite,  surrounded  by  a  band  of  dark  material,  chromite  or  magnetite  possibly.  These  ferruginous  materials 
are  in  many  cases  surrounded  by  a  yellowish-brown  staining  of  iron  which  sometimes  extends  over  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  mass  and  along  the  fissures.  Along  one  plane  in  the  enstatite  numerous  vacuum  or  vapor  cavities  were 
observed.  The  inclusions  are  seen  to  be  crossed  and  cut  by  the  cleavage  and  fissure  planes  of  the  enstatite,  showing 
that  they  were  of  prior  origin  to  the  fissures. 

The  feldspar  stands  next  in  abundance  to  the  enstatite  and  is  in  irregular  masses  held  in  its  interspaces.  It  is 
water  clear  and  almost  invisible  by  common  transmitted  light.  Much  of  it  is  seen  to  be  plagioclastic ;  but  the  twinning 
bands  are  so  exceedingly  fine  and  the  polarization  of  colors  so  bright  it  does  not  as  a  rule  show  well  this  character, 
except  with  high  powers  and  when  the  mineral  is  near  the  point  of  extinction.  The  feldspar  contains  numerous 
yellowish-brown,  dark,  and  almost  colorless  inclusions,  sometimes  irregularly  scattered  but  more  commonly  arranged 
along  planes  like  the  fluid  inclusions  in  quartz.  These  glass  inclusions  are  of  various  dimensions  and  many  contain  a 
small  bubble.  Some  microlites  were  also  seen. 

In  the  feldspar  at  one  end  of  a  section  the  enstatite  was  found  in  minute  crystals  extending  outward  from  a  center 
forming  stellate  or  rosettelike  forms.  The  structure  is  like  that  observed  in  terrestrial  rocks  in  minerals  formed  from 
alteration  or  solution.  This  apparently  might  have  been  produced  in  this  case,  either  by  the  rapid  crystallization  of 
enstatite  material  of  a  liquid  feldspathic  mass  or  by  secondary  alteration  through  water  action  on  the  rock  itself.  The 
absence  of  any  other  signs  of  alteration,  except  in  the  ferruginous  materials,  seems  to  negative  the  latter  supposition. 
The  ferruginous  alteration  can  probably  be  accounted  for  by  the  absorption  of  moisture  by  this  friable  fissured  stone  since 
it  reached  the  earth.  The  bands  of  inclusions  were  seen  in  several  instances  to  extend  from  the  feldspar  through  the 
enatatite,  and  in  one  case  pass  into  another  feldspar  on  the  opposite  side.  This  indicates  that  the  cause  of  these  inclu- 


72  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

sions  was  a  general  one  for  the  rock  mass,  and  not  limited  to  any  one  mineral.  The  enstatite  was  found  in  a  few  cases 
inclosed  in  the  feldspar. 

The  monoclinic  pyroxene  or  augite  is  less  abundant  and  its  determination  less  sure  than  is  the  case  with  the  ensta- 
tite and  feldspar.  It  is  crossed  by  fissures  in  a  very  irregular  manner,  but  shows  in  some  cases  the  approximately 
right-angled  cleavage  of  augite.  In  its  optical  characters  it  resembles  that  mineral,  but  its  polarization  is  more  bril- 
liant than  that  of  terrestrial  augite  and  resembles  that  of  olivine.  All  the  transparent  minerals  of  the  section  are  clearer 
and  lighter-colored  than  their  mundane  representatives,  and  hence  tend  to  show  in  polarized  light  clearer  and  more 
brilliant  colors.  The  augite  is  not,  however,  so  water  clear  as  the  enstatite,  but  has  a  very  faint  tinge  of  yellowish  green. 
The  ferruginous  inclusions  are  the  same  in  this  as  in  the  enstatite. 

The  determination  of  the  olivine  is  more  doubtful,  since  it  only  appears  in  small  irregular  grains  and  masses,  which 
hold  a  similar  relation  to  the  other  minerals  that  the  olivine  of  terrestrial  gabbros  usually  does.  From  this  and  the 
fact  that  optically  these  masses  are  like  olivine,  they  are  referred  to  that  mineral. 

This  stone  in  its  mineralogical  composition,  its  structure,  bubble-bearing  glass  inclusions,  and  microlites  is  like 
terrestrial  eruptive  rocks,  and  it  is  presumable  that  it  had  a  similar  origin.  If  the  common  methods  of  lithological 
nomenclature  were  followed  by  the  writer,  it  would  be  proper  for  him  to  give  this  rock  a  name  as  a  rock  species,  but  in 
accordance  with  the  principles  of  his  classification  he  prefers  to  regard  it  as  belonging  to  the  gabbro  variety  (norite)  of 
basalt;  for  he  holds  to  the  essential  unity  of  the  universe  and  sees  no  necessity  of  employing  different  names  according 
as  the  rock  comes  from  above  or  below. 

From  the  description  of  the  mineral  constituents  of  this  meteorite  it  would  seem  that  regarding  the  presence  of  the 
feldspar  Messrs.  Shepard  and  Waltershausen  were  correct  while  Kammelsberg  was  not.  This  shows  the  inability  of  the 
ablest  mineralogical  chemists  to  draw  correct  conclusions  regarding  the  mineral  constituents  even  of  an  unaltered  rock. 
The  trouble  seems  to  reside  with  the  instrument  employed;  that  is,  with  a  defect  in  the  method.  Chladnite  ought  no 
longer  to  be  regarded  as  enstatite  of  the  purest  kind,  as  stated  in  most  mineralogies,  but  rather  as  a  mineral  aggregate  of 
which  enstatite,  feldspar,  and  augite  are  the  principal  constituents. 

While  these  observations  give  an  approximate  solution  of  the  Biahopville  meteorite  puzzle  of  twenty-seven  years 
standing,  it  would  be  well  if  some  one  having  larger  amounts  of  this  meteorite  at  their  disposal  could  make  chemical 
analysis  of  it  as  whole,  and  also  analyze  the  minerals  by  the  modern  microscope,  specific  gravity,  chemical  method. 

Tschermak 12  made  the  following  observations  on  the  meteorite: 

Bishopville  is  coarse  grained  and  consists  for  the  most  part  of  snow-white  loose  enstatite.  G.  Rose  noted  also 
still  other  white  grains,  which  he,  however,  was  not  able  to  determine.  According  to  my  observations  they  belong 
to  the  plagioclase  element.  The  third  constituent  is  magnetic  pyrites.  The  stone  has  a  marblelike  crust,  sometimes 
colorless,  sometimes  black,  white,  bluish,  and  gray.  The  enstatite  forms  mostly  large,  but  likewise  small  grains.  On 
one  of  the  latter  I  observed  sharp  outlines.  The  section  ran  almost  parallel  to  a  (100).  The  termination  of  this 
crystal  was  three-faced,  one  face  answered  to  the  zone  p  a,  the  other  two,  to  the  zones  a  b.  The  grains  are  interspersed 
with  many  fine  irregular  clefts,  different  from  the  cracks  which  were  occasioned  by  the  mechanical  preparation.  Inclu- 
sions are  found  only  in  small  quantities,  and  consist  of  opaque  grains,  less  frequently  of  black  needles. 

The  plagioclase  is  mostly  bound  up  with  the  small  enstatite  grains.  I  nowhere  observed  it  having  a  regular 
boundary.  Its  outlines  are  roundish,  ragged,  or  elongated.  In  polarized  light  a  very  distinct  twin  structure  may 
occasionally  be  seen  in  which  either  broad  lamellae  appear  or  many  grains  are  composed  of  many  unusually  small 
lamellae,  so  that  they  appear  extremely  fine  lined  between  crossed  nicols.  The  other  grains  have  a  single,  common, 
but  undulating  extinction.  Many  are  composed  of  several  smaller  grains.  The  behavior  in  polarized  light  is  the  dis- 
tinctive mark  of  plagioclase. 

An  attempt  to  separate  from  the  mass  a  few  grains  for  further  testing  failed,  not  only  because  of  their  smallness, 
but  also  for  the  reason  that  they  can  not  be  distinguished  either  by  their  color  or  their  luster  from  the  enstatite. 

The  plagioclase  shows,  in  places,  streaks  and  turbidity,  in  which  case  it  looks  brownish  in  transmitted  light. 
Small  opaque  inclusions  occur  infrequently  but,  on  the  contrary,  large  spindle-shaped  enstatite  inclusions  are  not 
uncommon.  The  magnetic  pyrites  forms  larger  and  smaller  grains,  which  are  often  covered  with  brown  rust. 

Rammelsberg's  analysis  agrees  perfectly  with  the  microscopic  characteristics  of  the  meteorite  and  the  content  of 
aluminum,  lime,  and  alkalies  corresponds  to  the  observed  plagioclase.  G.  Rose  also  gives  a  small  quantity  of  nickel- 
iron  and  a  black  mineral,  which  here  and  there  forms  the  filling  of  fine  cracks.  Upon  breaking  them  I  found  upon 
such  clefts  a  glistening  armor  face,  such  as  is  frequently  found  in  the  case  of  chondrites. 

Meunier 13  grouped  the  meteorite  as  chladnite  and  described  its  structure  as  follows: 

This  is  an  extremely  friable  rock  which  consists  chiefly  of  white  lamellar  material  cemented  together  in  a  gray 
groundmass  and  contains  some  black  grains  and  others  of  a  more  or  less  ocherous  color.  The  rock  is  formed  chiefly  of 
white,  opaque  enstatite  with  a  slight  mixture  of  labradorite,  nickel-iron,  troilite,  etc.  The  stone  of  Bishopville  is  distin- 
guished first  from  meteorites  of  the  common  type  by  the  nearly  white  color  of  its  surface.  Its  fracture  is  irregular 
and  easily  recognized.  Within  are  inclosed  many  white  crystals  which  give  a  porphyritic  appearance.  Here  and 
there  little  ocherous  spots  may  be  perceived,  caused  by  oxidation  of  ferruginous  components.  Rarely,  grains  of  a 
yellow-bronze  color  resembling  magnetic  sulphide  of  iron  may  be  seen  in  the  mass.  Finally  black  points  occur  dis- 
seminated. The  terrestrial  rocks  which,  independent  of  their  composition,  most  resemble  this  meteorite  are  certain 
varieties  of  porphyritic  trachytes.  The  disseminated  crystals  are  all  grouped  together  and  can  be  separated  with 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  73 

difficulty  on  account  of  their  great  friability.  The  meteorite  has  a  varnishlike  coating.  This  ia  marbleized  gray  and 
white  with  some  small  black  veins.  It  is  distinguished  from  the  crust  of  other  meteorites  not  only  by  its  color  but  by 
a  more  lively  luster  in  certain  parts. 

Tschermak  u  grouped  the  meteorite  as  chladnite  and  described  it  as  follows : 

This  aggregate  chladnite  is  so  far  known  in  only  one  meteorite,  that  of  Bishopville.  The  stone  is  coarse-grained 
and  consists  chiefly  of  nearly  white,  porous  enstatite.  Hose  remarked  also  other  white  grains  though  he  did  not  deter- 
mine them.  It  is  my  opinion  that  they  are  plagioclase.  The  third  ingredient  is  troilite.  The  stone  has  a  marbleized 
crust,  partly  colorless,  partly  black,  white,  bluish,  and  gray.  The  enstatite  forms  show  large  and  small  crystals.  On 
one  of  the  latter  I  recognized  a  sharp  boundary.  The  section  was  almost  parallel  to  a  100.  The  termination  of  the 
crystals  was  triangular,  one  face  corresponding  to  the  zone  pa.  the  others  to  the  zone  ub.  The  faces  are  penetrated 
by  many  fine  irregular  clefts.  Besides  fissures  caused  in  penetration,  inclusions  are  present  only  in  email  quantities 
and  consist  of  opaque  grains  and  rarely  of  black  needles.  The  plagioclase  is  generally  united  with  the  small  enstatite 
grains.  I  have  not  observed  a  regular  outline.  The  borders  are  rounded  or  irregular.  In  polarized  light  may  occa- 
sionally be  seen  a  very  marked  twinning  structure,  caused  either  by  broad  lamellae  in  different  positions  or  by  a  num- 
ber of  small  lamellae  collected  together  so  that  they  seem  like  fine  lines.  The  rest  of  the  grains  have  a  simple  and  quite 
undulatory  extinction,  but  many  are  composed  of  many  small  grains.  The  determination  of  the  plagioclase  rests  upon 
its  appearance  in  polarized  light.  Attempts  to  separate  single  grains  for  further  testing  failed  on  account  of  their 
minuteness  and  because  they  could  not  be  distinguished  either  by  color  or  luster  from  enstatite.  The  plagioclase  shows 
streaks  and  delicate  turbidity  occasionally,  and  often  in  transmitted  light  appears  brownish.  Small  opaque  inclusions 
are  rare,  but  large  spindle-formed  bronzite  inclusions  are  not  infrequent.  The  troilite  forms  large  and  small  grains 
which  are  surrounded  by  a  border  due  to  reflection  of  light.  Rammelsberg's  analysis  agrees  with  the  microscopic 
appearance,  since  he  found  the  constituents  of  enstatite,  alumina,  lime,  and  alkalies.  Rose  mentions  also  a  small 
quantity  of  nickel-iron  and  a  black  mineral  filling  little  clefts.  On  breaking  I  found  in  such  clefts  shining  armor  faces 
similar  to  those  which  in  later-found  meteorites  consist  of  iron,  troilite,  and  fused  silicates. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed.  The  U.  S.  National  Museum-Shepard  collection  possesses 
1,090  grams;  the  British  Museum,  512  grams;  Tubingen,  510  grams.  About  6  pounds  of 
the  stone  are  unaccounted  for. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1846:  SHEPARD.    Report  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  2,  1846,  pp.  379,  384,  and  392. 

2.  1848:  SHEPARD.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  1848,  pp.  411-114. 

3.  1851:  VON  WALTERSHAUSEN.    TJeber  einen  Meteorstein  von  Bishopville  in  Sud-Carolina.    Ann.  Chem.  Pharm., 

Bd.  79,  1851,  pp.  369-374  (analysis). 

4.  1855:  SMITH.    Memoir  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  19,  1855,  pp.  162-163. 

5.  1861:  RAMMELSBERG.    Ueber  einige  nordamerikanische  Meteoriten.    Monatsber.  Berlin.  Akad.,  1861,  pp.  895-899. 

6.  1863:  ROSE.  Meteoriten,  1863,  pp.  27,  28,  117-122,  and  156. 

7.  1864:  SMITH.    Chladnite  of  the  Bishopville  meteoric  stone  proved  to  be  a  magneeian  pyroxene.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  38,  1864,  pp.  225-226.    Also  Idem,  3d  ser.,  vol.  5,  pp.  108-110. 

8.  1857-65:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  5,  pp.  476  and  477;  and  No.  13,  pp.  359-360,  364,  and  375. 

9.  1870:  RAMMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  1870,  pp.  121-123. 

10.  1870:  MASKELTNE.    On  the  mineral  constituents  of  meteorites.    Philos.  Trans.,  vol.  1,  1870,  pp.  194  and  195. 

11.  1883:  WADSWORTH.    The  Bishopville  and  Waterville  meteorites.    I:  The  Bishopville  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  26,  1883,  pp.  32-36  and  248. 

12.  1883:  TSCHERMAK.    Beitrag  Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  88,  1883,  I,  pp.  363-365  and  367. 

13.  1884:  METINIEH.    Me"te"orites,  1884,  pp.  62,  73,  74,  80,  93,  94,  95,  96,  98,  278-280,  and  523. 

14.  1883-1885:  TSCHERMAK.    Photographien,  pi.  V,  and  pp.  9,  10. 


BLACK  MOUNTAIN. 

Buncombe  County,  North  Carolina. 

Here  also  Asheville,  1835;  and  Buncombe  County,  1835. 

Latitude  35°  44'  N.,  longitude  82°  2<X  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 

Found  about  1839;  described  1847. 

Weight,  596  grams  (21  ozs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Shepard  *  as  follows: 

My  first  knowledge  of  this  iron  was  derived  from  a  remark,  contained  in  a  letter  from  Hon.  T.  J.  Clingman,  dated 
February  17, 1846,  to  the  following  effect:  "Doctor Hardy  informs  me  that  he  gave  a  very  remarkable  looking  specimen 
of  meteoric  iron  found  in  this  county  (Buncombe)  to  the  late  Colonel  Nicholson,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  who 
died  at  Abbeville  in  that  state,  6  or  7  years  ago."  Being  in  Charleston,  I  applied  to  the  executors  of  the  estate  of 


74  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Colonel  Nicholson  for  information  respecting  that  portion  of  his  effects,  which  would  likely  be  to  include  this  specimen 
but  my  inquiries  were  without  success.  Previous  to  this  date,  however,  I  had  been  informed  by  Professor  Tuomey, 
who  was  then  the  State  geologist,  that  he  had  seen  a  specimen  of  malleable  iron  in  the  cabinet  of  Doctor  Barratt,  of 
Abbeville,  which  led  me  to  address  a  letter  to  this  gentleman  relative  to  the  subject,  from  whom  I  received  the  following 
note,  dated  June  1,  1846,  accompanied  by  the  specimen  itself:  "I  can  furnish  you  with  little  that  is  definite  concern- 
ing its  history.  The  year  Colonel  Nicholson,  of  Charleston,  died,  he  had  obtained  it  in  Pendleton  or  Greenville  district. 
It  was  given  to  him  by  some  person,  who  had  picked  it  up  as  a  meteorite.  Colonel  Nicholson  gave  it  to  me,  as  I  was 
then  the  only  person  in  this  part  of  the  country  who  preserved  such  objects.  I  believe  it  to  be  meteoric  in  its  origin, 
and  as  such  it  has  had  a  place  in  my  cabinet.  To  yourself  and  to  science  it  is  most  cheerfully  tendered." 

On  communicating  a  description  of  the  mass  to  Doctor  Hardy,  he  replied,  "I  have  no  doubt  that  the  specimen 
referred  to  is  the  same  which  I  gave  Colonel  Nicholson.  It  was  found  at  the  head  of  Swanannoah  River,  near  the  base 
of  Black  Mountain,  towards  the  eastern  side  of  Buncombe  County." 

The  fragment  weighs  only  21  ounces;  and,  judging  from  the  size  and  shape  of  that  which  still  exhibits  the  natural 
outside  of  the  meteor,  it  is  evidently  a  portion  of  a  mass  that  must  have  been  much  larger.  The  texture  is  throughout 
highly  crystalline,  having  all  of  the  laminae  (which  are  unusually  thick)  arranged  conformably  to  the  octahedral  faces 
of  a  single  individual.  These  layers,  which  commonly  have  a  thickness  of  one -tenth  of  an  inch,  adhere  to  one  another 
with  much  tenacity,  so  as  not  to  be  separable  by  any  ordinary  force.  They  manifest  a  slight  tendency,  however,  as  a 
result  of  weathering,  to  separate  into  granular  portions  of  the  thickness  of  the  layers  themselves;  the  particles  being 
somewhat  oval  in  form — a  result  which  seems  to  flow  from  the  existence  of  very  minute  veins  of  magnetic  iron  pyrites; 
for  when  a  surface  of  the  iron  is  polished  it  exhibits  the  appearance  of  being  mapped  off  into  rounded  patches  by  thin 
veins  of  the  pyrites,  and  on  the  application  of  nitric  acid  this  structure  is  farther  developed  by  the  corrosion  of  the 
veins.  Within  these  areas,  the  structure  of  the  iron,  when  etched,  scarcely  seems  crystalline;  at  most,  exhibiting  a 
few  faintly  marked  crossing  lines.  A  somewhat  similar  structure  is  visible  in  the  Cocke  County  iron. 

The  mass  contains  several  rounded  and  irregular  nodules  of  plumbaginous  matter  (from  0.5  to  1  inch  in  diameter), 
with  which  again  (and  often  situated  in  the  midst  of  the  kernels)  are  found  large  pieces  of  foliated,  magnetic  iron 
pyrites.  In  this  respect  also  the  present  iron  is  closely  related  to  the  Cocke  County  iron.  Its  specific  gravity  is  7.261. 
It  consists  of — 

Nickel  (with  traces  of  cobalt) 2.  52 

Iron 96.04 

Insoluble  matter,  sulphur  and  loss 1.  44 

100.00 

Brezina 3  gives  the  breadth  of  the  lamellae  as  1.8  to  2.0  mm.,  and  states  that  the  bands  are 
irregular. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed  about  equally  among  a  number  of  collections.  Amherst  has 
343  grams,  which,  added  to  384  grams  listed  by  Wulfing,  gives  more  than  596  grams,  the 

amount  which  Shepard  stated  that  he  originally  acquired. 

• 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1847:  SHEPARD.    Report  on  Meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  4,  pp.  82-83. 

2.  1861-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  15,  pp.  110  and  124;  No.  16,  p.  261;  No.  17,  p.  265;  No.  18,  p.  487;  No.  20, 

pp.  622,  630,  and  631;  and  No.  21,  pp.  578,  580,  and  589. 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  207,  214,  and  234. 

Blount  County.     See  Summit. 

BLUFF. 

Fayette  County,  Texas. 

Here  also  Fayette  County  and  Lagrange,  1878. 

Latitude  29°  55'  N.,  longitude  96°  50'  W. 

Stone.    Brecciated  crystalline  chondrite  (Ckb)  of  Brezina. 

Found  about  1878;  described  1888. 

Weight,  146  kgs.  (320  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  is  described  by  Whitfield  and  Merrill '  as  follows: 

Found  about  1878  at  Bluff,  a  settlement  on  the  Colorado  River  about  3  miles  southwest  of  the  town  of  La  Grange, 
in  Fayette  County,  Texas. 

The  finder,  a  Bohemian  named  Raniosek,  was  struck  by  the  appearance  and  especially  the  weight  of  the  stone, 
and  *  *  *  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  something  foreign  to  the  soil.  He  dug  a  hole  under  where  it  had 
lain  in  hope  of  finding  the  buried  war  treasures  of  the  Mexican  General  Santa  Anna,  which  were  supposed  by  the 
inhabitants  of  that  region  to  have  been  buried  there  by  the  general  after  his  defeat  at  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto.  For 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  75 

several  years  the  stone  remained  where  the  Bohemian  had  left  it  until  he  sold  the  land,  when  he  removed  it  to  his  own 
farm,  believing  that  it  might  be  valuable  metal.  Mr.  H.  Hensoldt,  a  teacher  near  the  place,  found  it  here  and  disposed 
of  it  to  Ward  and  Howell. 

The  stone  showed  well-marked  pittings  but  the  crust  appeared  only  in  the  deeper  depressions;  the  freshly  fractured 
surface  shows,  besides  the  grains  of  metal,  a  greenish-gray  appearance  not  unlike  some  greenstones.  A  particularly 
interesting  feature  of  the  mass  was  the  presence  of  a  few  dark-colored  veins  varying  greatly  in  dimensions. 

The  stone  measured  58  by  46  by  28  cm.,  and  its  total  weight  was  about  146  kg.  It  had  a  roughly  rounded  shape. 
Specific  gravity,  3.510. 

Analysis  by  Whitfield: 

SiOj 37. 70 

Fe 3.47 

FeO 23. 82 

A1A 2. 17 

PA 0.25 

CaO 2. 20 

MnO .' 0. 45 

MgO 25.94 

NiO 1 . 59 

Ni 0.65 

CoO 0. 16 

Co 0.09 

S...  1.30  . 


99.79 
Less  O  for  S...  0.65 


99.14 

The  stony  portion  is  described  by  Merrill  *  as  consisting  of  olivine  and  enstatite,  with 
considerable  pyrrhotite. 

It  has  a  chondritic  structure  which  to  the  unaided  eye  is  not  distinctly  marked,  a  fractured  surface  showing  a 
fine-grained  and  evidently  a  crystalline-granular  rock,  very  compact,  of  a  greenish  gray  color  and  thickly  studded 
with  small  metallic  points  with  a  brassy  luster.  A  polished  surface  shows  the  stone  to  be  composed  of  small  chondri 
rarely  over  2  mm.  in  diameter,  thickly  and  firmly  compacted  in  a  fine  granular  groundmass.  Throughout  the  entire 
mass  are  thickly  distributed  innumerable  small  irregular  flecks  of  a  steel-gray,  brassy,  and  bronze-yellow  color,  pre- 
sumably native  iron  and  pyrrhotite. 

********* 

Thin  sections  show  a  confused  aggregate  of  rounded  and  irregular,  often  fragmental  olivine  and  enstatite  grains 
and  chondri  embedded  in  a  fine  granular  groundmass  of  the  same  mineral  composition. 

The  chondri  occur  in  monosomatic  and  polysomatic  forms  composed  either  of  olivine  or  enstatite  alone  or  the  two 
associated.  Both  are  nearly  colorless  or  gray  on  account  of  the  inclosure  of  dust-like  particles,  and  carry  but  few 
cavities.  Some  augite  or  a  closely  allied  pyroxene  and  traces  of  plagioclase  occur. 

The  metallic  iron  occurs  in  the  usual  rounded  and  irregular  masses  1  to  2  mm.  in  diameter  and  in  apparently  equal 
proportions  with  the  pyrrhotite,  which  has  a  bright  brassy  luster  in  strong  contrast  with  the  silvery  white  iron. 

Newton  •  noted  that  the  metallic  grains  showed  a  tendency  to  an  arrangement  in  lines 
resembling  Widmannstatten  figures. 

Meunier 3  classified  the  meteorite  as  erxlebenite  and  calculated  its  composition  as  follows : 

Nickel-iron 7.21 

Pyrrhotite '. 2.84 

Olivine :.  38.01 

Pyroxenes  (enstatite,  etc.) 45. 23 

Feldspathic  minerals,  vitreous  interstitial  substances,  products  of  altera- 
tion   6.19 

Chromic  iron,  schreibersite traces 

99.44 

Specific  gravity,  3.50  to  3.75;  mean,  3.547. 
***»»»»»* 

The  relative  disposition  of  the  constituent  minerals,  interpreted  in  the  light  of  synthetic  experiments,  is  as  follows, 
in  the  order  of  their  concretion: 

First  time. — Pyroxenes  and  enstatite;  feldspathic  minerals. 

Second  time. — Peridotic  powder  filling  the  cavities  left  by  the  needles  (aiguilles)  of  the  preceding  minerals. 

Third  time. — Very  abundant  vitreous  magma,  due  to  a  later  fusion  of  the  primitive  deposit. 


76  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Fourth  time. — Nickel  iron  and  pyrrhotine,  cast  upon  the  surface  of  the  chondrites  and  injected  into  their  fissures. 

Fifth  time. — Black  minerals,  arranged  in  very  fine  lines,  arising  from  local  reheating,  -without  fusion  and  generally 
in  consequence  of  mechanical  action. 

A  similar  complication,  which  is  found  still  more  prominent  in  many  other  types  of  cosmic  rocks,  furnishes  a  very 
strong  argument. 

Brezina8  describes  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Bluff  is  not  very  distinctly  crystalline,  but  stands  between  Ckb  and  Cgb,  approximating  more  nearly  to  the  first. 
The  special  peculiarity  is  the  yellowish-brown  to  orange-red  weathered  crust,  elsewhere  found  in  olivine-gabbro,  which 
in  this  meteorite  attains  a  thickness  of  2  to  3  mm.  A  large  section  of  the  stone,  through  the  entire  mass,  measuring  53 
by  30  cm.,  frequently  shows  a  blackish  infiltration  from  the  crust  in  a  dark  green  groundmass,  to  the  depth  of  2  or  3 
mm.,  which  penetrates  the  entire  stone  diagonally  and  obliquely,  and  from  which  blackish,  sack-like  apophyses,  2 
to  4  cm.  in  width,  branch  out  into  the  groundmass.  The  color  of  the  fresh  broken  surface  varies  from  greenish-gray, 
through  light  gray,  to  pistachio-green  and  greenish-brown.  Grains  of  iron  up  to  1  cm.  in  size  are  frequently  present, 
sometimes  consisting  of  a  grain  enclosed  in  troilite,  sometimes  of  loose,  closely  packed,  roundish  grains. 

The  black  veins  previously  referred  to  were  described  in  detail  by  Howell.2    He  says: 

The  black  veins  observed  at  several  points  on  the  surface  are  found  to  extend  entirely  through  the  mass  and  are 
arranged  mainly  in  two  sets,  in  each  of  which  the  veins  are  approximately  parallel,  the  two  sets  crossing  each  other  at 
an  angle  of  about  45°.  The  systematic  arrangement  of  the  veins,  which  may  be  only  accidental,  is  shown  in  a  cross 
section  through  the  center.  As  the  planes  of  the  veins  are  cut  at  nearly  right  angles  by  the  sections,  they  show  on  each 
of  them  in  approximately  the  same  positions.  This  is  particularly  the  case  with  the  narrow  vein  shown  at  the  base  of 
the  section.  Although  only  a  mere  line,  it  is  uniform  throughout,  and  is  seen  in  exactly  the  same  position  on  all  of  the 
sections;  therefore  we  have  already  revealed  the  plane  of  this  vein,  15  by  4  inches,  with  no  indications  of  petering  out. 

The  irregular  thick  vein  also  maintains  a  nearly  uniform  appearance  throughout  the  4  inches  of  thickness. 

The  sections  also  reveal  a  number  of  fissures  or  cracks  formed  subsequent  to  veins,  and  doubtless  at  the  time  of 
the  fall.  A  dark  clouding  for  the  most  part  surrounds  these  fissures,  the  darkest  parts  being  farthest  from  the  fissure 
and  terminated  in  some  cases  by  a  dark  line  similar  to  the  veins.  As  not  all  of  the  fissures  are  surrounded  by  this 
dark  shading,  and  as  some  of  the  clouded  spots  contain  no  fissures,  it  argues  that  the  coloration  can  not  be  the  effect  of 
decomposition  induced  by  the  cracks,  particularly  as  there  is  no  apparent  effect  of  decomposition  extending  in  from 
the  surface  of  the  stone.  The  clouding  is  perhaps  older  than  the  cracks,  and  formed  lines  of  weakness  which  the 
cracks  followed. 

Whitfield  and  Merrill 1  also  described  a  black  vein  as  traversing  the  section  which  they 
examined.  They  stated  that  it  had  the  form  of  an  irregular  fissure  extending  60  mm.  and  vary- 
ing in  width  from  a  mere  line  to  2  mm.  The  vein  material  was  more  compact  and  darker  in 
color  than  the  main  mass  of  the  meteorite,  but  proved  on  analysis  to  differ  but  little  in  compo- 
sition except  in  the  absence  of  lime.  The  analysis  gave  the  following: 

SiO2 38.96 

Fe 2.39 

FeO 22.98 

A12O3 1. 89 

MgO i 27.52 

NiandCo 3.26 

S...  0.26 


97.26 
Specific  gravity,  3.585. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed  among  collections. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1888:  WHITFIELD  and  MERRILL.    The  Fayette  County,  Texas,  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  36,  pp. 

113-119.    (Analysis  and  illustration.) 

2.  1888:  HOWELL.    Science.    Vol.  11,  pp.  55  and  266. 

3.  1888:  MEUNIER.    Determination  lithologique  de  la  meteorite  de  Fayette  County,  Texas.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome 

107,  p.  1016-1018. 

4.  1889:  v.  HAUER.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  4  (Not.),  p.  64  and  Bd.  5,  (Not.),  1890,  p.  62. 

5.  1893:  BREZINA.    Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nurnberg),  p.  162. 

6.  1893:  NEWTON.    Lines  of  structure  in  the  Winnebago  County  Meteorites  and  in  other  Meteorites.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  45,  pp.  152-153  and  355. 

7.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  pp.  61,  202,  298,  and  316. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  261. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  77 

BOCAS. 

Hacienda  de  Bocas,  San  Luis  Potosi,  Mexico. 

Latitude  22°  12'  N.,  longitude  100°  58'  W. 

Stone.    White  chondrite  (Cw)  of  Brezina;  Luceite  (type  37,  sub-type  2)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  November  24,  1804. 

Weight  (assignable)  14  grams. 

Nothing  is  known  of  the  size,  weight,  or  form  of  this  meteorite. 

Castillo  stated  to  Burkart l  that  the  fragments  in  his  possession  showed  a  whitish-gray 
crystalline  structure  penetrated  by  black  filaments  mixed  with  grains  of  nickel-iron. 

In  his  catalogue  Castillo3  states  that  the  meteorite  fell  November  24,  1704  (sic),  in  the 
hacienda  of  Bocas,  and  that  it  is  preserved  in  small  fragments  in  the  collection  of  the  School  of 
Engineers  in  Mexico,  formerly  the  College  of  Mining.  Brezina 2  classifies  it  as  a  white  chondrite. 

The  few  grams  known  are  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1865:  BTTRKAKT.    Verhandl.  naturhist.  Verein  Bonn,  Bd.  22  (Sitzber.),  p.  71. 

2.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  177  and  232. 

3.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Meteorites,  p.  13. 

Bolsoa  de  Mapimi.     See  Coahuila. 


BOTETODRT  COUNTY. 

Botetourt  County,  Virginia. 

Latitude  38°  N.,  longitude  79°  W. 

Iron.  Ataxite  (D)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1850;  described,  1866. 

Weight,  "A  large  mass,  not  easily  transported  on  horseback." 

This  iron  was  described  by  Shepard  l  as  follows : 

This  iron  was  discovered  about  1850  in  a  mass  so  ponderous  that  the  finder,  having  attempted  to  transport  it  on 
horseback  a  number  of  miles  to  his  house,  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  undertaking.  He  left  it  upon  a  stone  wall  by 
the  road  side,  after  having  (with  the  assistance  of  a  negro  who  happened  along  with  a  hammer)  detached  two  or  three 
small  angular  fragments.  These  were  afterward  given  to  Mr.  N.  S.  Manroas,  who  took  them  with  him  to  Gottingen, 
where,  in  the  laboratory  of  Professor  Wohler,  he  analyzed  one  of  them  so  far  as  to  determine  the  presence  of  nickel  in 
the  unusually  high  proportion  of  20  per  cent. 

It  is  whiter  than  most  irons,  extremely  close  and  homogenouf,  with  exception  of  a  few  minute  pyritic  grains. 
Specific  gravity,  7.64.    Fracture  fine  granular,  like  cast  steel.    It  does  not  give  the  Widmannstatten  figures. 

Brezina 3  in  1885  referred  Botetourt  to  the  compact  irons,  but  added:  "possibly  belonging 
to  the  Cape  iron  group." 

Wolfing 4  drew  attention  to  the  fact  that  possibly  the  specimen  entered  in  the  Gottingen 
catalogue  "1886:  Virginia,  North  America  (from  a  petroleum  well),"  and  representing  1.5  gr., 
belongs  here.  The  presumption  based  on  the  identity  of  the  locality,  "Virginia,"  is  the  more 
probable  inasmuch  as  the  date  also  corresponds  with  that  of  the  publication  of  Shepard's 
notice  and  that  fragments  may  have  come  to  Wohler  through  Manross. 

An  investigation  of  the  Gottingen  specimen  by  Cohen,5  however,  showed  it  both  chemically 
and  physically  to  be  an  artificial  iron.  From  a  fragment  in  the  Vienna  Museum,  labelled 
Botetourt,  17  milligrams  were  analyzed  by  Sjostrom  with  the  following  result  (II  computed 

to  100): 

I  II 

Fe 85.88  82.49 

NiandCo...  18.23  17.51 


104. 11        100. 00 


The  specific  gravity  o'f  0.4511  grams,  at  15.7°  C  (Leick),  was  found  to  be  8.1860.  Since 
this  was  the  highest  specific  gravity  hitherto  known  in  meteorites,  and  as  Shepard  gave  only 
7.64,  two  determinations  were  made,  each  time  in  water  and  alcohol;  these  gave  8.1851  and 
8.1870.  The  specimen  showed  no  polar  magnetism,  and  a  specific  magnetism  of  0.44. 


78  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Thus  both  in  structure  and  chemical  composition,  Botetourt  resembles  Babb's  Mill,  aa 
Shepard  also  remarked;  it  belongs,  therefore,  to  the  group  of  ataxites  rich  in  nickel,  and  indeed, 
so  far  as  can  be  judged  from  so  small  a  fragment,  to  that  division  which  shows  neither  etching 
patches  nor  etching  bands. 

Besides  the  small  fragments  in  the  Vienna  collection,  Calcutta  and  Amherst  report  splinters 
of  Botetourt.  In  view  of  the  little  that  is  known  of  the  meteorite  and  the  uncertainty  with 
which  it  is  surrounded  it  is  omitted  from  most  lists,  and  on  the  whole  it  is  certainly  unsatis- 
factory. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1866:  SHEPAHD.    Brief  Notices  of  several  localities  of  Meteoric  Iron.    Virginia.  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  eer.,  vol.  42, 

p.  250. 

2.  1869:  BUCHNER.    Vierter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorfi,  Bd.  136,  p.  603. 

3.  1885:  BEEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  221,  234. 

4.  1897:  WUXFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  397. 

5.  1898:  COHEN.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  13,  pp.  47-40. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  114-116. 


Brazos  River.    See  Wichita  County. 
Brazos,  1808.     See  Red  River. 


BRENHAM. 

Brenham  Township,  Kiowa  County,  Kansas. 

Here  also  Haviland  Township  and  Kiowa  County. 

Latitude  37°  38'  N.,  longitude  99°  5/  W. 

Iron-stone,  Pallasite  (Pk)  Krasnojarsk  group  of  Brezina. 

Found  1885  or  1886;  described  1890. 

Weight,  over  900  kgs.  (2,000  Ibs.). 

The  first  description  of  these  meteorites  was  given  by  Kunz  l  as  follows : 

This  interesting  group  of  meteorites,  numbering  over  20  in  all,  weighing  together  about  2,000  pounds,  and 
individually  from  466  pounds  down  to  1  ounce,  was  found  by  farmers  in  Brenham  Township,  Kiowa  County,  Kansas, 
in  the  year  1885  or  1886.  They  were  embedded  to  a  slight  depth  in  the  soil,  which  here  for  about  100  feet  deep  is  formed 
of  Pleistocene  marl,  originally  the  bottom  of  an  ancient  lake;  they  occurred  scattered  over  a  surface  more  than  a  mile 
in  length,  principally,  however,  in  a  square  of  about  60  acres.  On  the  high  prairie  not  a  stone  of  any  kind  is  to  be 
found;  hence  the  ranch  men  and  settlers  were  greatly  surprised  at  finding  heavy  "rocks"  or  stones  projecting  through 
the  prairie  sod.  The  masses  were  nearly  all  found  by  being  struck  by  mowing  machines,  ploughshares,  corn  culti- 
vators, or  .other  farm  implements.  For  several  years  after  they  had  been  identified  as  meteorites  they  were  used  as 
weights  to  hold  down  haystacks,  barrel  covers,  etc.,  until  Mrs.  Kimberly  applied  to  Professor  Cragin,  of  Washburne 
University.  Professor  Snow,  of  Lawrence,  Kansas,  visited  Kiowa  County  several  times,  and  the  last  time  obtained 
the  101.5-pound  mass  in  the  streets  of  Greensburg,  the  county  seat,  where  it  had  lain  for  several  years  in  front  of  a 
lawyer's  real  estate  office. 

The  exterior  of  all  the  masses  shows  the  characteristic  pitting.  The  surfaces  have'all  been  more  or  less  oxidized 
by  exposure  to  the  elements,  showing  that  the  fall  is  not  recent,  and  that  the  original  mass  was  composed  of  crystalline 
iron  as  well  as  of  iron  filled  with  crystals  of  olivine;  in  other  words,  the  masses  show  two  distinct  groups.  Of  these 
the  345-pound  and  the  75-pound  masses  are  nickeliferous  iron  of  highly  octahedral  structure  and  cleavage,  and  are 
medium  octahedrites,  while  the  others  are  meteoric  iron  containing  olivine,  and  belong  to  the  group  known  as  pallasites. 

The  largest  mass,  a  pallasite,  weighed  466  pounds  (211.818  kg.).  It  was  thick,  slightly  flattened,  triangular  in 
form,  somewhat  heart  shaped,  and  measured  through  the  longest  part,  61  cm.  j  across  the  widest  part,  48  cm.,  and  in  the 
thickest  part,  37  cm.  It  was  covered  with  large  indentations  measuring  10  by  6  by  3  cm.  The  coating  was  more  or 
less  oxidized,  but  the  olivine  was  more  or  less  perceptible  in  all  parts  of  the  mass.  The  dimensions  of  the  345-pound 
mass  were  60  by  37  by  29  cm.  and  it  was  slightly  arched  shaped.  It  was  composed  of  iron  with  many  pittings  and 
showed  the  characteristic  magnetic  oxide  of  iron  rust.  The  219-pound  mass  measured  15  by  41  by  26  cm.,  and  was 
shaped  like  a  three-sided  pyramid.  The  211-pound  mass  was  somewhat  rounded,  with  a  circular  depression  on  one  side. 
There  were  two  masses  weighing  125  pounds  and  54.96  pounds,  respectively.  The  101.5-pound  mass  was  almost  round, 
measuring  35  by  26  by  27  cm.  The  exterior  was  evenly  pitted,  the  center  of  each  pitting  being  occupied  by  an  olivine 
crystal.  The  75-pound  mass  was  an  iron,  and  measured  32  by  22.5  by  15  cm.,  and  was  shaped  like  a  pear  or  ham,  and 
was  covered  with  pittings.  The  crust  had  been  changed  somewhat  by  weathering.  The  71.5-pound  mass  measured 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


79 


27  by  23  by  22  cm.,  was  jagged  and  irregular  in  shape,  and  showed  olivine  crystals  all  over  the  exterior.  The  60-pound 
mass  measured  36  by  21  by  17  cm.  and  was  an  elongated  rounded  piece,  with  one  large  flat  side  showing  large  spaces 
filled  with  olivine.  The  40-pound  mass  measured  22  by  21  by  13  cm.  It  was  of  irregular  shape  with  one  large  pro- 
jecting point.  The  36-pound  mass  measured  22  by  22  by  16  cm.,  it  had  the  shape  of  a  flattened  spheroid,  containing 
some  olivine,  but  almost  entirely  iron,  showing  large  pittings  like  the  75-pound  or  the  345-pound  masses.  There  were 
17  or  18  small  masses  weighing  18,  12,  7,  6,  5,  3,  and  1  pound  respectively;  and  a  few  weighing  only  1  ounce  each. 
Analyses  by  L.  G.  Eakins: 


Iron. 


Fe. 
Ni. 
Co. 
Cu. 
P.. 
S... 


88.49 

10.35 

57 

03 

14 

08 

C Trace. 

Si..  -  Trace. 


Olivine. 

SiO, 40.70 

AljO, Trace. 

Fe,0, 18 

FeO 10.79 

NiO 02 

MnO 14 

MgO 48.02 


Outer  olivine. 

SiO2 34.14 

FeO 23.20 

NiO Trace. 

CoO 03 

MnO 09 

MgO 40.19 

S....  5.42 


99.66 


99.85 


103.07 
Less  O  for  S...  Z71 


100.36 
Specific  gravity,  5.17-7.15. 

The  iron  is  brilliant  white,  inclosing  the  troilite,  and  surrounding  the  olivine  crystals.  Occasionally  small  etched 
surfaces  show  delicate  figures  like  the  Linnville  Mountain  meteorite.  Troilite  exists  plentifully  in  rounded  grains 
from  1  to  5  mm.  in  diameter,  and  in  thin  folia  mixed  with  and  surrounding  the  olivine  crystals,  as  well  as  running  into 
and  filling  small  spaces  in  the  body  of  the  iron,  either  as  flat  plates  or  rounded  masses.  Several  flat  circular  plates 
(crystals?)  of  graphite,  2  mm.  in  diameter,  were  also  observed.  The  olivine  crystals  are  very  brilliant  and  break  out 
entire,  the  faces  on  many  of  them  being  distinct  enough  to  allow  measurement  of  the  angles.  The  spaces  from  which 
they  break  are  highly  polished,  showing  every  crystal  face  with  mirrow-like  luster;  and  in  the  center  there  is  a  coating 
of  a  shining  mineral  that  is  jet  black  in  color,  and  crushes  into  a  jet  black  powder.  Many  of  the  olivine  crystals  are 
in  two  distinct  zones,  the  inner  half  a  bright  transparent  yellow,  the  outer  a  dark-brown  iron-olivine.  In  reality  this 
dark  zone  is  an  intimate  mixture  of  troilite  and  olivine. 

This  group  of  meteorites  possesses  more  than  ordinary  interest  on  account  of  its  peculiar  composition  and  structure, 
and  because  of  its  probable  connection  with  the  meteoric  iron  found  in  the  Turner  Mounds  in  Ohio.  It  is  probable 
that  a  small  mass  of  2  or  3  pounds  was  carried  by  the  Indians  to  the  Ohio  valley  (?).  In  both  the  Kiowa  County  and 
the  Mound  specimens  the  body  of  the  meteorite  is  iron,  in  which  are  embedded  circular  masses  of  crystals  of  olivine. 

Snow 2  described  the  find  of  an  additional  individual  as  follows: 

Since  my  communication  in  Science  of  May  9,  in  reference  to  the  Kiowa  County  (Kansas)  meteorites,  I  have 
again  visited  the  locality  and  obtained  a  218.25-pound  pallasite.  This  is  not  a  new  find,  but  is  one  which  was  first 
discovered  upon  the  farm  of  Mr.  James  Evans  more  than  a  year  ago.  The  location  may  be  seen  by  consulting  the  map 
illustrating  Mr.  Kunz's  article  in  Science  of  June  13.  Only  about  1  square  foot  of  the  burface  of  this  meteorite,  just 
level  with  the  ground,  was  exposed  to  view,  and  it  thus  easily  escaped  subsequent  observation  on  the  unploughed 
grassy  prairie.  The  dimensions  are  20.5  by  16.5  inches,  by  10.5  inches  at  base.  The  shape  is  that  of  an  irregular 
triangular  pyramid,  and  it  stands  easily  upon  its  base.  The  specimen,  not  having  been  exposed  to  the  weather  and 
the  dangers  of  rough  usage,  as  were  the  other  members  of  this  group,  presents  fine  clusters  of  olivine  crystals  in  several 
cavities  upon  two  of  its  faces.  There  are  eight  cavities  on  one  face.  Some  of  the  cavities  are  4  inches  in  diameter  and 
2  inches  deep.  Nearly  all  the  cavities  contain  fine  crystals  of  yellow  olivine  and  of  chromite.  Some  of  the  former  are 
three-sixteenths  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  so  perfect  that  the  angles  can  readily  be  measured.  This  specimen  is  also 
unique  in  that  the  crystals  of  chromite  are  so  large  and  so  prominent.  The  chromite  has  a  fine  luster,  gives  a  dark- 
brown  powder,  and  scratches  glass.  . 

Much  of  the  olivine  is  black  and  glassy,  with  a  conchoidal  fracture.  It  shades  imperceptibly  into  a  honey-yellow 
and  colorless  varieties.  The  light  yields  a  light-brown  powder,  and  is  very  brittle.  Its  fusibility  is  about  five. 

At  some  points  on  the  surface  there  is  a  dirty  white  incrustation.  This,  on  examination,  proved  to  be  carbonate 
of  lime,  and  is  without  doubt  due  to  deposits  from  the  calcareous  soil  in  which  the  meteorite  was  embedded. 

The  prevailing  color  of  this  iron  is  dark  reddish  brown,  more  inclined  to  red  than  others  of  this  fall  that  we  have 
seen. 

On  cutting  a  section  from  the  meteorite  and  treating  the  polished  surface  with  nitric  acid,  the  characteristic  Wied- 
mannstatten  markings  are  visible.  The  fragments  of  troilite  can  be  plainly  seen  on  the  polished  surface.  The  meteor- 
ite has  about  the  same  arrangement  of  iron,  olivine,  etc.,  as  others  of  this  group.  Its  specific  gravity,  as  obtained  from 
the  whole  mass,  is  4.79;  that  of  the  iron  and  nickel  alloy  is  7.70;  of  the  olivine  (yellow),  3.64  (water  at  25°  C.).  The  vol- 
ume of  the  entire  mass,  determined  in  the  process  of  obtaining  its  specific  gravity,  was  found  to  be  20.6  liters. 


80  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Winchell  and  Dodge  3  also  examined  and  described  some  individuals,  their  account  being 
in  part  as  follows: 

A  polished  section  of  the  221-pound  mass  shows  metallic  iron  as  composing  somewhat  less  than  one-half  the  entire 
surface  and  serves  as  a  matrix  in  which  are  embedded  amygdaloidal  or  roundish  masses  from  the  size  of  a  pea  to  that  of 
a  musket  ball,  and  larger,  of  the  black  and  yellowish  minerals  which  comprise  nearly  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  mass. 
The  iron  framework  of  the  whole  mass  is  not  regularly  cellular,  but  with  many  partings  and  tortuous  shapes  it  fits  closely 
about  the  concavities  in  which  the  minerals  lie  and  gives  firmness  and  shape  to  the  whole. 

The  WidmannstStten  figures  were  brought  out  on  this  surface  by  etching.  Some  of  the  metallic  iron  does  not 
exhibit  the  characteristic  bars,  and  generally  there  is  a  narrow  marginal  strip  on  all  these  surfaces  that  does  not  show 
them. 

Analysis  of  metallic  portion:  Percent. 

Fe 90.48 

Ni 8.59 

Co 16 

Cu Trace. 

P 27 

S 05 

C Trace. 

Silica 24 

Chromic  oxide. . .  .09 


99.88 
Analysis  of  light  colored  nonmetallic  portion : 

Silica , 40.50 

Ferrous  oxide 10. 51 

Ferric  oxide 1.  77 

Magnesia 47. 18 

Phosphorus Trace. 

99.96 
Analysis  of  dark  colored  nonmetallic  portion: 

Silica 25.88 

_  .  Ferrous  oxide  (part) 7. 53    Containing  iron,  5. 86 

Magnesia 31.  95 

Chromic  oxide 12.  28    Containing  iron,  6.  34 

Ferrous  oxide  (part)  by  formula  FeO.Cr2O3 5.82    Containing  iron,  4. 53 

Ferric  oxide  (part) 21    Containing  iron,    .15 

Sulphur 1.73 

Iron  combined  with  sulphur,  by  formula  FeS 3.03    Containing  iron,  3. 03 

Nickel 65 

Phosphorus 18 

Iron   combined   with    phosphorus    and    nickel, 
Ni2Fe4P 1.  30    Containing  iron,  1.  30 


99.  62  Total  iron,  21.  21 

But  three  minerals  were  detected  in  this  meteorite  by  microscopic  examination  of  thin  sections,  viz,  olivine, 
chromite,  and  troilite. 

The  results  differ  somewhat  from  those  of  Kunz  and  the  authors  say: 

Whereas  the  analyses  given  by  Kunz  show  the  presence  of  a  small  amount  of  manganese  oxide  and  ours  show  none, 
our  analyses  indicate  the  presence  of  a  considerable  amount  of  chromium,  and  his  show  none. 

They  also  found  the  olivine  masses  in  rounded  forms,  embraced  in  brilliantly  lined  cavities 
within  the  metallic  iron,  but  they  did  not  distinguish  any  individual  crystal  faces  nor  exterior 
angles. 

The  probable  relations  of  the  Kiowa  County  meteorites  to  the  meteoric  material  found  in 
the  Turner  Mound,  Ohio,  were  discussed  by  Huntington  4  with  the  conclusion  that  there  was  no 
proof  that  the  two  were  identical. 

In  1892  Hay5  reported  the  finding  of  additional  individuals  as  follows: 

This  spring  some  more  meteorites  were  found,  which  extend  the  area  of  the  find  as  described  by  Kunz,  Snow,  and 
Winchell  nearly  a  mile  farther  east  and  increase  the  number  of  meteorites  several  thousand.  One  mass  of  80  pounds 
has  been  obtained,  but  the  rest  of  the  find  represents  a  new  feature  in  the  remarkable  fall.  There  has  been  one  distinct 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  81 

meteorite  of  19  ounces  in  weight  besides  the  large  one,  but  the  rest  were  found  in  groups  of  small  meteorites  from  about 
a  pound  in  weight  to  the  size  of  a  pea.  Each  group  was  scattered  over  an  area  of  15  to  30  square  yards.  The  larger 
individuals  of  the  groups  show  themselves  true  pallasites  and  even  some  very  small  ones,  but  many  of  these  latter  are 
largely  oxidized,  the  metallic  iron  having  all  disappeared.  All  stages  of  oxidation  are  shown  in  each  group.  The 
large  mass  and  three  groups — the  smallest  weighing  3  pounds  and  numbering  400  individuals — are  in  possession  of 
the  writer,  at  Junction  City,  Kans. 

Meunier 8  gives  the  following  account  of  a  study  of  the  structure  of  the  meteorites: 

The  Kiowa  meteorites  have  been  studied  by  several  American  scientists  such  as  Snow,  Huntington,  and  Kunz, 
who  published  the  analysis  by  Eakins  and  Hay.  But  their  geological  history  has  hitherto  been  neglected. 

It  is  to  be  noted  first  that  different  mineralogists  are  far  from  being  unanimous  in  their  determinations,  these 
divergences  being  due  in  part  at  least  to  the  fact  that  their  specimens  were  not  identical.  In  order  to  get  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  Kiowa  meteorites  it  is  essential  to  use  enough  specimens  to  show  the  variations  of  which  the  fall  is  sus- 
ceptible. 

Within  limited  areas  massive  blocks  of  iron,  without  any  admixture  of  stony  matter,  have  been  recognized,  while 
other  portions  are  of  a  spongy  nature  with  the  cavities  in  the  iron  filled  up  with  stony  matter.  In  the  latter  instance 
the  meteorite  resembles  the  celebrated  Pallas  iron;  so  that  several  authors  have  included  the  American  specimens  in 
the  type  pallasite  of.  Rose.  This  conclusion  appears  to  be  erroneous. 

The  metallic  portion  presents  two  principal  alloys  of  iron  and  nickel,  that  is,  taenite  (FegNi)  and  plessite  (FejoNi). 
In  this  respect  Kiowa  differs  from  the  pallasite  variety  whose  metallic  network  is  composed  of  tsenite  and  kamacite; 
it  was  on  this  account  that  Kunz  wrongly  called  this  metal  caillite.  According  to  its  composition,  it  coincides  with  a 
wholly  metallic  type  of  meteorite  which  since  1870  I  have  designated  as  jewellite. 

Nevertheless  the  structure  of  the  metallic  part  is  not  that  of  jewellite,  the  difference  being  due  to  special  lithogenic 
conditions.  Apart  from  the  peridotic  particles,  the  mass  is  formed  of  laminae  of  tsenite  arranged  in  bundles  which 
intersect  under  the  angles  of  the  octahedron.  The  spaces  between  the  laminae  are  filled  with  plessite,  which  is  dis- 
tinguished at  first  sight  by  its  color,  which  is  a  very  dark  gray,  contrasting  with  the  appearance  of  polished  steel  in  the 
case  of  the  other  alloy.  Frequently  the  plessite  forms  little  isolated  specks  of  a  fusiform  outline  or  more  or  less  circular  or 
entirely  irregular,  bordered  by  more  or  less  extended  laminae  of  tsenite,  a  condition  not  noticed  in  any  other  meteoric  iron. 

In  proximity  to  the  grains  of  peridote,  the  relation  of  the  two  alloys  frequently  takes  on  another  character  and, 
although  the  Kiowa  meteorite  does  not  present  in  the  same  degree  the  concretionary  and  concentric  character  of  the 
pallasite,  one  frequently  notes  an  evident  enveloping  of  the  silicate  grains  with  nickel-iron.  It  is  then  the  plessite 
which  is  in  contact  with  the  stony  mineral;  it  constitutes  a  zone  frequently  very  thick  and  whose  exterior  outline  is 
not  then  in  the  least  parallel  to  the  profile  of  the  peridote.  In  more  than  one  place  several  grains  of  olivine  are  enveloped 
in  the  same  mass  of  plessite,  which  may  at  the  same  time  contain  different  nodules.  These  latter  are  usually  of 
pyrrhotine,  in  small  amounts,  and  of  schreibersite,  which  on  the  contrary  is  present  in  large  amounts.  Sometimes  it 
is  composed  of  true  nodules  measuring  possibly  1  cm.  in  diameter,  sometimes  it  forms  a  kind  of  coating  around  the 
peridote  or  around  the  small  masses  of  sulphide.  It  is  of  a  tin-white  color,  slightly  yellowish,  very  fragile,  insoluble  in 
chlorhydric  acid,  and  very  strongly  magnetic. 

The  silicate  portion  of  the  Kiowa  meteorite  is  formed  entirely  of  olivine,  which  affords  the  closest  analogy  with 
that  of  Pallas.  It  does  not  form  true  crystals  in  any  part,  but  cleavage  fragments  much  rounded  and  covered  with 
metal. 

In  thin  sections,  under  the  microscope,  this  peridote  presents  numerous  cleavages,  many  of  which  are  as  it  were 
injected  with  matter  entirely  opaque,  which  pass  insensibly  into  zones  with  which  the  mineral  is  traversed.  These 
latter  frequently  contain  opaque  inclusions,  where  may  be  seen,  under  strong  magnifying  power,  the  outlines  of 
octahedral  forms.  Huntington  found  chrome  iron,  but  the  most  searching  study  fails  to  show  any  magnetite.  The 
yellowish  zones  and  the  inclusions  they  contain  proceed  without  doubt  from  a  peculiar  alteration  of  olivine.  There 
may  be  found  near  them  portions  limited  by  the  cleavage  and  which  are  evidently  serpentinous. 

Some  specimens  of  this  meteorite  are  very  exceptional  in  character.  With  the  usual  structure  and  cohesion,  they 
show  forms  of  blackish  and  opaque  mineral  grains  cemented  together  by  a  network  of  oxidized  iron.  A  glance  suffices  to 
show  that  they  result  from  an  alteration  of  normal  specimens.  The  metallic  skeleton  has  been  oxidized  and  the  peri- 
dotes  radically  changed.  Analysis  shows  the  ferruginous  oxide  to  be  magnetite.  This  constitutes  almost  the  entire 
network  between  the  silicates  and  the  loose  filaments  in  the  fissures  of  the  peridotes.  I  reproduced  by  heating  to  redness 
in  the  vapor  of  water  a  fragment  of  the  Kiowa  meteorite,  with  all  its  characteristics. 

Strictly  speaking,  one  would  suppose  that  the  heating  necessary  to  generate  magnetite  would  date  from  the  passage 
of  the  cosmical  mass  through  our  atmosphere,  but  it  is  clear  that  the  vapor  of  water  would  not,  at  this  moment,  intervene 
in  sufficient  quantity.  It  is  therefore  necessary  to  conclude  that  the  oxidation  took  place  in  the  meteoric  medium 
itself,  where  jets  of  vapor  analogous  to  our  terrestrial  steam  volcanoes  act  upon  the  metallic  rock  previously  constituted 
and  heated  to  redness. 

In  the  Paris  catalogue  a  further  description  7  is  given  which  in  part  repeats  the  previous 
observations  and  in  part  adds  to  them.     It  is  as  follows : 

The  Paris  museum  contains,  besides  oth«r  specimens,  a  fine  polished  sample  of  more  than  1  kg.  weight  of  the 
Kiowa  meteorite. 


82  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

As  to  its  mineralogical  compoaition,  the  metallic  portion  agrees  with  jewellite,  and  yet  it  is  distinguished  by  its  struc- 
ture by  reason,  doubtless,  of  special  lithogenic  conditions.  Instead  of  peridotic  particles  the  mass  is  formed  of  laminae  of 
taenite  arranged  in  bundles  which  intersect  at  angles  corresponding  to  those  of  the  octahedron;  the  interspaces  between 
the  laminae  are  filled  with  plessite,  which  is  distinguished  by  its  very  dark  gray  color,  contrasting  with  the  polished 
steel  shade  of  the  other  alloy.  Frequently  the  plessite  forms  spots  with  fusiform  or  more  or  less  circular  outlines,  or 
quite  irregular,  with  a  border  of  taenite  more  or  less  continuous,  a  condition  which  has  not  been  noted  in  any  other 
meteoric  iron.  Near  the  grains  of  peridote  the  relation  of  the  two  alloys  frequently  takes  on  another  character,  and 
although  the  Kiowa  meteorite  does  not  present  the  same  degree  of  concretionary  and  concentric  structure  as  the  palla- 
sites,  nevertheless  the  silicate  grains  are  frequently  observed  to  be  covered  with  the  nickel-iron.  It  is  then  the  plessite 
which  is  in  contact  with  the  stony  mineral ;  it  frequently  constitutes  a  very  wide  zone  and  its  exterior  outline  is  not 
then  an  the  least  parallel  to  the  profile  of  the  peridote.  At  more  than  one  point  several  grains  of  olivine  are  enveloped 
with  the  same  border  of  plessite,  which  may  at  the  same  time  contain  different  nodules.  These  latter  ordinarily  con- 
sist of  pyrrhotine,  in  small  quantities,  and  of  schreibersite,  which,  on  the  contrary,  is  quite  abundant.  Sometimes  this 
phosphuret  constitutes  the  true  nodules,  as  much  as  1  cm.  in  diameter;  sometimes  it  forms  a  sort  of  covering  around  the 
peridotes  or  around  small  masses  of  sulphur.  The  schreibersite  is  of  a  slightly  yellowish  tin-white  color,  very  fragile, 
insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid,  and  strongly  magnetic. 

The  silicate  portion  is  formed  exclusively  of  olivine,  which  affords  a  complete  analogy  with  the  lithosiderite  of 
Pallas.  It  does  not  form  true  crystals  at  any  point,  but  much  rounded  cleavage  fragments  completely  covered  with 
metal.  It  is  easy  to  dislodge  the  grains  under  consideration,  with  a  steel  point,  from  the  cells  which  contain  them  and 
to  take  the  impression  of  the  latter  with  wax;  it  is  then  easy  to  recognize  fragments  originally  angular  which  have  been 
more  or  less  corroded  by  the  agents  to  which  is  due  the  concretion  of  the  metallic  portion. 

In  thin  sections  under  the  microscope  the  peridote  presents  very  numerous  cleavages,  many  of  which  are  nearly 
filled  with  a  perfectly  opaque  material  which  passes  insensibly  into  the  ocherous  zones  with  which  the  mineral  is 
traversed.  These  zones  frequently  present  opaque  inclusions  in  which  may  be  seen,  with  a  strong  magnifying  power, 
the  indications  of  octahedral  forms.  Huntington  noted  the  presence  of  chromic  iron  in  this,  but  an  attentive  study 
failed  to  reveal  either  oxide  of  iron  or  magnetite.  The  yellowish  zones  and  the  inclusions  which  they  contain  certainly 
proceed  from  a  particular  alteration  of  the  olivine;  there  is  also  found  in  their  vicinity  portions  limited  by  the  cleavages, 
and  which  evidently  consist  of  a  serpentine  material. 

Several  specimens  of  the  Kiowa  meteorite  have  a  very  exceptional  character.  From  their  structure  and  natural 
cohesion  they  prove  themselves  to  be  formed  of  black  opaque  mineral  grains  cemented  together  by  a  network  of  oxide 
of  iron.  A  glance  shows  that  they  are  the  result  of  an  alteration  of  normal  specimens;  the  metallic  skeletons  have 
become  oxidized  and  the  peridotes  are  greatly  changed.  However,  it  does  not  resemble  a  simple  attack  of  the  elements; 
analysis  shows  that  the  ferruginous  oxide  which  predominates  in  it  is  neither  limonite  nor  goethite,  but  magnetite.  It 
is  this  which  constitutes  nearly  the  whole  network  between  the  silicate  grains  and  the  filaments  liberated  in  the  tissues 
of  the  peridotes. 

Brezina's  account  of  the  characters  of  the  meteorite  is  given  in  the  Vienna  Catalogue  for 
1895,8  and  is  as  follows: 

Brenham  is  a  highly  characteristic  pallasite.  Among  the  numerous  large  individuals  some  are  free  from  olivine 
and  can  be  placed  with  the  unit  oriented  octahedrites.  Others  are  in  part  free  from  olivine  and  in  part  olivine-bearing 
pallasites,  with  unit  orientation  of  the  nickel-iron.  Finally  a  third  class  and  pieces  with  intimate  mixtures  of  siliceous 
and  iron  particles  having  a  size  of  grains  up  to  5  or  6  cm.,  show  the  iron  portion  not  oriented  as  a  unit.  This  reminds 
one  of  Netschsevo,  in  which  I  observed  at  times  an  intimate  mixture  of  metallic  with  the  stony  constituents,  likewise 
a  unit  orientation  of  the  iron.  Most  pieces  of  this  pallasite  seem  to  have  suffered  pretty  strong  oxidation.  The  olivine 
in  the  peripheral  parts  has  become  abundantly  turbid  and  is  penetrated  by  opaque  veins.  The  kamacite  in  such  places 
is  altered  to  an  opaque  limonitic  substance,  while  the  plessite  in  part  and  the  troilite  and  schreibersite  almost  altogether 
remain  unchanged.  A  plate  cut  from  the  middle  of  an  individual  weighing  36  kg.  shows  on  the  etched  surface  large, 
round  olivine  crystals  reaching  2  cm.  in  diameter,  now  single,  now  more  or  less  associated,  surrounded  by  swathing 
kamacite  1  to  1.5  mm.  thick,  the  intervening  fields  filled  by  now  unit  oriented  in  the  greater  portion  and  now  varying 
oriented  trias  in  which  fine  taenite-rich  bands  stand  in  equal  proportion  with  a  now  purely  plessitic  and  now  half 
hatched  skeleton  filling.  Between  the  olivine  and  swathing  kamacite,  schreibersite  and  troilite  are  abundantly 
included,  often  as  simultaneous  successors  of  the  olivine  and  often  lying  beside  one  another  about  the  same  olivine 
grain,  the  succession  being  olivine,  schreibersite,  troilite,  swathing  kamacite,  and  trias.  Loose  olivine  shows  plane 
bounding  faces  as  well  as  round  fusion  forms.  The  latter,  though,  are  almost  never  lacking  and  exceed  the  former. 
Among  the  many  thousands  of  the  olivines  which  have  been  exposed  by  numerous  sections  of  Brenham  I  have  found 
only  one  which  was  completely  bounded  crystalographically  and  this  shows  weak  rounding  of  the  edges.  Besides  the 
large  individuals  there  were  found  distributed  portions  of  500  or  600  little  individuals  which  originated  from  a  larger 
piece  by  alteration.  Two  such  specimens  weighing  3.3  and  6.3  kg.  are  at  hand;  the  first  cleansed  by  washing,  the 
latter  in  the  unchanged  altered  condition.  They  show  the  manner  of  alteration  of  such  masses,  the  single  constituents 
Buffering  a  higher  or  lower  degree  of  oxidation. 

The  meteorite  is  quite  generally  distributed. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  83 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  KUNZ.    On  five  new  American  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  40,  pp.  312-318;  and  Science, 

n.  s.,  vol.  15,  pp.  359-362.    (With  map  of  Brenham  Township  showing  distribution  of  the  masses  and  other 
illustrations.) 

2.  1890:  SNOW.    Another  meteorite  from  Kiowa  County,  Kansas.    Science,  n.  s.,  vol.  16,  p.  39. 

3.  1890:  WINCHELL  and  DODGE.    The  Brenham,  Kiowa  County,  Kansas,  meteorites.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol.  5,  pp.  309- 

312;  and  vol.  6,  pp.  370-377.    (Analyses  and  illustration  of  section.) 

4.  1891:  HUNTINGTON.    The  prehistoric  and  Kiowa  County  pallasites.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  26, 

pp.  1-12,  3  plates. 

5.  1892:  HAY.    The  Kiowa  County  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  ScL,  3d  eer.,  vol.  43,  p.  80. 

6.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Examen  mineralogique  et  lithologique  de  la  meteorite  de  Kiowa,  Kansas.    Comptes  Rendus, 

Tome  116,  pp.  447-450. 

7.  1895:  MEUNIEB.    Revision  des  lithosiderites;  pp.  20-24.    (Illustration  of  etched  section.) 

8.  1895:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  265-266. 

BRIDGEWATER. 

Burke  County,  North  Carolina. 

Here  alto  Burke  County,  1890. 

Latitude  35°  41'  N.,  longitude  81°  45'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina. 

Found  and  described  1890. 

Weight,  13.15  kgs.,  (29  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Kunz1  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  was  found  by  a  negro  plowman,  2  mdes  from  Bridgewater  station,  in  the  western  part  of  Burke 
County,  near  the  McDowell  County  line  in  North  Carolina,  latitude  35°  41'  N.,  longitude  81°  W  W.,  of  Greenwich,  in 
the  year  -1890.  The  negro  thought  that  it  must  be  either  gold  or  silver  from  ita  weight,  and  took  it  to  some  railroad 
laborers,  who  broke  it  into  two  pieces,  one  of  which  weighed  10.5  pounds  and  the  other  18.5  pounds,  or  30  pounds  in  all. 
The  mass  measured  22.5  by  15  by  10  cm.  (9  by  6  by  4  in.). 

Traces  of  black  crust  very  much  oxidized  are  still  visible  on  the  surface.  The  iron  is  octahedral  in  structure,  BO 
that  the  mass  was  readily  broken  by  the  laborers  who  found  it.  Between  the  cleavage  plates  schreibersite  is  visible. 
On  etching  a  polished  surface  of  this  iron  the  characteristic  Widmannstatten  figures  are  brought  out. 

The  specific  gravity  of  a  fragment  was  found  to  be  6.617.  The  following  analysis  was  kindly  furnished  by  Prof. 
F.  P.  Venable,  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  Cl 

88.90        9.94        0.76        0.35        0.02    =99.97 

Kunz  gives  a  cut  of  the  mass  and  its  etching  figures. 
Brezina  *  notes — 

the  presence  of  deep  clefts  following  the  octahedral  structure.  It  was  along  one  of  these  clefte  that  the  mass  was  broken 
by  the  laborers.  The  surface  of  one  such  cleft  follows  an  octahedral  face  9  cm.  long  and  7  cm.  broad  and  cuts  through 
a  series  of  octahedral  steps  for  7  cm.  into  another  octahedral  surface.  An  etched  surface  shows  uniform  structure 
with  long,  straight,  little  bunched  bands.  The  kamacite  has  fine,  half-shaded  hatching  of  a  peculiar  flakinesa 
resulting  from  the  unequal  etching  of  single  portions  of  each  band.  Tsenite  is  strongly  developed.  The  fields  are 
small,  filled  chiefly  with  gray  plessite,  rarely  with  shadowy  lamellae.  Streaks  of  cohenite  occur  occasionally  though 
not  abundantly  in  the  kamacite;  also  rarely  schreibersite  with  outlines  suggesting  crystal  form  and  containing  spherical 
troilite  inclusions. 

Cohen 3  found  the  iron  capable  of  acquiring  more  or  less  permanent  mangetism,  and  Leick8 
found  that  it  possessed  a  specific  magnetism  of  2.63  units  per  gram. 

Cohen  s  further  describes  the  structure  of  the  iron  as  follows: 

Bridcewater  is  distinguished  by  long,  straight,  swollen,  rarely  and  only  weakly  grouped  lamellae,  very  prominent 
tsenite,  and  not  large  but  richly  distributed  fields  which  nearly  equal  the  lamellae  in  quantity.  The  kamacite  is  generally 
not  at  all  granulated,  but  in  places  weakly  so.  It  is  strongly  hatched.  On  the  majority  of  the  bands  ridges  appear 
prominently  accompanied  by  sparing  and  very  small  etch  pits,  and  the  oriented  sheen  is  strong.  Other  bands  have  a 
flaky  appearance  and  duller  luster.  Ridges  do  not  appear  on  strong  magnification,  but  the  main  mass  of  the  kamacite 
is  much  darkened,  whether  by  angular,  closely  grouped  pits  or  by  embedded  dust-like  forms,  can  not  be  distinguished. 
The  smaller  fields  and  those  lying  between  bands  consist  of  compact  dark  plessite  which,  as  usual  under  the  microscope, 
appears  to  be  uniformly  filled  with  angular  shining  scales.  In  the  more  extended  fields  the  latter  are  somewhat  larger 
and  in  places  so  increase  in  number  that  it  appears  as  if  one  such  field  was  composed  of  small  partly  bright  and  partly 


84  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

dark  bands  arranged  according  to  octahedral  facea.  Under  the  microscope,  however,  these  apparent  bands  do  not 
appear  to  be  sharply  separated  from  one  another  and  pass  gradually  into  compact  dull  plessite.  These  are  doubtless 
Brezina's  "shadowy  lamellae."  As  accessory  constituents  the  piece  which  I  investigated  contains  grains  of  iron  glass 
near  the  natural  surface  and  some  schreibersite-like  elongated  crystals  embedded  in  kamacite.  The  iron  rusts  easily 
from  the  oozing  of  drops  of  iron  chloride. 

The  iron  is  distributed,  the  Vienna  collection  possessing  8.5  kg. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  KUNZ.    On  five  new  American  Meteorites. — 4.  Meteoric  iron  from  Bridgewater,  Burke  County,  North  Caro- 

lina.   Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  eer.,  vol.  40,  pp.  320-322. 

2.  1893:  BBEZINA.    Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nurnberg),  p.  164. 

3.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoriten-Studien  IV,  Ann.  K.  JC.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  82. 

4.  1895:  BREZINA,  Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  271-272. 

5.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  381-383. 

British  America.  1871.    See  Victoria. 
Buncombe  County,  1835.    See  Black  Mountain. 
Buncombe  County,  1839.    See  Asheville. 

Burke  County,  1882.    See  Linville. 
Burke  County,  1890.    See  Bridgewater. 


BURLINGTON. 

Oteego  County,  New  York. 

Here  also  Cooperstown  1819  and  Otsego  County.  ' 

Latitude  42°  42'  N.,  longitude  75°  12'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Burlingtonite  (type  17)  of  Meunier. 

Found  before  1819;  described  1844. 

Weight,  50  to  100  kgs.,  "100  to  200  pounds." 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  were  first  given  by  Silliman  l  as  follows: 

Dr.  L.  C.  Beck,  in  his  report  on  the  mineralogical  survey  of  New  York,  p.  383,  makes  mention  of  a  mass  of  malleable 
iron,  said  to  be  native,  which  he  saw  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Albany  Institute.  It  does  not  appear  that  any  chemical 
examination  was  made  of  the  mass. 

Last  November  Mr.  E.  C.  Herrick,  being  in  Geneva,  New  York,  received  from  the  hands  of  Prof.  James  Hadley 
of  that  place  a  mass  of  metallic  iron,  which  Professor  Hadley  assured  him  was  a  portion  of  the  same  specimen  mentioned 
by  Professor  Beck  in  his  report  above  quoted,  and  that  both  belonged  to  a  larger  mass,  which  when  found  was  supposed 
to  .weigh  from  100  to  200  pounds  avoirdupois.  Mr.  Herrick  also  learned  that  Dr.  Eli  Pierce  of  Athens,  New  York,  was 
the  gentleman  who  originally  communicated  the  specimens  and  information  to  Dr.  Hadley. 

On  Mr.  Herrick's  return  to  this  place,  the  mass  was  placed  in  my  hands  for  examination.  Its  strong  resemblance 
to  the  iron  found  in  North  Carolina  by  Professor  Olmeted,  and  examined  subsequently  by  Professor  Shepard,  immedi- 
ately struck  me;  it  was  divided  by  broad  laminse,  crossing  each  other  at  angles  of  60°  and  120°,  cutting  up  the  surfaces 
into  triangular  and  rhombohedral  figures.  It  broke  with  a  hackly  fracture  and  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  on  the 
thinnest  edges. 

Two  deep  and  broad  sutures  marked  its  two  most  regular  and  opposite  faces,  made  by  the  wedge  or  chisel  by  which 
the  blacksmith  (into  whose  hands  the  larger  mass  unfortunately  came)  severed  it  from  the  adjoining  portion.  It  bore 
the  marks  of  having  been  intensely  heated  at  the  smith's  forge,  and  numerous  microscopic  crystals  of  a  black  color 
and  brilliant  luster  covered  some  parts  of  its  surface.  They  resembled  phosphate  of  iron,  but  were  too  small  to  be 
detached.  I  had  no  doubt  on  first  seeing  the  mass  of  its  extra-terrestrial  origin,  which  opinion  was  confirmed  by  the 
following  analysis  performed  in  my  laboratory  by  Mr.  C.  H.  Rockwell,  one  of  my  pupils. 

It  dissolved  quickly  and  completely  in  purS  nitric  acid,  with  the  application  of  a  gentle  heat.  The  solution 
tested  with  nitrate  of  silver  gave  no  cloudiness,  showing  the  absence  of  chlorine.  Still  further  to  settle  the  question 
of  the  presence  of  chlorine,  the  mass  was  put  in  a  clean  capsule  and  placed  over  a  water  bath,  covered  on  the  plate  of 
an  air  pump  by  an  air-tight  jar.  After  exposure  to  this  humid  atmosphere  for  a  week  it  was  taken  out  and  washed 
with  pure  water  into  the  capsule,  which  contained  also  water  of  condensation  from  the  mass.  These  washings,  tested 
with  nitrate  of  silver,  remained  quite  unclouded.  After  the  heat  to  which  the  mass  has  been  subjected  in  the  smith's 
forge,  it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  we  should  find  any  traces  of  chlorine,  if  it  ever  existed.  The  solution  of  the 
iron  in  nitric  acid  yielded  with  the  usual  process  for  separating  iron  from  nickel — 

Metallic  iron 92.  291 

Metallic  nickel..  8.146 


100. 437 
No  traces  of  other  substance  could  be  detected  in  the  iron.    Specific  gravity,  7.  501. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  85 

With  a  view  to  obtain  all  the  information  possible  in  relation  to  this  interesting  meteoric  iron,  Mr.  Herrick  addressed 
a  letter  of  inquiry  to  Dr.  Pierce,  which  brought  the  following  particulars.  He  says:  "In  the  year  1819,  I  procured 
some  two  or  three  masses  of  native  iron  (as  it  appeared  to  be)  from  the  fanner  who  first  turned  it  over  with  his  plow  in  a 
field  near  the  north  line  of  the  town  of  Burlington,  Otsego  County,  New  York.  These  consisted  of  remnants  of  an  entire 
mass  originally  supposed  to  weigh  between  100  and  200  pounds  and  found  several  years  before.  Before  I  had 
any  knowledge  of  its  existence,  it  had  been  in  the  forge  of  a  country  blacksmith  and  the  whole  heated  in  order  to 
enable  Him  to  cut  off  portions  for  the  manufacture  of  such  articles  as  the  farmer  most  needed.  The  smith  assured  me 
that  he  had  never  worked  stronger,  tougher,  or  purer  iron;  that  it  made  the  best  horseshoe  naila.  All  the  fragments 
that  remained  I  immediately  secured,  and  presented  them  to  Professor  Hadley,  whose  lectures  I  was  then  attending. 
These  were  in  two  or  three  irregular  masses,  in  all  some  8  to  12  pounds,  with  the  marks  of  the  chisel  used  in 
cutting  while  in  a  heated  state.  In  conversation  with  the  fanner  who  found  the  original  mass,  I  could  only  learn  that 
in  plowing  the  field  he  found  a  stone,  very  heavy,  rusty  on  the  top,  which  lay  above  the  surface.  From  its  great 
specific  gravity  he  was  induced  to  examine  it  more  particularly,  and  thinking  it  might  be  iron  he  carried  it  to  his 
blacksmith,  who,  finding  it  iron,  had  worked  up  the  most  of  it  into  horseshoe  nails,  etc.,  as  the  farmer  needed.  The 
latter  told  me  that  he  had  seen  several  small  specimens  of  what  appeared  to  be  similar  whilst  plowing  the  same  field, 
but  a  diligent  search  made  by  me  at  the  time  proved  fruitless  in  discovering  any  other  specimens,  the  field  being  at 
that  time  in  meadow. 

"  It  was  the  opinion  of  Professor  Hadley,  on  the  first  examination,  that  it  was  of  meteoric  origin.  Why  it  was  not 
completely  buried  in  falling  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  ground  on  which  it  was  found  was  hard  and 
strong." 

Measures  have  been  taken  to  secure  as  much  of  this  interesting  mass  as  can  now  be  obtained  for  the  mineralogical 
collection  in  Yale  College. 

Further  description  was  given  later  by  Shepard  *  as  follows: 

This  mass  (originally  150  pounds  in  weight)  was  described  by  Professor  Silliman,  jr.  It  was  ploughed  up  by  a 
fanner,  near  the  north  line  of  the  town,  sometime  prior  to  1819.  Portions  were  cut  from  it,  from  time  to  time,  by  the 
discoverer's  blacksmith  for  agricultural  uses,  until  its  weight  was  diminished  to  about  a  dozen  pounds,  when  it  fortu- 
nately fell  into  the  hands  of  Professor  Hadley  of  Geneva,  New  York,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  a  conical  lump  weigh- 
ing 9  pounds,  which  must  have  formed  a  somewhat  pointed  extremity  of  the  original  mass.  From  the  base  of  this  a 
slice  was  taken,  leaving  a  lump  of  five  pounds  of  the  annexed  form.  Its  sides  show,  for  the  most  part,  the  natural 
crust  of  the  iron,  but  where  this  is  not  the  case  the  surface  has  been  cut  and  polished,  or  is  coarsely  crystalline  with 
large  tetrahedral  and  subhackley  faces,  occasioned  by  the  breaking  off  of  what  was  apparently  projecting  prongs.  Its 
polished  faces  show  a  very  high  luster,  with  a  color  of  nearly  the  same  whiteness  as  German  silver.  Held  at  a  proper 
angle,  they  discover  very  distinctly  the  same  crystalline  characters  which  are  still  more  distinctly  brought  out  by  the 
action  of  acids.  The  etched  surface  is  illustrated  by  the  accompanying  figure.  The  pattern  is  strikingly  peculiar, 
as  well  as  beautiful.  The  bright  shining  veins,  which  resist  the  action  of  the  acid,  are  rarely  nearer  together  than 
•fa  or  -fa  of  an  inch,  and  these  in  place  of  being  continuous  are  interrupted  at  frequent  intervals.  In  their  course  also, 
they  frequently  exhibit  little  triangular  enlargements,  the  sides  of  the  triangles  curving  inward.  The  surface  included 
between  the  shining  lines  and  which  forms  at  least  nine-tenths  of  the  whole,  is  everywhere  finely  freckled,  as  if  depend- 
ing upon  granular  texture  and  even  bears  some  analogy  to  what  is  familiarly  known  as  crystallized  tin,  or  Moiree 
mttallique. 

Its  hardness  is  very  unusual,  no  iron  with  which  I  am  acquainted  offering  on  the  whole  so  much  resistance  to  the 
operation  of  slitting.  Mr.  Rockwell  gives  as  its  composition,  iron  92.291,  and  nickel  8.146.  My  own  result  in  a  single 
analysis  is  as  follows: 

Iron 95.200 

Nickel 2.125 

Insoluble 500 

Sulphur  and  loss 2. 175 

100.000 
Clark  4  obtained  the  following  composition  by  analysis: 

Fe  Xi  X       S  and  loss 

89.752        8.897        0.625        0.703    =99.977 

He  also  found  traces  of  copper  and  manganese;  the  first  may  have  come  from  the  tools 
with  which  the  chip  was  obtained. 

Shepard  e  states  that  "in  cutting  a  slice  from  the  iron  a  single,  very  symmetrical,  drop- 
shaped  cavity  more  than  half  an  inch  in  diameter  was  disclosed  which  communicated  by  a 
minute  opening  with  the  surface.  Its  walls  are  almost  perfectly  smooth  and  coated  by  a 
brownish-black  powder,  not  yet  examined." 

Reichenbach  9  noted  the  presenc*  of  cylindrical  or  elongated  cone-shaped  masses  in  this 
iron.  He  compared  their  form  to  that  of  belemnites  or  to  the  filling  of  auger  holes  and  states 
that  they  often  lie  close  together  hi  parallel  arrangement  and  hi  large  numbers. 


86  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Brezina  le  in  1885  groups  Burlington  with  Trenton.  He  gives  the  width  of  the  lamellae  as 
1.2  mm.  and  states  that  they  are  strongly  swollen. 

Meunier "  describes  Burlington  as  a  very  peculiar  iron  which  yields  singular  etching 
figures.  The  tsenite  lies  in  a  mass  composed  principally  of  braunine,  in  singularly  irregular 
patches.  The  crevices  are  filled  with  a  carboniferous  black  substance.  Braunine  includes 
fine  specks  of  schreibersite.  On  dissolving  in  chlorhydric  acid  the  iron  gives  off  a  noticeable 
odor  of  hydrogen  sulphide. 

Brezina  1S  in  1895  says: 

A  piece  cut  from  the  end  shows  the  natural  surface  to  be  composed  of  angular,  octahedral  planes;  upon  the  section 
surface  are  seen  not  very  straight,  somewhat  grouped,  very  puffy  bands  with  well-developed  tsenite.  The  fields  are 
inconspicuous,  plessite  more  noticeable;  kamacite  and  plessite  conspicuously  spotted. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Wiilfing  listing  4867  grams.  Washington  possesses  1,528 
grams  and  New  Haven  738  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1844:  SILLIMAN.    Analysis  ofmeteoric  iron  from  Burlington,  Otsego  County,  New  York.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st 

ser.,  vol.  46,  pp.  401-403.    (Analysis  by  Rockwell.) 

2.  1846:  SHEPAKD.    Report  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  2,  p.  382. 

3.  1847:.SHEPARD.    Report  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  4,  pp.  77-78.     (Illustration.) 

4.  1852:  CLARK.    Dissert.  GottLngen,  pp.  61-62. 

5.  1852:  WOHLER.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  85,  p.  449. 

6.  1853:  SHEPARD.     Potassium  in  the  meteoric  iron  of  Ruffs  Mountain,  South  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ    Sci.,  2d 

ser.,  vol.  15,  p.  6. 

7.  1860:  HAIDINGER.    Ueber  das  von  Herrn  Dr.  J.  Auerbach  in  Moskau  entdeckte  Meteoreisen  von  Tula.    Sitzber. 

Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  42,  p.  512.     (Comparison  with  Burlington.) 

8.  1860:  RAMMELSBERG.    Mineralchemie,  pp.  914-915. 

9.  1858-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  p.  638;  No.  6,  pp.  448  and  452;  No.  7,  p.  551;  No.  9,  pp.  162,  174,  181; 

No.  10,  pp.  359,  365;  No.  12,  p.  457;  No.  13,  p.  363;  No.  15,  pp.  100,  110,  114,  124,  126;  No.  16,  pp.  255,  256, 
261,  262;  No.  17,  pp.  264,  266,  272;  No.  18,  pp.  484,  487;  No.  19,  pp.  150,  154,  155;  No.  20,  pp.  622,  628;  No. 
21,  p.  589. 

10.  1863:  BUCHNER.    Meteoriten,  pp.  170-171. 

11.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  26,  27,  64,  and  152. 

12.  1869:  MEUNIER.     Recherches.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  35  and  72. 

13.  1870:  RAMMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  p.  80. 

14.  1872:  QUENSTEDT.     Klar  und  Wahr,  p.  314.     (Illustration  of  etching.) 

15.  1884:  MEUNIER.    M6t&>rites,  pp.  51,  99,  and  133.     (Illustration.) 

16.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  211-212,  and  234. 

17.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  49  and  50.    (Illustration  of  etching.) 

18.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  276. 


Butcher  Iron.    See  Coahuila. 


BUTLER. 

Bates  County,  Missouri. 

Here  also  Bates  County. 

Latitude  38°  15'  N.,  longitude  94°  18'  W. 

Iron.    Finest  octahedrite  (Off)  of  Brezina;  Jeknite  (type  11)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1874;  described  1875. 

Weight,  36  kgs.  (80  Ibs.). 

This  iron  meteorite  is  described  by  Broadhead  l  as  "ploughed  up  in  a  field  by  a  man  named 
Abram  Crabbe,  living  8  miles  southwest  of  Butler,  Bates  County,  Missouri.  For  a  long  time 
it  remained  scarcely  noticed  by  the  finder,  but  at  last,  thinking  it  rather  heavy,  he  brought  it 
into  Butler  and  left  it  at  a  blacksmith  shop. 

Its  total  weight  was  a  little  less  than  90  pounds,  and  it  was  a  rough  looking,  rather  irregular 
mass,  somewhat  pitted  over  the  surface. 

The  surface  had  a  thick  coat  of  rust,  the  metal  was  very  tough,  and  in  section  showed 
numerous  nodules  of  troilite  free  from  any  schreibersite.  The  Widmannstatten  figures  were 
easily  developed,  and  were  large  and  regular. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  87 

Smith 2  gave  the  following  analysis : 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  P 

89.12        10.02        0.26        0.01        0.12     =99.53 
Specific  gravity,  7.72. 

Brezina3,  *  gave  a  detailed  account  of  the  structure  of  this  iron  as  follows : 

A  fragment  weighing  1  kg.,  334  grams,  has  three  etched  section  surfaces  almost  perpendicular  to  one  another  and 
one  unetched  section  surface  parallel  to  one  of  the  former;  as  for  the  rest,  the  fragment  is  bounded  by  the  natural  outer 
surface,  which  is  constituted  like  all  meteorites  which  have  lain  for  a  long  time  in  the  ground. 

Upon  the  etched  surface  it  appears  above  all  that  the  principal  part  of  the  iron  has  an  apparently  perfectly  compact 
structure;  in  this  ground  of  a  lusterless  iron-gray  color  lie  numerous  lamellae,  sometimes  entirely  individual,  sometimes 
massed  together  in  juxtaposition  but  not  heaped  up  like  scales,  upon  each  section  of  which  appear  four  differently 
arranged  systems;  these  lamellae  taken  together  form  a  framework,  and  indeed,  an  octahedral  framework  exactly  as 
indicated  (by  Tschermak)  for  an  hexahedral  form.  The  groundmass  is  entirely  lusterless  and  structureless;  a  peculiar 
shimmering  appearance  of  the  same  is  produced  by  inclusions  to  be  mentioned  later  on ;  the  hardness  of  the  groundmass 
is  unusually  low,  something  under  4,  which  is  easily  scratched  by  fluorite,  and  by  scratching  with  a  steel  needle  the 
difference  in  the  same  respect  is  likewise  ascertainable.  The  systems  cf  lamellae  are  composed  of  a  very  fine  central 
portion,  which  on  account  of  its  gray  color,  ite  hardness  (4,  only  slightly  higher  than  that  of  the  groundmass),  and  its 
lack  of  structure,  possesses  the  greatest  similarity  with  the  groundmass;  only  in  a  few  broader  places  does  a  faintly 
indicated  granular  structure  of  the  central  part  of  the  lamellae  show  itself,  but  without  hatching,  which  reminds  one 
of  the  condition  of  the  kamacite  in  other  meteorites.  The  envelopes  of  the  lamellae  are  composed  of  taenite,  which, 
on  account  of  its  bright  luster  after  etching  and  the  faint  yellowish  color  thereby  acquired,  is  easily  recognizable. 

The  width  of  the  lamellae  is  very  slight,  the  central  part  with  both  envelopes  being  in  the  greater  number  of  cases 
scarcely  more  than  the  sixtieth  of  a  millimeter;  the  length  of  a  lamella  is  commonly  15  or  20  mm.,  although  it  reaches 
even  30  mm.  and  over.  Where  differently  arranged  lamellae  touch  one  another  the  one  system  is  for  the  most  part 
developed  entirely  undisturbed — its  earlier  origin  identified,  whilst  the  other  arises  thereon  with  core  and  envelope 
immediately  adjacent  to  the  envelope  of  the  first;  occasionally,  although  seldom,  they  are  arranged  core  to  core  and 
envelope  to  envelope,  as  proof  of  the  synchronous  origin  of  both  systems  from  the  point  of  common  contact.  Among 
the  principal  framework  of  the  four  systems  of  lamellae,  as  is  customary  in  the  case  of  skeleton-like  structure  of  crystals, 
are  found  irregularly  oriented  little  leaflets,  many  of  them  arranged  parallel  to  each  other,  but  some  also  crosswise; 
along  with  these  lie  very  short  lamellae,  and  even  small — 1  to  2  mm  long — veinlets  in  the  groundmass,  which,  grading 
down  to  microscopic  smallness,  occasion  the  shimmering  appearance  of  the  groundmass. 

Besides  these  principal  constituents  troilite  occurs  in  roundish,  lenticular  masses,  measuring  up  to  2  cm.  in 
diameter,  which  are  present  in  large  numbers  down  to  the  smallest  granules;  the  larger  among  them  have  an  envelope 
of  tsenite  which  follows  their  often  somewhat  jagged  contours,  and  around  this  is  a  second  envelope  equalizing  these 
unevennesses  of  gray,  structureless  iron,  similar  to  the  groundmass  and  yet  somewhat  different  from  it,  entirely  analogous 
to  the  condition  of  such  inclusions  in  many  other  meteorites;  the  lamellar  system  contains  no  troilite,  which  was  shown 
by  treatment  with  hydrochloric  acid. 

The  greatest  section  surface  does  not  depart  so  widely  (some  13°)  from  the  position  of  a  leucitohedron  face;  three 
distinct  lamellar  systems  cross  one  another  at  angles  of  70°,  61°,  and  49°  thereon,  the  fourth  is  veinlike  and  broadened. 
It  intersects — as  the  other  section  surfaces  show — at  a  very  obtuse  angle  and  makes  a  perpendicular  in  the  triangle 
formed  by  the  other  three,  dividing  the  angle  of  61°  into  two  of  44°  and  17°,  so  that  the  greater  angle  adjoins  that 
of  49°.  The  adjoining  angles  in  order  are — 

70°,  17°,  44°,  49°  (i70+44°=610) 

Brezina  *  also  uses  several  etchings  of  this  iron  to  illustrate  his  method  of  determining  the 
crystallographic  character  of  a  meteoric  iron  from  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  and  to  prove 
that  the  figures  in  question  arise  from  laminae  parallel  to  the  faces  of  an  octahedron. 

Huntington  7  describes  the  structure  as  follows: 

The  Widmannstatten  figures  are  very  fine  and  not  in  broad,  distinct  plates,  while  some  of  them  are  even  micro- 
scopic ;  and  yet  from  this  iron  was  obtained  a  far  more  perfect  octahedron  than  from  any  of  those  with  a  coarser  structure. 
On  etching  the  faces  of  such  an  octahedron  it  appeared  that  the  majority  of  the  plates,  including  even  the  finest  micro- 
scopic markings,  followed  the  direction  of  the  octahedral  faces;  but  certain  plates  bisect  the  facial  angle  of  the  octa- 
hedron. These  plates,  when  followed  over  an  edge  on  to  an  adjacent  face,  were  seen  to  be  parallel  to  an  octahedral 
edge,  showing  that  they  must  be  dodecahedral  instead  of  octahedral. 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  Widmannstatten  figures  are  not  solely  characteristic  of  octahedral  structure.  Further- 
more, the  Butler  meteorite  seemed  to  stand  between  well-marked  Widmannstatten  figures  and  the  finer  lines  discovered 
by  Neumann  and  shown  by  him  to  be  parallel  to  cube  edges.  Some  of  the  Butler  figures  are  coarse  enough  to  be  classed 
unquestionably  as  Widmannstatten  figures;  that  is,  they  show  the  three  varieties  of  iron  distinguished  by  Reichenbach, 
which  he  calls  the  Trias  (kamacite,  tsenite,  and  plessite);  while  others  of  the  figures  are  almost  microscopic  markings 
in  which  distinct  plates  of  kamacite  and  plessite  can  not  be  made  out  even  under  the  microscope.  Between  these 
two  extremes  there  is  every  gradation.  The  Butler  meteorite  has  always  been  classed  among  the  octahedral  irons. 


88  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Meunier*  gives  the  following  description: 

A  very  remarkable  iron  in  that  plessite  forms  almost  the  entire  substance.  The  extremely  thin  taenite  laminae 
are  very  long  and  are  ordinarily  grouped  in  bundles  which  may  be  separated  under  the  glass.  Solution  of  the  iron 
gives  a  carbon  precipitate  and  the  odor  of  hydrogen  sulphide. 

Cohen  1S  sums  up  the  results  of  his  own  investigations  as  follows : 

A  dull  and  compact  iron  of  low  hardness,  3-4,  forms  a  strongly  predomin<mt  groundmass  which  receives  a  peculiar 
shimmering  appearance  from  numerous  minute  shining  flakes.  In  these  lie  numerous  long  and  very  fine  lamellae, 
partly  isolated  and  partly  in  bundles,  generally  unequally  grouped  but  not  gathered  in  zones.  These  consist  of  a 
nucleus  of  spotted,  weakly  granular  kamacite  with  well-marked  wrapping  of  taenite.  In  the  latter,  which,  on  account 
of  its  growth  can  by  strong  magnification  be  investigated  here  better  than  usually,  there  appear  to  be  thin  systems  of 
lines  resembling  the  striae  of  kamacite.  The  lamellae  reach  a  length  of  2.5  cm.  and  a  thickness  of  about  0.05  mm., 
though  on  the  one  hand  the  latter  become  of  microscopic  dimensions  and  on  the  other  hand  show  five  faces.  They 
are  sharply  separated  from  one  another.  At  times,  though,  the  nucleus  and  taenite  border  grade  into  one  another,  prov- 
ing a  simultaneous  origin.  Where  the  lamellse  intersect,  which  is  not  often  the  case,  there  are  dislocations  showing 
that  part  of  the  bands  are  somewhat  older.  Skeletonlike  growths  are  abundant  without  becoming  actual  combs. 
Troilite  is  abundantly  present,  in  part  as  rounded  to  lenslike  nodules  reaching  2  cm.  in  diameter  and  in  part  as  minute 
spherules-.  The  large  nodules  are  commonly  bounded  by  complete  lamellse  (kamacite  with  taenite  border  on  both 
sides — Brezina's  swathing  bands),  which  are  somewhat  broader  than  the  octahedral  lamellse.  The  taenite  generally 
projects  in  a  ragged  fashion,  and  that  bordering  the  troilite  is  somewhat  stronger  than  that  lying  outside.  These  large 
nodules  have  often  served  as  nuclei  for  the  growth  of  band  systems  which  are,  as  a  rule,  especially  strongly  grouped. 
The  lamellse  appear  to  be  outgrowths  of  the  swathing  bands  in  which  the  kamacite  nuclei  were  crowded  against  one 
another,  while  the  tsenite  was  fused;  so  that  a  taenite  band  commonly  incloses  both  formations.  The  greater  age  of 
the  troilite  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  at  one  place  the  lamellae  turn  aside  from  a  nodule.  Schreibersite  in  quantity  and 
size  is  subordinate.  Butler,  in  consequence  of  the  strongly  predominant  plessite  and  the  isolated  position  of  the 
lamellae  through  simultaneous  formation,  is  well  adapted  to  the  study  of  skeleton  growths  as  well  as  the  grouping  and 
displacing  of  lamelte.  The  homogeneity  of  the  troilite  is  also  remarkable,  since  the  usual  abundant  intergrowths  of 
schreibersite  and  troilite  are  lacking.  Leick  found  Butler  acquired  strong  permanent  magnetism.  The  specific 
magnetism  he  found  to  be  6.25  absolute  units  per  gram,  which  is  considerably  higher  than  that  of  most  other  iron 
meteorites.  The  specific  gravity  at  21.9  centigrade  was  7.8865. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  Harvard  collection  having  the  principal  mass  (14  kgs.1. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1875:  BKOADHEAD.    On  a  discovery  of  meteoric  iron  in  Missouri.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  10,  p.  401. 

2.  1877:  SMITH.    Examination  of  the  Waconda  meteoric  stone,  Bates  County  meteoric  iron,  and  Rockingham  County 

meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  13,  p.  213.    (Analysis.) 

3.  1880:  BREZINA.    Vorlaufiger  Bericht  fiber  neue  oder  wenig  bekannte  Meteoriten.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  82, 

I,  pp.  348-350  and  351. 

4.  1881:  BREZINA.    Meteoritenstudien  II.    Denkschr.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  44,  p.  135.    (Four  plates  with  illustration 

of  etchings.) 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  207-208  and  233. 

6.  1886:  BREZINA  and  COHEN:  Photographien,  Figs.  7,  8,  and  9. 

7.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.   Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3dser.,  vol.32,  pp.  290,  291,295.    (Illustration.) 

8.  1890:  BREZINA.    Ueber  Meteoreisen.    Oesterr.  Zeitschr.  f.  Berg-  u.  Huttenw.,  Bd.  38,  pp.  356  and  357.    (Illus- 

tration of  etching.) 

9.  1893:  MEUNIER.    ReVision  des  fers  me'tebriques,  pp.  40-41.    (Illustration  of  etching.) 

10.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  267.    (Illustration  of  etching.) 

11.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  90. 

12.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  XI.  Ann.  K.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  15,  pp.  359-365. 

13.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  281-284. 


Cabarras  County.     See  Flows. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  89 

CABIN  CREEK. 
Johnson  County,  Arkansas. 
Here  alto  Johnson  County. 
Latitude  35°  24  '  N.,  longitude  93°  22'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Fell  3.17  p.  m.,  March  27,  1886;  deecribed  1887. 
Weight,  47.4  kg.  (107  Ibs). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Kunz  l  as  follows : 

This  mass  fell  about  6  miles  east  of  Cabin  Creek,  Johnson  County,  Arkansas,  in  longitude  93°  17'  W.,  latitude  35° 
24'  X.,  within  75  yards  of  the  house  of  Christopher  C.  Shandy.  Mrs.  Shandy  states  that  about  3  o'clock  (3.17  p.  m., 
exactly)  on  the  afternoon  of  March  27,  1886,  while  in  her  house  she  heard  a  very  loud  report,  which  caused  the 
dishes  in  the  closet  to  rattle  and  which  she  described  as  louder  than  any  thunder  she  had  ever  heard.  At  first  she 
thought  it  was  caused  by  a  bombshell,  and  ran  out  of  the  house  in  time  to  see  the  limbs  fall  from  the  top  of  a  tall  pine 
tree,  which  she  says  stands  about  75  yards  from  her  dwelling.  She  did  not  investigate  the  matter  until  her  husband 
came  home  about  6  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  in  company  with  John  R.  Norton,  their  hired  man,  they  went  out 
to  find  the  cause  of  the  noise  that  had  so  startled  Mrs.  Shandy.  They  discovered  that  a  large  hole  had  been  made  in 
the  ground  by  some  falling  body,  and  that  the  fresh  dirt  had  been  thrown  up  to  a  height  of  30  feet  on  the  surrounding 
saplings  and  trees.  They  dug  down,  and  a  steam  or  exhalation  arose,  which  on  a  dark  night  might  perhaps  have  pro- 
duced a  phosphorescence  similar  to  that  deecribed  in  the  case  of  the  Mazapil  iron.  The  iron  had  buried  itself  in  the 
ground  to  the  depth  of  3  feet,  and  the  earth  around  it  for  the  thickness  of  1  inch  seemed  to  be  burned. 

The  ground  was  still  warm  when  the  iron  was  taken  out,  and  the  iron  itself  was  as  hot  as  the  men  could  well  handle. 
The  weather  had  been  quite  cloudy  all  day  but  no  rain  fell  until  night.  These  facts  are  from  the  affidavits  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Shandy  and  John  R.  Norton.  Mr.  Shandy  at  first  supposed  that  their  find  was  platinum,  then  silver,  and  finally 
learning  what  it  was  he  sold  it.  Mrs.  India  Ford,  Dr.-  W.  J.  Bleck,  Mr.  S.  A.  Wright,  constable,  and  Mr.  L.  Wright, 
chief  of  police,  also  heard  the  report  caused  by  the  fall. 

The  noise  was  heard  75  miles  away  and  was  likened  to  a  loud  report  followed  by  a  hissing  sound  as  if  hot  metal 
had  come  in  contact  with  water.  It  caused  a  general  alarm  among  the  people  and  teams  of  horses  25  miles  distant, 
becoming  frightened,  broke  loose  and  ran  away;  and  in  Webb  City,  Franklin  County,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas 
River,  a  number  of  bells,  kept  on  sale  in  a  store,  are  said  to  have  been  caused  to  tinkle.  Cabin  Creek  is  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Arkansas  River. 

Mr.  B.  Caraway  states  that  he  heard  two  loud  reports  at  Alma,  Crawford  County,  at  3  o'clock  on  March  27,  1886. 
The  report  was  also  heard  at  Russellville  and  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Pope.  The  Democrat  of  that  place,  says, 
April  29, 1886:  "The  wonderful  meteoric  stone  as  it  is  called,  but  erroneously,  for  nothing  could  be  further  from  stone 
than  it  is,  is  now  on  exhibition  here.  The  noise  it  made  when  it  struck  the  earth's  atmosphere  on  the  27th  of  March 
and  came  whizzing  to  earth  near  Knoxville,  will  never  be  forgotten,  neither  will  anyone  who  looked  at  it  ever  forget 
it."  The  Dardanelle  Post  of  April  1,  refers  to  the  explosion,  and  the  issue  of  April  8  suggests  the  meteorite  found 
as  its  probable  cause.  Mr.  B.  Caraway,  who  visited  the  spot,  states  that  the  pine  through  which  the  meteorite  fell  is  107 
feet  high,  and  that  the  distance  from  the  foot  of  the  tree  to  the  center  of  the  hole  made  by  the  mass  is  22  feet  3  inches. 
The  limbs  on  the  west  side  of  the  tree  were  broken  and  the  meteorite  lay  in  the  hole  with  the  flat  side  down.  The 
hole  was  75  yards  from  the  house. 

Prof.  H.  A.  Newton  states  that  the  data  furnished  indicate  that  the  mass  must  have  fallen  nearly  from  the  zenith. 
This  was  the  direction  of  the  end  of  its  path,  the  earlier  portion  being  more  inclined  to  the  vertical,  as  the  path  must 
be  affected  by  gravity  and  the  resistance  of  the  air.  The  earlier  direction  must  have  been  from  the  northeast  and  more 
nearly  from  die  east  than  from  the  north. 

After  passing  through  several  hands,  it. was  exhibited  for  profit  as  "the  tenth  wonder,"  although  the  exhibitors 
were  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  this  was  (probably)  the  actual  tenth  iron  which  has  been  seen  to  fall. 

The  mass  is  in  general  quite  flat  and  very  irregular,  resembling  strongly  a  mass  of  molten  metal  thrown  on  the  ground 
and  then  pitted.  The  illustration  of  the  Agram  mass  figured  by  Von  Schreibers  could  be  mistaken  for  the  upper  side 
of  this  were  it  not  that  this  is  larger.  It  measures  17.5  by  15.5  inches.  A  ridge  5  inches  high  at  one  point  runs  through 
the  center.  One-half  of  the  mass  is  not  over  3  inches  thick,  part  of  it  is  only  2  inches,  and  around  the  edge  it  is  only  1 
inch  or  less.  It  is  only  exceeded  in  size  among  the  irons  seen  to  fall  by  the  Nejed,  central  Arabia,  which  fell  in  the 
spring  of  1865  and  weighs  59.42  kg.  The  weight  of  the  Cabin  Creek  iron  is  107.5  pounds  (44.213  kg.)  and  it  is  intact  with 
exception  of  three  small  points,  weighing  not  more  than  2  ounces  in  all,  which  were  broken  off. 

The  two  sides  are  wholly  dissimilar.  The  upper  side  is  ridged  and  deeply  dented,  while  the  lower  side  is  flat  and 
covered  with  shallow,  but  very  large,  pittings.  On  top  the  color  is  in  many  places,  almost  tin  white  without  any 
coating  whatever,  and  the  pittings  are  very  deep  and  usually  quite  long,  like  finger  depressions  made  in  potter's  clay. 
These  depressions  measure  from  2  to  4  cm.  and  from  1  to  4  cm.  This  side  is  remarkable  for  striae  showing  the  flow  and 
fusion  and  all  running  from  the  center  toward  the  edge,  identical  with  those  of  the  Rowton,  Nedagolla,  and  Mazapil 
irons,  but  on  a  larger  scale.  Some  of  them  are  thinner  than  a  hair  and  yet  twice  as  high  (like  a  high  knife  edge),  and 
they  are  from  1  to  4  inches  long.  In  one  space  of  5  cm.  20  are  arranged  side  by  side,  and  on  one  small  part  which 
is  black,  there  are  50  lines  in  1  inch  of  space  (25  mm.)  all  running  in  the  same  direction.  Near  all  the  pointed  edges 


90  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

the  fused  metal  has  flowed  and  cooled  so  as  to  hang  like  falling  water.  The  striae  and  marks  of  flow  are  around  the 
edges  of  the  upper  surface  On  the  under  side  pittings  are  very  shallow  but  much  broader,  one  depression,  apparently 
made  up  of  four  pittings,  being  20  cm.  long  and  9.5  cm.  wide  The  whole  side  is  coated  with  a  black  crust,  1  mm.  thick 
and  having  minute,  round,  bead-like  markings  On  one  of  the  indentations  of  the  lower  edge  the  crust  has  a  strikingly 
fused  appearance  as  if  a  flame  had  been  blown  upon  it  from  the  other  side.  In  reality  this  edge  is  undoubtedly  the 
place  where  a  greater  amount  of  fusion  took  place  when  the  body  was  passing  through  the  air.  Seven  small  bead-like 
lumps,  from  5  to  10  mm.  in  size,  which  are  visible  on  this  side,  are  drops  of  metal  that  were  entirely  melted  and  flowed 
and  cooled  so  that  they  resemble  drops  of  a  thick  liquid.  There  are  also  to  be  seen  what  appear  to  be  cracks,  15  in 
number,  and  nearly  as  thin  as  a  hair.  One  of  these  is  10  cm.  long  and  extends  from  the  highly  fused  edge  above  men- 
tioned toward  the  center.  The  others  are  from  3  to  5  cm.  long.  These  are  so  evenly  arranged  that  they  are  without 
doubt ' '  Reichenbach  lamellen  "  in  which  the  inner  troilite  has  been  fused  out.  If  such  is  the  case  they  are  as  abundant 
as  in  the  Staunton,  Virginia,  iron. 

On  the  upper  side  10  nodules  of  troilite  are  exposed,  measuring  from  33  mm.  in  diameter  to  55  mm.  in  length 
and  25  mm.  in  width.  On  the  lower  side  there  are  12  such  nodules  exposed,  13  mm.  in  diameter,  while  the  largest 
measures  19  mm.  by  39  mm.  On  the  upper  side  these  nodules  are  coated  in  spots  with  a  black  crust  similar  to  that 
found  on  the  mass,  but  on  the  lower  side  the  crust  extends  completely  around  the  side  of  the  nodules,  showing  the  fusion 
very  plainly.  The  troilite  is  very  bright  and  fresh,  like  a  newly  broken  mineral,  and  on  the  upper  side  one  of  the 
nodules  shows  deep  striation,  suggesting  that  the  entire  nodule  is  one  crystal  and  the  exposed  part  is  only  one  side  of  it. 
In  some  cases  where  the  nodules  were  broken  they  were  found  to  be  iridescent. 

The  iron  is  octahedral  in  structure  and  shows  the  Widmannstatten  figures  beautifully  on  etching.  The  lamellae 
are  1  mm.  wide  and  the  markings  resemble  those  of  the  Rowton  and  Mazapil  irons.  Specific  gravity,  7.773. 

Troilite  is  very  abundant  in  the  mass.  Schreibersite  and  carbon  have  also  been  found  between  the  laminae. 
Chlorine  is  present  only  in  slight  quantity,  as  scarcely  any  deliquescence  has  been  observed. 

Analysis  by  Whitfield:2 

Fe  Ni  Co  P         C,  S,  etc. 

91.87        6.60        trace        0.41        0.54     =99.42 

From  the  fact  that  the  ridged  side  is  so  free  from  crust  and  the  flat  side  so  thickly  coated,  that  the  ridged  side  is 
covered  with  striae  and  marks  of  flowing,  and  that  the  other  has  so  few  marks  of  this  kind,  and  from  the  fact  that  at  the 
edges,  especially  at  the  indentation,  the  back  looks  as  though  a  flame  had  come  from  the  other  side — from  all  these  facts 
the  writer  concludes  that  after  entering  our  space  the  iron  traveled  with  the  ridge  surface  forward,  the  iron  burning  so 
rapidly  as  to  be  torn  off,  leaving  part  of  the  surface  bright.  The  flame  thus  passed  over  the  sides,  and  the  indented 
edge  being  downward,  the  flame  was  driven  upward  as  the  iron  advanced.  The  flat  side,  not  being  so  much  exposed 
the  iron  was  not  so  completely  consumed,  hence  a  crust  and  large  but  shallow  pittings.  These  conditions  would  per- 
haps have  been  entirely  different  had  the  mass  been  round  or  thicker,  for  it  evidently  moved  as  straight  as  possible 
without  rotating  at  all.  That  it  was  found  in  the  hole  with  the  flat  side  down  was  due  perhaps  to  the  fact  that,  having 
lost  its  impetus,  it  turned  in  falling,  or,  as  Professor  Newton  suggests,  it  may  have  been  turned  by  striking  the  tree, 
and  then  have  fallen  downward  almost  in  a  straight  line. 

As  the  iron  only  penetrated  to  a  depth  of  three  feet  (90  cm.)  the  earth  where  it  struck  must  have  been  very  compact 
and  the  force  of  the  body  itself  nearly  spent. 

In  the  account  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  Kunz  3  repeats 
the  above  version,  adding  extracts  from  local  papers  descriptive  of  the  phenomena  of  fall. 
Brezina  *  gives  the  following  description  of  the  mass: 

Cabin  Creek,  the  largest  of  the  irons  whose  fall  has  been  observed,  of  47.4  kg.  weight,  is,  with  exception  of  a  small 
corner  which  has  been  cut  off,  in  its  original  form.  It  is  highly  oriented  in  the  manner  of  an  eccentrically  embossed 
shield.  The  raised  front  side  is  covered  with  numerous  pittings,  mostly  3  cm.  in  size,  which  indicate  quite  distinctly 
the  drift  of  the  fine,  black,  shiny  fusion  crust,  and  frequently  an  unmelted  remainder  of  troilite  is  found  upon  the 
bottom  of  these  pittings.  The  even,  sharp-cornered  rear  side  which  borders  upon  the  front  side  shows  a  few  large 
shallow  pittings  measuring  5  cm.  across,  a  thick,  dull,  barklike  crust,  and  like  the  front  side,  troilite  nodules  half 
melted  out.  From  this  piece  only  a  few  small  plates  of  some  29  grams  weight  were  cut  off.  One  of  these  showed,  in 
addition  to  the  sharp  wedgelike  border  of  the  principal  mass,  an  unusually  deep  penetration  of  the  zone  of  alteration 
extending  from  the  thick  rear  bark  to  a  depth  of  8  to  14  mm.  This  rear  crust,  cut  diagonally  in  the  section,  appears 
tobe  1.5  mm.  wide  and  is  laid  on  in  layers  parallel  to  the  outer  surface.  The  zone  of  alteration  cuts  across  the  unchanged 
interior  independently  of  the  unevenesses  of  the  outer  surface  in  a  rounded  ellipse.  The  laminae  are  crowded  together 
and  are  somewhat  puffy.  Taenite  is  well  developed,  frequently  running  out  into  a  substance  which  upon  etching  does 
not  show  a  brownish  yellow  color  but  remains  silver-white.  The  fields  are  filled,  sometimes  with  kamacitelike  repeti- 
tions of  the  bands,  sometimes  with  half-blended  skeletons,  sometimes  with  dark  gray  plessite. 

The  meteorite  is  preserved  almost  entire  in  the  Vienna  Museum  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.1887:  KUNZ.    On  the  meteoric  iron  which  fell  near  Cabin  Creek,  Johnson  County,  Arkansas,  March  27, 1886.    Amer. 
Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  33,  pp.  494-499.    (Illustration  of  the  mass  and  two  sections.) 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  91 

2.  1887:  WHTTFIBLD.    On  the  Johnson  County,  Arkansas,  and  Allen  County,  Kentucky,  Meteorites.    Idem,  p.  500. 

(Analysis.) 

3.  1887:  Ktrsz.    The  meteoric  iron  which  fell  in  Johnson  County,  Arkansas,  3.17  p.  m.,  March  27, 1886.    Proc.  U.  S. 

Nat.  Mus.,  vol.  10,  pp.  598-655  (3  plates). 

4.  1895:  BBKZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  283. 

CACARIA. 

Hacienda  de  Cacaria,  State  of  Durango,  Mexico. 

Latitude  24°  28'  N.,  longitude  104°  50'  W. 

Iron.    Octahedrite,  Hammond  Group  (Oh)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1867;  described  1889. 

Weight,  41.4  kgs.  (91  Ibe.).    (Castillo.) 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  haVe  been  fully  reported  by  Cohen  "  and  a 
translation  of  his  description  will  suffice  for  purposes  of  this  catalogue.  His  account  is  as 
follows: 

Barcena  J  first  mentioned  the  Hacienda  de  Cacaria  as  a  locality  for  meteoric  iron  and  remarked  that  the  Widmann- 
statten  figures  consisted  6f  four-sided  fields.  According  to  Castillo  *  the  mass  was  rounded  and  weighed  41,422  grams. 
It  was  found  serving  as  an  anvil  in  Durango,  and  according  to  the  statement  of  the  blacksmith,  came  from  the  Hacienda 
de  Cacaria  lying  50  km.  northward  of  Durango.  Rath,  who  saw  the  meteorite  in  the  National  Museum  in  Mexico, 
gave  the  distance  from  Durango  as  42  km.  To  this  mass  belongs  also  the  notice  of  Hapke  3  regarding  the  find  of  a  new 
iron  meteorite  weighing  about  40  kg.  near  Durango.  Further,  according  to  the  view  of  Fletcher,8  the  meteorite 
noticed  by  Tarayre  1  in  spite  of  the  great  difference  in  weight,  200  kg.,  belongs  here.  The  mass  mentioned  by  Tarayre 
was  also  employed  as  an  anvil  by  a  blacksmith  in  Durango,  and  Fletcher  thitik-a  that  two  blocks  could  hardly  be 
employed  in  this  manner  in  the  neighborhood  of  Durango  without  this  having  been  mentioned  by  one  of  the  authors. 

According  to  Brezina  *  Cacaria  shows  unusual  richness  in  nickel,  but  the  kamacite  is  almost  unaffected  by  acids. 
He  gives  further  characters,  as  follows:  Kamacite  and  plesaite  equal;  both  coarse  granular.  As  in  Hammond,  there 
appear  on  etching  in  place  of  the  taenite,  black  bands.  At  one  point  there  is  an  appearance  of  teenite  1  cm.  long. 
Regarding  the  similarity  of  the  different  iron  meteorites  obtained  in  the  neighborhood  of  Durango,  views  differ. 
Fletcher 6  thought  that  the  iron  masses  known  in  literature  by  the  names  of  Labor  de  Guadalupe,  Rancho  de  la  Pila, 
and  Hacienda  de  Cacaria,  belonged  to  one  meteorite  fall.  Meunier 7  seems  to  be  of  the  same  opinion,  at  least  he  unites 
two  of  the  pieces  in  the  Paris  collection  having  the  labels  Durango  and  Cacaria  as  Rancho  de  la  Pila.  He  states  that 
they  appear  to  be  identical. 

He  states  the  characters  as:  "Kamacite  in  somewhat  bent  lamellae;  very  delicate  taenite  threads,  and  pleasite  with 
fully  developed  combs."  From  this  description  and  the  further  facts  noted  below  it  is  evident  that  the  real  Cacaria  is 
unrepresented  in  the  Paris  collection. 

Waiting  9  likewise,  though  only  provisionally,  urited  the  three  above-named  iron  meteorites.  Brezina,8  on  the 
other  hand,  considers  Cacaria  a  distinct  iron  and  compares  it  with  Hammond.  According  to  him,  the  two  form  a  group 
of  octahedrites  in  which  the  octahedral  structure  is  produced  by  dustlike,  carbonaceous  particles  in  the  place  of  the 
taenite,  while  Guadalupe  and  Rancho  de  la  Pila  are  identical  with  the  old  Durango  and  belong  to  the  normal  octahe- 
drites of  medium  width.  Hapke,3  who  first  had  in  hand  the  London  Rancho  de  la  Pila,  described  it  as  a  normal  octa- 
hedrite,  likewise  later  Fletcher.  Regarding  the  two  masses  the  following  may  be  stated  with  certainty: 

First,  the  mass  in  the  British  Museum,  weighing  46,512  grams,  which  was  found  in  1882  at  Rancho  de  la  Pila,  was 
placed  by  Fletcher  by  this  name  in  the  museum  catalogue  and,  according  to  him,  Brezina,  and  Hapke  belongs  to  the 
normal  octahedrites. 

Second .  the  mass  in  the  National  Museum  in  Mexico  which  is  of  rounded  shape  and  weighs  41,422  grains,  and  which 
was  found  in  1804  at  the  Hacienda  de  Cacaria,  is  designated  by  Castillo,  Fletcher,  and  Brezina  as  Cacaria  and  doea 
not  belong  to  the  normal  octahedrites. 

Two  pieces  of  the  latter  mass  which  I  have  investigated  agree  in  essential  characters  as  regards  their  structure, 
but  are  so  different  in  chemical  composition  that  a  separate  description  of  each  seems  necessary. 

First,  Cacaria  in  the  Vienna  collection,  obtained  in  Vienna  from  Castillo.  On  weak  etching  the  mass  of  the  nickel- 
iron  appears  gray,  weakly  spotted,  and  slightly  lustrous.  This  in  general  forms  a  subordinate  groundmass  of  a  homo- 
geneous appearance  composed  of  triangular,  rhombic,  and  trapezoidal  fields  bounded  by  little  black  grains  interrupted 
by  little  taenitelike- particles  with  smooth,  strongly  shining  faces,  forming  bands  0.05  to  0.2  mm.  in  breadth.  These 
bands  to  the  naked  eye  appear  sharply  bounded.  In  reality  they  are  not,  since  black  points  lie  isolated  in  the  nickel- 
iron  outside  of  the  streaklike  aggregations  and  at  times  are  grouped  in  a  dendritic  manner,  branching  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  more  compact  portions.  The  latter  appearance  is,  however,  visible  on  strong  magnification  only. 
The  generally  rounded  to  oval,  at  times  elongated,  taenitelike  particles  lie  especially  on  the  edges  of  the  field,  and  are 
bordered  by  rows  of  delicate  black  grains.  On  the  edge  of  the  piece,  close  to  the  natural  surface,  this  taenitelike 
substance  is  developed  to  a  length  of  a  centimeter  and  branches  thence  into  the  neighboring  nickel-iron.  Owing  to 
the  ductility  of  the  mass  it  is  not  probable  that  schreibersite  and  cohenite  are  present.  On  strong  etching  the  mass  of 


92  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

the  nickel-iron  is  seen  to  be  made  up  of  grains,  part  of  which  show  a  similarly  oriented  strong  sheen.  These  are  of  a 
very  various,  highly  irregular,  angular  shape,  branching  into  one  another  and  varying  in  their  dimensions,  the  majority 
being  0.02  to  0.03  mm.  in  diameter,  but  many  sink  to  0.01  mm.,  while  others  reach  the  length  of  0.5  to  1.5  mm.  The 
larger  the  grains  the  more  irregularly  jagged  their  shape,  as  ir>  Hammond ;  others,  at  least  in  part,  are  surrounded  by  a 
dark  border  which  separates  them  pretty  sharply  from  one  another,  and  this  is  here  so  fine  that  it  only  becomes  visible 
on  strong  magnification  and  a  certain  amount  of  etching.  To  the  naked  eye  an  etched  surface  appears  bright  and 
shining  from  little  reflecting  flakes  probably  belonging  to  schreibersite.  Their  minute  size  prevents  determination. 
Analysis  by  Fahrenhorst: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Cr  S  P 

92.00        7.70        0.54        0.03        0.01        0.06        0.24    =100.58 

Specific  gravity=7.7568. 

Second,  Cacaria  obtained  by  Ward.  This  piece  was  cut  by  Ward  himself  from  the  mass  in  the  Mexican  National 
Museum.  The  principal  mass  of  the  nickel-iron  appears  on  weak  etching  exactly  like  that  of  the  Vienna  piece  and 
shows  the  same  fieldlike  portions.  The  bordering  in  the  latter  is,  however,  different,  in  that  the  rows  of  black  grains 
are  lacking,  and  instead  appear  little  sharply  bounded  lustrous  bands  about  0.2  mm.  in  breadth,  probably  identical  in! 
substance  with  the  isolated  rounded  to  oval  tenitelike  portions  which  accompany  the  black  grains.  The  inclosing  of 
the  fields  is  usually  complete,  but  occasionally  the  border  is  interrupted  by  faces  on  one  side.  Further  appear  between 
the  fields  single  bands  which  project  on  the  section  in  the  form  of  isolated  rods.  On  strong  etching  here  also  the  chief 
mass  is  nickel-iron  which  appears  in  irregularly  shaped  grains  the  size  of  which  varies  in  general  between  0.5  and  1.5 
mm.  and  a  part  of  which  show  the  same  strongly  oriented  sheen.  The  grains  as  a  rule  cut  across  the  above  mentioned 
bands,  though  occasionally  a  grain  is  penetrated  by  one  or  more  bands.  In  spite  of  varying  dimensions  the  distribution' 
of  the  grains  is  more  uniform  than  in  the  Vienna  piece.  Open  clefts  of  irregular  shape  extend  inward  from  the  natural 
surface.  Hollows  occur  which  are  surrounded  by  a  section  of  the  tsenitelike  substance  1.25  mm.  in  breadth.  In' 
these  fine  black,  wormlike  forms  are  included  grouped  into  delicate  netlike  veins,  and  the  same  substance  seems 
earlier  to  have  filled  the  clefts  and  hollows.  Its  loss  may  be  due  to  the  manipulation  in  cutting  and  polishing.  The 
black  inclusions  in  the  two  pieces  may  be  of  this  nature,  although  they  are  distributed  in  a  somewhat  different  way. 
At  one  point  the  tenitelike  substance  fills  a  cleft. 

Analysis  by  Fahrenhorst: 


I 

Resi- 

due 

Chro- 

Fe 

Ni 

Co 

Cu 

Cr 

S 

'  P 

Si02 

SiO2 

mite 

87.38 

12.06 

0.65 

0.02 

0.01 

005 

0.22 

0.16 

0.05 

0.04 

100.64 

Specific  gravity=7.7070. 

The  structural  distinction  between  the  two  pieces  is  only  quantitative.  In  the  Vienna  piece  the  black  particles 
predominate,  in  Ward's  piece  the  tsenitelike  bands.  Thus  the  whole  appearance,  especially  at  first  sight,  is  different. 
It  is  probable  that  the  higher  content  in  nickel  +  cobalt  in  the  latter  piece  is  due  to  the  greater  quantity  of  tsenitelike 
substance. 

Finally  it  may  be  noted  that  both  pieces  have  few  visible  accessory  constituents  and  are  pretty  easily  attacked 
by  acids.  This  latter  observation  is  not  in  accord  with  Brezina's  statement  that  the  nickel-iron  is  almost  unattacked 
by  acids.  Such  a  difference  in  the  chemical  composition  in  the  parts  of  one  mass  has  not  hitherto  been  observed  in  an 
iron  meteorite. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1867:  TARAYRE.    Surl'explorationmineValogiquedes  regions  M6xicaines.    Archives  de  la  commission  scientifique 

du  Mexique,  vol.  3,  p.  270;  Paris,  1867. 

2.  1876:  BARCENA.    On  certain  Mexican  meteorites.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  Philadelphia;  1876,  p.  123. 

3.  1884:  HAPZE.    Beitrage  zur  Kenntniss  der  Meteoriten.    Abhandl.  Naturwiss  Verein  Bremen,  Bd.  8,  pp.  513-515; 

also  Bd.  9,  pp.  358-359. 

4.  1884:  VON  RATH.    Verhandl.  Naturhist.  Verein  Bonn,  Bd.  41,  p.  126 

5.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  5. 

6.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  152-154  and  156. 

7.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  52  and  53. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  289-290. 

9.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  291. 

10.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien  XI.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  15,  pp.  359-365. 

11.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  400-406. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  93 

CAMBRIA. 

Near  Lockport,  Niagara  County,  New  York. 

Here  also  Lockport. 

Latitude  43°  13'  N.,  longitude  78°  5V  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Lockportite  (type  16)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1818;  described  1845. 

Weight,  16J  kgs.  (36  Ibs.). 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  have  been  fully  summarized  by  Cohen,"  whose 
account  is  as  follows : 

According  to  Silliman,1  this  iron  was  found  in  cultivating  a  field.  It  was  of  irregular  elongated  shape,  46  cm. 
(18  inches)  long  and  14  cm.  (5.5  inches)  broad.  It  was  covered  by  an  unusually  thick  rust-crust  and  showed  numerous 
depressions  on  the  surface  which  had  been  produced  by  weathering  out  of  troilite  nodules.  This  was  known  by  the 
remains  of  the  troilite  in  the  bottom  of  the  pits.  Numerous  nodules  of  troilite  found  in  the  interior  consisted  at  the 
center  of  pyrrhotite  easily  attacked  by  dilute  nitric  acid.  Toward  the  periphery  a  yellow,  not  decomposable  troilite 
was  found.  Both  were  surrounded  by  a  line  of  white  amorphous  metallic  iron. 

Olmsted  1  gave1  two  analyses: 

Fe  Ni          Cu  Cl  As         Insol. 

94.22        6.35        trace         =100.57 

92.58        5.71        trace         trace        L  40    =  99.69 

Specific  gravity=7.5257. 

Later  Silliman  and  Hunt  2  made  a  new  analysis  of  the  nickel-iron  and  of  the  insoluble  residue.  They  found  it 
consisted  of  magnetic  dark  gray  folise  mingled  with  light  flakes.  Shepard  3  regarded  cobalt  as  being  present',  while 
Olmsted,  Silliman,  and  Hunt  expressly  stated  that  cobalt  was  absent.  Reichenbach  *  thought  that  Cambria  and 
Schwetz  were  similar  on  account  of  the  similarity  of  their  analyses  which  were,  however,  in  both  cases  incorrect.  In 
his  description  of  the  trias  of  octahedrites  Cambria  was  quoted  as  an  example  of  metallic  sheen,  swathing  kamacite, 
and  combs.  Further,  he  stated  that  the  fields  appear  brighter  in  the  interior  than  at  the  edge,  and  at  times  show  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  center  a  second  dark  zone.  Thus  Cambria  is  midway  between  the  irons  with  dark  and  light 
plessite.  Drawing  an  analogy  from  agate,  he  thought  that  the  deposition  of  the  iror  took  place  slowly  from  the  outside 
toward  the  center.  He  also  distinguished  a  bronze  colored,  easily  soluble  troilite  and  an  insoluble  brass  yellow  inclin- 
ing toward  brownish-gray  mineral  which  he  regarded  as  pyrrhotite,  and  mentioned  graphite  as  an  accessory  constituent. 
Rose  *  noted  the  fineness  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  likewise  the  bordering  of  many  rounded  inclusions  of  troiHte 
of  the  size  of  hazelnuts  with  a  thin  brass-yellow  layer.  According  to  Meunier,*  Cambria  belonged  to  those  octahedrites 
which  consist  almost  wholly  of  kamacite  but  are  mixed  with  some  piessite  and  a  little  taenite.  He  designated  the  group 
as  Lockportite.  He  described  the  troilite  as  intergrown  with  schreibersite  and  daubreelite,  and  bordered  with  graphite. 
Rammelsberg  7  made  a  new  analysis  which  differed  essentially  from  the  older.  He  found  it  to  have  the  following 
composition: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu         FeS 

88.76        10.65        0.08        0.04        0.47    =100.00 

Smith  8  first  showed  that  the  light  yellow  mineral  bordering  the  troilite  was  schreibersite.  Brezina  9  described 
Cambria  as  follows:  "Long,  much  grouped  and  banded  hatched  lamellae  0.33  mm.  broad;  fields  and  combs  abundant; 
plessite  dark;  large  troilite  nodules  bordered  by  tsenite  or  schreibersite  and  these  by  hatched,  swathing  kamacite." 

Cohen12  gives  the  following  description  of  the  structure: 

Some  of  the  bands  are  long,  others  short,  and  in  that  case  much  grouped.  The  latter  are  sharply  separated  from 
the  former  and  are  not  swollen.  Some  of  these  are  hatched,  others  are  spotted,  and  many  show  in  part  one  and  in  part 
the  other  formation.  The  etched  pita  occur  the  more  abundantly  the  more  the  etching  lines  are  lacking.  All  the 
bands  are  coarse-granular,  the  spotted  ones  more  strongly  so  than  the  hatched.  This  appearance  is  due  to  separation, 
since  the  striae  cross  the  clefts  undisturbed.  At  times  the  kamacite  contains  little  prisms,  or  elongated  grains,  of 
schreibersite  or  cohenite  running  parallel  with  the  long  direction  of  the  bands  and  appearing  like  numerous  wavelike 
projections  of  the  bands.  The  lamella  are  often  more  or  less  bent  and  not  in  consequence  of  the  shock  of  striking  the 
earth.  Apparently  this  is  a  primary  property.  The  taenite  borders  are  small  and  visible  under  the  lens.  -The  struc- 
ture of  the  plessite  is  various.  A  part  consists  of  little  dark  grains  and  shining  flakes.  The  former  are  0.01  to  0.02  mm. 
in  diameter  and  seem  to  consist  of  black  grains  with  a  lighter  border.  The  latter  reach  at  the  most  a  diameter  of  0.005 
mm.  Much  of  the  plessite  composed  of  grains  in  this  manner  is  uniform  through  the  whole  field.  The  shining  flakes 
are  likewise  uniformly  distributed.  Frequently  the  plessite  appears  in  quadratic  or  small,  elongated  fields  arranged 
like  a  chessboard  which  are  now  dull  and  now  shining  but  not  sharply  bounded.  Such  a  structure  I  have  never 
observed  in  any  other  meteorite.  The  bright  fields  appear  on  strong  enlargement  not  uniform,  but  consist  of  predomi- 
nant, weakly  reflecting  grains  and  again  of  dull  dark  ones.  Numerous  fields  are  composed  of  complete  lamellae,  some 
up  to  0.1  mm.  in  breadth  and  some  consisting  of  such  in  one-half  and  in  the  other  half,  granular  plessite.  No  combs 


94  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

were  observed.  The  troilite  nodules  which  I  observed  are  uniform  normal  troilite  bordered  by  a  bright  one  of 
Bchreibersite.  From  the  latter,  processes  extend  out  into  the  nickel-iron.  The  whole  is  surrounded  by  swathing 
kamacite  which  is  partly  hatched  and  partly  spotted. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  British  Museum  possessing  the  largest  piece. 

-  »  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1845:  SILLIMAN.    Notice  of  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  found  at  Cambria,  near  Lockport,  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  48,  pp.  388-392.    (Illustration  of  mass  and  etched  plate.) 

2.  1846:  SILLIMAN  and  HUNT.    On  the  meteoric^  iron  of  Texas  and  Lockport. — Examination  of  the  Lockport  Iron. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  eer.,  vol.  2,  pp.  374-376. 

3.  1847:  SHEPARD.    Report  on  meteorites. — No.  15.  Lockport  (Cambria),  New  York.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser., 

vol.  4,  p.  82. 

4.  1858-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  p.  638;  No.  7,  p.  552;  No.  9,  pp.  163,  174, 181;  No.  10,  pp.  359,  365;  No.  12, 

p.  457;  No.  13,  p.  363;  No.  15,  pp.  110,  124,  126;  No.  16,  pp.  261,  262;  No.  17,  pp.  266,  268,  269,  272;  No.  18,  pp. 
484,  487;  No.  19,  pp.  150,  154;  No.  20,  pp.  622,  624,  634,  635. 

5.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  27,  65,  138,  and  153. 

6.  1869:  MEUNIER.     Recherches.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  p.  72. 

7.  1870:  RAMMELSBERG.    Beitrage  zur  Kenntnis  der    Meteoriten. — Lockport  (Cambria),   New  York.    Mon.-Ber. 

Berlin.    Akad.,  1870,  p.  444. 

8.  1883:  SMITH.     Concretions.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  25,  pp.  417  and  419. 

9.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  200,  210,  and  233. 

10.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fere  m&teoriques,  p.  47-48.     (Illustration  of  etched  plate.) 

11.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  268-269. 

12.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  312-315. 


Caney  Fork.    See  Smithville. 

Caryfort.    See  Smithville. 

Coney  Fork.    See  Carthage. 


CANTON. 

Cherokee  County,  Georgia. 

•  Here  also  the  Cherokee  meteorite,  Cherokee  Mills,  and  Cherokee  County,  1894. 

Latitude  34°  12'  N.,  longitude  84°  3(X  W. 
Iron,  Coarsest  octahedrite  (Ogg)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1894. 
Weight,  7  kgs.  (15.5  Ibs.). 

The  first  description  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Howell  *  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  was  found  in  March,  1894,  by  Mr.  S.  B.  May,  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  Clarkson  gold  mine,  2.5 
miles  east  of  Cherokee  Mills,  and  about  5  miles  southwest  of  Canton,  Cherokee  County,  Georgia. 

Mr.  May  was  ploughing  new  ground  when  he  discovered  the  meteorite,  only  partially  covered  with  soil.  It  was 
of  a  rough  lens  shape  with  one  side  flattened  and  weighed  15.5  pounds.  With  the  aid  of  an  axe  the  mass  was  finally 
separated  and  the  smaller  part  was  carried  away,  mislaid,  and  apparently  lost  beyond  recovery  by  a  party  who  did  not 
appreciate  its  value.  The  larger  portion  weighed  8.5  pounds,  having  evidently  been  reduced  in  size  and  weight  by 
oxidation,  leaving,  however,  a  solid  mass  after  the  oxidized  portions  were  removed. 

The  Widmannstatten  figures  are  strongly  marked  and  distinctive,  the  special  feature  being  the  large  masses  of 
plessite. 

Analysis  by  H.  N.  Stokes: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  Si  P  S  C 

91. 96        6. 70        0. 50        0. 03        trace         0. 11        0. 01         trace?    =99. 31 

The  only  other  meteorite  to  my  knowledge  found  in  that  portion  of  the  State  is  the  Losttown  found  in  1868  and 
described  by  Shepard. 

This,  however,  is  very  different  in  appearance  and  composition,  containing  6.70  per  cent  of  nickel,  while  the 
latter  contains  only  3.66  per  cent,  which  alone  would  be  sufficient  to  distinguish  them. 

The  name  indicated  by  Howell  for  the  meteorite  in  the  title  to  his  paper  was  the  Cherokee 
meteorite.  Owing  to  the  proximity  of  the  place  of  find  to  that  of  the  Losttown  meteorite 
Brezina 2  included  Cherokee  Mills  with  Losttown.  In  this  he  was  followed  by  Wulfing.3 
In  Ward's4  catalogue,  however,  the  two  are  separated  as  they  doubtless  should  be  on 
account  of  their  differences  in  structure,  and  the  name  Canton  given  to  the  above  described 
meteorite. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  95 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1895:  HowKii.    On  two  new  meteorites;  1.  The  Cherokee  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  Ber.,  vol.  50,  pp.  252- 

253.    (Illustration  of  etched  plate  and  analysis.) 

2.  189,5:  BHEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  353. 

3.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  213. 

4.  1904:  WAKD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  p.  6. 


Caparassa.     See  Toluca. 


CANYON  CITY. 

Trinity  County,  California. 

Latitude  40°  55'  N.,  longitude  123°  5'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1875;  described  1885. 

Weight,  8.6  kgs.  (18%  Iba). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Shepard  *  under  the  heading  "Meteoric  Iron  from 
Trinity  County,  California,"  as  follows: 

For  my  knowledge  of  the  meteorite  here  described,  I  am  indebted  to  Col.  Joseph  Willcox,  who  incidentally  men- 
tioned to  me  last  autumn  that  he  had  seen  some  years  ago  a  metallic  mass  at  Holmes  Hole,  Massachusetts,  brought 
from  California,  that  he  suspected  to  be  of  meteoric  origin.  It  was  in  the  possession  of  Capt.  C.  W.  Davis,  who  pro- 
cured it  10  years  ago  at  Canyon  City  in  Trinity  County.  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Crowell,  of  Woods  Hole, 
a  few  grams  were  obtained  from  Captain  Davis  for  examination  and  analysis;  the  result  of  which  has  been  that  the 
meteoric  origin  at  first  regarded  as  doubtful  has  been  established. 

The  first  portions  that  were  detached  had  the  appearance  of  pure  limonite,  but  were  afterwards  proven  to  contain 
minute  particles  of  nickeliferous  iron,  small  fragments  being  readily  attracted  by  the  magnet.  The  thickness  of  the 
crust  affording  this  limonite  must  have  been  at  least  0.1  inch;  whence  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  meteorite  had  origi- 
nated in  a  very  ancient  fall.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  limonite  was  between  3.81  and  4.04.  It  was  compact,  but 
yielded  to  pulverization,  with  exception  of  occasional  very  fine  metallic  grains,  that  flattened  slightly  by  extreme 
pressure  under  the  pestle.  The  application  of  the  magnet  took  up  more  than  this  powder,  which  principally  con- 
sisted of  the  limonite.  It  was  thus  found  to  be  impossible  to  separate  it  from  the  metallic  portion. 

Two  small  fragments  of  the  nearly  unaltered  interior  were  supplied  for  analysis.  In  these  the  coarsely-grained 
nickeliferous  iron  was  apparent,  affording  cleavable  crystals  of  the  octahedral  form,  similar  to  what  is  found  in  the 
Putnam  iron,  that  of  Cocke  County,  and  others.  The  specific  gravity  of  these  fragments  was  7.1,  which  is  less  than 
the  average  for  meteoric  irons,  a  circumstance  to  be  expected  from  the  slight  adhesions  of  hydrated  peroxide  of  iron. 
To  the  same  cause  may  be  ascribed  the  small  loss  in  the  subjoined  analysis: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P 

88.81        7.278        0.172        0.12    =96.38 

For  want  of  material  no  search  was  made  for  tin,  copper,  or  manganese.  No  sulphur  was  present  in  the  portions 
examined.  The  weight  of  the  mass  is  19  pounds.  Its  shape  is  oval,  somewhat  flattened,  with  numerous  elongated 
depressions. 

Brezina,2  from  the  similarity  in  name  with  Canoncito,  grouped  this  meteorite  with  Glorieta, 
and  in  this  he  was  followed  by  Wulfing.3  Ward,4  however,  obtained  later  the  original  mass 
and  gave  a  further  description  of  it  as  follows: 

Shepard  called  attention  to  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  purporting  to  come  from  Canyon  City,  Trinity  County,  Cali- 
fornia, whence  it  had  been  brought  by  Capt.  C.  W.  Davis,  of  Holmes  Hole,  Massachusetts,  some  10  years  previous. 

By  the  aid  of  Mr.  A.  P.  Crowell,  of  Woods  Hole,  I  was  able  to  find  Captain  Davis  and  to  obtain  the  specimen, 
which  the  latter  gentleman  had  had  in  his  possession  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Captain  Davis's  recol- 
lections of  the  finding  of  the  mass  were  clear,  yet  with  little  detail.  It  was  found  in  the  summer  of  1875  on  the  border 
of  a  little  stream  which  flows  into  the  Trinity  River,  and  about  3  miles  northeast  from  the  town  of  Canyon  City.  It 
was  brought  to  Captain  Davis  by  John  Driver,  who  discovered  it  on  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Captain  Davis  retained 
it  entire  during  his  stay  of  several  years  in  Canyon  City,  and  subsequently  brought  it  with  him  to  his  Massachusetts 
home,  where  he  had  since  kept  it  carefully  wrapped  in  a  napkin  and  had  shown  it  to  few  visitors. 

The  form  of  the  specimen  was  nearly  a  square,  about  8.5  by  7.5  inches  in  length  and  breadth,  and  2.5  inches  in 
average  thickness.  One  surface  was  slightly  convex,  the  other  slightly  concave.  The  whole  surface  was  much  oxi- 
dized, and  the  flaking  off  of  scales  of  the  decomposed  iron  had  entirely  obliterated  any  traces  of  pittings  which  it 
originally  doubtless  had  over  its  surface.  The  general  color  of  the  whole  is  dark  yellowish-brown.  The  weight  before 
cutting  was  18.75  pounds.  Several  slices  have  been  cut  from  the  mass. 


96  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  etched  sections  show  a  strongly-marked  octahedral  structure  with  large  figures;  the  plates  of  kamacite  vary 
much  in  size,  ranging  generally  from  1  to  2  mm.  in  diameter,  with  an  occasional  broader  one  of  from  2  to  4  mm.,  as 
shown  in  the  cut.  The  bands  of  tsenite  are  broad  and  quite  prominent  throughlout  the  mass,  the  plessite  in  many 
places  showing  these  bands  crossing  them  in  parallel  layers  (laphamite  markings).  This  is  shown  particularly  well 
on  some  of  the  edges  of  the  slices  which  have  been  oxidized,  giving  the  taenite  a  somewhat  comb-like  effect  from  their 
relief  above  the  weathered  kamacite. 

No  schreibersite  was  noticed  by  a  macroscopical  examination.  The  largest  troilite  nodule  found  in  any  of  the  sec- 
tions is  not  over  2  mm.  in  diameter;  others  range  from  this  down  to  the  fraction  of  a  mm.  These  latter  were  quite 
abundant,  as  many  as  16  of  them  being  scattered  over  some  of  the  slices.  On  the  narrow  end  of  three  of  the  slices  is  a 
fissure,  entirely  crossing  the  slice,  filled  with  troilite. 

Some  sections  show  that  the  oxidation  of  the  surface  had  extended  inward  to  the  depth  of  5  mm.  in  some  places. 
This  readily  accounts  for  the  nonappearance  of  crust  on  the  exterior  surface  of  the  mass,  as  well  as  the  tendency  in 
some  places  to  scale;  also  for  the  limonitic  color  of  the  whole. 

The  examination  of  this  iron  by  Professor  Shepard  was  limited  to  two  small  pieces — barely  an  ounce  in  all — 
which  were  from  the  outer  surface,  "and  had  the  appearance  of  pure  limonite."  It  was  thus,  as  he  suggests,  difficult 
to  obtain  either  an  exact  analysis  or  exact  specific  gravity.  This  circumstance  sufficiently  accounts  for  the  difference 
between  his  analysis  and  the  one  lately  made  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Davison,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P 

91.25         7.85         0.17        0.10    =99.37 
Specific  gravity,  7.68. 

Although  the  town  of  that  name  no  longer  exists,  the  mass  was  named  Canyon  City  when  Professor  Shepard  wrote 
his  paper  and  accordingly  still  retains  the  name.  Mitchell's  Atlas,  edition  of  1885,  has  Canyon  City  on  the  right,  bank 
of  a  branch  of  the  Trinity  River  in  the  center  of  Trinity  County,  latitude  40°  55'  N.,  longitude  123°  5'  W.  It  is 
satisfactory  to  be  able  thus  to  see  rescued  from  the  oblivion  of  uncertainty  a  meteorite  which  for  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  has  been  known  by  name,  yet  absent  and  unknown  in  substance. 

The  principal  mass  is  in  the  Ward-Coonley  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1885:  SHEPARD.    On  Meteoric  Iron  from  Trinity  County,  California;  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  29,  p.  469. 
2. 1895:  BKEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  342. 

3.  1897:  WULPING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  127. 

4.  1904:  WARD.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  p.  383. 


CANYON  DIABLO. 

Coconino  County,  Arizona. 

35°  W  N.,  111°  7'  W. 

Here  also  Arizona,  1891. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina;  Arva'ite  (type  7)  of  Meunier. 

Found  and  described  1891. 

Total  weight  unknown.    About  6,000  kgs.  (6  tons)  are  preserved  in  collections. 

The  first  description  of  these  meteorites  was  given  by  Foote1  in  1891.     He  says: 

In  the  latter  part  of  March,  1891,  a  prospector  in  Arizona  informed  the  mining  firm  of  N.  B.  Booth  &  Co.,  of  Albu- 
querque, New  Mexico,  that  he  had  found  a  vein  of  metallic  iron  near  Canon  Diablo,  sending  them  at  the  same  time  a 
piece  for  assay,  and  stating  that  a  car  load  could  be  taken  from  the  surface  and  shipped  with  but  little  trouble.  I  there- 
fore visited  the  locality  in  June,  1891,  with  a  view  to  determining  the  probable  nature  of  the  find.  *  *  * 

Nearly  all  the  small  fragments  were  found  at  a  point  about  10  miles  southeast  from  Canon  Diablo  near  the  base  of 
a  nearly  circular  elevation  which  is  known  locally  as  "crater  mountain."  (Sunset  Knoll  in  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey.)  This  is  185  miles  due  north  from  Tucson,  and  about  250  miles  west  of  Alberquerque. 

The  elevation,  according  to  the  survey,  rises  432  feet  above  the  plain.  Its  center  is  occupied  by  a  cavity  nearly 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  diameter,  the  sides  of  which  are  so  steep  that  animals  are  unable  to  escape  from  it.  The 
bottom  seemed  to  be  from  50  to  100  feet  below  the  level  of  the  surrounding  plain.  The  rocks  which  form  the  rim  are 
of  sandstone  and  limestone  and  are  uplifted  on  all  sides  at  an  almost  uniform  angle  of  from  35  to  40  degrees.  A  careful 
search,  however,  failed  to  reveal  any  lava,  obsidian,  or  other  volcanic  products.  It  is  impossible,  therefore,  to  explain 
the  cause  of  this  remarkable  geological  formation. 

About  2  miles  from  the  point  at  the  base  of  the  crater  in  a  nearly  southeasterly  direction,  and  almost  exactly  in  a 
line  with  the  longest  dimensions  of  the  area  over  which  the  fragments  were  found,  two  large  masses  were  discovered 
within  about  80  feet  of  each  other.  The  area  over  which  the  small  masses  were  scattered  was  about  one-third  of  a  mile 
in  length  and  120  feet  in  its  widest  part.  The  longer  dimensions  extended  northwest  and  southeast. 

The  largest  mass  discovered  weighed  201  pounds  and  had  a  somewhat  flattened  rectangular  shape  showing  extra- 
ordinarily large  and  deep  pits,  three  of  which  passed  entirely  through  the  iron.  *  *  * 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  97 

Another  large  mass  was  found  weighing  154  pounds  also  deeply  pitted.  A  mass  weighing  approximately  40  pounds 
was  broken  in  pieces  with  a  trip  hammer,  and  in  cutting  one  of  the  fragments  of  this  piece  diamonds  were  found. 
Smaller  masses  to  the  number  of  131  were  discovered  ranging  in  weight  from  -^y  of  an  ounce  to  6  pounds  10  ounces.  A 
brownish-white  slightly  botryoidal  coating  found  on  a  number  of  meteorites  is  probably  aragonite.  Accompanying 
the  pieces  found  at  the  base  of  the  "crater"  were  oxidized  and  sulphuretted  fragments  which  were  of  undoubted 
meteoric  origin.  About  200  pounds  of  these  were  secured,  ranging  from  minute  fragments  up  to  3  pounds.  These 
fragments  were  mostly  quite  angular  in  character,  and  a  very  few  showed  a  greenish  stain,  resulting  probably  from  the 
oxidation  of  the  nickel.  This  oxidized  material  was  identical  in  appearance  with  an  incrustation  which  covered 
some  of  the  iron  masses  and  partially  filled  some  of  the  pita. 

In  cutting  pieces  of  the  iron  for  study  it  was  found  by  Prof.  G.  A.  Koenig  to  be  of  extraordinary  hardness,  destroying 
several  chisels  and  an  emery  wheel.  A  section  revealed  a  cavity  in  the  interior  of  the  mass  which  contained  small, 
black  diamonds,  which  cut  through  polished  corundum  as  easily  as  a  "knife  cuts  through  gypsum."  *  *  *  Granules 
of  amorphous  carbon  were  also  found  in  the  cavity,  a  small  quantity  of  which  treated  with  acid  revealed  a  minute 
white  diamond  of  one-half  mm.  in  diameter.  In  manipulation  this  specimen  was  lost.  Troilite  and  daubreelite  were 
also  found  in  the  cavities.  The  proportion  of  nickel  in  the  general  mass  was  determined  by  Koenig  as  3  per  cent. 

Koenig  further  stated  that  the  presence  of  black  and  white  diamonds  was  established  by  the  hardness  and  indiffer- 
ence to  acids  of  the  specimens;  that  carbon  in  the  form  of  a  pulverulent  iron  carbide  occurred  in  the  same  cavities 
with  the  diamonds;  that  sulphur  was  not  contained  in  the  tough,  malleable  portion,  but  in  the  pulverulent  part  of  the 
meteorite;  that  phosphorus  was  contained  in  the  latter  but  not  in  the  former;  nickel  and  cobalt  in  the  proportion  of 
2:1  were  contained  in  both  parts  equally;  that  silicon  was  only  present  in  the  pulverulent  part;  that  the  Widmann- 
statten  figures  were  not  regular;  that  the  iron  was  associated  with  a  black  hydroxide  containing  Fe,  Ni,  Co,  and  P,  in 
the  ratio  of  the  metallic  part  and  therefore  was  presumably  derived  by  a  process  of  oxidation  and  hydration  of  the 
latter.  *  *  * 

The  remarkable  quantity  of  oxidized  black  fragmental  material  that  was  found  at  those  points  where  the  largest 
number  of  small  fragments  of  meteoric  iron  were  found  would  seem  to  indicate  that  an  extraordinarily  large  mass  of 
probably  500  or  600  pounds  had  become  oxidized  while  passing  through  the  air  and  was  BO  weakened  in  its  internal 
structure  that  it  had  burst  into  pieces  not  long  before  reaching  the  earth. 

The  composition  of  some  of  the  Canyon  Diablo  meteorites  was  studied  in  detail  in  1893  by 
Moissan  *  with  results  as  follows: 

Among  several  specimens  subjected  to  analysis  there  was  one  very  important  specimen  weighing,  it  is  true,  only 
4.216  grams,  but  presenting  very  distinctly  a  point  of  great  hardness  upon  which  a  burr  of  steel  made  no  impression 
whatever.  When  closely  examined  this  specimen  showed  distinctly  that  the  fragment  which  scratched  the  steel 
was  envelopedtn  a  black  sheath  formed  of  carbon  and  carburet  of  iron. 

This  specimen  was  attacked  by  boiling  chlorhydric  acid  until  there  was  no  trace  of  iron  remaining;  there  was 
then  obtained  a  compound  containing: 

1.  Very  free  carbon,  in  an  impalpable  powder,  requiring  12  hours  to  sink  to  the  bottm  of  the  liquid,  and  which 
probably  proceeded  from  the  attack  of  the  carburet  of  iron. 

2.  Carbon  in  very  thin,  ribbon-like  fragments,  of  a  maroon  color  under  the  microscope,  and  appearing  jagged  like 
the  carbon  of  a  peculiar  character  which  is  found  in  crucibles  upon  suddenly  cooling  them. 

3.  A  dense  carbon,  occurring  especially  in  rounded  fragments  and  mixed  with  small  particles  of  phosphuret  of 
iron  and  nickel  with  a  reddish-brown  reflection.    This  mixture  was  treated  alternately  by  boiling  sulphuric  acid  and 
fluorhydric  acid;  its  density  was  then  sufficient  for  it  to  fall  to  the  bottom  of  the  iodide  of  methylene. 

This  last  residue  was  subjected  eight  times  to  the  action  of  chlorate  of  potassium.  The  fragments,  of  a  dark  color, 
d  isappeared  little  by  little  at  the  same  time  that  a  small  quantity  of  iron  entered  into  solution.  Finally  there  remained 
only  two  yellowish  fragments  with  a  greasy  appearance,  very  distinct,  not  possessing  triangular  impressions,  and  whose 
rough  and  warped  surface  resembled  the  crystallization  of  boort. 

These  two  fragments  fell  to  the  bottom  of  the  iodide  of  methylene,  scratched  ruby  distinctly,  and  one  of  them, 
burned  in  oxygen,  left  cinders  preserving  still  the  form  of  the  fragment.  The  largest  of  these  fragments  measured 
0.7  mm.  by  0.3  mm.  and  possessed  a  yellow  tint,  a  rough  surface,  and  was  translucent. 

In  another  specimen  there  was  found,  mixed  with  phosphurets  and  sulphurets  of  iron  and  nickel,  a  crystalline 
substance  of  dendritic  form  of  a  gray  color,  duller  than  platinum,  which  did  not  disappear  in  the  treatment  with 
fluorhydric  acid  and  aqua  regia.  Some  fragments  of  black  diamond  also  were  encountered  in  this  specimen,  with  a 
shagreened  or  bright  surface,  with  a  density  of  about  3  and  burning  in  oxygen  at  1000°  C. 

There  should  not  be  confused  with  this  certain  particles  of  oxide  of  magnetic  iron,  incombustible  in  oxygen,  and 
entirely  impervious  to  sulphuric  acid,  which  is  produced  by  the  oxyde  FejO^ obtained  at  a  very  high  temperature. 

The  meteorite  was  also  found  to  be  lacking  in  homogeneity.  Two  specimens  taken  from  points  1  cm.  apart  fur- 
nished the  following  figures: 

Fe  Ni          Silica          Insoluble  Mg  Ca  P  S 

1.  91.12        3.07        0.050  1.47  traces         0.20  =95.91 

2.  95.06        5.07         0.06  =100.19 

The  two  specimens  which  contained  carbon  in  various  quantities  contained  no  sulphur. 

716°— 15 7 


98  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Another  fragment  which  gave  no  traces  of  carbon  yielded  the  following: 

Fe  Ni         Si02  S 

1.  91.09        1.08        0.05        0.045     =92.265 

2.  92.08        7.05        =99.13 

Moissan  also  dissolved  53  kg.  of  Canyon  Diablo  in  pure  HC1.  An  insoluble  residue  weighing 
800  grams  was  left,  in  which  he  found,  besides  carbon  in  the  form  of  amorphous  carbon,  graphite 
and  diamond,  an  iron  phosphide,  P2Fe3,  and  silicon  carbide  (carborundum)  SiC.  The  iron 
phosphide  occurred  as  little  needles  or  as  cubes.  Analysis  gave: 

Needles  Cubes    P2Fe3Calc. 

P '..  26. 97    26.95     26.46        26.95 

Fe 71.63    72.15    73.51        72.43        73.05 

Ni trace. 

C trace. 

The  silicon  carbide  occurred  in  little  green  hexagonal  crystals.  This  was  its  first  noted 
occurrence  in  nature. 

Friedel 7  about  the  same  time  investigated  the  meteorite.  He  did  not  find  the  white 
diamond  in  very  large  grains;  but,  in  examining  with  the  microscope  the  powder  of  the  car- 
bonado diamond,  which  was  quite  abundant,  and  taking  care  to  immerse  it  in  iodide  of  mcthylene, 
he  was  able  to  discern  among  grains  having  exactly  the  appearance  of  small  masses  of  the  well 
known  carbonado,  a  certain  number  of  small  transparent  grains  which  he  regarded  as  white 
diamond.  The  statement  of  Moissan  concerning  the  extreme  heterogeneity  of  the  Canyon 
Diablo  meteorite  was  confirmed  by  Friedel.  He  also  mentions  a  bright  compound,  silver  white 
in  appearance,  fragile,  less  easily  attacked  by  acids  than  iron,  which  occurred  in  comparatively 
thick  plates  included  between  the  crystals  of  nickel-iron,  accompanied  in  this  position  by 
laminae  of  schreibersite.  This  latter  was  distinguished  by  its  ductility.  These  laminae  stood 
out  slightly  on  a  polished  fragment. 

Friedel  isolated  a  small  quantity  of  this  material  and  recognized  it  as  a  subsulphide  of 
iron  containing  10.2  per  cent  of  sulphur  and  88.3  per  cent  of  iron.  There  was  also  a  small 
quantity  of  phosphorus  which  could  not  be  certainly  measured  on  account  of  the  small  quan- 
tity of  material  at  disposal.  The  proportion  above,  if  it  could  be  considered  as  constant,  would 
correspond  to  the  formula  Fe5S. 

Besides  this  sulphide  disseminated  in  the  mass,  there  were  nodules  of  yellow  troilite,  in 
which,  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  which,  carbon,  that  is  to  say,  the  mixture  of  ordinary  carbon, 
graphite,  and  diamond,  appeared  to  be  concentrated.  The  nodules  were  composed  partly  of 
troilite,  partly  of  carbon  penetrated  by  this  same  sulphide.  The  nodules  themselves  were 
enveloped  in  a  thin  layer  of  bright  subsulphide. 

The  occurrence  of  diamonds  in  the  Canyon  Diablo  meteorites  as  well  as  others  was  dis- 
cussed by  Meunier 10  with  the  following  conclusions: 

The  irons  in  which  diamonds  are  found  are  far  from  having  the  characteristics  which  may  be  called  normal;  they 
depart  greatly  from  the  description  which  fits  the  typical  meteoric  irons. 

The  latter,  cut  with  the  saw  and  polished,  are  of  a  more  homogenous  appearance  than  our  finest  steel,  and  appear- 
ance which  contrasts  with  their  real  heterogeneity;  it  is  only  under  the  action  of  acids  that  they  show  the  network 
of  figures  called  Widmannstatten  lines  and  which  reveal  the  coexistence  of  alloys  very  unequally  soluble. 

In  the  iron  of  Cafion  Diablo,  it  is  enough  to  saw  a  surface,  without  polishing,  in  order  to  obtain,  without  the  use 
of  an  acid,  a  mosaic  which  may  suggest  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  but  which  has  nothing  whatever  in  common  with 
them  and  which  disappear  upon  polishing.  These  markings  result  from  the  existence,  in  the  midst  of  the  mass  of  a 
nickel  iron  ore  more  or  less  homogenous,  of  laminse  of  a  phosphuretted  material  known  under  the  name  of  schreibersite, 
occurring  in  small  amount  in  ordinary  irons  where  it  is  quite  otherwise  disposed. 

The  iron  of  Magura  (Arva),  said  to  contain  adamantine  grains,  belongs  distinctly  to  the  same  lithological  type  as 
that  of  Cafion  Diablo;  the  type  under  which  comes  also,  with  certain  others,  the  Smithville  iron.  These  masses  are 
partly  of  the  type  designated  by  the  name  Arvaite  in  the  collections  of  the  French  Museum. 

As  to  the  irons  which  yield  the  beautiful  Widmannstatten  figures,  they  contain  in  general  very  little  carbon  and 
sometimes  not  a  trace  of  it. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  99 

Meunier  *  also  notes  that — 

The  schreiberaite  is  not  uniformly  distributed,  large  surfaces  being  entirely  free  from  it,  but  where  it  is  present, 
as  is  usually  the  case,  it  produces  the  appearance  and  orientation  of  the  Brazos  and  Sarepta  masses.  The  etching  fig- 
ures are  exactly  identical  with  those  of  the  Brazos  iron  and  show  like  it  broad  bands  of  kamacite  associated  with  thin 
filaments  of  taenite. 

Brezina  "  notes  that — 

Among  all  known  meteoric  irons  Cafion  Diablo  furnishes  the  largest  number  of  immense  blocks,  weighing  500 
kg.  and  upwards,  although  a  few  fall  short  of  the  large  Mexican  masses.  Like  Penkarring  Rock,  this  iron  has  a  ten- 
dency to  orifices  from  the  surface,  and  in  the  case  of  the  smaller  pieces,  of  a  few  kilograms  weight  and  upwards,  to  the 
separation  of  sharp  angled  individuals,  which  appear  almost  like  metallic  potsherds,  only  much  more  sharply  pointed. 
Moreover,  the  exterior  of  such  small  individuals  is  divided  in  a  most  singular  manner;  it  seems  as  if ,  in  an  iron  fur- 
nished with  pittings,  these  depressions  had  simultaneously  been  enlarged  until  they  touched  and  intersected  one 
another,  so  that  only  the  wave-crests  arising  from  the  intersection  of  the  very  shallow  cavities  remained  of  the  eleva- 
tions between  them.  Frequently  this  peculiarity  of  the  exterior  is  to  be  seen  only  on  the  broad  side  of  the  clod-like 
pieces,  while  the  other  side  has  been  rendered  convex  by.  widespread  weathering;  many  such  pieces  show  that  the 
rounded  side  was  buried  in  the  ground,  which  is  abundantly  proved  by  the  still  adhering  particles  of  a  calcareous 
deposit.  Small  fresh  formations  on  this  coating  (stalactitic  deposits  of  from  1  to  2  mm.  in  length)  likewise  show  by 
their  situation  that  the  iron  flakes  were  imbedded  with  their  broad  sides  horizontal.  By  weathering  to  limonite  a 
flat  stratification  (with  a  preference  for  octahedrons)  is  formed  at  times  whereby  frequently  the  remnants  of  the  refrac- 
tory taanite  distinctly  mark,  the  direction  of  the  octahedral  laminae,  as  is  the  case  on  fresh  iron  after  etching.  That  is 
to  say,  the  triad  resists  the  action  of  acid  very  markedly,  and  by  the  complete  recession  of  the  taenite  and  the  indif- 
ferent condition  of  the  kamacite  as  well  as  the  scarcity  of  fields,  the  etched  iron  frequently  appears  like  an  ataxite. 
Most  pieces  are  very  refractory  to  etching;  this  is  so  in  case  of  pieces  composed  almost  entirely  of  kamacite,  without 
any  visible  taenite  or  other  admixture.  Less  frequently  portions  occur  which  show  ribs  of  cohenite  in  the  kamacite; 
on  such  pieces  the  kamacite  is  customarily  more  easily  affected  by  the  acid  and  by  the  employment  of  a  more  power- 
ful acid  it  readily  receives  scratches.  Occasionally  huge  nodules  of  troilite  and  graphite  from  10  to  15  cm.  in  size 
occur  in  the  iron. 

Huntington  "  in  1894,  published  a  further  investigation  into  the  occurrence  of  diamonds 
in  the  Canyon  Diablo  meteorites,  the  tests  of  Friedel  to  this  end  not  being  deemed  by  him  con- 
clusive. He  examined  about  200  pounds  of  the  iron,  selecting  the  pieces  most  likely  to  afford 
diamonds.  These  were  then  dissolved.  He  states: 

Most  of  the  iron  dissolved  contained  no  diamonds  whatever.  One  piece,  however,  in  the  process  of  dissolving, 
showed  an  irregular  vein  running  through  it,  consisting  of  a  white  vitreous  substance,  varying  in  width  from  a  fine  line 
to  nearly  4  mm.  This  vein  stuff  proved  to  exceed  the  ruby  in  hardness.  On  further  examination,  it  appeared  to  be  a 
mixture  of  iron,  a  sulphide  of  iron,  silica,  amorphous  carbon,  and  diamond,  and  had  to  be  crushed  to  get  rid  of  all  the 
iron. 

The  hardest  grains  of  this  vein  substance  were  isolated,  and  when  examined  under  the  microscope  one  minute 
but  perfect  octahedron  of  diamond  was  found,  transparent  and  colorless.  It  was  separately  mounted  in  a  microscope 
slide,  but  soon  disappeared,  and  in  its  place  were  found  only  some  very  minute  angular  fragments.  A  second  crystal 
was  afterwards  isolated,  but  disappeared  in  like  manner,  suggesting  that  they  had  been  formed  under  pressure,  and 
when  exposed  in  a  warm  room,  had  exploded. 

About  half  a  carat  of  diamond  powder  was  finally  obtained,  being  separated  by  its  specific  gravity  from  a  very 
large  quantity  of  amorphous  carbon.  The  particles  varied  from  colorless  through  yellow  and  blue  to  black.  Many  of 
them  appeared  to  be  angular  fragments,  though  some  of  them  looked  not  unlike  hyalite,  except  for  their  more  bril- 
liant luster.  Several  perfect  little  octahedrons  were  found  that  did  not  break  up.  The  original  specimen  measured 
only  a  little  over  a  hundredth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  but  when  viewed  through  a  two-thirds  objective  it  showed  dis- 
tinctly the  hexahis  octahedral  planes,  the  curved  edges,  striations,  etc.,  adamantine  luster  and  clear  water  of  the  dia-' 
mond  crystal. 

A  newly  planed  wheel  in  the  Tiffany  Exhibit  at  the  Columbian  Exposition,  was  charged  with  the  residue  from 
the  Cafion  Diablo  iron,  and  when  a  rough  diamond  was  placed  upon  the  wheel  it  immediately  gave  out  a  sharp  hissing 
sound,  and  in  a  few  minutes  a  face  was  ground  down  and  polished.  Two  other  diamonds  were  cut  and  polished  in 
the  same  way.  In  all  respects  the  residue  from  the  Cafion  Diablo  iron  was  found  to  act  exactly  like  any  other  diamond 
powder. 

These  experiments  were  regarded  by  Huntington  as  establishing  the  fact  that  the  Canyon 
Diablo  iron  contains  true  diamonds,  and  not  some  new  allotropic  form  of  carbon. 


100  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  possibility  of  a  terrestrial  origin  of  the  Canyon  Diablo  meteorites  was  also  discussed  by 
Huntington  14  with  the  conclusion  that  such  an  origin  is  disproved  by  an  examination  of  the 
exterior  surface  of  a  mass  weighing  1,087  pounds  in  the  Harvard  Museum.  He  says: 

It  is  a  roughly  spherical  mass  somewhat  flattened  in  one  plane.  One  of  these  flattened  surfaces  shows  signs  of 
fusion,  with  deep  pittings  almost  like  bullet  holes,  but  larger  on  the  interior  than  at  the  orifice.  Occasionally,  they 
are  meeting,  but  all  preserve  the  same  general  direction.  They  vary  from  ^j  to  2  inches  in  diameter  and  reach  in  some 
cases  a  depth  of  3  or  4  inches.  These  can  not  be  explained  by  unequal  heating  or  by  the  erosive  action  of  the  air,  since 
they  a/e  larger  on  the  interior  than  at  the  surface.  The  other  side  of  the  mass  shows  large  concave  surfaces,  as  if  pieces 
of  6  or  7  inches  in  diameter  had  flaked  off,  or  the  hollows  had  been  scooped  out  by  the  action  of  pneumatic  drills. 

For  some  time  these  two  utterly  different  surfaces  were  a  puzzle,  but  a  closer  examination  disclosed  troilite  in 
the  depths  of  some  of  the  small  cavities,  while  in  the  side  of  the  larger  pittings  the  same  mineral  appears  exposed  but 
unaltered.  Evidently,  then,  this  mass  must  have  been  a  meteorite,  moving  with  its  smoother  face  to  the  front,  and 
perhaps  revolving.  In  such  a  case  the  front  would  acquire  the  melted  appearance  observed,  and  the  troilite  nodules 
would  at  once  fuse  and  become  dissipated,  leaving  the  deep  and  erratic  cavities  so  characteristic  of  this  iron,  while 
the  portion  in  the  rear  would  acquire  the  well-known  pittings  due  to  the  flaking  off  of  irregular  portions.  The  iron 
is  largely  filled  with  troilite  nodules,  and  that  they  did  not  subsequently  weather  away  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 
these  cavities  appear  only  on  the  front  of  the  mass. 

The  etched  surface  shows  great  variation  in  the  distribution  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures  and  troilite  nodules, 
and  the  occurrence  of  diamond  evidently  varies  likewise. 

Cohen  remarks : " 

It  is  not  yet  certain  whether  the  Canon  Diablo  iron  is  meteoric  or,  like  the  Greenland  nickel-iron,  of  terrestrial 
origin;  in  common  with  the  latter  it  has  a  very  low  percentage  of  nickel,  at  least  in  portions  of  it,  and  a  comparatively 
high  percentage  of  carbon. 

Derby  18  investigated  a  Canyon  Diablo  specimen  as  to  its  constituents  and  obtained  results 
as  follows: 

A  specimen  of  the  Canon  Diablo  meteorite,  obtained  from  Mr.  E.  E.  Howell,  of  Washington,  and  stated  to  be  one 
of  the  original  lot  brought  from  Arizona  by  Dr.  A.  E.  Foote,  was  treated  by  the  fractional  method  of  Prof.  E.  Cohen 
by  Dr.  G.  Florence,  with  the  following  results: 

The  specimen,  weighing  nearly  200  grams,  was  a  perfect  meteoric  individual,  presenting  no  fractural  surfaces,  but 
everywhere  the  rough  pitted  surfaces  of  meteoric  masses.  In  appearance  it  suggested  a  metallic  bleb,  broken  or 
weathered  out  of  friable,  or  more  easily  decomposable  material.  An  examination  of  a  considerable  number  of  speci- 
mens of  all  sizes  in  Mr.  HowelFs  collection  shows  this  to  be  a  general  characteristic  of  the  Canon  Diablo  group.  Nothing 
in  the  shape  and  aspect  of  the  masses  suggests  the  occurrence  of  planes  of  slight  cohesion  (presumed  to  be  the  limits  of 
crystalline  individuals  described  as  Wollaston  planes  in  the  Bendego  mass)  and  which,  by  facilitating  fracture,  either 
in  the  original  place  of  formation,  or  in  the  act  of  falling,  have  probably  produced  the  approximately  plane  faces  and 
angular  edges  that  characterize  that  meteorite.  Such  faces  and  edges  might  be  expected  on  the  Canon  Diablo  mass, 
which  seems  to  be  required  by  the  conditions  under  which  they  were  formed.  A  rough,  jagged,  and  pitted  surface  is, 
however,  common  to  all  of  them,  showing  a  perfect  individualization  and  suggesting  on  a  large  scale,  the  small,  irregular 
metallic  masses  scattered  through  the  stony  matrix  of  a  mesosiderite.  Eeferring  them  to  a  single  original  mass,  the 
hypothesis  may  be  ventured  that  on  its  arrival  in  our  atmosphere  this  was  not  homogenous  but  consisted  of  a  large 
mesosiderite  with  unusually  large  metallic  nodules  of  that  became  separated  by  the  explosions  attending  the  fall,  and 
probably  also  by  subsequent  decay  and  disaggregation  of  the  stony  matrix. 

After  freeing  the  specimen  as  far  as  possible  from  its  rust  crusts  by  spraping  after  soaking  in  strong  acid,  it  was  treated 
with  cold  hydrochloric  acid  of  a  strength  of  1  to  10.  The  solution  was  effected  slowly  with  evolution  of  gas  and  a  sepa- 
ration of  a  variety  of  grains  with  a  metallic  aspect  and  of  a  light  black  residue  resembling  coal  dust.  A  veinlike  mass 
some  3  mm.  thick,  that  shpwed  through  the  rust  crust  with  the  appearance  of  the  pencillike  incusions  of  troilite  in  the 
Bendego  meteorite,  extended  for  about  a  centimeter  into  the  mass,  and,  not  Jbeing  acted  upon  by  the  acid,  came  away 
in  fragments.  After  14  weeks  of  treatment  with  frequent  changes  of  acid  the  action  almost  ceased,  although  a 
considerable  mass  remained  still  undissolved.  This  had  much  the  shape  and  appearance  of  the  original  meteorite 
though  much  more  irregular  and  jagged,  and  represents  a  nucleal  portion  less  soluble  than  the  generality  of  the  mass. 

The  undissolved  residue  was  separated  by  screening  through  fine  bolting  cloth,  sorting  under  the  lens,  and  with  a 
magnetized  knife  point,  into  the  following  groups:  Vein  matter  consisting  of  massive  schreibersite  with  cohenite; 
irregular  jagged  fragments  resembling  the  larger  nucleal  piece  and  bristling  with  needles  of  rhabdite  (zackige  Stucke 
of  Cohen?);  tsenite;  coarse  schreibersite  and  cohenite  from  the  general  mass  and  not  from  the  vein  (a  considerable  part 
of  the  schreibersite  was  free  but  the  grains  of  cohenite  were  so  charged  with  it  that  no  satisfactory  separation  of  the  two 
could  be  effected);  fine  magnetic  residue,  for  the  most  part  schreibersite  in  the  form  of  rhabdite  needles  but  with  fine 
particles  of  tsenite ;  granular  schreibersite  and  cohenite,  and  a  black  coal-dust-like  residue  highly  charged  with  rhabdite. 
The  separation  could  not  be  completely  made  except  for  the  jagged  pieces  and  the  coarser  taenite,  schreibersite,  and 
cohenite.  In  the  finer  material  the  two  last  were  so  lumped  together  that  neither  by  sorting  nor  by  gravity  or  magnetic 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  101 

methods  could  they  be  satisfactorily  separated.  An  attempt  to  separate  the  light  coaly  matter  by  the  use  of  the  Thoulet 
solution  was  only  partially  successful,  as  a  small  amount  of  the  black  particles  were  carried  down  with  the  heavy 
metallic  grains  and  a  larger  portion  of  these  were  retained  by  the  spongy,  coaly  particles.  The  proportions  given 
below,  calculated  for  the  dissolved  portion  after  deducting  the  nucleal  piece  and  vein  matter,  are  therefore  only  approxi- 
mate: 

Grains.  Per  cent. 

Original  specimen 195. 

Large  jagged  nucleal  piece 9.1855 

Vein  matter,  schreibereite  and  cohenite 2. 971 

Small  jagged  pieces 1.4105  0.78 

Tsenite 1.872  1.02 

Coarse  schreibersite  and  cohenite 7.5835  4.14 

Fine  magnetic  residue  mainly  schreiberaite,  in  part  acicular  . 

(rhabdite),  with  some  teenite  and  cohenite 1.4945  0.82 

Fine  nonmagnetic  residue  with  rhabdite 0. 517  0. 28 

Dissolved..  .  169.966  92.95 


100.00 

An  analysis  of  100  cc.  of  the  solution  corresponding  approximately  to  0.5  grams  of  the  meteorite  (except  for  the 
copper  determination  which  was  made  with  500  cc.)  gave: 

Fe  NiCo          P  Cu 

91.264        9.252        0.44        0.44    =100.00 

This  result  agrees  fairly  well  with  the  composition  of  kamacite  (Fe  93.11,  Ni,  Co  6.89)  according  to  the  formula 
Fe,4Ni  as  given  by  Cohen.  As  the  proportion  of  phosphorus  and  copper  is  higher  than  in  the  greater  part  of  Cohen's 
analyses  in  which  for  the  most  part  weaker  acid  was  employed,  it  may  be  presumed  that  the  elements  rich  in  nickel, 
tanite,  schreibersite,  and  the  coaly  substance  were  more  strongly  attacked,  giving  an  enrichment  in  nickel.  Making 
allowance  for  this  circumstance,  the  dissolved  portion  may  be  considered  as  consisting  essentially  of  normal  kamacite. 

A  large  jagged  piece  which  was  only  attacked  with  extreme  slowness  by  cold  acid  of  a  strength  of  1  to  10  was  tried 
with  acid  1  in  5  without  much  better  results  in  the  cold.  Upon  heating  on  the  water  bath  vigorous  action  commenced 
and  continued  even  after  the  acid  was  much  diluted.  At  times  the  action  would  continue  in  the  cold  after  removal 
from  the  bath,  at  others  it  would  almost  cease  in  the  hot  acid  and  only  recommence  with  vigor  on  the  addition  of  a 
considerable  quantity  of  fresh  acid .  At  other  times  the  action  would  continue  until  the  acid  was  completely  exhausted 
and  a  precipitate  began  to  appear  in  the  solution.  These  variations  in  the  action  of  the  acid  indicate  a  lack  of  homo- 
geneity and  varying  degrees  of  solubility  in  different  parts  of  the  mass.  The  residue  was  similar  to  that  of  the  original 
mass  except  that  cohenite  was  almost  entirely  lacking.  The  principal  contrast  in  the  two  residues  was  in  the  greater 
relative  abundance  of  rhabdite  and  the  less  abundance  of  granular  schreiberaite  and  the  coaly  matter  in  that  of  the 
jagged  piece.  The  coaly  matter  was  evidently  partially  destroyed  by  the  action  of  the  hot  acid  and  the  residue  was 
entirely  freed  from  it  by  treatment  with  strong  cold  acid,  a  white,  flocculent  skeleton  remaining. 

The  large  piece  was  broken  up  as  follows: 

Grams.  Percent. 

Original  specimen 9. 1855 

Taenite 0.029  0.31 

Schreibersite  (granular  0.0075  grams,  0.08#;  acicular  0.0255 

grams,0.27#) 0.033  0.35 

Nonmagnetic  residue 0. 325  0. 34 

Dissolved..  .  9.094  99.00 


100.00 

An  analysis  of  the  solution  gave  the  following  result  (copper  was  determined  in  the  whole  solution,  the  other 
elements  in  100  c.  c.): 

Fe          NiCo          P  Cu 

94.32          5.78          0.15        0.05     =100,30 

This  composition  agrees  very  nearly  with  that  of  the  "zactige  Sttiee"  of  Toluca  given  by  Cohen,  and,  like  that, 
shows  a  higher  proportion  of  iron  and  a  lower  proportion  of  nickel  and  cobalt  than  the  general  mass  of  the  meteorite  and 
of  normal  kamacite.  The  occurrence  of  rhabdite  is  not  noted  in  the  case  of  Toluca  but  may  perhaps  be  presumed 
from  the  relatively  high  percentage  of  phosphorus. 

The  nonmagnetic  residue  consisted  mainly  of  rust  particles  and  some  dirt,  evidently  derived  from  laboratory 
dust.  Nothing  of  any  interest  that  could  be  referred  to  the  meteorite  could  be  detected  in  it  by  microscopic  examination. 

The  email  jagged  pieces  were  dissolved  in  copper-ammonium  chloride  with  the  view  of  determining  the  amount 
of  carbon,  but  owing  to  an  accident  this  determination  was  lost,  and  only  the  relative  proportion  of  granular  (1.84 %) 
and  of  acicular  (1.16$ )  schreibersite  was  determined.  The  amount  of  the  coaly  residue  was  apparently  greater  than 
in  the  treatment  with  acid.  The  higher  proportion  of  schreibersite  may  be  referred  in  part  to  the  slighter  action  of 


102  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

the  solvent,  by  which  more  of  the  original  content  is  recovered,  but  it  is  also  evident  that  this  mineral,  particularly 
in  the  acicular  form  of  rhabdite,  is  more  abundant  than  in  the  generality  of  the  meteoric  mass. 
An  analysis  of  tsenite  which  was  dissolved  in  copper-ammonium  chloride  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  P 

66.46        30.28        0.68        0.32        0.30    =99.69 

In  composition  as  well  as  in  physical  aspect  (thin,  tin-white,  flexible  lamellae)  this  agrees  very  closely  with  the 
group  rich  in  nickel  and  free  from  carbon  of  Toluca,  Wichita,  etc.,  as  given  by  Cohen.  With  Toluca  also  it  agrees  in 
the  presence  of  a  determinable  amount  of  copper.  The  phosphorus  of  the  above  analysis  indicates,  as  Professor  Cohen 
has  remarked,  that  schreibersite  is  not  wholly  insoluble  in  copper-ammonium  chloride. 

Two  analyses  of  cohenite  were  made,  No.  1  being  the  free  grains  from  the  general  solution  of  the  mass  and  No.  2 
the  vein  matter.  Both  were  dissolved  in  copper-ammonium  chloride  and  the  percentages  calculated  for  the  difference 
in  weight  after  deducting  the  considerable  residue  of  undissolved  schreibersite,  separated  from  the  carbon,  which  was 
determined  by  burning  in  a  stream  of  hydrogen  and  weighing  as  carbonic  acid : 

Fe          Ni+Co          P  C 

1.  92.88  1.33  0.48        5.33     =100.02 

2.  91.67  2.43  0.09        6.07    =100.26 

The  phosphorus  is  undoubtedly  due  to  a  slight  action  of  the  solvent  on  the  schreibersite,  which  is  not  wholly 
insoluble  in  the  copper-ammonium  chloride.  This  result  agrees  very  well  with  the  analyses  of  cohenite  given  by 
Weinschenk  and  Cohen,  and  with  an  unpublished  analysis  of  that  of  Bendego  by  Dafert.  In  appearance  the  cohenite 
grains  agree  with  those  of  Bendego  although  they  are  richer  in  inclusions  of  tabular  schreibersite.  Owing  to  the  general 
distortion  of  the  crystals  and  the  rounded  character  of  the  faces  no  measurements  could  be  made,  but  the  forms  are 
undoubtedly  identical  with  those  of  Bendego,  on  which  Hussak  succeeded  in  demonstrating  that  they  belong  to  the 
cubic  system. 

Three  distinct  forms  of  iron  and  nickel  phosphide  occur,  which,  although  differing  greatly  in  appearance  and  some- 
what also  in  chemical  composition,  are  probably  different  phases  of  a  single  mineral  species.  The  most  abundant 
individually  are  the  acicular  forms  known  as  rhabdite,  though,  owing  to  their  minute  size,  they  do  not  equal  in  weight 
the  granular  and  tubular  forms  known  as  schreibersite.  Both  are  generally  distributed  throughout  the  mass,  the 
echreibersite  form  being  particularly  abundant,  included  in,  or  adherent  to,  the  surface  of  the  cohenite  grains,  while 
the  rhabdite  needles  are  especially  concentrated  in  the  less  soluble  metallic  portions  and  in  the  spongy,  coal-like 
particles.  Both  are  distinctly  crystalline  and  may  occur  in  the  same  individual.  As  Cohen  has  already  shown  the 
chemical  identity  of  the  two  types,  no  further  proof  seems  necessary  that  schreibersite  and  rhabdite  belong  to  the  same 
mineral  species,  for  which  the  former  name,  being  the  older,  should  be  retained.  Diligent  search  was  made  without 
success  for  crystals  that  would  admit  of  measurement,  the  rhabdite  individuals  being  too  minute  and  those  of  the 
schreibersite  type  too  much  distorted  and  with  strongly  rounded  faces.  The  general  appearance  of  the  latter  type  is 
strongly  suggestive  of  distorted  crystals  of  the  cubic  system.  On  crystals  which  will  be  described  later,  separated  from 
the  Sao  Francisco  do  Sul  mass,  Dr.  Hussak  succeeded  in  proving  that  the  crystalline  form  of  schreibersite  is  really 
tetragonal. 

The  third  form  of  phosphide  occupies  the  center  of  the  vein  mass,  being  inclosed  between  walls  of  cohenite.  This 
is  massive  and  extremely  brittle,  breaking  with  a  conchoidal  fracture  and  in  color  and  general  appearance  strongly 
resembling  arsenopyrite.  The  cohenite  of  the  walls  of  the  vein  also  forms  a  massive  crust  covered,  however,  with 
crystalline  faces  on  its  outer  surface.  As  shown  by  the  analysis  below,  No.  3,  the  composition  differs  from  that  of  the 
typical  schreibersite  of  the  same  meteorite  in  the  relative  proportions  of  the  iron  and  nickel.  The  phosphorus  is  also 
higher  in  the  complete  analysis  and  approaches  more  nearly  to  what  Professor  Cohen  considers  as  the  normal  proportion, 
but  in  a  separate  determination  (No.  4)  the  proportion  is  nearly  the  same  as  in  the  normal  granular  schreibersite  with 
a  slight  admixture  of  rhabdite  needles,  Nos.  3  and  4  of  the  vein  matter.  In  all  the  material  was  freed  from  tsonite  and 
cohenite  by  treatment  with  copper-ammonium  chloride,  and  in  No.  2  special  care  was  taken  in  the  washing  to  make 
sure  that  the  copper  found  in  1  and  3  previously  executed,  really  belonged  to  the  substance  and  did  not  come  from 
this  solvent: 

P  Fe  Ni  Co  Cu          Sn 

1.  12.82        54.34        31.48        0.  G7        0.20        0.00     =99.45 

2.  13.17        51.25        33.68         0.17        1.18     =99.45 

3.  14.58        66.72        17.54         ....         0.13        trace    =98.97 

4.  12. 98 

The  most  reliable  published  analyses  of  meteoric  phosphide,  or  phosphides,  show  very  variable  relative  propor- 
tions of  iron  and  nickel  and  cobalt  even  in  the  same  meteoric  mass  and  as  regards  phosphorus,  a  larger  group  with  about 
15  to  16  per  cent  and  a  small  group  with  about  12  to  13  per  cent.  The  above  analyses  place  Canon  Diablo  in  the  latter 
group.  Copper  is  only  reported  in  two,  Schwetz  and  Seelasgen,  both  of  which  have  been  reanalyzed  by  Cohen  with  very 
different  results  and  without  copper,  which  possibly,  however,  was  not  looked  for.  Tin  has  not  been  reported,  possibly 
because  the  solution  has  usually  been  made  in  aqua  regia  in  which  it  would  only  appear  through  a  special  research.  In 
the  present  case  the  solution  was  made  in  plain  nitric  acid  and  the  tin  appeared  as  oxide  and  was  verified  by  blowpipe 
tests.  The  proportion  in  No.  3  was  certainly  as  great  as  thaj  in  No.  2,  but  was  not  determined  for  fear  of  losing  the 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  103 

slight  residue  before  a  qualitative  teat  could  be  made.  Curiously  enough  it  did  not  appear  in  Nos.- 1  and  4,  possibly 
from  the  accidental  presence  of  enough  chlorine  in  the  nitric  acid  to  dissolve  the  small  amount  of  stannic  oxide  as  fast 
as  it  formed.  If  this  was  not  the  case,  it  must  be  presumed  that  the  tin  does  not  belong  to  the  schreibersite  but  to 
another  mineral  that  is  not  generally  distributed  throughout  the  meteoric  mass,  so  that  it  only  appears  in  certain  por- 
tions of  the  residue. 

As  in  the  course  of  this  investigation,  which  was  mainly  undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  verifying  the  reported 
existence  of  the  diamond  in  the  Canon  Diablo  meteorite,  nothing  resembling  that  substance,  or  any  other  form  of  free 
carbon,  could  be  detected,  it  was  suspected  that  possibly  the  polishing  effect  produced  by  the  dissolved  mass  and 
attributed  to  the  presence  of  diamond  dust  might  be  due  to  schreibersite.  Owing  to  the  minuteness  of  the  grains 
and  their  extreme  brittleness,  it  is  difficult  to  determine  their  hardness  accurately  and  the  figures  given  (7.01  to  7.22) 
may  be  too  low.  The  means  at  hand  were  too  crude  for  an  accurate  test,  but  apparently  distinct  scratches  were  pro- 
duced on  a  cleavage  plane  of  topaz  and  a  demolishing  effect  on  the  polished  face  of  a  cut  sapphire.  Specimens  were 
submitted  to  Mr.  George  F.  Kunz  with  a  request  to  test  the  hardness  with  more  perfect  appliancesv 

The  nonmagnetic  residue  consisted  for  the  most  part  of  irregular,  black,  coal-like  particles  full  of  needles  of  rhab- 
dite.  These  dissolve  quietly  in  strong  hydrochloric  acid,  setting  free  the  crystals  of  rhabdite.  In  strong  nitric  acid 
under  the  microscope  there  is  a  rapid  evolution  of  gas  that  tears  the  particles  to  pieces,  scattering  the  rhabdite  and 
leaving  an  extremely  light,  whitish  flocculent  skeleton. 

In  the  following  analysis  this  coaly  residue  was  treated  with  strong  nitric  acid  for  a  few  minutes  until  the  black 
color  disappeared,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  collect  the  escaping  gas.  As,  however,  abundant  red  fumes  appeared, 
it  was  concluded  that  the  gas  came  from  the  acid  and  it  was  allowed  to  escape.  The  great  deficiency  in  the  following 
analysis  indicates,  however,  that  a  gaseous  constituent  may  have  been  set  free  from  the  substance.  The  heavy  resi- 
due was  separated  by  decantation  and  divided  with  the  magnet  into  rhabdite  and  nonmagnetic  portion  consisting  of 
rust  particles  and  grains  of  sand  evidently  from  laboratory  dust,  or  dirt  on  the  original  rust  covered  surface  of  the 
meteorite.  Nothing  of  interest  that  could  be  referred  to  the  meteorite  could  be  observed  in  it  under  the  microscope. 
The  light  flocculent  residue  collected  on  an  asbestus  filter  was  burned  and  determined  as  carbon  by  collecting  and 
weighing  the  gas  given  off.  The  other  constituents  were  determined  in  the  nitric  acid  solution.  The  numbers  given 
below  can  only  be  considered  as  approximate,  as  the  separation  by  decantation  may  not  have  been  complete  and 
there  may  have  been  some  loss  in  the  mechanical  separation  of  the  heavy  residue.  Still,  after  making  all  due  allow- 
ances for  defects  in  the  process  of  the  analysis,  the  deficiencies  are  too  great  to  be  accounted  for  in  thin  manner  and 
must  be  attributed  to  one  or  more  undetermined  constituents,  possibly  gaseous.  The  result  obtained  is  as  follows: 

non- 
magnetic 

Fe         Ni  +  Co         Or  Cu  P  C          rhabdite  residue 

7.11          37.47         trace         2.84        0.88        5.60          11.65  8.30          =73.85 

The  phosphorus  can  probably  be  referred  to  a  partial  solution  of  the  rhabdite  and  the  traces  of  chromium  may 
perhaps  indicate  an  admixture  of  daubreelite.  The  whitish  flocculent  substance  giving  carbonic  acid  on  burning 
is  very  extraordinary,  though  something  similar  seems  to  have  been  observed  by  Tschennak  (as  quoted  by  Flight, 
History  of  Meteorites,  p.  163)  in  the  Goalpara  meteorite.  As  a  similar  residue  with  the  same  aspect  and  behavior 
with  acids  and  with  strong  nickel  reaction  in  the  borax  bead  was  obtained  in  small  quantities  from  Bendego,  efforts 
are  being  made  to  obtain  a  sufficient  amount  for  a  careful  study  of  this  curious  substance. 

The  nonmagnetic  residue  of  the  above  analysis  contained  all  the  nonsoluble  and  nonmagnetic  residue  of  the  orig- 
inal mass  treated,  together  with  all  the  dirt  accumulated  throughout  the  long  process  of  treatment.  Nothing  of  in- 
terest that  could  not  be  referred  with  almost  absolute  certainty  to  the  latter  source  could  be  observed  in  it  in  a  careful 
microscopic  examination.  Evidently  the  mass  treated  did  not  contain  diamonds  or  anything  remotely  suggestive 
of  them. 

Extended  explorations  were  made  at  the  locality  by  Messrs.  Barringer lf  and  Tilghman  20, 
who  described  their  work  in  full.  For  the  purposes  of  this  catalogue  an  abstract  given  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Science 21  may  be  sufficient: 

Recent  papers  on  this  subject  by  D.  M.  Barringer  and  B.  C.  Tilghman  give  a  detailed  description  of  the  crater- 
like  form  of  Coon  Butte,  and  reaffirm  with  confidence  the  hypothesis  early  suggested  that  it  was  formed  by  the  im- 
pact of  an  enormous  meteorite  falling  with  something  like  its  original  planetary  velocity.  As  is  well  known,  this 
region  has  afforded  many  thousand  masses  of  meteoric  iron  varying  in  weight  from  a  thousand  pounds  and  more  down 
to  a  few  ounces,  the  total  amount  aggregating,  it  is  stated,  more  than  ten  tons.  Further,  since  the  gentlemen  above- 
mentioned  have  taken  jrossession  of  the  property,  their  search  has  revealed  several  thousand  additional  masses,  aggre- 
gating more  than  a  ton.  The  various  remarkable  features  of  the  iron  are  too  well  known  to  need  to  be  rehearsed  here, 
but  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  Prof.  J.  W.  Mallet  has  found  both  platinum  and  iridium  in  samples  of  residues  from 
solution  in  hydrochloric  acid.  Besides  the  iron,  large  quantities — a  ton  or  more  in  weight — of  magnetic  oxide  of  iron 
have  been  found  distributed  over  the  surface  of  the  rim  and  the  surrounding  plain.  This  "iron  shale"  contains  nickel, 
indium,  and  platinum,  and  apparently  in  the  same  proportion  as  in  the  meteorite  itself,  from  which  it  is  believed  it 
was  derived.  Similar  material,  consisting  of  magnetite  in  various  forms,  was  also  found  within  the  crater  at  depths 
varying  from  300  to  500  feet.  Part  of  this  was  in  form  of  small  spherules  or  "shale  balls;"  these  showed  a  nucleus  of 


104  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

metallic  iron  with  an  envelope  of  magnetite.  The  character  and  distribution  of  this  magnetic  oxide,  the  latter  similar 
to  that  of  the  masses  of  iron,  furnished  the  authors  with  confirmation  of  the  meteorite  hypothesis  as  to  the  origin  of 
the  crater.  Further  confirmation  is  found  in  the  large  amount  of  minutely  pulverized  silica,  as  well  as  fragments  of 
limestone,  within  the  crater,  and  in  the  absence  of  volcanic  rocks  or  volcanic  phenomena  from  the  immediate  region. 
The  meteoric  masses  have  been  found  distributed  over  a  crescent  shaped  area  surrounding  the  hole  and  concentric 
with  it,  extending  from  northwest  to  east.  Only  two  or  three  masses  of  the  iron  have  been  found  within  the  crater 
itself.  A  number  of  borings  with  the  diamond  drill  were  made  in  the  effort  to  locate  the  supposed  mass  or  masses 
within  the  crater,  one  of  these  to  a  depth  of  over  1,000  feet.  Several  of  them  met  with  an  obstruction  of  undetermined 
nature,  which  was  believed  to  be  the  expected  meteorite. 

The  meteorites  of  this  fall  are  widely  distributed  among  collections. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1891 :  FOOTE.    A  new  locality  for  meteoric  iron,  with  a  preliminary  notice  of  the  discovery  of  diamonds  in  the  iron. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  42,  pp.  413-417.     (Illustration  of  mass  of  20  pounds,  and  of  an  etching,  plates 
14  and  15.) 

2.  1892:  HUNTINGTON.     "Science,"  July  8,  1892. 

3.  1892:  MALLARD.    Sur  le  fer  natif  de  Canon  Diablo.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  114,  p.  812-814. 

4.  1892:  DAUBREE.    Quelques  Observations  a  la  suite  de  la  Communication  de  M.  Mallard.    Comptes  Rendus, 

Tome  114,  p.  814. 

5.  1892:  FRIEDEL.    Sur  1'existence  du  diamant  dans  le  fer  me'te'orique  de  Canon  Diablo.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome 

115,  p.  1037-1041. 

6.  1893:  MOISSAN.    IStude  de  la  me'te'orite  de  Canon  Diablo.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  116,  pp.  288-290.     (Illustration 

(magnified)  of  a  diamond  0.7-0.3  mm.  in  size.) 

7.  1893:  FRIEDEL.    Sur  le  fer  me'te'orique  de  Canon  Diablo.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  116,  pp.  290-291. 

8.  1893:  DAUBREE.    Observation surles  conditions,  quiparaissent  avoir  pr&ide'ii  la  formation  desme'te'orites.    Comptes 

Rendus,  Tome  116,  pp.  345-347. 

9.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  29  and  37. 

10.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Remarques  ge'ologiques  sur  les  fers  me'te'oriques  diamantiferes.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  116, 

pp.  409-410. 

11.  1893:  KUNZ  and  HUNTINGTON.     On  the  diamond  in  the  Canon  Diablo  meteoric  iron  and  on  the  hardness  of  carbo- 

rundum.   Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  46,  pp.  470-473. 

12.  1893:  BREZINA.    Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nurnberg),  p.  165. 

13.  1893:  VON  HAUER.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  8  (Not.),  p.  29. 

14.  1894:  HUNTINGTON.    Further  observations  upon  the  occurrence  of  diamonds  in  meteorites.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad. 

Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  29,  pp.  204-211.   (Illustration  of  a  mass  of  1,087  pounds  weight,  an  etching,  and  a  diamond.) 

15.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  pp.  86,  101,  143,  and  144. 

16.  1895:  DERBY.    Constituents  of  the  Canon  Diablo  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  49,  pp.  101-110. 

17.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  288. 

18.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  82. 

19.  1905:  BAHRINGER.    Coon  Mountain  and  its  crater.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philadelphia,  vol.  57,  pp.  861-887. 

20.  1905:  TILGHMAN.    Coon  Butte,  Arizona.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philadelphia,  vol.  57,  pp.  887-914. 

21.  1906:  Coon  Butte,  Arizona  and  the  Canyon  Diablo  meteorites:  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  21,  p.  402. 


CAPE  GIRARDEAU. 

Cape  Girardeau  County,  Missouri. 

Latitude  37°  14'  N.,  longitude  89°  31'  W. 

Stone.    Globular  chondrite  (Cc)  of  Brezina;  Luceite  (type  37),  of  Meunier. 

Fell  3  p.  m.,  August  14,  1846;  described  1886. 

Weight,  3  pieces,  two  of  which  weighed  2,058  grams.    Assignable  weight,  2,358  grams  (5  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  has  been  chiefly  described  by  Dana  and  Penfield,1  as  follows: 

This  stone  was  obtained  by  Dr.  Otto  Lugger,  of  Baltimore,  when  he  was  residing  in  St.  Louis,  about  the  year  1875, 
from  an  acquaintance  by  the  name  of  Padberg,  whom  he  had  employed  to  collect  for  him  various  objects  in  natural 
history,  minerals,  etc.  According  to  Padberg's  statement  the  meteorite  had  formed  part  of  his  mineral  collection 
since  1847.  It  was  provided  with  a  label  which  stated  that  it  fell  at  3  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  August  14,  1846, 
accompanied  by  a  loud  report,  upon  a  small  farm  belonging  to  an  Englishman  named  WTilliam  Free.  This  farm  lay 
some  7.5  miles  south  of  Cape  Girardeau  in  southeastern  Missouri.  The  meteorite  was  given  to  Padberg  by  Free  in 
1847.  It  was  further  stated  that  the  meteorite  broke  upon  its  fall  into  three  pieces,  two  of  which  form  the  mass  here 
described,  and  the  third  was  polished  and  presented  by  Dr.  Lugger  to  Professor  Uhlberg. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  105 

The  account  of  the  history  of  the  stone  is  so  complete  and  circumstantial  as  to  make  it  appear  worthy  of  confidence, 
notwithstanding  the  many  years  which  have  passed  since  the  stone  fell. 

The  stone,  which  became  the  property  of  the  Yale  Museum,  consisted  of  two  parts  fitted  closely  together,  and  the 
fractured  surface  between  them  was  fresh  except  for  the  oxidation  of  the  iron.  The  general  shape  of  the  stone  was 
roughly  rectangular  with  dimensions  of  12  by  10  by  10  cm.  The  surface  is  smooth,  with  no  sharp  edges  or  angular 
projections.  On  one  side  the  crust,  which  is  rather  thick,  shows  with  remarkable  distinctness  the  lines  of  flow  diverg- 
ing from  what  was  probably  the  projecting  point  in  its  flight  through  the  air;  on  what  was  presumably  the  rear  side 
the  crust  is  thicker,  rather  rough,  and  somewhat  cellular  or  slaglike.  One  portion  of  the  crust  is  simply  blackened 
over  without  having  a  distinct  crust,  as  if  a  part  had  been  broken  off  shortly  before  it  struck  the  ground.  The  general 
color  of  the  fresh  surface  is  light  gray  except  as  it  is  stained  by  the  rusting  of  the  iron;  this  oxidation  has  proceeded 
rather  far,  as  might  have  been  anticipated,  and,  indeed,  the  appearance  of  some  portions  suggests  that  there  may  have 
been  present  also  some  deliquescent  compound  (e.  g.  iron  chloride).  The  mass  as  a  whole  is  somewhat  porous  and 
easily  fractured. 

The  metallic  particles  which  have  mostly  a  bluish  tarnish  are  scattered  very  uniformly  through  the  whole  mass. 
The  chondritic  character  is  distinct  though  not  strongly  marked,  yellowish-white  spherules  of  olivine,  and  others  of  a 
dark  gray  (bronzite)  are  sparingly  scattered  through  it;  for  the  most  part  it  appears  to  be  granular  crystalling. 

In  the  sections  examined  under  the  microscope  the  olivine  is  seen  in  granular  form,  not  often  distinctly  grouped 
in  chondrulea;  the  bronzite  also  in  longitudinal  fragments.  The  dark-gray  chondrules  have  an  indistinct  fibrous 
eccentric  structure  and  act  rather  feebly  on  polarized  light — they  may  be  also  bronzite.  The  fel  dspar  is  not  particularly 
distinct,  although  occasional  patches  of  a  dull  gray  in  polarized  light  probably  belong  here.  Glassy  matter  is  not 

distinctly  observed. 

Analysis  by  Penfield. 
The  analysis  of  the  iron  gave : 

Fe 91.93 

Ni 7.39 

Co a  63 

Cu..  0.05 


100.00 
The  analysis  of  the  remaining  portion  yielded: 

i  vi    •    TT/-I  [Troilite 6.95 

Soluble  in  HC1  {0... 

I  Silicates 42.  68 

Insoluble,  including  chromite 50. 19 

Water...  0.58 


100.40 
The  soluble  and  insoluble  parts  gave  further: 

Soluble  Insoluble 

SiO2 15.50      36.32  28.00      55.79 

A12O3 trace     2.78        5.54 

FeO 9.52      22.31  3.97        7.91 

MgO 17.17      40.23  11.87      23.65 

CaO 1.68        3.35 

Na2O '....     0.12        0.28  0.93        1.85 

K20 0.02        0.04  0.12        0.24 

P2O5 0.35        0.82        

Chromite...  0.84        1.67 


42.68    100.00        50.19    100.00 

The  composition  of  the  first  portion  corresponds  very  closely  to  a  ferruginous  olivine,  the  ratio  of  silica  to  bases 
being  1:  2.17.  The  insoluble  part  is  evidently  for  the  most  part  bronzite,  with  probably  a  little  feldspar,  to  which  the 
alumina  and  soda  and  most  of  the  lime  belong. 

This  stone  belongs  to  a  rather  common  type  of  meteorites,  the  light-gray  chondrites.  The  chemical  analysis  shows 
a  relation  of  native  iron  to  troilite  and  silicates  very  near  that  of  the  Utah  meteorite,  namely,  17.90  to  82.10  per  cent. 

Specific  gravity,  3.67. 

Brezina  2  classes  the  meteorite  as  a  spherical  chondrite  (Cc)  and  describes  it  as  follows : 
Cape  Girardeau  is  not  very  rich  in  chondri,  quite  strongly  rusted,  and  not  very  friable. 
The  stone  is  principally  preserved  in  the  Yale  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1886:  DANA  and  PENFIELD.     On  two  hitherto  undescribed  meteoric  stones. — 2.  Meteorite  from  Cape  Girardeau, 

Missouri.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  229-230.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  255. 


106  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIH. 

CAPE  YORK. 

Greenland. 

Latitude  76°  N.,  longitude  75°  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Recognized  as  meteoric,  1895. 

Weight,  reported  but  not  published,  34,500  kg.  (76,000  Ibs.). 

This  'fall,  consisting  of  three  large  masses  of  iron,  was  discovered  by  Lieutenant  Peary, 
U.  S.  Navy,  in  May,  1894,  on  the  shores  of  Melville  Bay,  35  miles  east  of  Cape  York,  Greenland. 
He  has  given  an  elaborate  account  of  the  occurrence,  of  which  the  following  is  an  abstract: 

Nothing  is  known  with  regard  to  the  fall  of  the  masses  except  that  the  Eskimos  of  the  region  regarded  them  aa 
Heaven-sent,  and  named  them  the  "woman,"  the  "dog,"  and  the  "tent,"  possibly  from  their  original  form,  and  formed 
a  legend  which  represented  the  woman  as  the  owner  of  the  dog  and  both  as  abiding  in  the  tent.  Captain  Rosa  found 
the  Eskimos  of  Smith  Sound  using  iron  for  knife  blades  and  harpoon  points,  and  learned  of  a  supposed  iron  mountain 
from  which  these  implements  were  derived.  The  discovery  of  this  supposed  iron  mountain  became  an  object  of  every 
polar  expedition  from  that  time  on,  until  Lieutenant  Peary,  guided  by  a  native  named  Tellikotinah,  located  the  source 
of  the  iron  used  by  these  Eskimos  and  discovered  that  it  was  of  meteoric  nature. 

The  two  smaller  masses,  the  "woman"  and  the  "dog,"  were  found  lying  loosely  on  gneissose  rock,  on  the  south 
elope  of  a  mountain,  80  feet  above  high-water  mark,  and  about  90  feet  apart.  These  two  were  secured  by  Lieutenant 
Peary  without  much  difficulty  in  the  summer  of  1895.  The  "tent,"  the  largest  of  the  three  "Saviksue"  (great  irons), 
waa  found  on  an  island  about  6  miles  south  of  the  site  of  the  other  two,  lying  nearly  buried  in  the  rock  and  soil,  about 
80  feet  above  high-water  mark  and  back  about  100  yards  from  the  water  line.  Two  unsuccessful  attempts  were  made 
to  remove  this  in  1895  and  1896,  but  it  was  finally  secured  in  1897  by  dint  of  great  labor  and  perseverance  on  the  part 
of  Lieutenant  Peary. 

The  smallest  of  the  three,  the  "dog,"  measures  27.5  by  19.5  inches  and  has  an  ellipsoidally  rounded  form.  Its 
weight  was  estimated  by  Peary  at  1,000  pounds. 

The  next  larger,  the  "woman,"  measures  4  feet  3  inches  by  3  feet  3  inches  by  2  feet,  and  has  an  irregularly  rounded 
trapezoidal  form.  Its  weight  was  estimated  by  Peary  at  6,000  pounds. 

The  larger  mass,  the  "tent"  of  the  Eskimos,  or  "Ahnighito,"  as  Lieutenant  Peary  fancifully  christened  it  (after 
his  little  daughter  who  was  born  in  the  Arctic  regions),  measures  11.2  by  7.6  by  6  feet  in  size.  It  has  a  very  irregular 
shape,  one  end  being  rather  square  and  bluff,  the  other  tapering  to  a  point;  one  side  of  a  massive  wedge  shape,  the  other 
tabular  and  having  a  pronounced  dorsal  fin  rising  from  it.  It  was  found  buried  wedge  side  down,  with  the  tabular 
side  nearly  parallel  to  and  a  foot  below  the  surface,  with  only  the  dorsal  fin  projecting.  Its  weight  was  estimated  by 
Peary  at  from  90  to  100  tons.  Ward  2  reports,  however,  a  careful  estimate  from  measurements  as  giving  a  weight  of  46J 
tons. 

The  exposed  part  of  the  large  mass  was  of  the  color  of  weathered  bronze,  with  Widmannstatten  figures  showing 
in  relief  upon  the  surface  in  places.  Much  of  the  exposed  portion  showed  scales  of  rust  from  the  water  of  melting  snows 
on  the  mountain  above. 

The  surface  of  all  three  masses  is  in  general  of  a  dark-brown  color  interspersed  with  greenish  bits,  and  thus  resembling 
bronze.  Megascopically  the  metal  in  all  three  seems  the  same — like  a  dense,  tough,  soft,  fibrous  iron  or  mild  steel, 
with  a  silvery  luster,  and  resonant  as  a  bell.  The  masses  appear  to  be  absolutely  homogeneous  throughout;  can  be 
scraped  with  a  knife,  and  when  cut  with  a  file  show  a  bright,  silvery  luster.  The  etched  surface  shows  characteristic 
Widmannstatten  figures. 

The  topography  of  the  region,  as  well  as  the  character  of  the  irons  themselves,  shows  them  to  be  meteorites,  and  not 
telluric  iron,  such  as  that  of  the  Ovifak  irons  of  Nordensjold  on  Disco  Island.  There  are  no  indications  of  any  similar 
masses  in  the  region  for  miles  around;  the  whole  country  being  of  a  gneissose  character,  with  no  signs  of  igneous  or 
basaltic  rocks  in  sight. 

The  "woman"  was  apparently  the  softer  of  the  three  masses  and  was  most  used  by  the  natives  for  their  weapons. 
A  great  pile  of  broken  trap  cobblestones  lying  around  the  site  of  this  mass  indicated  that  here  the  Eskimos  came  with 
these  stones  as  hammers  to  break  off  pieces  of  the  tough  metal.  Only  about  a  dozen  such  stones  were  found  around 
the  "dog"  and  none  around  the  largest  mass.  As  shown  by  their  occurrence  and  similarity  of  etching  figures  and 
analysis,  the  specimens  belong  to  one  and  the  same  fall,  and  there  are  probably  no  others  of  the  fall  to  be  found,  since 
the  sharp  eyes  of  the  Eskimos  would  have  doubtless  found  them  ere  this  had  such  been  the  case. 

Analysis  by  Professor  Whitfield  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History: 

"Dog"    "Woman"     "Tent" 

Fe 90.993        91.468        91.476 

Ni 8.265          7.775          7.785 

Co 0.533         0.533         0.533 

Cu 0.016          0.018          0.014 

S 0.019  none  none 

P 0.172          0.188         0.202 

C 0.014          0.070          0.023 

All  the  masses  are  in  possession  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  107 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1898:  PEAKY.    Northward  over  the  Great  Ice,  vol.  2,  pp.  552-618.    (Illustrated  with  numerous  plates  and  figures 

showing  occurrence  and  mode  of  shipment  of  the  meteorites,  also  their  form  and  etching  figures.) 

2.  1902:  WARD.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  p.  73. 


Capitan.     See  £1  Capitan. 
Carleton.     See  Tucson. 


CARLTON. 

Hamilton  County,  Texas. 

Here  also  Hamilton  County  and  Carlton-Hamilton. 
Latitude  31°  55'  N.,  longitude  98°  2'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Carltonite  (type  22)  of  Meunier. 
Found  1887;  described  1890. 
Weight,  81.5  kgs.  (179  Ibe.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Ho  well  *  as  follows: 

In  April,  1888,  while  plowing  in  his  field,  about  5  miles  south  of  Carlton,  Hamilton  County,  Texas,  Mr.  Frank  Kolb 
struck  with  his  plow  what  he  at  first  supposed  was  a  stone,  but  which  proved  to  be  the  meteorite  in  question.  Whether 
or  not  he  had  any  idea  of  its  true  nature  does  not  appear,  but  he  seems  to  have  kept  it  about  a  year  before  engaging  a 
Mr.  St.  Clair  to  sell  it  for  him. 

It  measured  17.5  by  13  inches  (44  by  33  cm.),  and  weighed  179  pounds  (81.5  kg.),  and  was  entire  except  for  a  few 
ounces  cut  off  for  analysis.  The  thinner  end  had  been  pounded  considerably,  however,  and  some  small  fragments  may 
have  been  detached,  so  that  its  original  weight  may  have  been  180  pounds. 

It  is  roughly  conical  in  form,  the  under  side  or  base  being  smoother  and  leas  sharply  pitted  than  the  upper  ride, 
which  was  probably  the  forward  end  in  its  night  through  the  earth's  atmosphere.  Although  very  little  oxidized,  it 
shows  none  of  the  striae  and  ridges  characteristic  of  a  recent  fall. 

This  iron  etches  quickly  and  most  beautifully  with  a  very  dilute  acid.  Where  the  pleasite  is  most  abundant  the 
figures  resemble  somewhat  the  markings  on  the  Trenton  and  Murfreesboro  irons,  but  more  closely  those  of  the  Descu- 
bridora.  The  lines  of  kamacite  are  narrower,  however,  than  in  any  of  these  irons,  and  the  inclosed  figures  smaller  and 
more  elongated,  being  in  many  parts  a  mere  thread  5  to  8  mm.  in  length;  but  in  this  respect  different  parts  of  the  same 
section  vary  greatly.  Some  of  the  inclosed  figures  are  beautifully  marked  with  the  fine  lines  first  noted  by  Dr.  J. 
Lawrence  Smith  on  the  Trenton  iron,  and  called  by  him  Laphamite  markings.  These  mostly  disappear  when  the 
iron  is  deeply  etched. 

Analvsis  (Eakin?): 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  S  P  C 

86.54        12.77        0.63        0.02        0.03        0.16        0.11     =100.26 

Specific  gravity,  7.95  at  27°. 
Meunier  3  described  the  structure  as  follows : 

The  resemblance  of  this  stone  with  that  of  Laurens  Court  House  is  very  close.  The  principal  difference  consists 
in  the  presence  of  pyrrhotine  in  quantity,  which  fills  the  cracks  of  the  mass  which  was  broken  under  mechanical  strain, 
following  the  direction  of  the  orientation  of  the  constituent  alloys.  A  further  result  is  that  the  sulphureted  accumu- 
lations upon  the  sections  are  spindle-shaped.  Very  small  grains  of  schreibersite  appear  here  and  there  in  the  mass  of 
carltonine. 

Brezina  4  in  his  1895  catalogue  described  the  iron  as  follows: 

The  Carlton  iron  is  one  of  unusual  variety  of  structure.  The  exterior  is  tolerably  fresh,  showing  numerous  semi- 
circular depressions  1  to  1.5  cm.  in  size,  formed  doubtless  by  the  fusing  out  of  troilite.  These  are  filled  to  the  depth  of 
one  or  two  thirds  of  their  capacity  with  bright  gray,  mostly  concentrically  arranged,  fused  iron.  On  such  places  the 
iron  often  glistens  to  a  depth  of  5  to  10  cm.  In  one  place  a  crack,  filled  with  limonite  and  magnetite,  extends  from  the 
outside  to  the  interior,  apparently  in  the  place  of  a  great  schreibersite  crystal.  Likewise  there  is  to  be  seen  upon  only 
one  portion  of  the  exterior  an  octahedral  facet,  exposed  by  weathering.  The  laminae  are  mostly  long  and  unevenly 
notched,  0.2  mm.  thick,  and  straight;  only  upon  one  small  side  upon  which  the  iron  struck  the  ground  is  there  to  be 
found  a  more  marked  swelling,  caused  bv  bending,  and  the  laminae  are  correspondingly  strongly  bent.  The  fields  are 
sometimes  very  fully  developed,  almost  as  in  the  case  of  Butler,  and  sometimes  with  the  bands  in  equal  propor- 
tion, but  occasionally  are  almost  entirely  wanting.  When  the  fields  predominate  they  are  usually  filled  with 
dark-gray  plessite,  which  shows  distinct,  glistening  points;  not  infrequently  there  is  found  in  the  midst  of  such 
an  area  a  central,  half-blended  skeleton  often  reduced  to  extreme  fineness,  which  is  either  connected  with  the  borders 
of  the  field  with  a  few  laminae  running  outward  or  else  apparently  lies  free  in  the  plessite.  Occasionally  instead  of 


108  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

the  central  skeleton  we  find  a  half-blended  secondary  skeleton  near  the  border  of  the  field,  yet  divided  from  this  by 
plessite.  The  secondary  laminae  are  sometimes  bunched,  but  do  not  run  in  comb  fashion  from  the  border  of  the  field 
toward  the  middle.  In  places  where  the  fields  disappear  and  a  coarse  band  structure  prevails,  numerous  Reichenbach 
lamellae  from  5  to  10  mm.  long  occur,  which  consist  of  lumps  of  troilite,  for  the  most  part  composite,  seldom  individual, 
arranged  in  planes  and  enveloped  in  kamacite  0.2  to  0.4  mm.  thick.  Of  rare  occurrence  are  isolated  points  of  cohenite 
in  the  laminae.  Huge,  inclusions  of  schreibersite,  for  the  most  part  bordered  by  crystal  facets  and  inclosed  by  finely 
hatched  kamacite  bands  0.5  to  1  mm.  thick,  appear,  sometimes  isolated,  sometimes  united  into  groups  and  bunches, 
and  attaining  a  length  of  from  4  to  6  cm.,  sometimes  even  from  10  to  12  cm.  Round  about  such  a  colony  of  schreibersite 
crystals  the  fields  predominate  in  a  striking  manner.  Not  infrequently  occur  troilite  grains  or  crystals,  sometimes 
quite  regular  in  outline,  sometimes  fresh,  sometimes  limonitized,  mostly  1  to  1.5  cm.  in  size,  with  a  corona  of  schrei- 
bersite crystals  from  2  to  8  mm.,  enveloped  in  swathing  kamacite.  Curving  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures  is  frequent 
on  the  larger  cavities  of  the  exterior.  The  curving  follows  the  cavity  like  an  onion  skin  along  the  octahedral  laminae 
and  transverse  cracks  between  such. 

Cohen 5  made  the  following  additional  observations: 

For  Carlton  change  in  structure  is  especially  characteristic.  Here  and  there  the  fields  are  large  and  numerous 
so  that  the  plessite  largely  predominates;  in  other  parts  the  plessite  varies  and  bands  are  in  about  equal  proportions; 
and  finally  the  latter  may  be  so  predominant  that  the  fields,  both  in  size  and  number,  almost  disappear.  The  bands 
consist  of  fine-grained  kamacite  and  are  long,  straight,  and  often  grouped,  in  part  equal  and  in  part  unequal,  and  the 
groupings  are  the  more  abundant  the  more  the  plessite  is  subordinate;  here  also  the  bands  seem  to  be  finer.  Brezina 
gives  the  breadth  of  the  lamella  in  cross  section  as  0.2  mm.  The  taenite  appears  in  relatively  broad  ribbons  and  un- 
usually sharp,  like  to  Laurens,  and  adds  considerably  to  the  beauty  and  delicacy  of  the  appearance  of  the  etched  sur- 
face. The  plessite  is  dark  gray  and  compact,  homogeneous  in  the  smaller  fields,  and  in  the  larger  sparkling  from  little 
shiny  taenite  flakes  which  are  quite  often  arranged  in  zones.  With  them  often  appear  central  skeletons  whose  inter- 
growth  with  the  edge  of  the  fields  was  observed  by  Brezina.  Combs  seem  to  occur  quite  scatteringly.  The  richness 
in  great  schreibersite  crystals  is  an  important  feature.  On  a  plate  in  the  Vienna  Museum,  measuring  300  sq.  cm.,  one 
Bees  thirteen  groups  of  crystals  some  of  which  reach  a  length  of  4  cm.  In  a  plate  figured  by  Howell  the  number  is 
smaller  but  the  individuals  reach,  as  stated,  a  length  of  15  cm.  From  the  form  of  the  sections  it  would  appear  that 
the  crystals  are  numerously  bounded  by  faces.  The  schreibersites  are  surrounded  by  swathing  kamacite  which  often 
attains  a  considerable  breadth,  and  according  to  Brezina  is  not  granular  like  the  kamacite  in  the  bands,  but  finely 
hatched.  In  the  neighborhood  of  many  crystal  groups  the  structure  through  the  increase  in  size  and  number  of  the 
fields  is  coarse-meshed.  Troilite  occurs  sparingly.  It  appears  almost  wholly  only  in  short  Reichenbach  lamellae, 
which  exceptionally  reach  a  length  of  5  to  10  mm.,  and  which  according  to  Brezina  as  a  rule  are  connected,  although 
at  times  isolated.  They  are  arranged  in  planea  surrounded  by  the  swathing  kamacite  0.3  to  0.4  mm.  thick  and  seem  to 
be  very  unequally  distributed.  Brezina  mentions  point-like  cohenite  occurring  rarely  in  the  bands;  Farrington  troilite 
in  radiated  veins;  and  I  observed  troilite  and  graphite  in  some  well-formed  crystals.  In  many  places  the  octahedral 
lamellae  are  dislocated.  According  to  Brezina  the  dislocation  follows  onionskin-like  concavities  on  the  surface  along 
octahedral  lamellae  and  swellings  between  them.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  natural  surface  a  strong  bending  of  the 
lamellae  has  occurred  on  one  side  of  the  mass,  which  indicates  that  the  block  here  struck  the  earth.  Leick  determined 
the  specific  gravity  as  7.8542  at  20.6°  C.  According  to  him  the  iron  takes  pretty  strong  permanent  magnetism — 
5.82 — and  possesses  a  specific  magnetism  of  5.76  absolute  units  per  gram. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Vienna  possessing  6,986  grams,  London  6,185,  Ward  5,592, 
Chicago  3,406. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  HOWELL.    Notice  of. two  new  iron  meteorites  from  Hamilton  County,  Texas,  and  Puquios,  Chili,  South 

America. — 1.  The  Hamilton  County  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  40,  pp.  223-224. 

2.  1890:  HOWELL.     Description  of  new  meteorites. — The  Hamilton  County  Meteorite.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci., 

vol.  1,  pp.  87-89. 

3.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  pp.  65  and  66. 

4.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  270-271. 

5.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.   K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus,  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  82,  90. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  265-268. 


Carroll  County.    See  Eagle  Station. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  109 

CARTHAGE. 

Smith  County,  Tennessee. 

Here  also  Coney  Fork,  Carthago,  and  Karthago. 

Latitude  36°  157  N.,  longitude  86°  5>  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1840;  described  1846. 

Weight,  127  kge.  (280  Ibe.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Troost.1  He  states  that  he  obtained  a  piece  through 
Samuel  Morgan,  of  Nashville,  and  learned  from  him  that  the  mass  was  found  in  1844,  about 
a  mile  from  Carthage.  It  was  thought  by  the  finders  to  be  silver.  It  was  an  oblong,  shapeless 
mass,  its  surface  showing  here  and  there  some  projecting  octahedral  crystals.  Etching  de- 
veloped Widmannstatten  figures.  The  iron  was  tough  and  malleable  and  contained  no  secondary 
minerals. 

No  further  important  study  seems  to  have  been  made  of  it  until  1866,  when  Boricky  *  pub- 
lished a  description  and  analysis,  as  follows : 

Study  was  made  of  a  polished  section  in  the  Prag  Museum,  labeled  Karthago,  North  America.  The  piece 
weighed  1.8  kgs.  It  was  covered  with  a  limonite  crust  from  which  obscure  crystal  fragments  projected.  The  crust 
separated  easily  from  the  iron  mass  and  pulverized  to  a  reddish  brown  powder  in  which  little  angular  silver-white 
flakes  [called  by  the  author  schreibereite]  could  be  seen.  Besides  the  iron  content  the  powder  contained  oxide  of 
nickel,  sulphuric  acid,  silica,  and  traces  of  cobalt,  earthy  alkalies,  phosphoric  acid,  and  chlorine.  The  interior  of  the 
iron  mass  was  highly  crystalline,  tough,  and  malleable.  It  dissolved  very  slowly  in  dilute  HC1  without  noticeable 
odor.  In  dilute  HNO3  it  dissolved  rapidly.  The  specific  gravity  of  two  pieces  gave  7.5  and  7.478.  The  analysis 
gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  S  Si  Cl  X 

89.465        7.721        0.245        0.093        0.401        0.602        trace        1.192    =99.719 

X  represents  residue  insoluble  in  dilute  nitric  acid.  This  consisted  of  silver-white  flakes,  a  black  substance  (graphite), 
and  traces  of  silica.  In  another  part  of  the  residue  traces  of  chromite  were  found  and  microscopic  fragments  of  a  white 
transparent  body.  The  section  is  cut  on  three  sides  but  polished  on  only  one  face.  The  polished  and  etched  sur- 
face shows  shining  yellowish  white  lines  of  taenite  which  in  some  places  consist  of  compactly  arranged  points  and 
inclose  groups  of  faces  mostly  regularly  bounded  by  taenite  lines.  Of  these  smaller  faces,  which  are  irregularly  tri- 
angles, rectangles,  parallelograms,  and  trapeziums,  the  majority  are  penetrated  by  fine  taenite  lines  and  a  few  are  filled 
by  a  lusterless  dark-brown  mass  which  shows  strong  resistance  to  the  action  of  acid.  On  the  polished  surface  the  taenite 
lines  run  in  four  different  directions  and  cross  at  angles  of  90°,  70°,  110°,  and  20°,  while  on  the  side  faces  only  three 
directions  can  be  seen.  In  the  fields  not  inclosed  by  taenite  lines  there  can  be  seen  with  a  lens  flakes  and  flat  grains 
of  silver-white  color  (schreibersite)  which  appear  to  be  mingled  with  the  groundmasa.  Occasionally  on  the  polished 
face  occur  dark  brown  masses  of  irregular  shape  (troilite)  which  are  generally  bounded  by  fine  taenite  lines.  Finally, 
the  polished  face  shows  round  and  elongate  depressions  probably  due  to  removed  troilite. 

Brezina,15  in  his  1885  catalogue,  gives  the  meteorite  the  name  Coney  Fork  (Carthago) 
and  describes  it  as  follows : 

Coney  Fork  resembles  Charcas  in  the  numerous  specks  of  troilite,  which,  however,  are  embedded  in  kamacite. 
It  is  finely  flecked  like  Rancho  de  la  Pila.  The  kamacite  is  not  so  distinctly  bunched  as  in  the  case  of  the  first  three 
irons  of  the  group  (Caille  group),  but  is  somewhat  puffy.  Bands  0.8  mm.  wide. 

Huntington,17  in  his  1897  catalogue,  gives  the  name  Coney  Fork,  Carthage,  and  lists  eleven 
slabs  and  masses  as  being  in  the  Harvard  collection.  The  largest,  weighing  9,980  grams,  he 
describes  as  follows: 

Large  mass  of  cleavage  octahedrons,  with  sharply  defined  faces  and  edges,  packed  together  like  an  aggregate  of 
large  crystals  of  alum. 

Another  specimen  weighing  932  grams  he  describes  in  detail  as  follows: 

This  specimen  shows  six  faces  of  a  rough  octahedron,  one  of  the  faces  having  an  area  of  7  square  inches.  One-half 
of  this  octahedron  has  been  partially  torn  apart  into  numerous  smaller  crystals,  some  of  them  an  inch  or  more  in  diam- 
eter; but  though  the  crevasses  between  the  individuals  are  in  some  places  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  breadth,  yet 
they  are  bound  firmly  together  by  a  network  of  plates,  which  in  some  parts  raggedly  jut  out  from  the  octahedral  faces. 
The  general  appearance  of  the  exterior  of  the  specimen  reminds  one  somewhat  of  a  rough  mass  of  galena  crystals,  only 
of  octahedral  form.  The  rough  crystal  is  evidently  the  result  of  fracture,  probably  caused  during  the  passage  of  the 
mass  through  the  air,  and  the  octahedral  faces  are  cleavage  planes,  if  the  term  cleavage  may  be  applied  to  such  frac- 
tures, which  can  not  be  reproduced  by  splitting  in  the  ordinary  way  on  account  of  the  malleability  of  the  mass.  The 
specimen  further  exhibits  a  fused  crust  over  the  octahedral  faces,  which  must  have  formed  after  the  partial  breaking 


110  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

up  of  the  large  mass,  giving  a  rounded  appearance  to  the  edges.  On  a  polished  surface,  cut  nearly  parallel  to  the 
largest  octahedral  face,  the  figures  produced  by  etching  appear  very  strikingly.  They  are  perfectly  distinct  and 
regular,  being  typical  Widmanstattian  figures;  but  when  they  come  to  the  cracked  portion  of  the  iron,  they  appear 
as  separate  plates,  some  having  been  broken  by  the  rupture,  others  separated,  while  the  greater  number  appear  bent 
and  strained,  but  still  coherent,  and  binding  the  mass  firmly  together.  The  whole  appearance  of  the  etched  surface 
gives  at  once  the  idea  of  a  forcible  explosion,  and  yet  all  the  cracks,  even  the  most  ragged,  follow  directions  parallel  to 
the  octahedral  faces. 

Meunier 18  gives  the  following  account: 

The  Carthage  iron  presents  in  great  perfection  the  typical  structure  of  the  type.    The  kamacite  is  finely  grained 
and  the  plessite  has  a  shagreened  appearance.    Small  masses  of  pyrrhotine  may  be  seen  in  some  interstices  of  the  alloys. 

This  iron  has  suffered  confusion  of  names  with  that  known  as  Smithville.  This  is 
because  it  has  been  sometimes  known  by  the  name  of  Coney  Fork,  which  has  been  mispelled 
Caney  Fork,  and  this  in  turn  has  been  confounded  with  Caryfort,  another  name  of  Smithville. 
The  two  irons  are,  however,  different  in  character  and  the  localities  are  many  miles  apart. 
The  name  Carthage  has  also  been  mispelled  in  foreign  catalogues  so  as  to  become  Carthago, 
which  is  Wulfing's  and  Brezina's  name.  Berwerth  has  made  this  worse  by  calling  it  Karthago. 
The  name  originally  given  by  Troost,  however,  Carthage,  is  correct  and  accords  with  the  best 
usage. 

The  iron  is  distributed,  the  largest  pieces  being  possessed  by  the  British  Museum  (24  kg.), 
Tubingen  (64  kg.),  and  Harvard  (18  kg.). 

•  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1846:  TROOST.    Description  of  three  varieties  of  meteoric  iron. — 1.  Meteoric  iron  from  Carthage,  Smith  County, 

Tennessee.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  2,  pp.  356-357. 

2.  1847:  SHEPAED.    Report  on  meteorites.    Idem,  vol.  4,  p.  79. 

3.  1852:  CLARK.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  pp.  60-61. 

4.  1854:  VON  BOQUSLAWSKI.    Zehnter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Ergz.-Bd.  4,  p.  404. 

5.  1859:  HARRIS.    Dissert.    Gottingen,  p.  115. 

6.  1863:  BUCHNER.    Meteoriten,  pp.  174-175. 

7.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  26,  64,  139,  and  152. 

8.  1858-1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  p.  638;  No.  6,  p.  448;  No.  7,  p.  551;  No.  9,  p.  163, 174, 181;  No.  12,  p.  457; 

No.  14,  p.  393;  No.  15,  pp.  100,  110,  111,  114,  124,  128;  No.  16,  pp.  250,  251,  261,  262;  No.  17,  pp.  265,  266,  272; 
No.  18,  p.  484;  No.  19,  p.  154;  No.  20,  p.  622;  No.  21,  p.  578;  No.  25,  pp.  436,  600. 

9.  1866:  BORICKY.    Unter  kleineren  Mitteilungen,  auch  Angaben  iiber  das  Eisen  des  bShmischen  Museums  in 

Prag.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1866,  pp.  808-810. 

10.  1869:  BUCHNER.    Vierter  Nachtrag.    Am.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  136,  p.  602. 

11.  1872:  QUENSTEDT.    Klar  und  Wahr,  pp.  281  and  313.     (Illustrations  of  a  large  mass  in  the  Tubingen  collection, 

and  an  etching.) 

12.  1875:  VOM  RATH.    Meteoriten.    Verh.  naturhist,  Verein  Bonn,  Bd.  32,  p.  362. 

13.  1881:  BREZINA.    Bericht  III.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  84  I,  p.  282. 

14.  1884:  MEUNIEH.    Meteorites,  pp.  99  and  116. 

15.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  213  and  234. 

16.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  p.  287. 

17.  1887:  HUNTINGTON.    Catalogue  of  all  recorded  meteorites,  pp.  62-64. 

18.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  52  and  55. 

19.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  276. 

Carthago.    See  Carthage. 
Caryfort.     See  Smithville. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  Ill 

CASAS  GRANDES 

Chihuahua,  Mexico.  , 

Latitude  30°  27'  N.,  longitude  107°  48'  W.  (28°  40"  N.,  106°  25'  W.,  Berwerth). 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Prehistoric;  described  1867. 
Weight,  1,545  kgs.  (3,407  Ibs.). 

The  meteorite  from  Casas  Grandes  was  first  mentioned  by  Tarayre.1  According  to  him 
the  director  of  the  mint,  Muller,  of  Chihuahua,  found  the  meteorite  while  excavating  the  temple 
ruins  of  Casas  Grandes,  in  Chihuahua,  in  a  labyrinthine  room  near  the  surface.  It  was  a  lenticular 
shaped  mass  of  meteoric  iron  with  a  diameter  of  50  cm.,  which  was  incased  in  wrappings  similar 
to  those  surrounding  the  bodies  in  the  neighboring  graves. 

Burkart 3  added  that  the  mass  was  in  the  possession  of  Muller  in  1870.  In  1873  Mr.  Wil- 
liam M.  Pierson,  U.  S.  Consul  at  El  Paso,  in  a  letter  to  the  State  Department  *  gave  an  account 
of  the  find  which  differs  both  as  to  the  discoverer  and  as  to  the  person  into  whose  possession 
the  mass  came.  According  to  Pierson,  the  inhabitants  of  the  small  town  of  Casas  Grandes  (240 
km.  south  of  the  Paso  del  Norte)  searched  the  neighboring  ancient  temple  ruins  of  the  "Monte- 
zuma  Casas  Grandes"  for  treasure,  and  found,  in  the  middle  of  a  large  room,  a  sort  of  grave 
with  an  immense  block,  estimated  at  5,000  pounds  weight,  carefully  wrapped,  like  an  Egyptian 
mummy,  in  a  coarse  linen  cloth.  The  Casas  Grandes  was  the  dwelling  place  of  the  Montezuma 
Indians,  and  accordingly  the  entombment  of  the  meteorite  took  place  before  the  conquest  of 
Mexico  by  the  Spaniards.  The  block  was  first  brought,  he  says,  to  the  little  town  of  Casas 
Grandes  and  placed  in  the  street  before  the  house  of  the  finder,  Alverado  by  name,  from  whom 
it  was  purchased,  years  afterward,  by  Pierson  and  same  others.  Together  with  Pierson's  report 
a  piece  of  this  meteorite  came  into  possession  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in  1873. 

Nothing  further  was  heard  from  the  mass  until  1876,  when  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
came  into  the  possession,  by  gift,  of  an  uncut  mass  of  meteoric  iron  which  had  been  exhibited 
among  the  Mexican  minerals  at  the  Centennial  Exposition.* 

The  possession  of  this  by  the  National  Museum  was  recorded  by  Clarke,'  in  the  catalogue 
published  in  1886,  as  an  uncut  mass  from  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  weighing  about  1 ,800  kg.  Fletcher7 
suggested  that  this  was  probably  the  Casas  Grandes  mass. 

In  1902  Tassin  8  published  the  first  detailed  description  of  the  mass,  of  which  the  following 
is  a  resume: 

The  iron  is  lenticular  in  shape,  97  by  74  by  46  cm.  in  size,  and  weighing  (uncut)  1,544.788  kg.  (3,407  pounds). 
The  outer  surface  is  almost  entirely  covered  with  broad  shallow  pittings,  some  of  them  quite  large.  The  surface  is 
more  or  less  oxidized  and  does  not  differ  from  the  so-called  "crust-surface"  of  otter  meteoric  irons,  containing  little  or 
no  ferrous  chloride.  The  iron  works  readily,  having  the  hardness  of  ordinary  steel  and  the  toughness  of  low-grade 
nickel  steel.  A  polished  surface  (55  by  38  cm.)  showed  a  few  small  grains  and  nodules  of  troilite,  the  largest  not  over 
2  cm.  in  diameter,  and  the  smaller  and  more  numerous  not  larger  than  a  pinhead.  No  schreibersite,  carbonaceous 
nodules,  or  stony  matter  is  visible  on  the  polished  surface;  etched  with  dilute  nitric  acid  it  develops  a  beautiful 
crystalline  structure.  Seen  by  reflected  light,  the  surface  shows  numerous  fine  lines  of  a  yellowish  to  tin-white  color 
which  was  found  to  be  schreibersite ;  this  is  generally  arranged  lineally  and  is  usually  to  be  seen  only  by  reflected  light, 
although  occasionally  it  stands  out  in  relief. 

Several  analyses  were  made  to  determine  whether  the  nickel-cobalt  contents  were  constant  or  not,  with  the 

following  result: 

•  a  b  e 

Ni I .'...  4.38  5.02  4.50 

Co 27  .30  .00 

These  figures  show  a  wide  variation  in  composition  in  different  parts  of  a  mass,  the  character  of  whose  etching 
figures  is  such  that  it  would  be  supposed  that  the  iron  was  fairly  uniform.  Accordingly,  Tassin  concluded  that  a  safer 
guide  to  the  composition  of  the  mass  could  be  obtained  by  separating  the  different  minerals.  He  did  this  with  the 
following  results: 

It          Hi         O»         G*          0  P  S 

Total 95.13         4.38        0.27        trace        trace          0.24         0.00    =100.02 

Troilite 63.49          0.20        36.21    =  99.81 

Schreibersite 64.69        20.11        15.00        =  99.80 

Tsenite...  .  82.90  16.64  0.04  0.09  =  99.67 


112  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  troilite  was  of  a  brasa  yellow  to  bronze  color,  hardness  about  4,  specific  gravity  4.789,  slightly  magnetic. 
Graphite  commonly  occurred  as  a  thin  layer  between  the  troilite  and  the  iron.  The  analysis  was  made  on  a  nodule 
weighing  1,529  grams.  The  schreibersite  occurred  in  part  evenly  distributed  over  the  mass  in  fine,  hair-like  lines 
and  thin  plates,  never  in  nodules,  and  the  bands  seldom  distinct  enough  to  show  in  a  photograph  of  an  etched  surface. 
Their  arrangement  agreed  with  that  of  the  general  structure  of  the  iron,  and  was  so  similar  to  the  tsenite  bands  as  to 
be  readily  mistaken  for  them.  From  150  grams  of  nickel  iron  1.21  grams  of  schreibersite,  specific  gravity  7.123,  was 
obtained.  It  consisted  of  shiny,  magnetic,  steel  gray,  very  brittle  scales  and  grains;  a  portion  of  the  latter  failed  to 
dissolve  in  nitric  acid  and  appeared  to  be  surrounded  with  a  colorless,  transparent,  isotropic  silicate,  of  which  there 
was  not  sufficient  for  a  closer  determination.  The  tsenite  occurred  in  thin  lamellae. 

Since  the  content  of  nickel  and  cobalt  obtained  by  Tassin  was  considered  unusually  low 
for  an  octahedrite,  a  section  of  83.5  grams  was  investigated  by  Cohen.9  His  results  are  as 
follows : 

Casas  Grandes  is  an  octahedrite  with  lamellae  of  medium  breadth.  The  granular,  usually  elongated,  only  occasion- 
ally somewhat  tumid,  bands  are  abundantly  and  distinctly  hatched  and,  at  least  after  moderate  etching,  very  poor  in 
etching  pits;  despite  this  the  oriented  luster  is  very  lively.  The  tsenite  stands  out  distinctly.  According  to  Tassin 
apart  of  the  lamellae  which  appear  like  tsenite,  and  occur  in  a  similar  form,  are  composed  of  schreibersite,  but  no  ground 
for  this  opinion  is  given.  I  repeatedly  examined  the  lamellae  with  a  glass  and  a  fine  steel  needle,  and  all  proved  to  be 
ductile.  Accordingly  they  could  not  be  related  to  the  brittle  schreibersite.  The  greater  part  of  the  comparatively 
numerous  areas  consist  of  granular  kamacite  whose  color  corresponds  with  that  of  the  bands.  The  grains  of  slightly 
varying  dimensions  attain  a  size  of  0.1  mm.  Tsenite  is  distinctly  lacking  in  the  plessite;  only  occasionally  is  a  granule 
or  scale  of  lighter  color  and  smoother,  more  lustrous  etching  surface  observed,  which  is  too  small  to  determine  whether 
it  is  composed  of  tsenite  or  schreibersite.  A  few  other  areas  are  constituted  of  slightly  hatched,  parallel  kamacite 
pencils  0.1  to  0.2  mm.  thick,  between  which  tsenite  is  occasionally  distinctly  seen. 

The  analysis  by  Hildebrand  and  Cohen  •  gave  the  following  results: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cr  P  S  Chromite 

92.66        7.26        0.94        0.03        0.18        0.02  0.03    =101.12 

The  composition  is  accordingly  normal  for  an  octahedrite  rich  in  taenite.  The  compara- 
tively small  content  of  phosphorus  also  counts  against  Tassin 's  assumption  that  schreibersite 
occurs  abundantly  in  the  form  of  tsenite. 

From  the  above  figures  we  get  the  following  mineralogical  composition  of  the  sample 

investigated : 

Nickel  iron 98.  79 

Schreibersite 1. 16 

Troilite...  0.05 


100.  00 
The  meteorite  is  chiefly  (1,318  kgs.)  in  the  possession  of  the  United  States  National  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY.  . 

1.  1867:  TARAYRE.    Arch,  de  la  Commission  Scientifique  du  Mexique,  vol.  3,  p.  348;  Paris,  1867. 

2.  1869-1870:  CORRBJO.    La  Naturaleza,  vol.  1,  p.  256. 

3.  1870:  BURKART.    Fundorte  IV.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1870,  pp.  682,  683,  and  690. 

4.  1873:  PIERSON.    Correspondence  relative  to  discovery  of  large  meteorite  in  Mexico.    Rep.  Smithsonian  Inst., 

1873,  pp.  419-422.    (Estimates  weight  at  5,000  pounds.) 

5.  1876:  U.  S.  Centennial  Comm.  Int.  Expos.  1876.,  Reports  and  Awards,  Washington,  1880,  vol.  3,  group  I,  p.  369. 

6.  1886:  CLARKE.    The  meteorite  collection  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum.    Rep.  Smithsonian  Inst.,  1885-1886,  II, 

p.  257.    ("Chihuahua,  Mexico;  an  uncut  mass  to  be  described,  weight  about  1,800  kg.") 

7.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  98,  99,  102,  and  119-122. 

8.  1902:  TASSIN.    The  Casas  Grandes  meteorite.    Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  vol.  25,  pp.  69-74. 

9.  1903:  COHEN.    Mitth.    Naturhist.  Verein  Neu-Vorpommern  und  Rugen,  vol.  35,  pp.  3-13. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  .  113 

CASEY  COUWTY. 

Casey  County,  Kentucky. 

Latitude  37°  15'  X.,  longitude  95°  W. 

Here  also  Casey  County,  Georgia. 

Iron.    Coarsest  octahedrite  (Ogg)  of  Brezina;  Bendegite  (type  6)  of  Meunier. 

Found  and  mentioned  1877. 

Weight,  assignable,  732  grams  (1.5  Ibe.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  is  by  Smith,1  who  simply  states  that  he  had  received 
it  as  one  of  two  new  meteoric  irons,  analyses  and  descriptions  of  which  would  be  published 
shortly  after.  Such  publication  seems,  however,  never  to  have  been  made.  All  that  is  further 
known  of  the  meteorite  consists  of  brief  descriptions  of  its  intimate  structure  by  Brezina  *  and 
Meunier.4  These  are  as  follows" 

A  fragment  in  the  Vienna  museum  shows  very  regular,  broad  Widmannstatten  figures,  with  bands  of  an  average 
width  of  2  mm.;  kamacite  is  almost  exclusively  exhibited,  with  unusually  sharp  etching  figures;  taenite  and  plessite 
only  in  traces,  schreibersite  and  troilite  not  perceptible.8 

Breadth  of  laminae  1.8  mm.    Hatching  fine  and  distinct;  fields  very  scarce.* 

A  very  beautiful  specimen  of  Bendegite  remarkable  for  the  extreme  size  of  the  kamacite  bands,  some  of  which 
measure  as  much  as  5  mm.  in  width.  It  shows  the  Neumann  lines  in  much  smaller  numbers  than  the  Bohumilitz 
iron  and  has  many  specks  of  phosphides  scattered  over  them.4 

Wulfing5  lists  732  grams  as  present  in  collections.  Of  this  amount  the  Harvard  collec- 
tion possesses  the  largest  section. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1877:  Surra.    Two  new  meteoric  irons.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol  14,  p.  246. 

2.  1880:  BREZDJA.    Bericht  I.— 3.  Casey  County,  Georgia,  U.  S.,  1877.    Sitzber.    Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  82  I,  p.  351. 

3.  1885:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  214  and  234. 

4.  1893:  MEUNTER.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  pp.  25  and  27. 

5.  1897:  WCLFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  65. 


CASTALIA. 

Nash  County,  North  Carolina. 

Here  also  Nash. 

Latitude  36°  11'  N.,  longitude  77°  507  W. 

Stone.    Brecciated  gray  chondrite  (Cgb)  of  Brezina;  Canellite,  (type  48)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  2.30  p.  m.,  May  14,  1874. 

Weight,  73  kgs.  (16  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Smith  *  as  follows: 

The  meteorite  of  Nash  County,  North  Carolina,  fell  May  14, 1874,  at  2.30  p.  m.,  near  Castalia,  in  latitude  36°  11'  N., 
longitude  77°  50'  W.  Its  fall  was  accompanied  by  the  successive  explosions  common  in  such  cases,  and  with  rum- 
bling noises  which  lasted  about  4  minutes,  not  unlike  the  discharge  of  firearms  in  a  battle  a  few  miles  off. 

The  stones  that  fell  must  have  exceeded  a  dozen  or  more;  three  only  have  been  found,  and  they  give  evidence 
that  the  territory  over  which  the  fragments  fell  was  10  miles  long  by  over  3  miles  wide.  Although  occurring  in  the 
day  the  body  appeared  luminous  to  some  observers.  The  three  stones  found  weighed  respectively  1  K.,  800  grams, 
and  5.5  K. 

They  are  of  common  aspect.  They  have  a  dull  exterior  coating,  which  in  some  places  does  not  entirely  cover  the 
stones,  there  being  a  few  spots  of  the  fractured  surface,  less  than  1  cm.  in  diameter,  over  which  the  fused  matter  form- 
ing the  coating  is  scattered  in  the  form  of  pear-shaped  beads.  In  one  or  two  crevices  some  of  the  fused  matter  of  the 
coating  has  penetrated  5  mm.  below  the  surface. 

The  interior  in  many  parts  is  of  a  dark  gray  color,  and  in  other  parts  quite  light;  the  principal  cause  of  the  dark 
color  is  doubtless  the  larger  amount  of  nickeliferous  iron  in  that  part,  and  in  the  lighter  portion  there  are  some  white 
spots  of  a  mineral  that  is  doubtless  enstatite. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone  is  2.601.    Its  composition  is  as  follows: 

Nickeliferous  iron 15. 21 

Stony  minerals 84.79 

The  nickeliferous  iron  consists  of: 

Iron 92. 12 

Nickel 6. 20 

Cobalt 41 

Copper  and  phosphorus  (not  estimated). 

98.73 
716°— 15 8 


114  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  stony  portion  consists  of: 

Insoluble,  47.02.        Soluble,  52.98. 

Silica 52.61  38.01 

Alumina 4.80  .46 

Protoxide  of  iron 13.21  17.51 

Magnesia 27.31  41.27 

Sulphur 1.01 

Alkalies  (soda  with  traces  of  potash  and  lithia) 1.38  

99.  31  98.  26 

The  mineralogical  examination  and  chemical  analysis  indicate  that  the  stone  consists  essentially  of  nickeliferous 
iron,  bronzite,  and  olivine  with  small  particles  of  anorthite  and  enstatite. 

In  his  1885  catalogue  Brezina  2  describes  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Shows  deep-blue  linear  troilite,  white  fragments  in  a  dark  gray  groundmass  and  isolated,  jet  black  grains  of  the 
size  of  mustard  seed  with  very  fine  particles  of  iron  scattered  throughout. 

In  1895,  Brezina 3  described  a  large- individual  as  follows: 

An  almost  uninjured  monolith  of  5.2  kg.  in  the  Hidden  collection  has  the  form  of  a  six-sided  prism  covered  partly 
with  large  pittings,  partly  with  a  very  even  crust,  with  a  fractured  surface  in  one  place  which  shows  the  brecciated 
structure  of  the  interior. 

Meunier 4  describes  a  Paris  specimen  as  follows : 

It  is  remarkably  coherent  and  compact  and  forms  an  intermediate  link  between  limerickite  and  stawropplite, 
which  may  be  regarded  as  the  metamorphic  form. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1875:  SMITH.    Description  of  the  Nash  County  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  10,  pp.  147-148. 

2.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sanunlung,  pp.  183  and  233. 

3.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  251. 

4.  1897:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  pierres  me'te'oriques,  p.  81. 


CASTINE. 

Hancock  County,  Maine. 

Latitude  44°  24'  N.,  longitude  68°  46'  W. 

Stone.    Veined  white  chondrite  (Cwa)  of  Brezina;  Luceite  (type  37,  subtype  2)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  4.15  a.  m.  May  20,  1848;  described  1848. 

Known  weight,  93  grams  (3  ounces). 

Our  knowledge  of  this  meteorite  is  confined  almost  wholly  to  a  description  by  Shepard.1 
He  obtained  from  Rev.  Daniel  Sewall,  of  Castine,  an  account  of  the  fall  as  follows : 

The  appearance  of  the  meteor  and  the  attendant  circumstances,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  gather  them,  may 
be  described  as  follows:  On  Saturday  morning,  May  20,  about  half  past  4  in  the  morning,  Mr.  Charles  Blaisdell, 
a  mechanic,  who  lives  about  a  mile  from  the  village,  being  out  of  the  house  at  the  time,  noticed  dark  clouds,  appar- 
ently gathering  from  different  quarters  of  the  heavens.  Soon  he  saw  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  flash  of  lightning. 
Presently,  however,  upon  looking  at  that  portion  of  the  cloud  which  came  from  the  northwest,  he  saw  what  appeared 
like  the  moon  in  the  cloud,  not  as  at  the  horizon,  but  when  high  in  the  heavens.  A  sudden,  sharp  report  like  a  cannon 
was  heard,  followed  by  -a,  quick  succession  of  reports  not  so  loud  as  the  first,  but  which  resembled  a  running  fire  of 
musketry;  and  after  these  a  whistling  sound  in  the  air,  as  of  a  body  passing  through  it  with  great  rapidity.  Something 
was  seen  and  heard  to  strike  the  ground  in  the  road  but  a  little  distance  from  the  place  where  he  was  standing,  which 
proved  to  be  the  stone  in  question.  Mr.  Giles  Gardiner  also  saw  the  stone  strike  the  ground,  but  he  did  not  notice  the 
meteor.  I  could  not  learn  from  Mr.  Blaisdell  that  the  meteor  had  any  apparent  motion,  except  with  the  cloud,  before 
the  explosion.  He  stated  that  he  was  looking  at  it  from  8  to  10  minutes.  The  report  was  heard  by  great  numbers  in 
the  village  and  elsewhere.  Some  saw  a  streak  of  light. 

In  the  same  article  Shepard  quotes  an  account  given  by  Professor  Cleaveland : 

It  fell  at  Castine,  Maine,  4.15  a.  m.,  May  20,  1848.  The  fall  was  accompanied  by  a  noise  similar  to  thunder,  but 
quicker  and  more  like  that  of  a  gun.  The  report  was  distinctly  heard  at  a  distance  of  30  or  40  miles  from  Castine. 
A  second  report,  resembling  the  discharge  of  muskets,  was  also  heard. 

The  stone  came  from  the  southeast,  and  by  its  fall  penetrated  to  the  depth  of  2  inches  into  a  dry,  hard  road.  No 
flash  of  light  was  .observed  by  the  person  who  witnessed  the  fall,  although  the  stone  struck  the  earth  within  a  few  feet 
of  him.  Others  assert  that  they  saw  a  flash. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  If5 

Its  whole  weight  when  entire  was  1.5  ounces  avoirdupois.  The  finder  broke  off  a  piece  to  examine  the  inside  and 
threw  the  fragment  away.  It  was  further  diminished  by  the  portion  sent  to  you.  Its  present  weight  is  1  oz.,  3  pwte., 
5  gre.  The  whole  was  invested  by  a  black  crust.  Its  shape  was  somewhat  wedge-shaped,  one  surface  being  nearly 
plane,  and  the  other  irregular  or  slightly  waved.  The  stone  is  now  in  the  mineralogical  cabinet  of  Bowdoin  College, 
to  which  it  was  presented  by  Mr.  Lemuel  W.  Atherton,  of  Castine,  who  received  it  from  the  person  who  observed  its  fall. 

Shepard  *  goes  on  to  say: 

To  the  foregoing  I  have  the  following  observations  to  make,  derived  from  an  examination  of  the  fragment  so 
obligingly  presented  to  me  for  the  purpose  by  Professor  Cleaveland. 

Specific  gravity,  3.456.  In  general  appearance  it  resembles  the  Poltawa  stone  (of  March  12,  1811),  but  is  distin- 
guishable from  that  by  possessing  a  much  lighter  color,  a  more  pearly  luster,  and  in  being  destitute  of  specks  of  iron 
rust.  The  nickeliferous  iron  is  in  smaller  points  and  possessed  of  an  unusually  brilliant  silver-white  luster.  The  mag- 
netic iron  pyrites  is  easily  distinguishable  in  little  points  though  less  abundant  than  the  malleable  iron.  A  few  very 
fine  black  points  are  also  discernible  which  give,  before  the  blowpipe,  the  reaction  of  chromium;  they  are  probably 
chrome-iron. 

The  malleable  iron  was  separated  by  means  of  the  magnet  and  equalled  in  weight  11.22  per  cent  of  the  entire  stone. 
It  proved  uncommonly  rich  in  nickel,  being  identical  in  composition  with  the  Green  County,  Tennessee,  meteoric 
iron;  i.  e.,  having 

Iron 85.3 

Nickel 14.7 

The  earthy  constituent  of  this  stone,  like  that  of  the  Iowa  meteorite,  is  decomposed  by  concentrated  hydrochloric 
acid,  and  like  it,  appears  to  be  a  tersilicate  of  protoxyd  of  iron  and  magnesia,  a  mineral  which,  though  frequent  in 
meteoric  stones,  has  never  y^t  been  distinctly  recognized  and  which  in  a  future  paper  on  American  meteorites  I  shall 
more  particularly  describe  under  the  name  of  HowardiU,  after  the  Hon.  Mr.  Howard,  that  celebrated  chemist,  who 
was  the  first  British  writer  whose  labors  contributed  to  elucidate  the  history  of  these  extra  terrestrial  bodies. 

No  further  description  seems  to  have  been  given  of  the  stone.  Bfezina  *  classifies  it  as  a 
white  chondrite. 

Wulfing 3  lists  22  grams  in  collections,  but  makes  no  mention  of  the  Amherst  collection, 
which  contains  29.5  grams.  Ward's  catalogue  4  lists-  42  grams,  making  a  total  of.  93  grams. 
Apparently  Ward  secured  a  piece  not  mentioned  by  Shepard. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1848:  SHEPAHD.    An  account  of  the  meteorite  of  Castine,  Maine.    Amer.  Jburn.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  pp.  251-253. 

2.  1885:  BREZIKA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  180. 

3.  1897:  WULFING.    Die*Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  65-66. 

4.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection  of  meteorites,  p.  39. 


CENTRAL  MISSODRL 
United  States. 

Latitude  37°  N.,  longitude  93°  W. 
Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1855;  described  1900. 
Weight,  probably  25  kgs.  (55  Ibs.). 

Existing  knowledge  regarding  this  meteorite  is  confined  to  that  gathered  by  Preston  *  in 
the  following: 

The  history  of  this  most  interesting  siderite,  as  to  the  exact  date  when  found,  and  the  precise  locality  where  found, 
has  been  entirely  lost. 

The  weight  of  the  whole  was  probably  about  25  kg.  An  end  piece  apparently  about  half  the  entire  mass,  weighing 
12,360  grams,  has  been  deposited  for  many  years  in  the  Western  Reserve  Historical  Society  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  while 
the  other  half  was  in  the  collection  of  the  late  Prof.  Wm.  Denton,  of  Wellesley,  Massachusetts.  Through  the  librarian 
of  the  Western  Reserve  Historical  Society,  Prof.  J.  P.  MacLean,  Professor  Ward  has  obtained  a  large  portion  of  this 
piece. 

The  outer  surface  of  the  mass  is  most  beautifully  and  typically  pitted,  and  of  a  dark  reddish-brown  color,  with  the 
exception  of  the  prominent  ridges,  which  are  of  a  lustrous  dark  steel-gray  color,  resembling  graphite,  although  it  does 
not  soil  paper  when  rubbed  over  it. 

On  cutting  the  mass  we  found  numerous  fissures  meandering  in  various  directions  over  the  entire  surface.  A  few 
of  the  largest  are  1  mm.  in  diameter,  and  are  filled  in  part  by  a  black  graphite-like  substance,  and  in  part  by  schreiber- 
rite.  There  are  also  patches  of  schreibersite,  resembling  hieroglyphics,  some  of  them  5  by  25  mm.  in  diameter,  scattered 
here  and  there  over  the  surface.  A  few  prominent  troilite  nodules  are  visible  on  the  sections,  the  largest'being  9  by 


1*16  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

15  mm.  in  diameter.  On  etching  the  iron  no  figures  whatever  are  brought  out,  leaving  only  a  minutely  pitted  light 
gray  surface  which  is  more  or  less  clouded. 

The  only  history  of  the  finding  of  this  siderite  aa  furnished  by  Prof.  J.  P.  MacLean  from  the  records  of  the  Western 
Reserve  Historical  Society,  is  as  follows: 

"This  meteorite  was  found  in  the  fifties  in  central  Missouri,  and  after  being  cut  in  halves  one-half  went  to  the 
late  Prof.  Wm.  Denton  and  the  other  half  was  purchased  of  Mrs.  Newcomer  (of  Cleveland)  by  the  late  Judge  C.  C. 
Baldwin  and  by  him  presented  to  the  society." 

An  analysis  of  this  siderite  (specific  gravity,  7.5)  by  Mariner  and  Hoskins  of  Chicago  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  S  C 

94.734        4.62        1.18        1.442        1.015        1.009    =100.00 

The  small  amount  of  carbon  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the  portion  of  the  mass  used  for  analysis  was  free  from 
the  black  graphite-like  veins. 

As  no  more  definite  locality  can  be  traced  aa  the  location  in  which  this  iron  was  found  we  will  designate  for  this 
iron  the  name  Central  Missouri. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1900:  PRESTON.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  9,  p.  285. 


CHAMBORD. 

Lake  St.  John  County,  Quebec,  Canada. 
Latitude  48°  35'  N.,  longitude  73°  8'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1904;  described  1906. 
Weight,  6.6  kgs.  (13lbs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Johnston  l  as  follows : 

Some  time  during  the  season  of  1904  a  mass  of  iron  was  picked  up  in  a  field  about  2  miles  from  the  village  of  Cham- 
bord  (latitude  48°  35'  N.,  longitude  73°  8'  W.),  county  of  Lake  St.  John,  Province  of  Quebec.  It  was  secured  by  Mr. 
J.  Obalski,  superintendent  of  mines,  Quebec,  and  by  him  kindly  loaned  to  the  Geological  Survey  Department  for 
purposes  of  examination.  It  is  an  irregularly  shaped  block  having  a  length  of  18.9  cm.,  a  thickness  of  about  8.9  cm., 
and  a  width  varying  from  10.1  cm.  to  15.5  cm.,  and  a  weight  of  about  6.6  kg.  The  surface  of  the  specimen  haa  unfor- 
tunately to  a  considerable  extent  been  marred  by  chisel  and  hammer  marks  made  in  attempts  to  cut  up  the  iron.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  original  crust  has  been  scaled  off  by  prolonged  weathering  and  its  place  taken  by  a  thin  coating 
of  dark  brown  rust;  that  portion  of  the  crust  which  is  still  remaining  is  smooth  with  a  dull  enamel-like  luster  and  haa 
brownish-black  color;  the  surface  is  possessed  of  the  usual  pittings  found  on  meteoric  irons;* some  of  these  are  broad 
and  shallow  while  others  again  are  small.  A  trough-like  depression  extends  along  one  side  of  the  specimen,  the  bed 
of  which  is  more  or  less  jagged  as  if  a  piece  had  been  detached  during  the  meteorite's  flight  through  the  atmosphere. 
Over  a  considerable  area  of  the  specimen  a  natural  etching  is  visible,  sometimes  as  coarse  furrowings  and  at  others  as 
minute  ridges.  Etching  of  a  polished  surface  develops  the  Widmannstatten  figures  in  moderately  coarse  outline,  the 
general  design  indicating  an  octahedral  structure;  this  iron,  therefore,  belongs  to  the  "Medium  Octahedrites  (Om)"  of 
Brezina's  system  of  classification.  Schreibersite  appears  in  considerable  abundance  as  very  thin  lamellae  disposed 
between  the  kamacite  plates;  in  the  trough-like  depression  previously  referred  to  two  small  nodules  of  troilite  are 
exposed  in  section;  they  measure  approximately  13  mm.  in  diameter  and  exhibit  a  series  of  fine  parting  lines  running 
in  parallel  position.  This  iron  haa  not  yet  been  subjected  to  chemical  analysis. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1906:  JOHNSTON.    The  Chambord  meteorite.    Ottawa  Naturalist,  June  4, 1906. 


CHARCAS. 

Santa  Maria  de  los  Charcas,  San  Luis  Potosi,  Mexico. 

Latitude  23°  14'  N.,  longitude  101°  7'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Mentioned  1804. 

Weight,  783  kga.  (1,722  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Sonneschmid.1  He  states  that  it  was  a  half-buried 
block  of  native  iron  standing  in  the  corner  of  a  churchyard  at  Charcas.  The  part  above  the 
surface  was  about  2.5  feet  long  and  1  foot  thick.  He  says: 

It  is  said  that  the  mass  was  brought  from  the  neighborhood  of  San  Jose1  del  Sitio,  an  estate  12  leagues  distant,  and 
that  in  the  same  neighborhood  several  other  masses  have  been  seen  firmly  embedded  in  a  limestone-like  rock. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  117 

Burkart2  practically  repeats  these  observations  as  follows: 

In  Charcas,  the  large  iron  meteorite  from  the  hacienda  del  Sitio  ia  placed  near  the  church  as  a  curbstone.  The 
projecting  piece  has  a  height  of  2  feet  8  inches.  The  whole  mass  may  have  a  volume  of  1.7  cubic  feet  and  weigh  800 
to  900  pounds.  The  surface,  showing  many  rounded  hollows,  has  by  rain  and  wind  lost  its  natural  color. 

Daubr6e4  described  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

The  academy  will  doubtless  be  interested  to  know  that  the  Mexican  meteorite  which  four  months  ago  Marshal 
Vaillant  announced  had  been  sent  to  France  has  arrived  at  the  geological  gallery  of  the  museum.  Mexico  is  one  of 
the  regions  of  the  globe  in  which  many  masses  of  meteoric  iron  are  known.  Burkart,  Councillor  of  Mines  of  Prussia, 
who  resided  a  long  time  in  the  country,  enumerates  in  a  recent  interesting  memoir  nine  distinct  localities. 

On  leaving  for  Mexico,  I  gave  Marshal  Bazaine  a  copy  of  this  work  and  expressed  the  wish  that  one  of  these  masses 
might  be  obtained  for  France.  Honoring  this  request  with  a  kindness  of  which  the  friends  of  science  should  show 
warm  recognition,  the  commander  in  chief  of  the  expedition  corps  obtained  at  Charcas,  in  the  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi, 
the  mass  of  meteoric  iron  which  has  lain  there  from  time  immemorial.  In  spite  of  the  enormous  difficulty  of  moving 
a  mass  of  such  weight  it  was  sent  to  France  and  offered  to  the  emperor,  who  kindly  placed  it  in  the  museum.  This 
beautiful  mass  of  meteoric  iron  forms  now  in  our  geological  gallery  a  worthy  companion  to  that  of  Caille. 

Mentioned  in  1804  by  Sonneschmid  and  seen  in  1801  by  Humboldt,  this  mass  of  meteoric  iron  lay  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  church  of  Charcas,  partly  buried  in  the  soil.  Charcas  is  a  little  village  situated  about  23°  iy  north  lati- 
tude in  the  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi.  It  is  75  km.  south  of  Catorce,  and  172  km.  northeast  of  Zacatecas,  where  equally 
large  masses  of  meteoric  iron  have  been  found.  It  is  said  that  the  meteorite  of  Charcas  was  moved  from  the  hacienda 
of  San  Jos£  del  Sitio,  50  km.  distant.  The  weight  of  the  meteoric  iron  of  Charcas  is  780  kg.  It  is  about  1  m.  high, 
47  cm.  long  and  37  cm.  thick.  The  iron  presents  everywhere  its  natural  surface.  Its  general  form  is  that  of  a  trun- 
cated triangular  pyramid  with  smoothed  edges.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  features  is  the  nearly  flat  face  which 
extends  entirely  across  the  mass.  This  represents  what  is  called  in  Germany  the  front  side  in  opposition  to  the  rear 
side.  One  of  the  corners  of  the  pyramid  is  replaced  by  a  large  depression  30  to  36  cm.  in  diameter.  This  is  bordered 
by  a  wall  nearly  perpendicular  to  the  bottom,  which  is  10  cm.  deep.  There  is  also  a  series  of  small  depressions  nearly 
circular  in  form,  shallow,  and  resembling  small  cups  like  those  seen  in  the  meteoric  stones.  They  are  not  exclusively 
confined  to  the  large  cup,  but  may  be  seen,  though  in  less  numbers,  in  other  portions  of  the  surface.  Elsewhere, 
depressions  occur  reminding  one  of  marks  left  by  raindrops  upon  a  soft  surface,  also  cylindrical  cavities  like  those  in 
the  iron  of  Caille.  These  are  evidently  due  to  dissolved  troilite  nodules.  Their  length  varies  from  5  to  10  mm.  and 
their  depth  attains  20  mm.  Like  those  of  Caille,  they  are  parallel  and  appear  to  have  a  general  orientation  in  accord- 
ance with  the  crystallization.  From  one  face  of  the  meteorite  portions  have  been  detached,  showing  that  the  iron  is 
of  remarkable  whiteness.  It  takes  a  polish  easily  and  becomes  brilliant.  Thtese  polished  surfaces  show  also  frequent 
troilite  nodules  like  those  on  the  surface.  Widmanstatten  figures  appear  very  neatly  on  the  polished  surfaces  with 
acid,  but  they  have  not  the  regularity  of  those  of  the  iron  of  Caille.  Schreibersite  appears  in  little  isolated  grains. 
These  appear  in  part  oriented  parallel  to  the  faces  of  an  octahedron  and  in  part  to  the  faces  of  a  dodecahedron,  as  is 
shown  upon  a  specimen  which  I  have  cut  in  the  form  of  a  sphere.  The  action  of  acid  makes  significant  planes  which 
may  be  perceived  on  portions  of  the  oxidized  surface.  These  pass  through  the  curvatures  of  the  iron  showing  that 
they  are  not  subsequent  to  the  crystallization  of  the  mass.  The  density  of  the  iron  is  7.71.  After  fusion  it  does  not 
present  the  characteristic  figures  of  natural  iron.  It  dissolves  in  acid  rather  slowly.  The  solution  is  accompanied 
with  the  disengagement  of  hydrogen  sulphide,  showing  decomposition  of  the  iron  sulphides.  A  residue  of  0.2  per  cent 
is  left  and  the  solution  contains  principally  iron  and  nickel.  Meunier  found,  in  a  piece  containing  no  visible  troilite, 
iron  93.01,  nickel  4.32,  traces  of  sulphide  and  silica,  and  0.7  per  cent  of  insoluble  residue.  Besides  a  small  quantity 
of  white  amorphous  substance  which  appears  to  be  silica,  the  insoluble  residue  consists  of  bright  metallic  and  very 
magnetic  needles  of  schreibersite.  It  contains  also  a  black,  earthy,  amorphous  matter  which  does  not  give  reactions 
for  sulphur  or  chromium,  and  is  probably  graphite.  This  constitutes  71.42  per  cent  of  the  residue,  the  phosphide 
being  28.58  per  cent.  The  iron  sulphide  forming  the  cylindrical  nodules  above  mentioned  is  of  metallic  luster  and 
bronze-yellow  color.  A  powder  examined  under  the  microscope  shows  indications  of  crystalline  form.  Treated  with 
boiling  hydrochloric  acid  the  sulphide  is  dissolved  with  evolution  of  hydrogen  sulphide.  In  the  solution  a  large 
quantity  of  iron  is  present  but  no  trace  of  nickel,  but  the  solution  is  not  complete;  a  black  amorphous  residue  remains. 
This  contains  no  sulphur.  There  occur  also  small  grains  of  an  uncolored,  transparent  substance  like  those  observed 
in  Caille.  Examined  under  the  microscope  one  sees  fragmentary  forms  and  brilliancy  in  polarized  light.  There  are 
indications  of  crystal  form,  but  on  account  of  the  small  size  nothing  further  can  be  determined.  The  amorphous 
matter  gives  no  reaction  for  chromium  nor  phosphorous  and  appears  to  be  formed  exclusively  of  graphite  like  that  con- 
tained in  the  iron  itself.  Others  of  the  uncolored  grains  are  remarkable  for  their  fine  striations.  These  are  like  what 
I  have  already  noted  in  certain  portions  of  the  stony  meteorites  and  in  the  fusion  of  eherzolites.  In  the  latter  they 
occur,  not  only  in  the  olivine,  where  they  are  due  to  cleavage  planes,  but  also  in  the  enstatite,  with  its  fibrous  struc- 
ture. It  should  be  noted  that  these  hard,  hyaline  grains,  not  decomposable  by  acids,  found  in  the  meteorites  of  Caille 
and  Charcas  are  not  found  in  the  metallic  mass  but  in  the  troilite  nodules.  The  sulphide  of  iron  thus  presents  a 
remarkable  contrast  to  the  iron  in  which  it  is  disseminated.  The  meteoric  iron  has  no  appreciable  quantity  of  sulphur 
and  the  sulphide  has  no  nickel. 

After  noting  all  these  physical  and  chemical  qualities  of  Charcas  it  is  superfluous  to  say  that  the  mass  could  not 
be  of  terrestrial  nor  artificial  origin.  Its  meteoric  origin  is  as  incontestable  as  is  the  memory  of  its  fall  preserved  by 
tradition. 


118  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Meunier 5  made  the  following  note  on  an  oxidation  product  of  the  iron: 

It  presents  a  curious  phenomenon  with  which  the  chemists  do  not  seem  to  have  concerned  themselves.  This 
consists  of  a  very  remarkable  bright  green  effloresence,  in  striking  contrast  with  the  yellowish  shade  of  the  meteorite 
itself.  This  effloresence  does  not  seem  to  be  referable,  to  any  considerable  extent,  to  iron,  but  appears  to  be  composed 
especially  of  chloride  of  nickel.  It  was  kept  in  the  air  for  over  two  years  without  changing  color,  which  would  not 
have  been  so  in  the  case  of  a  ferruginous  chloride. 

Some  later  study  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  Meunier 8  as  follows: 

It  weighs  780  kg.,  and  is  about  1  m.  in  height,  47  cm.  in  length,  and  37  cm.  thick.  The  natural  surface  appears 
almost  entire,  but  there  is  no  crust  like  that  of  the  iron  of  Braunau.  This  crust  has,  without  doubt,  been  destroyed 
by  oxidation.  The  general  form  of  the  mass  is  that  of  a  truncated  triangular  pyramid,  the  edges  of  which  are  blunted. 
Upon  its  surface  may  be  seen  depressions  such  as  have  been  mentioned.  Some  of  these  are  very  large,  forming  veri- 
table basins,  and  upon  their  walls  are  a  great  number  of  small  pits  of  various  size.  At  one  point  also  may  be  seen  little 
depreesions  joining  one  another  and  resembling,  in  spite  of  the  evident  difference  of  origin,  impressions  made  by  drops 
of  rain  falling  upon  a  soft  substance.  Some  of  the  cylindrical  cavities  seem  to  be  due  to  the  disappearance  of  troilite, 
like  those  upon  the  iron  of  Charcas.  A  polished  slab  gives  Widmanstatten  figures  of  much  neatness. 

On  page  21  of  the  same  work  Meunier  gives  an  analysis  of  the  graphite  of  Charcas.  He 
found  Carbon  98,  Iron  0.9  =  98.9.  Specific  gravity,  1.309.  On  page  23  he  states  that  the 
nickel-iron  is  naturally  passive.  On  page  39  he  gives  a  colored  plate  showing  Widmanstatten 
figures  brought  out  upon  the  iron  by  heating.  These,  he  states,  are  of  the  character  of  long, 
fine,  yellowish  lines  upon  a  ground  of  bluish  color. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  iron,  p.  118,  is  given  as  7.71  and  its  composition  "after  an 
approximate  analysis  made  in  the  geological  labratory  of  the  museum"  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni  Si  Sulphide         Insoluble  residue 

93. 01        4. 32        trace  trace  0. 70  =98. 03 

The  insoluble  residue,  Meunier  states,  contains  25.584  per  100  of  schreibersite  and  a  large 
proportion  of  graphite. 

Brezina  7  remarks  regarding  Charcas  as  follows : 

Charcas,  as  well  as  La  Caille,  shows 'numerous  tiny  grains  of  troilite  along  the  tsenite  and  sometimes  in  the  kamacite 
also.  Laminae  0.75  mm.  wide. 

Fletcher-8  gives  a  brief  history  of  Charcas  and  thinks,  on  account  of  the  similarity  of  figures 
with  Catorce  and  the  fact  that  a  good  wagon  road  runs  from  Charcas  to  Catorce,  that  they  were 
a  part  of  the  same  fall.  This  conclusion  is  not  generally  accepted,  however. 

Meunier,9  in  his  revision,  describes  the  structure  further  as  follows: 

This  iron  would  serve  as  well  as  that  of  La  Caille  for  the  representative  of  its  type.  It  differs  distinctly,  however, 
from  the  French  iron  and  should  not  be  confounded  with  it.  The  kamacite  bands  are  of  medium  width.  Plessite  is 
much  less  abundant  than  in  the  Caille  iron,  the  hatching  is  less  conspicuous,  and  it  shows  small  patches  of  pyrrhotine 
very  much  carburetted.  These  latter  appear  also  in  very  peculiar  line  series  in  the  interstices  of  the  kamacite  bands. 

Brezina  10  in  1895  further  remarks  regarding  Charcas  as  follows: 

Charcas  is  distinguished  from  all  other  Mexican  irons  by  reason  of  the  very  uniform  distribution  of  troilite  in  dots 
all  through  the  iron.  According  to  Castillo  it  weighed  578  kgs.  when  it  reached  Paris.  Fletcher  identified  it  with 
Catorze  and  Descubridora,  but  I  do  not  hold  this  proven  on  account  of  the  constant  occurrence  of  troilite  and  because 
of  certain  differences  of  structure.  A  recently  acquired  piece  shows  the  already  noted  slight  crumpling  of  the  laminse, 
kamacite  slightly  hatched,  dotted  with  fine  specks;  the  tsenite  strongly  developed,  fields  very  distinctly  marked  out 
and  filled  with  finely  flecked  trias.  Upon  one  cut  surface  occurs  a  troilite-bearing  concretion  of  schreibersite  about 
1  cm.  in  size.  Many  cracks  run  parallel  with  the  octahedral  laminse  from  the*exterior  toward  the  interior. 

Cohen 10  found  that  the  iron  took  on  more  or  less  strong  permanent  magnetism,  although,  as 
his  result  differed  from  that  of  Meunier  and  the  piece  was  small,  he  thought  that  possibly  he  did 
not  have  a  genuine  piece  of  Charcas. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Natural  History  Museum  at  Paris.  The  Ward- 
Coonley  collection  possesses  3,200  grams. 

filBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1804:  SONNESCHMID.    Mineralog.  Beschreibung  der  vorziiglichsten  Bergwerks-Reviere  in  Mexico  oder  Neuspanien' 
p.  288.    (In  manuscript,  copies  in  the  K.  K.  Naturhist  Hofmus  and  at  Freiberg.) 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  119 

2.  1834:  BURKART.    Geognostische  Bemerkungen  auf  einer  Reise  zwischen  Ramos  und  Catorce.    Neues  Jahrb., 

1834,  pp.  589-590,  out  of  Kareten's  Arch.  f.  Min.  Bd.  VI,  p.  422  ff . 

3.  1856:  BUKKART.    Fundorte  I.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1856,  pp.  283,  284,  285,  286-288  (illustration  on  Plate  IV),  290,  291, 

and  292. 

4.  1867:  DAUBREB.    Note  BUT  deux  grosses  masses  de  fer  me'teorique  du  Muse'um  et  particulierement  sur  celle  de 

Charcas  (Mexique),  re'cemment  parvenue  a  Paris.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  64,  pp.  633  and  636-640. 

5.  1873:  MEUNIER.    Produit  d'oxydation  des  fere  me'teoriques;  comparaison  avec  les  magnetites  terrestres.    Comptes 

Rendus,  Tome  77,  p.  645. 

6.  1884:  MEUXIER.    Meteorites,  pp.  21,  23,  40,  41,  42,  43,  44  (illustration),  46,  47,  60,  61,  116,  and  117-118. 

7.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  213  and  234. 

8.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  99, 160-162,  and  174. 

9.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriquea,  pp.  52  and  54. 

10.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  275. 

11.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  83. 

• 

Charles  County.    SeeNanjemoy. 


CHARLOTTE. 

Dickson  County,  Tennessee. 

Latitude  36°  12'  N.,  longitude  87°  22>  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Dicksonite  (type  12)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  between  2  and  3  p.  m.,  July  31  or  August  1,  1835;  described  1845. 

Weight,  4-1.5  kgs.  (9-10  Ibs.). 

This  iron  was  first  described  by  Troost  *  ten  years  after  its  fall  as  "follows: 

A  member  of  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  from  Charlotte,  county  seat  of  Dickson  (I  do  not  remember 
his  name),  having  seen  my  description  of  the  Cocke  County  meteoric  iron,  mentioned  to  me  some  years  ago  that  a  curious 
mass  of  some  metal  was  in  the  possession  of  one  of  his  constituents,  which  he  thought  might  be  of  the  same  nature  as 
that  of  Cocke  County.  He  was  not  able  to  give  me  any  other  information,  but  becoming  acquainted  since  with  the 
Hon.  J.  Voorhies,  senator  of  Dickson  County,  I  learned  from  him  that  such  a  mass  really  existed,  that  he  knew  the 
person  in  whose  possession  it  was,  etc.  Having  thus  learned  that  I  desired  to  obtain  it  my  friend,  the  senator,  did  not 
rest  till  he  had  secured  the  specimen  and  put  me  in  possession  of  it  and  its  history. 

I  learned  then  the  following  facts  from  Senator  Voorhies,  and  these  facts  have  since  been  confirmed  by  other  persons. 
In  answer  to  a  letter  which  I  wrote  about  this  iron  to  the  senator,  he  answered:  "I  have  collected  all  the  facts  in  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  the  meteoric  mass  which  I  sent  you  last  year,  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  add  much  to  those 
that  I  have  already  communicated.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  mass  fell  from  heaven  upon  the  earth,  where  it  shortly 
after  was  found,  though  the  precise  date  can  not  be  recollected.  I  was  told  that  a  noise  was  heard  in  the  air,  which 
was  preceded  by  a  vivid  light.  This  happened  while  several  persons  were  laboring  in  their  fields.  A  man  \^ho  lives 
at  present  in  this  vicinity  was  plowing  at  the  time  when  this  took  place;  his  horse  took  fright  and  ran  around  the 
field  dragging  the  plow  behind  him;  he  recollected  this  circumstance  very  well,  and  it  enables  him  to  fix  the  date 
upon  which  the  fall  took  place.  He  believes  it  was  in  1835  on  the  last  day  of  July  or  the  first  of  August  between  2  and 
3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  sky  being  cloudless.  It  fell  before  the  last  plowing  in  a  cotton  field  opposite  his 
dwelling.  The  iron  was  found  when  the  field  was  plowed  for  the  last  time  that  season.  Its  fall  was  not  vertical  but 
much  inclined  and  it  traveled  with  great  rapidity  from  west  toward  the  east,  as  was  evident  from  the  furrow  that  had 
been  made  in  the  ground.  The  original  shape  of  the  mass  was  that  of  a  kidney.  Its  smaller  extremity  was  cut  off  by  a 
blacksmith  who  yet  lives  in  this  vicinity.  When  it  was  first  taken  out  of  the  ground  it  had  the  appearance  as  if  it  had 
been  heated." 

According  to  this  letter  and  the  information  which  I  collected  at  the  place  itself  where  it  fell — the  Dickson  iron 
fell,  as  already  stated,  on  the  last  of  July  or  the  first  of  August,  between  2  and  3  o'clock  p.  m.  It  has  the  form  of  a 
drop  or  rather  of  a  depressed  tear,  one  side  is  partly  flat  and  partly  concave,  while  the  other  side  is  convex — the  form 
a  drop  of  viscid  matter  would  assume  if  it  fell  upon  a  hard  floor.  The  surface  has  the  appearance  of  smooth  cast  iron. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  zone  or  girdle  of  a  metal  of  a  whiter  color  and  of  a  more  compact  texture  possessing  a  more  or  less 
bright  polish,  which  seems  to  have  been  produced  by  a  more  fluid  paij  of  the  metal,  squeezed  through  the  pores  of  the 
already  solid  iron,  by  pressure  probably  occasioned  by  the  fall,  which,  spreading  itself  as  a  thin  cover  over  the  surface, 
formed  the  zone  or  girdle  mentioned  above. 

As  mentioned  above,  the  surface  of  the  mass  (when  viewed  with  the  naked  eye)  has  the  appearance  of  smooth 
cast  iron;  but  the  irregularity  of  this  surface  disappears  when  it  is  examined  through  a  powerful  magnifying  glass. 
The  whole  becomes  then' a  reticulated  plane,  formed  by  the  edges  of  thin  lamellae  of  metal,  separated  from  each  other 
by  an  apparently  semifused  or  slaggy  matter.  These  lamella,  running  in  an  inclined  position  into  the  mass,  inter- 
sect one  another  at  angles  of  60°,  and  consequently  form  equilateral  triangles  which  divide  the  mass  into  regular 
octahedrons. 

Its  present  weight  is  7  pounds,  13  ounces.  I  presume  the  original  weight,  judging  from  the  size  of  the  piece  cut 
off  before  it  came  in  my  possession,  must  have  been  between  9  and  10  pounds. 


120  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Its  fracture,  judging  from  the  piece  that  was  partly  cut  and  partly  broken  off  before  I  got  it,  has  the  character  of 
that  of  a  very  soft  kind  of  malleable  iron,  showing  at  the  same  time  in  ita  jagged  fracture  some  regularity  of 
crystallization. 

Further  studies  of  the  meteorite  are  summed  up  by  Cohen  9  as  follows : 

By  Reichenbach,2  Charlotte  is  often  mentioned  as  an  example  in  his  description  of  the  trias.  He  notes  well- 
developed  tsenite,  moderately  dark  plessite,  fine  combs,  fine,  regularly-developed  figures  with  penetrating  lamellae, 
and  delicate  sheen  like  that  of  velvet.  Further,  he  notes  the  small  amount  of  accessory  constitutenta,  the  lack  of 
glanzeisen,  and  the  occurrence  of  bronze-colored  troilite  occasionally  in  little  cylinders  or  cones.  At  one  place  he 
appears  to  include  Charlotte  among  the  irons  with  rust  crust,  since  he,  some  pages  further  on,  mentions  that  it  has  a 
smooth,  delicate,  black  crust,  like  Hraschina.  Smith  *  states  that  the  mass  was  taken  from  between  the  roots  of  a 
great  oak,  and  that  the  polished  appearance  of  the  surface  remained  after  40  years  completely  unchanged ;  also  that 
sections  showed  no  alteration  when  exposed  to  the  vapors  of  the  laboratory.  The  nickel  iron  was  soft  and  ductile, 
free  from  schreibersite,  and  contained  little  cavities  only  to  be  noted  under  the  lens.  He  observed  no  nodules  of  acces- 
sory constituents.  From  the  appearance  of  the  surface  he  concluded  that  no  complete  fusion  could  have  taken  place, 
except  possibly  on  the  edges  and  between  the  net-like  ridges.  The  iron  appeared  to  have  been  strongly  heated  but 
not  melted  because  the  heat  was  quickly  conducted  to  the  interior  of  the  mass.  Specific  gravity,  7.717. 

Analysis  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu  P  S 

91.15     '  8.01        0.72        0.06         trace        0.00    =99.94 

Wright4  by  heating  filings  obtained  2.2  volume  of  gas  of  the  following  composition: 

H         CO        C02        N 
71.4        15.3        13.3        0.0?     =100.00 

According  to  Meunier,8  Charlotte  consists  only  of  plessite  and  taenite,  thils  making  Dick- 
sonite.     It  differs  in  structure  from  Jewellite. 

Cohen's  9  own  study  of  the  meteorite  is  as  follows : 

Although  among  the  long  straight  lamellae  about  .17  mm.  in  breadth  some  lie  isolated  or  only  slightly  grouped, 
yet  in  general  a  strong  grouping  into  broad  bundles  seems  especially  characteristic  of  Charlotte.  The  kamacite  is 
predominantly  hatched,  partly  granular,  the  tsenite  evident.  The  octahedral  structure  shows  considerable  altera- 
tion, especially  on  strong  magnification.  The  fields  are  strongly  developed,  making  up  about  one-half  of  the  section. 
In  part  they  contain  combs  similar  to  the  bands,  and  in  part  they  contain  plessite,  which  is  either  dull  or  shimmering. 
Troilite  occurs  in  the  form  of  Reichenbach  lamellae  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  a  slight  alteration  in  the  structure 
can  be  noticed.  Clefts  filled  with  ironglass  run  parallel  to  the  lamellae.  Finally,  the  very  evident  broad  alteration 
zone  3.2  to  3.4  mm.  thick  should  be  noted.  All  these  characters  are  shown  in  a  piece  in  the  Vienna  collection,  which 
from  its  form  probably  came  from  the  thicker  part  of  the  meteorite.  A  plate  from  the  Reichenbach  collection  appears 
considerably  different.  There  is  an  externally  strong  bending  of  the  lamellae  on  one  surface  of  the  plate,  which  is 
1.5  cm.  thick,  while  on  the  parallel  surface  the  bending  is  in  part  weak,  but  for  the  most  part  there  is  no  deformation 
at  all.  Taenite  is  strongly  developed  and  shows,  where  the  bending  is  strong,  a  zigzag  course.  The  bands  are  long 
and  usually  strongly  grouped,  quite  free  from  granulation,  and  exceed  in  extent  the  fields.  Most  of  the  fields  consist 
of  granular  kamacite  like  the  bands  and  an  etched  surface  resembles  that  of  a  granular  ataxite  if  one  holds  the  section 
so  that  the  tsenite  is  not  reflected.  Although  the  size  of  the  grains  appears  under  the  lens  quite  uniform,  under  the 
microscope  it  is  seen  to  vary  between  .02  and  .08  mm.  The  great  number  of  the  very  irregular  but  sharply-bounded 
grains  furnish  a  similarly  oriented  sheen.  Only  a  few  fields  consist  of  compact  dark  plessite  or  of  such  as  is  made  up 
of  grains  of  medium  size.  There  are  no  accessory  constituents.  A  piece  in  the  Tubingen  collection  which  is  bounded 
on  three  sides  of  the  natural  surface  and  is  about  25  mm.  thick  must  have  come  from  the  pointed  end  of  the  pear- 
shaped  mass.  Probably,  however,  this  whole  mass  has  suffered  alterations  which,  on  the  thicker  part  of  the  meteorite, 
were  limited  to  the  small  outer  zone.  While  an  alteration  zone  is  sharply  defined,  the  octahedral  structure  is  yet 
plainly  discernible.  The  surface  is  in  part  covered  with  a  black  branching  crust,  as  Reichenbach  describes.  It  is 
so  thin  that  one  in  most  places  can  see  lamellae.  Here  and  there  the  crust  either  fails  completely  or  is  limited  to  small 
spots  which  fill  little  depressions  on  the  uneven^  surf  ace.  It  does  not  give  the  impression  that  originally  more  crust 
was  present  here.  Charlotte  plainly  possesses  no  uniform  covering  with  crust,  and  this  other  writers  have  stated. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  (2,359  grams)  preserved  in  the  Harvard  University  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1845:  TROOST.     Description  of  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron,  which  fell  near  Charlotte,  Dickson  County,  Tennessee,  in 

1835.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  49,  pp.  337-340. 

2.  1858-1865.  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  pp.  638  and  640;  No.  7,  p.  562;  No.  9,  pp.  163,  174,  182;  No.  10,  p.  368;  No. 

12,  p.  457;  No.  15,  pp.  110,  113,  114,  124,  128;  No.  16,  pp.  250,  261;  No.  17,  pp.  266,  272;  No.  18,  pp.  478,  484, 
487;  No.  19,  p.  154;  No.  20,  pp.  622,  629;  No.  24,  p.  226;  No.  25,  p.  612. 

3.  1875:  SMITH.    A  note  in  relation  to  the  mass  of  meteoric  iron  that  fell  in  Dickson  County,  Tennessee,  in  1835. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  10,  pp.  349-352.     (Analysis.) 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  121 

4.  1876:  WEIGHT.    On  the  gases  contained  in  meteorites.    Amer  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  2,  p.  257  and  (3)  12,  p.  167. 

5.  1883:  SMITH.    Concretions.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  eer.,  vol.  25,  p.  417. 

6.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  208-209  and  233. 

7.  1887:  BREZINA  and  COHEN:  Photographien,  plates  17  and  18. 

8.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  dee  fere  me'tebriques,  pp.  41  and  42.     'Illustration  of  an  etched  plate.) 

9.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  320-324. 


Chanooga  County.    See  Holland's  Store. 

Cherokee  County,  1868.    See  Losttown. 

Cherokee  County,  1894.    See  Canton. 

Cherokee  Mills.    See  Canton. 
Chester  County.    See  Chesterrille. 


CHESTERVILLE. 

Chester  County,  South  Carolina. 

Latitude  34°  43'  N.,  longitude  81°  13' W. 

Iron.    Nickel-poor  ataxite  of  Brezina;  Braunite  (type  3,  sec.  2)  of  Meunier. 

Found  a  few  years  prior  to  1849;  described  1849. 

Weight,  about  16  kgs.  (35  Ibe.),  of  which  half  was  forged. 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  have  been  summarized  by  Cohen  ls  as  follows: 

Shepard  '  states  regarding  this  meteorite  that  he  was  informed  through  a  letter  from  Dr.  E.  H.  Andrews  that  the 
iron  was  found  by  plowing  on  the  Columbia  Road  6.5  miles  below  Chesterville,  Chester  County,  South  Carolina. 
About  half  of  the  original  block,  which  weighed  16J  kg.  and  whose  form  was  comparable  to  that  of  a  Unio  shell,  was 
worked  up  into  horseshoes,  nails,  and  door  hinges. 

The  outer  surface  was  very  much  notched  and  covered  with  rust.  By  a  preliminary  chemical  examination 
Shepard  found  traces  of  cobalt  and  chromium,  besides  a  content  of  nickel  of  about  5  per  cent.  Iron  sulphide  present 
in  lumps  yielded  in  solution  fine  scales  of  graphite.  Etching  produced  on  one  place  scattered  figures  which  resembled 
Chinese  characters,  on  another,  short,  straight  lines  with  quadrangular  cross  section,  which  occasionally  arranged 
themselves  in  meshes  like  a  cobweb;  in  the  spaces  between  the  raised  glistening  linear  systems  small  shiny  points 
were  sometimes  observed,  sometimes  also  fine  Widmannstatten  figures. 

Clark  s  determined  the  specific  gravity  as  7.818;  Wohler  2  found  the  iron  active. 

Reichenbach  *  first  referred  Chesterville  to  his  group  of  iron  meteorites  of  the  simplest  composition,  which  con- 
sist entirely  of  kamacite  and  are  rich  in  glanzeisen  in  irregular  lumps  scattered  throughout  the  mass  without  any 
order.  Later  he  undoubtedly  reckoned  Chesterville  among  the  irons  with  trias  which  are  free  from  combs.  He 
mentions  bronze-colored  iron  sulphide  in  roundish  lumps  of  moderate  size  and  gives  the  specific  gravity  as  7.55. 

Rose  5  described  Chesterville  as  a  fine-grained  mass,  which  yields  a  dull  etching  surface  with  small  roundish 
eminences,  and,  lying  between  these,  shiny  grains  of  various  forms.  He  also  notes  a  steel-gray  and  fine-grained  frac- 
ture, and  a  black,  thin,  and  uneven  crust. 

According  to  Meunier,'' 8  this  meteorite  consists  solely  of  Braunine  (Fe^Ni)  with  deposits 
of  schreibersite,  rhabdite,  iron  sulphide,  and  black  substances. 

Brezina  7>  *  first  noted  that  the  rhabdite  was  arranged  according  to  definite  crystallo- 
graphic  planes  throughout  the  entire  mass  of  the  iron  and  classified  it  under  the  hexahedral 
irons,  since  he  regarded  as  probable  an  orientation  of  the  rhabdite  according  to  the  hexahedron. 

Cohen  l2  continues  as  follows: 

On  weak  etching  there  appear,  on  the  homogeneous  groundmass,  little  rounded  elevations  0.03  mm.  broad  and 
double  to  six  times  this  length,  in  large  numbers  and  lying  close  together,  so  that  the  surface  presents  a  swollen  appear- 
ance, like  that  of  Campo  del  Cielo  and  Cincinnati,  although  in  Chesterville  it  is  considerably  less  prominent  and  is 
only  plainly  visible  under  a  strong  lens.  On  stronger  etching  the  previously  homogeneous  groundmass  exhibits  numer- 
ous isometric  grains  0.05  to  0.2  mm.  in  diameter,  irregularly  bounded,  and  with  a  delicate,  oriented  sheen.  Its  granular 
structure  is  most  plainly  marked  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  large  rhabdites  or  schreibersites,  since  here  the  swellings 
fail,  so  that  they  are  surrounded  by  a  dull  etching  zone.  Here  and  there  originate,  after  strong  etching,  little  striated 
pita  which  seem  to  run  parallel  to  one  another  and  to  be  oriented  perpendicularly.  Chesterville  is  distinguished  by 
a  considerable  content  of  nickel-iron  phosphide.  In  part,  this  appears  in  the  form  of  sharply  bounded  rhabdites, 
which  are  now  long  and  thin,  now  short  and  relatively  thick.  Thus,  a  needle  4  mm.  long  is  only  0.05  mm.  thick,  while 
most  which  are  only  half  as  long  have  four  times  the  above  thickness.  In  the  larger  many  are  broken  and  the  pieces 
are  dislocated.  One  can,  however,  often  recognize  their  connection  by  the  shape  of  the  fractured  surfaces.  The 
formation  of  the  rhabdites  must  have  been  finished  before  the  surrounding  nickel-iron  reached  a  cooled  condition, 


122  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

since  there  is  no  indication  of  an  opening  produced  by  the  dislocation.  Only  on  some  sections  are  the  needles  oriented 
according  to  two  perpendicular  directions.  Another  part  of  the  nickel-iron  phosphide  is  quite  irregularly  bounded, 
and  the  lumpy-shaped  individuals  are  united  to  hieroglyphic  groups.  Besides  the  nodules  mentioned  by  Shepard 
and  Reichenbach  of  measurable  compass  and,  as  it  seems,  of  rare  distribution,  there  occur  also  little  troilite  particles 
surrounded  by  a  small  zone  of  schreibersite.  Leick  has  tested  Chesterville  according  to  the  methods  employed  by 
him  in  his  work  on  the  Magnetic  Relations  of  Galvanic  Iron,  Nickel,  and  Cobalt  Precipitates.  It  exhibited  the  prop- 
erties both  of  steel  and  cast  iron.  Like  the  former,  it  took  on  permanent  magnetism  which  by  strong  jarring  was  little 
weakened.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  magnetic  spiral  it  behaved  like  cast  iron,  although  the  temporary  magnetism 
was  only  one-fifth  to  one-fourth  as  strong  as  in  the  latter.  Qualitatively,  it  showed  the  same  properties  as  the  elec- 
trolytically  precipitated  nickel-iron  alloys.  The  specific  magnetism  was  determined  as  0.14  absolute  units  per  gram; 
the  polar  magnetism  was  not  determinable. 
Analyses  by  Sjostrom  10.  »: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  Cr  C  P  S 

93.15        5.82        0.73         0.34         ....     =100.04 

93.80        5.50          .75        0.02      Trace.        0.02          .34        0.03    =100.46 

94.25        5.03          .68          .02      Trace.          .02        ="100.00 

Mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel  iron 97.  72 

Schreibersite .*. 2.  20 

Iron  sulphide 08 


100.00 

Specific  gravity  (Leick)  7.8209  to  7.8737. 

Relative  to  the  arrangement  of  rhabdite  and  chemical  composition  single  portions  of  the  meteorite  seem  to  behave 
differently.  The  swollen  appearance  of  etched  faces  makes  Chesterville  resemble  the  Siratik  group,  but  it  differs 
from  the  latter  by  the  lack  of  the  characteristic  depressions,  and  in  the  arrangement  of  the  rhabditee,  on  which  Brezina 
lays  great  weight,  Chesterville  resembles  the  hexahedrites.  Although  it  may  be  true,  as  seems  here  and  there  to  be 
evident,  that  these  are  arranged  according  to  the  faces  of  the  cube,  this  need  not  be  decisive  for  the  classification  any 
more  than  the  hexahedral  orientation  of  the  Reichenbach  lamellae  in  the  octahedrites.  If  one  should  consider  the 
latter  as  deciding  the  structure  of  the  main  mass  of  the  nickel-iron,  then  they  must  apply  this  rule  to  all  irons  which 
consist  of  grains  without  octahedral  structure  and  without  Neumann  lines. 

The   meteorite  is  distributed.     London  possesses  2,250   grams,  New  Haven   758,    and 
Vienna  £81. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1849:  SHEPARD.    On  meteoric  iron  in  South  Carolina.    Araer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  7,  pp.  449-450. 

2.  1852:  WOHLEE.     "Activ".    Pogg.  Ann.  Bd.  85,  p.  448. 

3.  1852:  CLARK.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  pp.  66-67. 

4.  1859-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  9,  pp.  162,  175,  176,  and  182;  No.  12,  p.  457;  No.  15,  p.  100;  No.  17,  p.  273; 

No.  18,  pp.  482,  487,  488;  No.  19,  p.  155;  No.  20,  pp.  621,  622. 

5.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  p.  69. 

6.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  p.  112. 

7.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  203  and  219. 

8.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  15  and  18. 

9.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  294. 

10.  1897:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen  studien  V,  pp.  46-47. 

11.  1898:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen  studien  VIII,  pp.  148-150. 

12.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoriten  kunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  62-66. 


CHILKOOT. 

Chilkoot  Inlet,  Portage  Bay,  Alaska. 

Here  also  Chilkat.  * 

Latitude  59°  2(X  N.,  longitude  136°  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Mentioned  1881. 

Weight,  43  kgs.  (94  Ibs.). 

This  iron,  according  to  the  account  of  the  State  Mining  Bureau,1  was  obtained  from  the 
locality  above  indicated  in  June,  1881,  by  the  State  Mining  Bureau  of  California.  It  was  pur- 
chased, it  is  stated,  from  Chief  "Donawack"  or  "Silver  Eye,"  who  said  that  it  had  been  seen  to 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  123 

fall  by  the  father  of  one  of  the  oldest  Indians  about  one  hundred  years  before.  It  is  also  stated 
that  Widmannstatten  figures  can  be  dimly  seen  on  the  outer  surface  of  the  mass  and  can  be 
brought  out  beautifully  by  acids.  Most  of  the  mass  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  Mining 
Bureau. 

Ward 2  states  that  an  etched  face  in  his  possession  shows  typical  and  prominent  Widmann- 
statten figures  with  an  unusual  abundance  of  tsenite  bands.  The  label  of  the  meteorite,  as  it  is 
exhibited  in  the  State  Mining  Bureau,  gives  the  following  analysis: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  S  Cu  C          Loss 

92.56        7.11        0.12        0.12        0.04        trace         trace        0.05    =100.00 

The  exterior  of  the  iron  is  bright  nickel-white  in  color,  indicating  a  rather  recent  fall.  Its 
shape  is  that  of  a  low  cone,  indicating  orientation,  and  it  is  deeply  pitted.  Specific  gravity,  7.76. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1888:  California  State  Mining  Bureau.    First  annual  catalogue,  revised  and  reprinted,  p.  215. 

2.  1900:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection  of  meteorites,  p.  8. 


CHULAFINEE. 

Cleburne  County,  Alabama. 

Latitude  30°  307  N.,  longitude  85°  35'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1873;  described,  1880. 

Weight,  16.2  kgs.  (35.75  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  is  thus  described  by  Hidden:  * 

Some  time  in  1873,  while  the  Rev.  John  F.  Watson  was  plowing  on  a  newly  cleared  piece  of  land  near  Chulafinee, 
Cleburne  County,  Alabama,  he  turned  up  a  heavy  mass  of  metal.  He  supposed  it  to  be  a  rich  specimen  of  bog-iron  ore, 
which  exists  in  considerable  quantity  in  that  vicinity,  and  took  the  mass  home.  It  was  originally  thickly  encrusted 
with  scales  of  rust  of  a  red-brown  color,  which  fell  off  on  heating  in  a  blacksmith's  forge  to  test  the  nature  of  the  mass. 
The  blacksmith  removed  3.25  pounds,  which  he  worked  into  horseshoe  nails  and  a  plow  point. 

The  mass  was  somewhat  triangular  in  shape  and  measured  25  cm.  in  diametgr  by  6  cm.  in  thickness.  Its  weight 
was  32.5  pounds  (14.75  kg.),  exclusive  of  the  3.25  pounds  above  mentioned. 

Analysis  of  the  iron  by  J.  B.  Mackintosh 2  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co          PandO 

91.608        7.368        0.500  1.70        =99.646 

The  mass  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Vienna  Museum  and  Brezina 3  observed  as  follows 
regarding  it: 

There  were  many  large  open  cracks  on  the  outside  of  the  iron  which  penetrated  deeply  into  the  interior.  In  many 
places  scattered  over  the  entire  surface  the  original  fusion-crust  was  still  distinctly  visible  and  conspicuous  on  account 
of  its  peculiar  reddish-brown  color  and  sharp  distinction  from  the  iron  mass.  In  two  places  the  fusion  crust  showed 
especially  beautiful  lines  of  flow  which,  running  away  toward  the  edge  of  the  mass,  indicated  the  direction  of  the  flight 
of  the  meteor.  On  etching,  the  iron  was  attacked  with  difficulty  and  the  kamacite  showed  at  the  beginning  of  the 
process  no  etching  figures,  but  only  a  confused  mottled  glimmering.  Only  by  long  continued  etching  did  the  figures 
appear  distinctly.  Upon  a  large  face  having  symmetrical  figures  there  appeared  a  very  small  portion,  embracing  only 
a  few  short  laminae  of  a  readily  soluble  iron,  which  just  at  first  showed  beautiful  etching  lines  and  afterwards  was  of 
similar  aspect  to  the  main  portion  of  the  mass. 

Upon  etching  it  is  also  shown  that  the  numerous  cracks  run  parallel  to  octahedral  laminae,  having  on  the  whole  a 
crooked  course.  They  are  composed  of  octahedral  cleavages  arranged  en  echelon.  An  inclusion  of  magnetite  found 
upon  this  cleft  gave  the  impression  that  this  was  formed  in  a  late  stage  of  the  flight  if  not  actually  upon  the  earth.  The 
iron  is  rich  in  small  inclusions  of  graphite  with  which  troilite  is  associated  sparingly  and  subordinately. 

Later  the  same  author 4  noted  numerous  troilite  points  distributed  through  the  whole  mass. 
Larger  troilite  nodules  are  at  tunes  intermingled  with  the  graphite.  Troilite  particles  are  also 
described  bordered  with  taenite,  giving  the  former  the  appearance  of  being  inclosed  in  brackets. 
The  banded  structure  of  the  kamacite  is  noted  as  in  many  places  changing  to  granular.  The 
width  of  the  laminae  is  given  as  0.6  "mm. 

This  iron  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Vienna  Museum. 


124  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1880:  HIDDEN.    An  account  of  the  finding  of  a  new  meteorite  in  Clebume  County,  Alabama.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  19,  pp.  370-371. 

2.  1880:  MACKINTOSH.    Analysis  of  the  meteoric  iron  from  Clebume  County,  Alabama.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser., 

vol.  20,  p.  74. 

3.  1881:  BEEZINA.    Bericht  III,  Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  84  I,  pp.  281-282. 

4.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  155,  213,  214,  and  234. 


CHUPADEROS. 

Rancho  de  Chupaderos,  18  miles  from  Jimenez,  Chihuahua,  Mexico. 

Latitude  27°  N.,  longitude  105°  4'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 

Known  for  centuries;  mentioned  1852. 

Weight,  two  large  masses  weighing  14,114  and  6,767  kgs.  (31,050  and  14,885  Ibs.). 

The  history  and  characters  of  these  great  masses  have  been  summed  up  by  Cohen 14  as 
follows : 

In  the  view  of  Fletcher7  certain  remarks  of  Bartlett :  in  the  description  of  hil  journeys  relate  to  the  shell-like 
masses  of  Chupaderos.  The  latter  states  that  in  1852  he  received  word  that  there  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hueju- 
quilla  (Jiminez)  some  large  masses  of  meteoric  iron,  and  though  an  expedition  sent  out  by  him  was  unsuccessful  in 
finding  them,  he  did  not  doubt  the  presence  of  such  masses.  Fletcher  also  thinks  that  the  short  mention  by  Smith  2 
of  newly  discovered  huge  iron  masses  in  Mexico  relates  to  these.  Urquidi,  who  owned  the  Hacienda  Concepcion, 
was  of  the  opinion  that  the  masses  of  Adargas,  Morito,  and  Chupaderos  originally  formed  one  meteor  which  burst  at  a 
great  height.  Barcena4  mentions  masses  at  the  Hacienda  Concepcion  approximating  in  form,  as  do  most  Mexican 
meteorites,  to  that  of  a  prism  with  arched  faces.  Rammelsberg  *  determined  in  ]879  the  content  of  nickel  and  cobalt 
in  the  Chupaderos  meteorite,  receiving  his  material,  as  Fletcher  thinks,  from  Burkhart.  The  first  detailed  informa- 
tion was  furnished  by  Castillo.8  He  states  that  the  place  of  find  is  the  Rancho  de  Chupaderos,  18  miles  from  the  railroad 
station  of  Jiminez,  earlier  called  Huejuquilla.  Both  masses  were  of  the  shape  of  a  flat  parallelopipedon  and  rich  in 
cylindrical  hollows  in  part  filled  with  troilite.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  iron  was  7.18.  The  smaller  mass  weighing 
9.290  kg.  measured  2.15  by  1.10  by  0.50  m.;  the  larger  weighing  15,600  kg.  measured  2.50  by  2  by  0.40  m.  The 
surface  of  fracture  showed  that  the, two  masses  belonged  together.  They  lay  only  250  m.  apart.  Castillo  shares  the 
opinion  of  Urquida  that  the  masses  belong  with  that  of  Adargas  and  Morito,  and  that  at  a  great  height  a  separation  took 
place  into  three  parts,  one  of  which,  nearer  the  earth's  surface,  again  divided.  According  to  the  history  of  Philip  II  the 
masses  were  discovered  in  1581  by  Antonio  d'  Espejo.  Fletcher  thinks,  however,  that  this  is  a  mistake.  Fletcher  also 
believes  that  the  two  masses  belong  together.  This,  he  thinks,  on  account  of  the  similarity  of  the  surfaces,  all  of  which  are, 
for  example,  very  rich  in  troilite,  and  on  account  of  the  rarity  of  meteorites  of  this  size.  It  could  scarcely  be  believed, 
he  thinks,  that  in  so  narrow  a  space  such  large  masses  could  have  fallen  at  three  different  times.  The  present  separation, 
of  65  miles  he  did  not  deem  significant,  since  Morito  and  Adargas  had  been  transported  some  distance.  Meunier  " 
assigns  Chupaderos  to  his  Caillite  group.  He  states  that  the  kamacite  strongly  predominates  and  the  taenite  exists 
where  two  bands  are  thrown  together.  He  mentions  also  that  little  schreibersite  is  present  and  that  there  is  a  lack  of 
troilite,  although  the  piece  studied  was  of  considerable  size.  According  to  Brezina  12  the  two  masses,  whose  structure 
completely  agrees,  belong  together.  He  describes  the  lamellae  as  long,  straight,  moderately  grouped,  slightly  swollen; 
the  kamacite  has  a  fine  oriented  sheen,  as  if  from  very  delicate  lines,  which,  however,  can  not  be  seen  microscopically. 
The  taenite  is  well  developed,  the  fields  abundant,  about  equal  in  quantity  with  the  lamella;  plessite  with  or  without 
combs  or  points.  Large  lamellae  of  schreibersite  occur  inclosed  in  swathing  kamacite  2  mm.  thick  and  very  large 
troilite  cylinders  which,  near  the  surface,  are  usually  quite  or  in  part  empty.  On  account  of  essential  differences  of 
structure  Brezina  thinks  that  Adargas  and  Morito  can  not  be  united  with  Chupaderos.  In  a  piece  which  I  have  at 
hand  the  lamellae  are  long,  in  part  straight,  in  part  somewhat  sinuously  bounded;  at  times  somewhat  granular,  only 
here  and  there  moderately  grouped;  the  tsenite  very  strongly  developed;  the  fields  abundant  and  not  less  in  quantity 
than  the  lamellae.  The  kamacite  con  mats  predominantly  of  quite  irregular  but  sharply  bounded  grains,  a  great  number 
of  which  have  the  same  oriented  sheen.  Although  of  varying  dimensions,  the  diameter  occasionally  reaches  0.25  mm. 
Here  and  there  the  kamacite  is  flattened  by  point-like  depressions.  In  such  places  under  the  microscope  systems  of 
lines  can  be  recognized  which  I  regard  as  ridges  but  which  are  considerably  less  in  number  and  less  visible  than  the 
typical  hatched  kamacite.  The  small  fields  are  composed  of  compact  dark  plessite,  usually  fine-grained  and  gray,  but 
darker  than  the  kamacite.  Both  kinds  consist  of  a  compact  appearing  groundmass  and  numerous  uniformly  distributed 
shining  flakes.  In  the  lighter  fields  the  latter  are  larger  and  form  in  part  rounded  spots  0.03  mm.  large  and  in  part 
extraordinarily  fine  threads.  The  edge  of  such  fields  is  often  more  fine  grained  and  darker  than  the  central  part. 
Occasionally  small  complete  lamellae  cross  a  larger  field,  or  the  latter  is  composed  almost  wholly  of  them.  Finally 
fields  occur  very  sparingly  in  which  the  tsenite  is  distributed  in  the  form  of  combs.  In  these  cases  the  kamacite  is  like 
that  of  the  large  bands  but  somewhat  finer  grained.  Schreibersite  is  quite  abundant  but  irregularly  distributed, 
partly  lying  in  the  bands,  partly  appearing  in  large  individual  crystals,  and  often  surrounded  by  granular  swathing 
kamacite.  The  iron  is  attacked  with  difficulty  by  dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  For  solution  it  is  necessary  to  make  the 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  125 

acid  twice  as  concentrated  as  usual.  The  residue  furnishes  felted,  tinder-like,  aggregates  that  obviously  consist  of 
pleasite  which  was  composed  of  small  complete  lamellae  in  which  the  taenite  bundles  protected  the  kamacite  nucleus 
from  action  by  the  acid. 

Rammelsberg's  5  analysis  showed  Ni  5.12;  Co  0.82. 
Analysis  by  Cohen  and  Weinschenk  •  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  residue 

90.23        8.76        1.21        trace  trace    =100.20 

Analysis  of  tsenite  from  the  meteorite  by  Manteuffel 10  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co 

65.39        33.20        L41     =100.00 

The  specific  magnetism  was  determined  by  Leick  as  0.31  absolute  units  per  gram. 
Farrington  JS  has  the  following  note  in  regard  to  the  masses: 

The  two  known  masses  of  this  meteorite  were  found,  as  was  stated  at  an  early  period,  lying  only  about  800  feet  apart. 
This  proximity  and  the  jagged  surface  to  be  found  on  each  renders  it  very  probable,  as  was  suggested  by  Daubree,  if  not 
.  earlier  by  others,  that  the  two  pieces  once  constituted  a  single  mass  which  was  torn  apart  during  its  fall  to  the  earth.  The 
probable  dimensions  of  this  mass  were  given  by  Daubree  as  follows:  Length  4.65  m.  (16  feet),  width  1.50  m.  (5  feet) 
and  thickness  0.45  m.  (22  inches).  The  dimensions  thus  obtained  by  Daubree  were  evidently  arrived  at  by  assuming 
a  joining  of  the  two  masses  end  to  end.  Such  a  joining,  however,  would  not  place  the  torn  surfaces  together.  In  order 
to  determine  what  the  form  and  dimensions  of  the  mass  would  have  been  if  the  two  parts  were  joined  along  the  fractured 
surfaces,  the  two  full-sized  models  of  these  masses  in  possession  of  the  Museum  were  joined  in  this  way.  The  resulting 
form  is  shown  in  a  plate.  It  is  seen  to  be  broad  and  tabular  with  irregular  outline.  Along  the  line  where  disruption 
took  place  there  was  an  evident  constriction.  The  correspondence  between  the  broken  surfaces  is  such  as  to  leave 
little  doubt  that  they  were  once  joined.  The  dimensions  of  the  mass  so  formed  are:  Length  12  feet  (3.6  m.)  and  width 
7  feet  (2.1  m.).  The  weight  of  this  mass  would  have  totaled  about  21  tons  (20,881  kg.).  It  would  be  of  interest  to  know 
which  surfaces  of  the  two  masses  lay  uppermost  when  found,  but  no  record  seems  to  have  been  made  of  this  point. 
There  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  pittings  on  the  two  broad  surfaces  and  they  correspond  on  the  two  masses  when 
joined.  Thus  pittings  on  one  side  are  deeper  and  narrower  than  those  on  the  opposite  side.  The  indications  are 
therefore  that  the  side  first  mentioned  was  the  front  side  in  falling. 

As  the  writer  is  not  aware  that  any  photographs  of  the  two  original  masses  have  ever  been  published,  cuts  from 
photographs  made  by  him  in  1896  are  presented.  These  show  the  masses  as  they  are  installed  in  the  National  School 
of  Mines  in  the  City  of  Mexico. 

In  addition  to  the  data  cited  by  Cohen  it  is  stated  in  the  Bosquejo  Geologico  de  Mexico 1S 
that  the  two  masses  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  de  Chupaderos  at  a  distance 
of  250  m.  from  each  other  in  a  north  and  south  direction. 

The  masses  were  removed  in  1891  by  the  Mexican  Government  to  the  School  of  Mines  of 
the  City  of  Mexico  and  are  still  there.  The  weights  of  the  masses  given  at  the  heading  of  this 
account  are  taken  from  the  labels  at  the  School  of  Mines.  These  weights  differ  slightly  from 
those  given  by  Castillo  8  but  are  probably  correct. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1854:  BARTLETT.    Personal  Narrative  of  Explor.  in  Texas,  New  Mexico,  California,  Sonora,  and  Chihuahua.    New 

York,  1854,  vol.  2,  pp.  453  and  458. 

2.  1871:  SMITH.    The  precise  geographical  position  of  the  large  masses  of  meteoric  iron  in  North  Mexico,  with  the 

description  of  a  new  mass.    Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  2,  p.  337. 

3.  1871:  BUHKART.    Briefl.  Mitt.  Neues  Jahrb.,  1871,  p.  851-852. 

4.  1876:  BARCENA.    On  certain  Mexican  meteorites.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Hist.  Philadelphia,  1876,  p.  122. 

5.  1879:  RAMMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  p.  32. 

6.  1880:  Mrxoz  LUMBIER:  Los  Aerolitos  de  Chihuahua.    Mexico,  1880. 

7.  1889:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites,  Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  99,  103,  104,  122-151,  and  175. 

8.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Meteorites,  pp.  6-8. 

9.  1891:  COHEN  und  WEIXSCHENK:  Meteoreisen-Studien  I.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  "Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  131. 

132,  147-148  (analysis),  160,  and  164. 

10.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  II.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  7,  pp.  150-151  (analysis), 

158  (Cu),  159,  160,  and  161. 

11.  1893:  MECXTER:  Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  pp.  52  and  53. 

12.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  269. 

13.  1897:  Bosquejo  Geologico  de  Mexico.    Mems.  4,  5,  and  6,  p.  77. 

14.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  346-350. 

15.  1907:  FARRINGTOX.    Meteorite  Studies  II.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  Ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  112-113. 


126  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

CINCINNATI. 

Old  collection  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Latitude  39°  7'  N.,  longitude  84°  29'  W. 
Iron.    Ataxite,  Siratik  Group  (Ds)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1898;  described  1898. 
Weight:  Only  28  grams  known. 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  occurs  in  Wiilfing's  catalogue  l  where  he  states  that  the 
following  was  communicated  to.  him  by  Weinschenk: 

The  Cincinnati  iron  was  presented  to  the  Munich  Institute  by  Hosaeus,  who  possessed  a  section  of  considerable 
size  and  was  in  doubt  as  to  its  meteoric  character.  The  iron  had  a  tolerably  high  percentage  of  nickel,  was  quite  thick, 
and  showed  small  shiny  rods;  its  meteoric  character  seems  doubtful  to  me.  It  is  said  to  have  been  found  near  a 
dwelling  house  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Dr.  Weinschenk  later  placed  at  the  disposal  of  Professor  Cohen,  for  investigation,  a  piece 
weighing  28  grams  and  having  a  section -surf  ace  of  6.5  sq.  cm.    Cohen 2  describes  this  as  follows: 

The  iron  behaved,  upon  etching,  quite  like  that  of  Campo  del  Cielo  and  Siratik.  After  exposure  for  a  short  time 
to  the  action  of  nitric  acid  a  few  small  glistening  grains  appear,  while  the  groundmass  remains  shiny  and  even.  Under 
the  microscope  one  can  discern  very  fine  furrows  which  seem  to  consist  of  grains  0.02  to  0.2  mm.  in  size,  which  reflect  ' 
the  light  simultaneously.  By  stronger  etching  the  grains  increase  and  depressions  resembling  indentations  appear; 
the  number  of  both  is  distinctly  small,  however.  Moreover  the  iron  does  not  behave  the  same  over  the  entire  section 
surface.  About  two-thirds  of  the  surface  takes  on  a  puffy-rough  character  like  that  of  Campo  del  Cielo,  with  a  distinctly 
parallel  arrangement  of  the  puffy  eminences;  on  the  other  portion,  which  does  not  show  so  many  large  grains  or  inden- 
tations, a  distinctly  granular  structure  appears,  like  that  which  Siratik  shows,  with  about  the  same  degree  of  etching. 
The  individuals,  sharply  separated  from  one  another,  are  isometric  in  the  larger  specimens,  but  in  the  smaller  they  are 
variously  bent  and  indented;  the  larger  number  at  all  evente  reflect  the  light  simultaneously. 

The  nature  of  the  large  grains  and  the  depressions  resembling  incisions  formed  by  stronger  etching  can  not  be 
determined  with  certainty  here  any  more  than  in  the  case  of  the  other  two  mentioned  meteoric  irons.  I  think  it  prob- 
able, however,  that  the  grains  are  formed  by  lamellae  of  troilite  covered  with  a  thin  pellicle  of  nickel-iron  which  protects 
the  lamellae  of  troilite  against  the  action  of  the  acid  for  a  time;  when  this  thin  coating  of  nickel-iron  is  eaten  away, 
however,  then  the  lamellae  of  troilite  are  dissolved  out  and  leave  depressions  of  the  form  of  the  lamellae. 

Of  accessory  constituents  only  a  few  irregularly  formed  particles  of  schreibersite  were  observed  in  one  place. 

Analysis  (Sjostrom): 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu  P  S 

94.47        5.43        0.68        0.01        0.05        0.05    =100.69 

Specific  gravity  (Leick)  7.6895.  The  specific  magnetism  per  gram  as  determined  by  Leick  was  0.44.  Permanent 
magnetism  weak. 

Since  the  Cincinnati  meteorite  does  not  correspond  exactly  with  either  that  of  Campo  del  Cielo  or  Siratik  there 
appears  to  be  no  occasion  for  supposing  a  cojifusion  on  the  part  of  Hosaeus  to  which  view  one  might  readily  enough  be 
inclined  by  a  cursory  examination  of  the  Cincinnati  iron.  On  the  other  hand,  since  I  had  but  one  piece  of  each  of  the 
three  meteorites  at  hand  for  comparison,  other  portions  of  the  Campo  del  Cielo  and  Siratik  irons  may  after  all  show 
similar  structural  differences  to  those  of  Cincinnati. 

If  Cincinnati  be  regarded  as  an  independent  fall,  then  it  forms,  with  Siratik  and  Campo  del  Cielo,  a  well-defined 
group  of  ataxites  poor  in  nickel,  which  is  distinguished  by  puffy  grains  and  depressions  resembling  incisions,  and 
whose  representatives  possess  nearly  the  same  chemical  composition. 

Only  a  small  quantity  of  the  iron  is  known.     Minod  in  Genf  is  said  to  possess  a  large  piece. 
Munich  has  28  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1897:  WULPING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sajamlungen,  p.  399. 

2.  1898:  COHEN.    Tiber  das  Meteoreisen  von  Cincinnati.    Ber.  Berlin  Akad.,  pp.  428-430. 

3.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  52-53. 


Claibome.    See  Limestone  Creek. 

Claiborne,  1853.    See  Tazewell. 

Clarke  County.    See  Limestone  Creek. 

Claywater.    See  Vernon  County. 
Clebume  County.    See  Chulafinee. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  127 

CLEVELAND. 

Bradley  County,  TenneaBee. 

Here  also  Bradley  County,  East  Tennessee  and  the  Lea  Iron. 

Latitude  35°  8'  N.,  longitude  84°  53'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1860;  described  1886. 

Weight,  115  kgs.  (254  Iba.). 

A  notice  by  Shepard1  in  1866  has  usually  been  regarded  as  referring  to  this  meteorite, 
but  this  is  not  certain.  Shepard  simply  says  that  he  had  been  informed  of  an  iron  meteorite 
discovered  by  a  mining  explorer  on  a  mountain  in  east  Tennessee  and  described  as  being  "as 
large  as  a  man  can  lift."  The  finder  hammered  off  only  a  very  small  fragment,  which  was 
forwarded  to  Shepard,  by  letter,  for  examination.  Its  original  structure  had  been  destroyed  by 
the  process  of  detaching  it  from  the  mass.  It  was  nevertheless  highly  malleable,  with  the  usual 
luster  and  color  of  meteoric  iron. 

The  only  detailed  description  of  the  mass,2  also  known  as  the  Lea  iron  or  East  Tennessee 
meteorite,  was  given  by  Genth2  as  follows: 

The  history  of  this  meteoric  iron  is  very  meager.  In  August,  1867,  Dr.  Isaac  Lea  sent  a  specimen  of  some  5  grams 
weight  to  me  for  examination.  The  analysis  not  known,  finished  August  11,  1867,  proving  it  to  be  a  meteoric  iron, 
induced  Dr".  Lea  to  purchase  the  specimen. 

May  11,  1868,  Julius  E.  Raht,  of  Cleveland,  Tennessee,  wrote  me: 

"I  send  you  to-day  a  small  piece  (44  grams)  of  meteoric  iron  which  was  broken  off  from  a  mass  weighing  50  pounds 
which  fell  about  8  years  ago  near  the  State  line  of  Georgia,  10  miles  from  Cleveland,  Tennessee.  The  piece  has  been 
sold  into  Mississippi." 

In  the  fall  of  1868  J.  Lawrence  Smith  wrote  to  congratulate  Dr.  Lea  on  the  acquisition  of  the  Mississippi  meteorite, 
regretting  at  the  same  time  that  absence  in  Europe  prevented  his  securing  it  for  his  own  cabinet. 

It  now  remained  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Lea  until  he  presented  it  to  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Phila- 
delphia. The  museum  record  simply  notes  the  date  of  its  reception,  October  24, 1876;  that  it  came  from  the  mountains 
of  east  Tennessee,  and  that  it  weighed  254  pounds.  All  efforts  to  obtain  fuller  information  as  to  its  fall  and  discovery 
proved  unsuccessful. 

The  discrepancy  in  the  figures  as  to  the  weight  of  the  mass  must  be  charged  to  incorrect  information  received  by 
Mr.  Raht.  Smith's  letter  to  him,  however,  identifies  the  "Mississippi  meteorite"  with  the  one  Mr.  Raht  stated  to 
have  been  sold  into  that  State. 

The  mass  shows  on  one  corner  the  place  where  the  44  grams  were  broken  off  by  Mr.  Raht  for  examination.  It  ia 
an  irregularly  shaped,  somewhat  triangular  mass  of  about  45  by  40  by  22  cm.  in  size.  Its  crust  is  very  thin,  with  only 
here  and  there  a  spot  of  rust.  It  shows  one  fracture  10  mm.  in  greatest  width  by  15  cm.  in  length.  The  pitted  appear- 
ance of  the  mass  shows  beautifully  in  a  photograph.  Its  original  weight  was  nearly  115.5  kg.;  probably  2.5  kg.  have 
been  cut  off  and  distributed  as  specimens. 

The  crystalline  structure  is  beautifully  shown  on  the  etched  surface  of  the  polished  sections,  indicating  very 
clearly  the  octahedral  form.  The  Raht  specimen  gave  exactly  the  same  etching  figures,  proving  the  identity  of  the 
meteorite. 

The  usual  constituents  of  this  class  of  meteorites  are  quite  perceptible  in  this  one,  the  kamacite  largely  predomi- 
nating and  forming  bands  1  to  3  mm.  in  width.  The  tsenite,  enveloping  the  kamacite,  frequently  subdivides  the 
broader  bands  of  the  latter  into  narrow  lines.  The  length  of  the  kamacite  individuals  is  from  1.5  to  2  cm.  It  has  a 
dull  gray  color  and  when  magnified  can  be  seen  to  be  intersected  in  every  direction  by  very  fine  lines,  probably  of 
schreibersite.  The  plessite,  somewhat  darker  than  the  kamacite,  mostly  shows  a  very  fine  crystalline  mottled  struc- 
ture (moire  metalliqut)  and  a  glittering  luster;  a  small  portion,  however,  is  quite  dulTand  much  darker. 

On  one  specimen  there  is  in  Jsro  places  a  remarkable  admixture  of  an  iron  which  is  a  great  deal  smoother  and 
hardly  shows  any  crystalline  struroire.  This  iron  is  brighter  than  any  other  portion  of  the  etched  surface  and  has  a 
slightly  yellowish  hue.  The  patches  are  not  perfectly  smooth,  however,  but  show  many  very  minute  depressions. 
In  the  center,  where  this  iron  is  narrowest,  and  on  some  portions  of  the  unetched  surface  small  spots  of  rust  have  made 
their  appearance.  An  examination  proves  the  presence  of  a  considerable  quantity  of  chlorine,  from  which  it  is  evident 
that  these  are  the  result  of  the  oxidation  of  ferrous  chloride  which  this  meteorite  contains  in  small  quantities. 

The  so-called  "alteration  zone"  next  to  the  surface  is  quite  distinct  and  is  1  to  1.5  mm.  in  width. 


Genth's  analyses  are  as  follows : 


Fe 

Hi 

Co 

Cu 

P 

(1)     88.  92 

9.82 

0.77 

0.23 

0.19 

(2)     89.  94 

8.507 

0.69 

0.08 

0.109 

(3)    89.  93 

8.06 

0.56 

0.06 

0.66 

s 

undt.  =99. 93 

0.  006  =99. 332 

undt.  =99. 27 


128  MEMOIES  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Meunier4  described 'the  structure  of  the  iron  as  follows: 

The  kamacite  is  in  bands,  very  rich  in  Neumann  lines,  and  limited  by  the  very  thin  leaves  of  tsenite.  The  plessite 
is  normally  abundant  and  in  some  places  black  inclusions  of  several  millimeters  diameter  are  visible.  Dissolving  in 
acid  produces  a  little  hydrogen  sulphide  and  liberates  the  scanty  laminae  of  schreibersite. 

Cohen5  remarked  that  Reichenbach  lamellae  were  very  numerous  and  beautiful  in  this 
meteorite. 

Kunz 3  suggested  that  Cleveland  was  of  the  same  fall  as  Dalton,  q.  v. 

The  iron  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  of  Philadelphia. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1866:  SHEPARD.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.42,  p.  251. 

2.  1886:  GENTH.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philadelphia,  pp.  366-368. 

3.  1887:  KUNZ.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  34,  pp.  473^475. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.  Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  52  and  58-59. 

5.  1894.  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  p.  193. 


COAHUILA. 

State  of  Coahuila,  Mexico. 

Latitude  28°  42'  N.,  longitude  102°  51'  W.  (Fletcher). 
Iron.    Hexahedrite  (H);  Coahuilite,  type  4  of  Meunier. 
Known  since  1837;  described  1855. 

Weight  many  thousands  of  pounds.    The  Butcher  irons  consist  of  8  masses  weighing  654,  580.  550, 438, 430, 
404, 353,  and  290  pounds;  total,  3,699  pounds  (1,678 kg.). 

The  history  of  this  puzzling  group  of  meteorites  has  been  given  by  Cohen,53  as  follows: 

From  the  Mexican  States,  Nuevo  Leon  and  Coahuila,  and  especially  from  the  territory  known  as  the  Desert  of 
Mapimi,  lying  partly  in  Coahuila  and  partly  in  Chihuahua,  as  well  as  from  the  neighboring  portion  of  Texas,  numer- 
ous hexahedrites  have  been,  under  different  names,  in  part  carefully  described  and  in  part  briefly  mentioned. 
With  the  question  whether  all  these  hexahedrites  belong  to  one  fall  or  many,  Smith,  Burkart,  Huntington,  Fletcher, 
and  Brezina  have  occupied  themselves.  Smith,14  in  1871,  was  of  the  opinion  that  all  the  irons  found  on  the  Desert 
of  Mapimi,  within  a  radius  of  500  miles,  belonged  to  one  great  fall.  He  included  among  these  not  only  the  hexahe- 
drites of  Saltillo  and  the  Butcher  irons  but  also  the  octahedrites  Morito  and  Adargas.  Burkart  "  considered  it  prob- 
able that  Saltillo,  Bonanza,  and  the  Butcher  irons  might  belong  to  one  fall  which  took  place  in  1837  in  the  region  of 
Santa  Rosa,  but  left  the  question  open.  Huntington,82  in  1887,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Coahuila  irons  of  the 
Sanchez  Estate  and  Fort  Duncan  could  not  be  separate,  since  their  specific  gravity,  composition,  etching  figures,  and 
other  properties  showed  no  differences,  but  he  included  the  octahedrites  of  Morito  and  Adargas  in  the  Coahuila  iron. 
Two  years  later  he  3S  changed  his  view,  since  he  observed  in  the  Butcher  irons  cleavage  different  from  that  of  Sanchez 
Estate  and  Fort  Duncan,  while  that  of  the  latter  corresponded  with  that  of  Scottsville  and  Holland's  Store,  and  regarded 
this  as  proof  that  two  different  falls  occurred;  the  one  furnishing  the  Butcher  iron,  the  other  the  remaining  four  irons. 
From  this  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  one  meteor  which  passed  over  the  North  American  continent  let  fall  masses 
at  widely  separated  points.  These  views  have  not  been  shared  by  other  investigators.  Fletcher's  investigations  ** 
were  of  special  importance  since  he  collected  all  the  literature  and  studied  it  critically.  He  concluded  that  before 
the  introduction  of  railways  transportation  of  heavy  masses  from  the  coast  to  the  interior  was  difficult  and  expensive, 
and  hence  a  distribution  of  iron  masses  for  use  as  anvils  could  have  taken  place.  Such  distribution  had  often  been 
proved  and  hence  seemed  probable  even  where  no  direct  proof  existed;  also  the  belief  that  such  masses  might  contain 
precious  metals  would  also  often  cause  their  distribution.  Fletcher  describes  the  way  in  which  different  masses 
might  have  been  transported.  Since  all  the  irons  were  hexahedrites  he  hardly  thought  it  possible  that  two  falls  of 
the  same  type  could  have  occurred  in  a  relatively  limited  area.  His  conclusioiiif'tFas  that  all  the  above-mentioned 
irons  belonged  to  one  fall  and  the  fall  took  place  in  a  limited  area.  Later,  Fletcher  modified  his  view  in  so  far  as  Fort 
Duncan  was  concerned,  since  in  the  catalogue  of  the  London  collection  he  gives  this  iron  a  separate  locality  with 
the  remark  that  it  may  have  come  from  the  same  region  as  the  Coahuila  iron.  Brezina  47  thought,  on  the  other  hand, 
that  two  separate  falls  took  place,  since  some  of  the  irons  are  distinguished  by  a  high  content  of  rhabdite  and  (prob- 
ably on  account  of  this)  are  attacked  with  difficulty  by  acids.  One  locality  he  designates  as  Fort  Duncan  and  includes 
with  it  Sanchez  Estate  and  the  so-called  Smithsonian  iron.  To  the  other  locality,  Coahuila,  he  ascribed  all  the  other 
irons.  For  the  present,  I  follow  Brezina's  conclusions,  although  his  arguments  are  no  more  convincing  than  those  of 
Fletcher.  On  the  one  hand  the  fall  of  two  masses  of  hexahedrites  at  no  great  distance  from  one  another  is  not  very 
probable  but  not  impossible;  on  the  other  hand  we  know  little  regarding  the  relations  of  the  single  masses  of  an  iron 
shower.  The  greatest  number  of  different  masses  in  such  a  case  have  been  investigated  in  Toluca,  and  these  are  all 
octahedrites  of  medium  width  though  all  show  some  differences  in  their  intimate  structure;  of  Canyon  Diablo  some 
pieces  are  rich  in  cohenite,  some  almost  free;  of  Babb's  Mill,  there  are  two  masses  which  seem  to  belong  together 
through  similarity  of  structure,  but  their  chemical  composition  is  very  different. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  129 

A  list  of  the  irons  at  different  times  included  among  the  Coahuila  hexahedrites  is  given 
by  Cohen,*3  as  follows : 

1.  Sanchez  Estate,   Santa  Rosa,   Coahuila  (Saltillo:  Couch-Iron);   1850.    Here  belongs  also 

Genth's  New  Mexico;  1854. 

2.  Cerralvo,  Nuevo  Leon;  1856. 

3.  Hacienda  Santa  Rosa,  Coahuila;  1863. 

4.  Bonanza,  northwest  of  Santa  Rosa,  Coahuila;  1866. 

5.  Butcher's  Iron,  Coahuila  (also  known  as  Bolson  de  Mapimi  (Mapini);  1866. 

6.  Hacienda  Potoai,  District  Galeana,  Nuevo  Leon;  1870. 

7.  Smithsonian  Iron  ("unknown  locality")  of  many  English  catalogues;  1881. 

8.  Fort  Duncan,  Maverick  County,  Texas;  1882. 

9.  Santa  Rosa,  Coahuila  (Lupton's  Iron);  1885. 
10.  Santa  Rosa  de  Muzquiz,  Coahuila;  1889. 

Of  the  above,  those  of  Cerralvo  and  Hacienda  Potosi  seem  to  be  lost  and  may  be  disre- 
garded.    Cohen  53  gives  a  further  history  of  the  group,  as  follows: 

Santa  Rosa  de  Muzquiz,  Hacienda  St.  Rosa,  Santa  Rosa  (Lupton's  Iron). — According  to  Castillo,**  Santa  Rosa  de 
Muzquiz  is  a  roundish,  nonoxidized  block;  the  iron  shows  Widmannstatten  figures.  From  the  latter  statement  it 
does  not  follow  that  this  is  not  a  hexahedrite,  since  by  many  authors  Neumann  lines  are  regarded  as  Widmannstatten 
figures. 

Under  the  name  of  Hacienda  St.  Rosa  Wichelhaus  *  described  a  meteoric  iron  obtained  by  Posselt  from  the 
Heidelberg  collection.  It  was  of  an  entirely  homogeneous  appearance;  the  absence  of  Widmannstatten  figures  was, 
as  in  so  many  cases  at  that  time,  referred  to  the  scarcity  of  schreibersite.  The  analysis  follows  (I,  p.  131).  Rose* 
adds  that  the  iron  constitutes  an  individual,  cleaves  in  entire  conformity  with  the  cube,  gives  Neumann  lines,  con- 
tains numerous  rhabdites  lying  parallel  to  the  angles  of  the  hexahedron,  and  corresponds  exactly  with  Braunau  and 
Claiborne  (Walker  County).  Rose,  however,  makes  a  wrong  use  of  the  data  from  Burkart;  since  these  r^er  to  Saltillo, 
Rose  supposed  that  the  latter  iron  was  identical  with  Hacienda  St.  Rosa.  According  to  Posselt,  in  the  region  in  ques- 
tion, "Iron  of  meteoric  origin  lies  scattered  around  in  large  blocks,  or  extended  over  a  long  stretch  by  rolling." 

Lupton  M  saw,  in  front  of  a  house  in  the  neighborhood  of  Santa  Rosa,  a  block  of  irregular  form,  estimated  at  97 
kgs.  weight,  which  was  said  to  have  come  from  the  same  region  as  the  masses  collected  by  Butcher.  The  iron  gave 
no  Widmannstatten  figures  and  its  characteristics  corresponded  with  the  description  by  Smith.  The  analysis 
follows  (II,  p.  131). 

Fletcher  *  regarded  St.  Rosa,  Santa  Rosa  de  Muzquiz,  and  Santa  Rosa  as  one  and  the  same  locality,  which  he 
designated  upon  his  labels  as  Santa  Rosa  de  Muzquiz.  Likewise  it  is  scarcely  to  be  doubted  that  all  the  masses 
observed  in  the  city  and  its  neighborhood  were  transported  thither  from  the  same  region  not  far  distant. 

Bonanza. — According  to  Shepherd,7  fourteen  massive  blocks  of  iron  lay  in^a  locality  160  miles  northwest  from 
Santa  Rosa,  the  largest  of  which  had  the  form  of  a  beehive  with  a  diameter  of  1.5  m.,  projecting  more  than  a  meter 
above  ground,  and  still  considerably  embedded  therein.  His  companion,  Hamilton,  estimated  the  distance  from 
Santa  Rosa  as  considerably  less  and  mentioned  only  thirteen  more  or  less  rounded  'masses  free  from  rust,  which  lay  as 
far  as  1  mile  from  one  another.  According  to  this  author  a  block  weighing  34  kgs.  was  brought  to  Santa  Rosa;  of% 
the  rest  the  smaller  ones  weighed  from  900  to  1,400  kgs.  Shepard  7  selected  for  the  iron,  of  which  he  possessed  a  piece, 
in  accordance  with  the  label  from  Shepherd,  the  name  Bonanza,  and  thought  that  it  was  different  from  the  Sancha 
Estate  iron.  He  noted  several  shallow  pittings  on  the  natural  surface,  no  fusion  crust,  distinct  cleavage,  etching  lines, 
some  rhabdite,  and  emphasized  the  structural  identity  with  Braunau.  The  analysis  of  the  iron  follows  (III,  p.  131). 

It  is  concerning  the  same  locality,  no  doubt,  that  Veatch  and  Schott  reported,  although  the  distance  from  Santa 
Rosa  is  given  differently.  In  1849  Veatch8  saw  a  large  mass  of  iron,  used  as  an  anvil  in  Santa  Rosa,  and  he  learned 
of  numerous  pieces  of  the  same  sort  which  had  been  used  for  various  purposes,  and  which  had  come  from  the  moun- 
tains northwest  of  the  city.  Schott 4  learned  from  Long  that  90  miles  northwest  from  Santa  Rosa  numerous  masses 
of  iron  were  to  be  found  up  to  the  size  of  a  cubic  meter;  from  one  weighing  about  11  kgs.  had  been  hammered  out, 
without  heating,  several  small  objects. 

Butcher  iron. — In  1868  Butcher 12  brought  to  the  United  States  from  a  locality  90  miles  northwest  from  Santa 
Rosa  eight  blocks  weighing  respectively  131J,  160, 183J,  195, 198J  249},  263,  and  296}  kgs.,  or  a  total  of  1,678  kgs.  He 
estimated  the  original  masses  considerably  higher  in  weight,  since  on  the  one  hand  it  was  with  difficulty  that  all  the 
blocks  were  found,  and  on  the  other  hand  a  few  of  the  blocks  had  been  brought  to  Santa  Rosa  at  an  earlier  date,  in 
the  belief  that  they  were  silver.  According  to  a  communication  from  Long,  Butcher  was  inclined  to  refer  the  iron 
masses  to  a  meteor  which  was  observed  at  Santa  Rosa  in  1837  and  which  had  moved  in  a  northwesterly  direction.  At 
all  events  as  early  as  1837  an  Indian  had  brought  a  piece  of  the  iron  to  the  city. 

According  to  Smith,10  the  blocks  are  of  irregular  form,  compact,  entirely  free  from  silicates,  and  composed  of  soft, 
easily  cut  iron.    The  analysis  follows  (IV,  p.  131).    Smith  supposed  that  the  iron  known  under  the  name  of  Santa  Rosa 
came  from  the  same  locality;  Burkart  "  considered  that  Saltillo  was  to  be  included  here  also. 
716°— 15 9 


130  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Later,  Smith  ls,  "  made  the  Butcher  iron  the  subject  of  further  investigation.  In  1876,  he  described  an  incrus- 
tation of  aragonite  upon  two  blocks,  and  a  new  mineral,  which  occurred  mixed  with  troilite,  both  surrounding  and 
penetrating  it.  He  considered  it  a  ferric  compound  of  chromium  and  sulphur  (CrS)  and  proposed  the  name  daubr^e- 
lite  for  it.  When  two  years  later  he  found,  upon  a  section  surface  measuring  1,800  sq.  cm.,  about  30  troilite  nodules 
of  -ff  mm.  in  diameter,  all  of  which  were  penetrated  by  the  mineral  in  question,  he  succeeded  in  securing  pure  ma- 
terial in  considerable  quantity*.  He  obtained  this  time  the  percentages  from  which  the  formula,  FeS.  Cr^a  was  derived. 
In  1881,  he  18  found  an  oval  lump  of  chrome  iron  17  by  12  mm.  in  size,  with  62.71  per  cent  Cr2O3,  33.83  per  cent  FeO, 
traces  of  Co,  and  a  few  included  silicate  grains.  This  was  the  only  large  chromite  nodule  hitherto  observed  in  meteoric 
iron. 

Daubree  19  observed  as  many  as  70  inclusions  of  troilite  with  daubreelite,  sometimes  roundish  in  form,  sometimes 
angular,  upon  a  section  800  sq.  cm.  in  size,  as  well  as  a  cleft  extending  entirely  through  the  same  and  filled  with 
magnetite. 

Brezina  2?  made  a  series  of  further  investigations.  He  found  in  a  druse  of  the  otherwise  compact  iron  a  crystal  of 
troilite  12  mm.  high  and  of  the  same  thickness,  showing  the  faces  2P(2021)and  OP(OOOl)  with  distinct  basal  cleavage; 
the  faces  of  the  pyramid  were  many  faceted  and  scratched  near  the  base.  Brezina  thereupon  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  iron  sulphide  in  the  stone  and  iron  meteorites  was  apparently  as  little  chemically  as  crystallographically  differ- 
entiated, and  that  it  was  in  both  cases  pure  iron  sulphide.  Four  plates  of  daubreelite  of  0.2  to  6  mm.  in  thickness 
were  inserted  in  the  troilite  crystal  parallel  to  the  base,  and  it  is  supposed  that  in  the  remaining  noncrystalline  troilite 
there  is  the  same  regular  orientation  of  the  daubreelite.  He  further  noted  the  occurrence  of  the  troilite  in  the  form  of 
Reichenbach  lamellae,  which  attained  a  length  of  10  cm.  and  was  always  surrounded  by  a  granular  zone  1  to  1.5  mm. 
wide.  Also  where  short,  straight  little  troilites  accumulate  the  whole  mass  is  surrounded  by  an  area  in  which  etching 
lines  are  almost  entirely  wanting.  In  the  same  year  Brezina  described  a  peculiarly  wrinkled  parting  face  extending 
through  the  entire  block  along  which,  upon  cutting,  a  division  appeared.  In  1885  he  26  united  the  Butcher  iron  and 
Santa  Rosa  with  Saltillo;  in  1895  he  47  separated  the  latter  and  placed  it  with  Fort  Duncan.  Finally  he  mentioned  a 
piece  the  size  of  a  fist  consisting  of  a  hollow  body  with  included  nodules  which  showed  outer  crust  and  pittings 
meeting  in  a  sharp  ridge. 

In  1884  punier  24  referred  "Coahuila"  to  his  Caillite  group  whose  other  representatives  were  distinguished  by 
peculiarly  beautiful  Widmanstatten  figures.  In  1893  he  "  formed  a  distinct  group  "Coahuilite"  for  Coahuilin 
characterized  by  4  per  cent  of  nickel  and,  in  comparison  with  Braunin,  of  different  grain  and  color,  less  solubility  in 
acid,  and  absence  of  rhabdite.  Santa  Rosa  (1850),  on  the  contrary,  he  describes  as  consisting  of  Braunin  with  rhab- 
dite.  In  1886  Huntington  30  stated  that  the  etching  lines  of  Coahuila  are  distinguished,  under  the  microscope,  from 
Widmannstatten  figures,  as  they  show  for  example  in  Butler,  only  by  greater  fineness;  besides  hexahedral  cleavage, 
octahedral  also  occurs,  and  the  etching  lines  run  parallel  as  well  to  the  edges  of  the  cube  as  to  those  of  the  octahedron. 
Between  irons  with  typical  Widmannstatten  figures  and  those  with  Neumann  lines  all  gradations  are  in  his  opinion 
present.  In  the  following  year  he  33  determined  the  specific  gravity  of  10  different  specimens  of  the  same  block  and 
obtained  between  7.204  and  7.867.  He  concluded  from  the  figures  obtained  that  one  could  not,  as  Hidden  had  done, 
depend  upon  specific  gravity  to  distinguish  meteoric  irons.  This  is  self-evident  indeed  when  one  considers  the  irregular 
distribution  of  the  subsidiary  material  even  if,  in  the  other  experiments,  material  free  from  foreign  substances  was 
employed  for  the  determinations.  Judging  by  the  above  large  differences  this  seems  not  to  have  been  the  case  in  a 
single  instance. 

In  a  further  work  Huntington  35  made  the  observation  that  the  Butcher  iron  is  distinguished  by  small,  plane, 
brightly  glistening  faces  of  at  most  10  mm.  in  size,  which  may  be  compared  to  interpenetrating  twins  of  two  hexahedrons 
and  which  show  a  very  distinct  striping  parallel  to  the  sections  of  all  the  faces.  Since  Sanchez  Estate,  relative  to  its 
cleavage,  behaved  otherwise,  he  thought  it  could  not  belong  to  the  same  fall,  as  was  formerly  held  by  him. 

Finally  Huntington  described  a  large  section  of  the  Butcher  iron  in  the  Harvard  collection  which  showed  very 
prominent  Neumann  lines,  but  also  showed  Widmannstatten  figures  upon  a  band-like  area  running  through  the  thickest 
portion  of  the  block.  The  etched  surface  of  a  still  larger  section  of  the  same  block  he  stated  had  an  appearance  com- 
parable to  that  of  a  frosted  pane  of  glass  with  a  crystalline  formation  increasing  from  the  outside  toward  the  interior. 
He  stated  that  one  could  easily  obtain  sections  of  smaller  circumference  which  showed  only  Widmannstatten  figures, 
Neumann  lines,  or  a  granular  structure.  This  difference  in  structure  he  accounted  for  by  the  more  rapid  cooling  of 
the  peripheral  than  of  the  central  portions.  Although  large  sections  of  the  Butcher  iron  are  tolerably  well  distributed 
no  similar  observation  has  yet  been  mentioned. 

Derby  49  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  etching  lines  observed  and  described  by  Huntington  correspond  in  part  with 
his  "Bendego  lines,"  that  is,  they  answer  to  the  projection  of  the  faces  of  a  hexakis-octahedron. 

Hartley  and  Ramage50  made  a  spectroscopic  analysis  of  Coahuila.  Davison51  noted  0.0023  per  cent  of  platinum, 
which  was  apparently  accompanied  by  iridium. 

Analyses. 

I.  Hacienda  de  Santa  Rosa;  total  analysis  by  Wichelhaus.    The  low  percentage  of  Ni,  Co  is  due  to  precipitation  by 

barium  carbonate. 
II.  Santa  Rosa  (Lupton's  iron). 

III.  Bonanza;  Shepard.    White  grains,  as  insoluble  residue,  about  0.01  per  cent.    Specific  gravity,  7.825. 

IV.  Butcher  iron;  Smith.     Specific  gravity,  7.692. 

V.  Daubreelite  from  Butcher  iron;  Smith.    Specific  gravity,  5.01. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  131 


Fe  

I 
96.07 

II 
9L86 

III 
97.9 

IV 

92  95 

V 
20  10 

Ni 

3.26 

7  42 

2.1 

6  62 

Co..    . 

0  55 

0  50 

trace 

0  48 

Cu  

0.00 

trace 

Ms... 

trace 

P... 

.     '             1  05 

0  27 

±0  08 

0  02 

Cr  

trace 

35  91 

s  

42  69 

100.93    100.05    100.08    100.07    98.70 

Of  the  above  blocks  only  Hacienda  St.  Rosa  and  the  Butcher  iron  have  been  sufficiently  described  to  make  certain 
their  relation  to  the  hexaHedrites,  but  Fletcher's  consideration  of  the  subject  leaves  no  doubt  that  they  originated 
from  one  fall,  while  the  data  of  Hamilton  and  Shepard  on  the  one  hand  and  of  Butcher  on  the  other,  in  many  points — 
especially  in  the  matter  of  the  estimated  weight,  the  distance  from  the  place  of  discovery  to  Santa  Rosa,  and  in  the 
description  of  the  neighborhood — differ  not  unessentially  from  one  another.  Santa  Rosa  is  to  be  especially  considered 
as  the  place  of  discovery  since,  according  to  Hamilton,  Veatch,  and  Butcher,  masses  of  iron  have  repeatedly  been 
brought  to  the  town  since  the  year  1837. 

The  following  data  refer  solely  to  the  Butcher  iron. 

The  Butcher  iron  shows  distinct  hexahedral  cleavage  and  etching  lines  which  are  of  equal  distinctness,  but  of  very 
various  length.  Some  systems  may  be  followed  over  an  entire  section  surface  of  20  cm.,  while  others  attain  only  a 
length  of  5  mm.  or  fall  for  the  most  part  considerably  under  these  limits.  Moreover  the  distribution  is  different.  Upon 
one  part  of  the  etched  surface  both  sorts  are  to  be  found,  the  shorter  especially  being  very  abundant  and  lying  close 
together;  here  occur  at  the  same  time,  in  considerable  number  and  uniformly  distributed,  etching  pits  and  rhabdites 
which  produce  an  unusually  lively,  oriented  luster.  Upon  other  parts  of  the  etched  surface,  and  penetrating  the  former 
in  very  irregular  finger-like  areas,  are  long  etching  lines  massed  together  in  bundles.  The  short  twin  lamellae  are 
wanting,  as  well  as  etch  pittings  and  rhabdite,  and  the  luster  is  a  dull  satin  gloss,  but,  as  it  seems,  of  the  same  orienta- 
tion as  that  of  the  other  portion  of  the  etched  surface;  that  is,  the  reflection  is  strongest  in  each  case  in  the  same  position 
with  reference  to  the  light.  Nevertheless  the  two  portions  are  sharply  distinguished  from  one  another  in  consequence 
of  very  different  luster.  The  extremely  fine  rhabdites 'are  mostly  under  1  mm.  in  length  but  occasionally  reach  4  mm. 
They  run  parallel  to  each  other  in  two  directions.  In  the  proper  position  with  reference  to  incident  light  they  appear 
as  extremely  fine,  glistening  streaks.  Where  they  occur  together  with  short  twin  lamellae,  within  the  dull  portions, 
both  are  surrounded  by  a  small  bright  area  whose  luster  coincides,  in  respect  to  strength  and  orientation,  with  that  of 
the  principal  part  of  the  nickel  iron,  so  that  here  small  dark  specks  lie  in  a  dark  field.  The  same  is  true  of  the  troilite 
which,  as  a  rule,  is  bordered  by  fine  schreibersite  and  frequently  contains  plates  of  daubreelite.  The  Butcher  irons 
are  distinguished  among  all  meteoric  irons  by  the  abundance  of  the  latter  mineral  (daubreelite),  scarcely  a  single  piece, 
even  of  the  smallest  dimensions  of  the  irons,  being  entirely  free  from  it. 

The  Butcher  irons  take  an  extremely  weak  permanent  magnetism  and  behave  therefore  like  soft  iron,  which  also 
occasionally  shows  traces  of  coercive  force.  Whether  this  is  a  consequence  of  artificial  heating,  as  I  formerly  conjectured, 
may  be  left  undecided.  The  specific  magnetism  was  determined  by  Leick  as  0.085  absolute  units  per  gram. 

By  dissolving  a  large  piece  (160  grams)  in  very  dilute  muriatic  acid  grains  of  chromite  and  silicate  were  observed 
among  the  subsidiary  constituents,  but  both  in  very  small  masses.  The  dimensions  of  the  isolated  rhabdites  agree 
quite  closely  with  those  of  Walker  County,  although  they  may  be  a  trifle  greater  in  diameter.  Most  of  them  are  between 
0.003  and  0.013  mm.  thick,  the  observed  boundaries  (0.0015  mm.  and  0.035  mm.)  being  only  seldom  attained.  If  now 
a  large  part,  in  fact  apparently  the  largest  portion  obtained  by  isolation  on  account  of  the  ready  divisibility,  be  broken 
at  right  angles  to  the  longitudinal  dimension  the  thinner  needles  are  in  general  the  longer.  Yet  many  crystals  bounded 
at  both  ends  by  pyramid  faces  have  a  length  of  only  0.05  to  0.07  mm.  Two  pyramids,  one  sharper  and  the  other  more 
obtuse,  are  at  times  accompanied  by  the  base.  A  few  crystals  are  differently  formed  at  both  ends  so  as  to  suggest 
hemimorphism,  and  sometimes  the  pyramid  faces  appear  to  be  incomplete  in  number.  This  recalls  the  observation 
of  Hlawatsch,  who  described  thin  rhabdite  needles  from  a  furnace  product  with  only  two  pyramid  faces  on  the  ends, 
so  that  he  regarded  the  crystals  as  hemihedral. 

Analysis  (Cohen): 

Fe  Ni          Co  Cr  P  Insoluble 

94.82        5.62        0.60        trace        0.29  0.06          =101.39 

Specific  gravity,  7.8678. 
Mineralogical  composition. 

Nickel  iron 98. 344 

Rhabdite 1.  615 

Daubreelite 0. 027 

Carbon '. 0.  Oil 

Chromite  and  silicate  grains 0. 003 

100.00 


132  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  Butcher  irons  are  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Harvard  collection.     Huntington 32  lists  the 
following  individuals:  317  kg.,  249  kg.,  159  kg.,  22  kg.     In  addition  he  lists  a  number  of  slabs. 
Other  specimens  of  Coahuila  are  widely  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1855:  SMITH.    Memoir  on  meteorites. — 3.  Meteoric  iron  from  Coahuila,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol. 

19,  pp.  160-161.     (This  article  related  to  the  Couch  or  Sancha  Estate  Iron,  weighing  252  pounds.    A  figure  of 
•  the  iron  is  given.) 

2.  1856:  SHEPARD.    A  supposed  new  locality  of  meteoric  iron  in  Mexico.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  2d  eer.,  vol.  21, 

p.  216  (Cerralvo). 

3.  1856:  BURKABT.    Fundorte  I. — 2.  Meteoreisen  von  Coahuila.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1856,  pp.  277-278  (Couch-Meteorite). 

4.  1857:  SCHOTT.     Report  on  the  U.  S.  and  Mex.  Boundary  Survey  (by  W.  H.  Emory),  vol.  I,  pt.  2,  p.  34. 

5.  1863:  WICHELHAUS.    Analyse  des  Meteoreisens  von  der  Hacienda  St.  Rosa  in  Mexico.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem., 

Poggendorff,  Bd.  118,  pp.  631-633. 

6.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  49,  152. 

7.  1866:  SHEPARD.    A  new  locality  of  meteoric  iron  in  Cohahuila,  Northern  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser., 

vol.  42,  pp.  347-350  (called  Bonanza). 

8.  1866:  WHITNEY.    Proc.  California  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  vol.  3,  p.  241. 

9.  1867:  SHEPARD.    Additional  notice  of  the  Cohahuila  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  43*,  pp. 

384-385.    (Analysis.) 

10.  1869:  SMITH.    The  Cohahuila  meteoric  irons  of  1868,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  47,  pp.  383-385. 

11.  1870:  BUHKART.    Ueber  die  Fundorte  mexikanischer  Meteoriten.    Neuea  Jahrb.,  1870,  pp.  673-683  and  690. 

12.  1870:  BUTCHER.    Circular  of  March  4, 1870.    Offers  his  eight  irons  at  $2  per  pound  if  all  are  taken,  or  $3  per  pound 

for  single  masses. 

13.  1871:  BURKART.    (Briefliche  Mitteilung.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1871,  p.  854  (Potosi). 

14.  1871:  SMITH.    The  precise  geographical  position  of  the  large  masses  of  meteoric  iron  in  North  Mexico.    Amer. 

Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  2,  pp.  337-338. 

15.  1876:  BARCENA.    On  certain  Mexican  meteorites.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philadelphia,  1876,  p.  122. 

16.  1876:  SMITH.    Aragonite  on  the  surface  of  a  meteoric  iron  and  a  new  mineral  (Daubre'elite)  in  the  concretions  of 

the  interior  of  the  same.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  12,  pp.  107-110. 

17.  1878:  SMITH.    On  the  composition  of  the  new  meteoric  mineral  Daubr^elite  and  its  frequent,  if  not  universal, 

occurrence  in  meteoric  irons.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  16,  pp.  270-272. 

18.  1881:  SMTTH.    Occurrence  of  a  nodule  of  chromite  in  the  interior  of  compact  meteoric  iron  from  Cohahuila. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  21,  pp.  461-462. 

19.  1881:  Daubr^e  pre'sente  a  1'Acade'mie  un  volumineux  <k:hantillon  de  me'te'orite  holosidere  de  Cohahuila  (Mex- 

ique),  dit  fer  de  Butcher.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  93,  pp.  555-556. 

20.  1881:  BREZINA.    Ueber  die  Meteoreisen  von  Bolson  de  Mapimi.    Sitzber.  Wien  Akad.,  Bd.  83  I,  pp.  473-477. 

21.  1881:  SHEPARD.    On  a  new  meteoric  iron,  of  unknown  locality,  in  the  Smithsonian  Museum.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  22,  p.  119.    (Analysis.) 

22.  1881:  BREZINA.    Bericht  fiber  neue  oder  wenig  bekannte  Meteoriten. — 12.  Naturliche  Trennungsflache  an  Bolson 

de  Mapimi.    Sitzber.  Wien  Akad.,  Bd.  84  I,  pp.  282-283. 

23.  1884:  WADSWORTH.    Studies,  p.  161. 

24.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  pp.  62,  63  (illustration),  64,  71,  87,  94,  96,  98,  112,  114,  116,  125,  and  440-441. 

25.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  152,  154,  155,  209,  218,  and  234. 

26.  1885:  LUPTON.    Meteoric  iron  from  Coahuila,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  29,  pp.  232-233. 

27.  1885:  HIDDEN.    Preliminary  note  on  an  iron  meteorite  from  Maverick  County,  Texas.    Trans.  N.  Y.  Acad.  Sci., 

vol.  5,  1885-1886,  p.  231. 

28.  1886:  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  II.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  2  (Not.),  pp.  25-26  and  38. 

29.  1886:  HIDDEN.    A  new  meteoric  iron  from  Texas.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  304-306.     (Analysis  by 

Mackintosh,  and  illustration.) 

30.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  291-292  (illustration  of  an 

etched  plate)  and  295. 

31.  1887:.  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  Ilia.    Verh.  k.  k.  Geol.  Reichsanstalt,  1887,  p.  288. 

32.  1887:  HUNTINGTON.    Catalogue  of   all  recorded  meteorites.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  23,  pis.  1 

and  3. 

33.  1887:  HUNTINGTON.    On  the  Coahuila  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  33,  pp.  115-118  (illustration 

of  an  etched  plate  of  the  Butcher-Iron). 

34.  1887:  MEUNIER.    Examen  mine'ralogique  du  fer  me'te'orique  de  Fort  Duncan.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  104,  pp. 

872-873. 

35.  1889:  HUNTINGTON.    The  crystalline  structure  of  the  Coahuila  irons.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  24, 

pp.  30-35  (with  four  figures  in  the  text)  and  pp.  313-315. 

36.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  pp.  9-10.     (Hacienda  de  Potosi  and  Santa  Rosa.) 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  133 

37.  1889:  CLARKE.    The  meteorite  collection,  etc.    Kept.  Smithsonian  Inst.,  1885-1886,  pt.  II,  p.  257:  "57.  Locality 

unknown.    Partially  described  by  Shepard  in  1881.    Found  without  record  in  the  old  Smithsonian  Collection. 
Specimen  nearly  entire,  weighing  3,510  grams." 

38.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  99,  103,  104-113,  113-118,  119,  and  174-175. 

39.  1890:  EASTMAN.    Met.  Astron.,  pp.  318  (Couch),  320  (Fort  Duncan),  322  (Santa  Kosa,  Butcher,  and  Coahuila). 

40.  1890:  BREZINA.    Ueber  Meteoreisen    Oesterr.  Zeitschr.  f.  Berg-  u.  Hiittenw.,  Bd.  38,  No.  31,  p.  358. 

41.  1891:  COHEN  and  WEIKSC'HENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  131, 

159,  and  164. 

42.  1892:  EASTMAN.    The  Mexican  meteorites    Bull.  Philos.  Soc.  Washington,  vol.  12,  pp.  42-43. 

43.  1892:  LINCK.    Ueber  die  Zwillingsbildung  und  den  orientierten  Schimmer  am  gediegen  Eisen.    Zeitschr.  f.  Kry- 

stallogr.,  Bd.  20,  p.  215. 

44.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  7,  p.  158  (Cu). 

45.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Envision  des  fers  me't4oriques,  pp.  14,  15,  17,  19,  and  21-22  (illustration  of  an  etched  plate). 

46.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteorisen-Studien  III.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  9,  pp.  102-104,  104-107,  116, 

117,  and  118  (rhabdite). 

47.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  290-291. 

48.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteorisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  83,  84,  85,  86,  88,  89, 

and  93. 

49.  1896:  DERBY.    Estudo  sobre  o  meteorite  de  Bendego  Arch.  Mus.  Nac.  Rio  de  Janeiro,  vol.  9,  pp.  158-160. 

50.  1898:  HARTLEY  and  EAMAGE.    A  spectrographic  analysis  of  iron  meteorites,  etc.     Proc.  Roy.  Dublin  Soc.,  new 

ser.,  vol.  8,  pp.  703-710. 

51.  1899:  DAVISON.    Platinum  and  iridium  in  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  7,  p.  4. 

52.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  p.  8. 

53.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  173-195. 

Cocke  County.    See  Cosby  Creek. 


COLFAX. 

Colfax  township,  Rutherford  County,  North  Carolina. 

Here  also  Ellenboro. 

Latitude  35°  18"  N.,  longitude  81°  47'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1880;  described,  1890. 

Weight,  2.2  kgs.  (5  Ibs.). 

This  iron  was  found,  according  to  Eakins,1  in  the  spring  of  1880  or  1881'  (latter  part  of 
1880)  by  Amos  Franklin  while  working  on  the  farm  of  Mrs.  E.  W.  Dedmon,  of  Colfax  Town- 
ship, Rutherford  County,  North  Carolina.  As  it  was  found  on  the  ground  immediately  after 
plowing  it  had  evidently  been  turned  up  by  the  plow.  It  was  thrown  on  a  wood  pile  near 
by  and  frequently  beaten  with  an  axe.  A  small  piece  was  broken  off  February  7,  1890,  and 
sent  to  Dr.  Stuart  W.  Cramer,  of  the  U.  S.  Assay  Office  at  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  who  identified  it 
as  meteoric  iron. 

Kunz  2  describes  the  mass  as  weighing  72  Troy  ounces,  which  would  equal  2,240  grams,  or 
about  5  pounds  avoirdupois,  and  as  having  the  size  and  shape  of  a  double  gourd  with  three  or 
four  indentations.  Eakins  1  gives  the  length  as  150  mm.,  the  diameter  of  the  ends  as  75  mm., 
and  that  of  the  middle  as  50  mm.  He  also  states  that  the  iron  etches  readily,  and  that  Wid- 
mannstatten  figures  showed  on  a  polished  face  before  etching.  Kunz  2  states  that  octahedral 
cleavages  are  also  visible. 

Analyses:  I  and  II,  Cramer:2  III,  Eakins.1 

I  II  III 

Fe 87.  69  89. 22  88. 05 

Ni 11. 26  9.  37  10.  37 

Co 62  .53  .68 

Cu 05  .04  .04 

P 19  .19  .21 

S 10  '  .08  .08 

Si...                                                                                              .03  .01  .02 


99.  94  99. 44  99. 45 

About  half  the  mass  is  preserved  in  the  Field  Museum  collection;  the  remainder  is  some- 
what distributed. 


134  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1890:  EAKINS.    Meteoric  iron  from  North  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  39,  pp.  395-396.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1889-1890:  KUNZ.    Meteoric  iron  from  Colfax  Township,  Kutherford  County,  North  Carolina.    Trans.  New  York 

Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  9,  pp.  197-198  (analyses  by  Cramer). 


Collin  County.     See  Mackinney. 
Colorado.    See  Russel  Gulch. 
Concepcion.    See  Adargas. 
Coney  Fork.    See  Carthage. 


COON  BUTTE. 

Coconino  County,  Arizona. 

Latitude  35°  107  N.,  longitude  111°  7'  W. 

Stone.    Breccialike  gray  chondrite  (Cgb)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1905;  described  1906. 

Weight,  2,789  grams  (6  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  found  by  Messrs.  D.  M.  Barringer  and  S.  J.  Holsinger  on  June  24,  1905, 
about  1  mile  west  of  Coon  Butte.     It  is  described  by  Mallet  *  as  follows: 

The  specimen,  as  received  by  me,  was  pyriform,  with  a  roughly  triangular  cross  section  bounded  by  two  approxi- 
mately flat  surfaces  (one  larger  than  the  other)  inclined  at  about  60°  or  65°  to  each  other  and  united  by  a  third, 
irregularly  curved  convex  surface.  It  was  a  good  deal  larger  at  one  end  than  at  the  other.  The  general  surface  was 
smooth,  but  indented  at  places  with  the  characteristic  shallow  pittings,  like  thumb  prints  on  a  lump  of  sculptor's 
modeling  clay,  which  are  seen  on  so  many  meteorites.  One  presumably  rather  large  piece  had  been  broken  off 
from  the  smaller  end,  and  two  other  much  smaller  fractures  appeared  at  and  near  the  larger  end.  Measuring  the  mass 
as  it  lay  on  the  larger,  approximately  flat  face,  the  maximum  length  was  about  14.5  cm.,  maximum  width  about  11.8 
cm.,  and  maximum  thickness  about  8.9  cm.  The  weight  of  the  specimen  as  it  reached  me  was  2,789  grams.  There 
is  an  external  oxidized  crust,  generally  of  dark,  blackish  brown  color,  with  patches  of  redder  brown,  for  the  most  part 
very  thin,  not  exceeding  0.5  mm.  in  thickness;  at  some  points  the  oxidized  material  runs  in  to  a  depth  of  7  or  8  mm. 
A  surface  of  fracture  shows  a  gray  mass  of  not  very  well-defined  chondritic  and  brecciated  structure,  with  numerous 
little  spots  of  iron-stained  yellowish  brown  color,  including  lustrous  points  of  metallic  iron;  the  general  appearance 
like  that  of  the  Pultusk  meteorites  of  January  30,  1868,  but  without  the  glossy  black  crust  of  these  stones.  There  is 
a  still  closer  resemblance,  both  of  crust  and  fractured  surface,  to  the  meteorites  from  Ness  County,  Kansas.  From  the 
general  appearance  of  the  surface  of  fracture,  I  am  inclined  to  class  this  specimen  as  Brezina's  breccialike  gray  chon- 
drite (Cgb).  The  specific  gravity  of  the  whole  mass,  taken  by  suspension  in  water  at  15°  C.,  was  found  to  be  3.471, 
which  is  sensibly  less  than  the  results  of  calculation  from  the  constituent  materials  found  by  analysis,  indicating  some 
lack  of  compactness  in  structure. 

George  P.  Merrill,  head  curator  of  geology  at  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  who  has  given  much  attention  to  the 
petrographic  study  of  meteorites,  very  kindly  undertook  to  have  thin  sections  made  of  some  fragments  I  sent  him,  to 
examine  these  under  the  microscope,  and  to  secure  photomicrographs  of  some  of  them.  The  notes  with  which  he  has 
favored  me  are  as  follows: 

"Aside  from  its  metallic  constituents,  the  stone  consists  mainly  of  enstatite  and  olivine.  The  enstatite,  which 
is  largely  in  excess,  occurs  in  granular  form  without  distinct  crystal  outlines  and  also  in  chondrules  of  the  usual  fan- 
shaped  radiating  and  granular  structures.  In  the  larger  forms  of  the  single  crystals  a  condition  of  molecular  strain  is 
manifested  by  the  manner  in  which,  between  crossed  nicols,  the  dark  wave  sweeps  over  the  surface.  Such  a  con- 
dition, it  may  be  stated,  is  not  uncommon  in  stony  meteorites,  though  its  full  significance  seems  not  to  have  been 
realized. 

"The  olivine  likewise  occurs  in  granular  form  and  in  that  of  chondrules  with  the  characteristic  barred  or  grate- 
like  and,  more  rarely,  porphyritic  structures.  Except  where  stained  by  a  recent  oxidation  of  the  ferruginous  con- 
stituents, both  minerals  are  colorless  or  but  slightly  gray. 

"In  addition  to  the  mineral  above  described,  is  a  completely  colorless  isotropic  substance  occurring,  as  a  rule, 
with  no  crystal  outlines,  but  rather  filling  interspaces  as  would  an  interstitial  glass.  It  is  sometimes  quite  free  from 
inclosures  or,  again,  includes  numerous  silicate  granules  and  opaque  metallic  particles.  Rarely  does  it  show  any- 
thing suggestive  of  cleavage.  Excepting  in  its  lack  of  crystallographic  outlines,  the  mineral  is  similar  in  all  respects, 
as  far  as  appearance  goes,  to  the  maskelynite  of  the  Shergotty  (India)  meteorite,  and  such  I  shall  have  to  assume  it  to  • 
be.  It  is  altogether  too  small  in  amount  to  permit  a  satisfactory  chemical  determination,  though  with  more  material 
a  microchemical  test  might  be  made  which  would  go  a  long  way  toward  settling  the  problem. 

"The  chondritic  structure  of  the  stone  is  not  strongly  marked,  and  the  individual  chondrules  are  themselves 
almost  invariably  of  a  fragmental  nature.  The  structure,  as  a  whole,  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  Ness  County,  Kansas, 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  135 

stone,  and  hence,  if  we  follow  Brezina,  would  be  placed  in  the- group  of  intermediate  chondrites  brecciated  (Cib). 
As,  however,  I  have  examined  this  stone  only  in  thin  sections,  none  of  which  includes  an  area  of  above  10  mm.  square, 
it  is  possible  that  further  study  might  relegate  it  to  the  Cgb  group,  of  which  the  Pultusk  stone  is  a  well-known 
representative." 

The  chemical  analysis  was  found  to  be  somewhat  troublesome,  particularly  in  regard  to  the  distribution  of  the 
iron  present  in  several  different  chemical  conditions.  The  greater  part  of  the  metallic  nickel-iron,  accompanied  by 
some  schreibersite  and  pyrrhotite,  was  separated  from  a  pulverized  sample  of  about  50  grams,  free  from  crust,  by 
means  of  a  magnet,  but  is  was  not  possible  to  obtain  complete  separation  in  this  way,  so  that  a  small  proportion  of 
silicates  had  to  be  deducted  from  the  magnetically  separated  part,  and  a  small  proportion  of  the  constituents  of  the 
nickel-iron,  schreibersite,  and  pyrrhotite  to  be  in  like  manner  deducted  from  the  siliceous  part  of  the  mass  dissolved 
by  acid.  The  part  left  by  the  magnet  was  digested  with  hydrochloric  acid  of  15  per  cent  strength  for  three  days  at  a 
moderate  heat,  and  thus  a  general  separation  of  the  decomposable  silicates  was  effected,  but  several  determinations 
of  particular  constituents  had  to  be  made  on  individual  portions.  Hydrofluoric  acid  was  used  to  obtain  the 
and  the  same  reagent,  with  exclusion  of  air,  to  secure  a  determination  of  ferrous  iron. 

The  following  statement  gives  the  general  result  reached: 

Enstatite 44.  73 

Olivine 33. 48 

Maekelynite  (?) 6.87 

Nickel-iron 8.  63 

Iron  rust 3. 03 

Schreibersite 76 

Pyrrhotite 2. 14 

Chromite. .  .08 


99.72 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1906:  MALLET.    A  stony  meteorite  from  Coon  Butte,  Arizona.    Amer.  Jo-urn.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  21,  pp.  347-355. 


COOPERTOWN. 

• 

Robertson  County,  Tennessee. 

Latitude  35°  3V  N.,  longitude  87°  2"  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 

Known  since  1860;  described  1861. 

Weight,  17kgs.  (371bs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Smith  *  as  follows : 

This  mass  of  meteoric  iron  came  into  my  possession  during  the  month  of  December,  1860,  being  sent  by  Professor 
Lindsley,  of  Nashville,  Tennessee.  It  was  discovered  by  Mr.  D.  Crockett  near  Coopertown,  in  Robertson  County, 
Tennessee.  The  time  of  its  fall  is  not  known.  Its  weight  was  37  pounds.  Its  form  was  wedge-shaped;  and  its  extreme 
dimensions  were:  Length,  10  inches,  breadth,  9.5  inches,  and  thickness,  5.5  inches.  Its  specific  gravity  is  7.85.  On 
cutting  through  the  mass  a  nodule  of  sulphuret  of  iron  was  discovered  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and 
there  are  doubtless  others  in  its  interior.  The  iron,  on  analysis,  furnished: 

Fe  Ni          Co  Cu  P 

89.59        9.12        0.35        trace        0.04     =99.10 

Brezina 2  in  1885  classes  Coopertown  in  the  Toluca  group,  and  states  that,  corresponding  to 
the  greater  breadth  of  its  lamellae  (1.2  mm.),  it  shows  a  more  swollen  appearance. 

Huntington 3  gives  an  illustration  of  an  etched  plate  and  describes  a  specimen  which  he 
regards  as  showing  octahedral,  do  decahedral,  and  cubic  plates. 

Meunier  *  describes  the  structure  as  follows: 

This  iron  yields  larger  figures  than  ordinary  caillite  without,  however,  taking  on  the  character  of  bendegite.  The 
kamacite  bands  are  frequently  2  mm.  thick.  The  taenite  is  relatively  scarce.  The  plessite  is  very  pure.  There  is  no 
pyrrhotine  visible:  however,  dissolving  in  acid  disengages  hydrogen  sulphide. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  Harvard  collection  possessing  the  largest  quantity,  2,065 
grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1861:  SMITH.     Description  of  three  new  meteorites. — Robertson  County  (Tennessee),  Meteoric  Iron.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  31,  p.  266  (analysis). 

2.  1885:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  210,  211,  and  233. 

3.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  294  and  295.    (Illustration  of 

etched  plate.) 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques.  pp.  52  and  56,  57. 


136  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

COSBY  CREEK.* 

Cocke  County,  Tennessee. 

Here  also  Cocke  County  and  Sevier  County. 

Latitude  35°  45'  N.,  longitude  83°  107  W. 

Iron.  Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina;  Arvaite  (group  7)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1837;  described  1840. 

Weight  reported  about  950  kgs.  (2,000  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Troost  *  as  follows: 

During  my  excursions  through  East  Tennessee  I  had  seen  small  fragments  of  native  iron  and  had  heard  of  large 
masses  of  it  which  were  believed  to  be  silver.  It  being  considered  a  precious  metal  all  that  was  known  about  it  and 
the  place  where  it  was  found  were  kept  a  profound  secret.  Some  less  prejudiced  inhabitant  at  last  became  acquainted 
with  the  nature  of  the  metal  and  its  real  value  was  made  known.  To  the  politeness  of  Col.  Micajah  C.  Rodgers,  of 
Sevierville,  I  am  indebted  for  a  considerable  quantity  of  it;  and  the  Hon.  Judge  Jacob  Peck,  of  Jefferson  County,  has 
also  presented  me  with  some  small  fragments.  I  am  thus  enabled  to  lay  a  description  of  this  singular  substance  before 
the  scientific  public. 

Having  ascertained,  as  appears  from  the  analysis  below  given,  that  this  iron  contains  nickel  the  mass  must  be  con- 
sidered of  meteoric  origin;  but  it  differs  from  most  of  the  masses  of  meteoric  iron  hitherto  described.  The  original 
weight  of  it  is  said  to  have  been  about  2,000  pounds.  The  portions  that  I  have  seen  (as  well  as  those  which  are  in  my 
possession)  present  a  singular  heterogeneous  mixture  of  metallic  iron,  carburet  of  iron  or  graphite,  sulphuret  of  iron 
(pyrites),  and  hydroxide  of  iron,  the  latter  brown  and  yellow;  in  some  parts  all  four  ingredients  form  a  kind  of  homo- 
geneous mixture. 

The  most  abundant  constituent,  however,  is  the  nickeliferous  iron,  and  it  composes  about  95  per  cent  of  the  whole 
mass.  It  has  partly  a  crystalline  structure  and  is  in  part  composed  of  grains  or  globules  of  various  sizes  and  forms, 
merely  agglutinated  together,  or  sometimes  separated  by  a  thin,  flexible,  highly  polished  pellicle  of  graphite.  The 
crystalline  part  is  composed  of  laminae  of  various  thickness  in  the  form  of  equilateral  triangles,  which  are  separated 
from  each  other  by  very  thin  flexible  pellicles,  as  mentioned  above  respecting  the  grains. 

I  expected  to  find  these  triangular  laminse  placed  in  such  position  as  to  form  octahedrons,  or  showing  a  cleavage 
parallel  to  the  sides  of  a  regular  octahedron,  but  this  is  not  the  case,  as  the  cleavage  gives  a  regular  tetrahedron.  I  have 
one  of  these  forms  which  is  about  an  inch  from  base  to  apex. 

The  metallic  iron  is  also  dispersed  in  small  irrejjular-shaped  masses  through  a  hard,  compact,  brown  hydrated  oxide 
of  iron.  Throughout  this  the  iron  is  also  dispersed  in  invisible  grains,  to  be  detected  only  by  the  magnet,  which  attracts 
them  when  the  substance  has  been  reduced  to  powder. 

This  iron  is  malleable.  I  have  in  my  possession  a  horse-shoe  nail  which  was  made  of  it  without  having  undergone 
a  previous  preparation,  but  it  is  harder  and  whiter  than  common  wrought  iron.  This  hardness  and  color  may  be  owing 
to  a  small  quantity  of  carbon  which  it  contains,  or  perhaps  to  the  nickel;  in  its  natural  state,  however,  the  color  of  the 
iron  differs  much  in  different  parts.  In  some  it  is  black  and  has  no  metallic  luster;  in  others  it  has  a  brilliant  metallic 
luster  and  is  then  always  much  whiter  than  steel  or  common  iron.  It  is  then  but  little  susceptible  of  being  tarnished 
when  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  air;  the  black  part  being  merely  tarnished  may  be  rendered  white  by  a  file;  in  some 
places  it  is  covered  with  a  kind  of  black  varnish. 

The  substance  which  constitutes  the  greatest  part  of  the  remainder  of  the  mass  is  graphite.  This  substance  is  not 
easily  distinguished  from  the  common  graphite  or  plumbago,  except  that  it  is  a  little  harder  than  the  common  granular 
and  compact  varieties,  and  is  also  rather  blacker  and  makes  a  finer,  blacker,  and  more  distinct  line  upon  paper  than 
common  plumbago.  When  rubbed  with  a  hard  body  it  assumes  a  bright  metallic  luster.  It  is  not  pure  graphite,  but 
rather  a  mixture  of  graphite  and  metallic  iron.  The  iron  can  be  partly  removed  by  a  magnet  when  the  graphite  is 
reduced  to  powder,  but  a  considerable  portion  remains  mixed  with  the  graphite  which,  when  acted  upon  with  hydro- 
chloric acid,  is  dissolved  with  a  brisk  effervescence  of  hydrogen  gas. 

The  sulphuret  of  iron,  pyrites,  occupies  the  smallest  portion  of  the  mass.  This  pyrites  is  not  attracted  by  the  magnet, 
nor  does  it  seem  to  act  upon  the  magnetic  needle.  It  can  easily  be  cut  with  a  knife  and  is  consequently 'softer  than 
common  pyrites.  It  does  not  give  sparks  when  struck  with  steel — another  property  which  distinguishes  it  from  common 
pyrites.  It  is  easily  soluble  in  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  with  a  brisk  evolution  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas,  leaving 
a  mixed  powder  of  white  and  black  in  the  fluid.  It  has  a  more  or  less  sublamellar  structure  in  which  no  regularity  can 
be  perceived,  and  a  color  between  bronze  yellow  and  copper  red,  often  tarnished. 

The  hydroxide  of  iron  which  forms  part  of  this  mass  is  a  heterogeneous  mixture  of  the  varieties  of  the  ore  generally 
known  under  the  names  of  brown  iron  ore  and  yellow  ocher,  and  resembles  this  terrestrial  mineral.  Its  color  is  generally 
brownish  black,  passing  into  liver  brown.  The  external  surface  of  the  mass  is  covered  here  and  there  with  the  yellow 
earthy  variety  (yellow  ocher) ;  how  far  this  covering  extended  I  am  not  able  to  say,  as  the  mass  was  too  roughly  handled 
before  any  part  of  it  came  into  my  possession.  Its  fracture  resembles  that  of  the  common  compact  brown  iron  ore.  The 
blackish  brown  variety  is  so  very  hard  that  the  best  file  is  immediately  dulled  upon  it  and  leaves  particles  of  the  steel 
on  the  surface  of  the  ore.  Nevertheless,  the  whole  is  not  of  uniform  hardness;  apart,  particularly  the  liver  brown,  being 
scratched  by  the  file. 

*  The  term  has  usually  been  spelled  Cosby's  Creek,  but  the  official  spelling  is  as  above. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  137 

Some  small  cavities  in  it  are  lined  with  lamellar  crystals  resembling  those  of  white  pyrites. 

This  hydroxide,  which  serves  as  a  matrix  of  the  metallic  iron,  is  not,  judging  from  my  specimens,  abundant  in  the 
interior  of  the  mass  but  the  exterior  of  the  mass  is  entirely  made  up  of  it.  At  some  places  it  is  about  1  inch  thick, 
while  at  others  it  is  no  more  than  one-quarter  of  an  inch,  showing  here  and  there  small  points  of  the  metallic  iron 
piercing  through  it. 

Such  are  the  character  and  appearances  of  this  mass  of  the  date  and  circumstances  of  whose  fall  nothing  is  known. 
It  was  accidentally  discovered  near  Cosby  Creek  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Cocke  County,  east  Tennessee  and,  as  I 
mentioned  above,  was  considered  as  silver  ore.  Indeed,  there  is  yet  a  fragment  of  it  in  the  hands  of  an  inhabitant 
who  asks  for  it  $1,500,  a  sum  which  would  be  some  hundred  dollars  too  much  if  it  were  pure  silver. 

CHEMICAL  CONSTITUENTS   OP  THE   DIFFERENT  PARTS. 

1.  Metallic  iron. — One  hundred  grains  of  the  metallic  iron  were  dissolved  in  diluted  hydrochloric  acid  leaving  a 
residue  of  half  a  grain  of  a  black  powder,  similar  to  that  obtained  from  the  graphite.  This  solution,  being  treated  with 
nitric  acid  to  convert  the  protoxide  into  peroxide,  was  precipitated  by  pure  ammonia.  The^precipitate  being  washed 
and  ignited  gave  124  grains  of  peroxide  =87  grains  of  iron.  The  ammoniacal  solution  gave  16  grains  of  protoxide  of 
nickel  =12  grains  of  metallic  nickel  with  a  trace  of  cobalt;  loss,  half  a  grain. 

Iron 87.0 

Nickel 12.0 

Carbon 0.5 

Loss...  0.5 


100.0 

2.  Graphite. — Fifty  grains  of  the  graphite,  being  pulverized  and  freed  by  a  magnet  from  intermixed  iron,  were  acted 
upon  with  diluted  hydrochloric  acid.  An  effervescence  took  place,  with  explosion  of  hydrogen  gas,  owing  to  metallic 
iron  which  was  so  intimately  mixed  with  the  graphite  that  it  was  not  attracted  by  the  magnet.  After  the  effervescence 
ceased  it  was  heated  in  order  to  dissolve  everything  that  was  soluble.  The  insoluble  part  was  washed  and  dried;  it 
was  pure  carbon  and  weighed  46.5  grains. 

The  hydrochloric  solution,  being  treated  with  nitric  acid  to  convert  the  protoxide  of  iron  into  peroxide,  and  pre- 
cipitated by  ammonia,  gave  peroxide  of  iron  equal  to  three  grains  of  metallic  iron.  The  filtered  solution  was  treated 
with  pure  potassa  and  a  hardly  perceptible  gray  flocculent  precipitate  was  obtained,  so  that  this  iron  was  free  from 

nickel. 

Carbon 9.5 

Iron 3.0 

Loss...  0.5 


•  100.0 

i 

3.  Sulphuret  of  iron. — A  small  fragment  of  the  pyrites  was  dissolved  in  diluted  hydrochloric  acid  under  a  brisk 
effervescence  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas.     Part  of  it  was  insoluble ;  this,  after  being  washed  and  dried ,  was  exposed  to 
heat,  by  which  the  sulphur  was  sublimed,  leaving  a  black  powder.    The  quantity  used  was  too  umall  to  determine  the 
proportion;  it  is  composed  of  sulphuret  of  iron  and  carbon. 

4.  Hydroxide  of  iron. — The  hydroxide  of  iron  lost  about  17  per  cent  by  being  heated  and  had  all  the  characters  of  a 
similar  residue  from  brown  ironstone  or  hematite. 

Shepard 2  gave  a  further  account  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Having  been  informed  by  Mr.  Edward  C.  Herrick  that  a  specimen  of  meteoric  iron  existed  in  the  museum  of  the 
East  Tennessee  University  of  Knoxville,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  President  J.  Easterbrook  of  that  institution,  desiring 
information  upon  the  subject,  and  if  possible,  a  fragment  for  analysis.  The  president  was  kind  enough  to  transmit  to 
me  a  specimen  for  examination,  together  with  the  following  notice  of  its  origin.  "  It  is  a  portion  of  an  irregular  mass, 
which  was  given  me  about  five  years  since.  The  mass,  as  you  have  been  informed,  was  discovered  in  Cocke  County. 
The  proprietor  resisted  for  some  time  all  importunities  to  discover  where  it  was,  believing  it  to  be  some  metal  of  great 
value.  I  assured  his  agent  that  it  was  native  iron,  and  probably  meteoric.  After  he  became  satisfied  of  its  character, 
many  individuals  examined  it  in  place.  It  was  entirely  insulated  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  weighed  about 
700  or  800  pounds.  Specimens  were  obtained  from  it  and  dispersed  through  the  country.  It  was  my  intention  to 
have  purchased  and  transported  the  entire  mass  to  Knoxville,  until  I  learned  that  Dr.  Troost.  geologist  to  the  State, 
had  obtained  the  refusal  of  it.  He  has  since  conveyed  it  to  Nashville." 

It  turns  out,  therefore,  to  be  a  portion  of  the  mass  described  by  Dr.  Troost.1  Having  been  presented  by  Dr.  Troost 
with  several  fragments,  as  illustrative  of  the  portion  in  his  hands,  I  found  on  comparing  them  with  the  specimen  sent 
by  president  Easterbrook.  that  the  latter  differed  very  much  from  the  former,  in  external  appearance.  Unlike  to 
them,  it  was  to  a  degree  free  from  the  plumbaginous  and  pyritous  admixtures'  with  which  they  abound.  It  agreed 
with  them,  however,  in  possessing  a  coarsely  crystalline  texture.  Its  proportion  of  nickel  falls  much  below  that 
quoted  by  Dr.  Troost;  but  this  is  a  circumstance  which  I  have  found  to  hold  true  in  the  Texas  iron,  wherein  my  experi- 
ments have  proved  the  nickel  to  vary  from  3.2  to  9.6  per  cent.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  mass  was  6.222. 


138  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

I.  Ten  grains  were  treated  with  nitrohydrochloric  acid.  The  metal  was  rapidly  taken  into  solution;  but  a  blackish 
residuum  remained.  This  was  treated  by  itself  with  heated  nitrohydrochloric  acid  for  several  hours.  The  quantity 
was  thereby  reduced;  but  a  few  black  grains  (of  the  size  of  fine-grained  gunpowder),  together  with  numerous  shining 
scales,  still  remained  in  the  fluid.  These  were  well  washed  and  dried.  They  weighed  0.01  gr.  The  acid  solutions 
were  mingled  and  precipitated  by  ammonia  in  large  excess.  The  fluid  stood  along  with  the  precipitate  for  six  hours 
at  a  temperajure  of  nearly  100°.  The  peroxide  of  iron  was  then  separated  and  thoroughly  washed  for  several  hours 
with  tepid  water.  The  washings  and  the  original  ammoniated  liquor  were  mingled  and  boiled;  after  which  they 
were  transferred  to  a  glass  bottle  and  decomposed  while  hot  by  potassa.  The  clear  liquid  was  separated,  after  twenty- 
four  hours,  by  filtering  (the  hydrosulphate  of  ammonia,  when  added  to  it,  produced  no  change  in  color).  The  precipi- 
tated oxide  of  nickel  was  ignited  and  weighed  0.6  gr.  The  peroxide  of  iron  after  ignition  weighed  13.4  gr.  We 
have  then — 

Iron 93. 80 

Nickel 4. 66 

Undissolved. .  0.10 


98.56 
A  second  and  parallel  analysis  was  conducted  upon  30  grs.,  the  results  of  which  were  as  follows: 

Peroxide  of  iron 40. 30=Iron 28. 210=94. 033 

Protoxide  of  nickel 1. 68=Nickel 1. 333=  4. 444 

Undissolved..  0.03=Undissolved...  0.030=0.100 


98. 577 

The  Undissolved  matter  from  both  the  analyses  was  examined  by  the  microscope.  It  was  principally  in  soft  black 
grains,  along  with  which  were  a  few  brilliant  scales  of  graphite.  Both  the  grains  and  the  scales  were  attracted  by  the 
magnet.  On  grinding  them  in  a  mortar,  they  gave  a  brown  powder,  in  which  little  particles  of  metallic  iron  were  felt 
beneath  th«  pestle.  The  powder  was  then  treated  with  nitrohydrochloric  acid,  whereby  the  iron  was  dissolved  out, 
leaving  behind  a  fine,  blackish  brown  powder. 

II.  Fifty  grains  of  the  meteoric  iron  were  now  subjected  to  the  following  analysis.  Distilled  water  was  boiled 
upon  the  iron  for  a  few  minutes.  A  portion  of  the  fluid,  separated  from  the  iron,  gave  with  nitrate  of  silver  no  pre- 
cipitate; another  portion  gave  with  chloride  of  barium  a  slight  precipitate.  The  iron  was  then  treated  with  nitro- 
hydrochloric acid.  The  action  of  the  acid  ceased  after  a  few  hours,  numerous  flakes  of  the  iron  remaining  in  the  flask, 
as  if  insoluble.  On  the  application  of  heat,  however,  the  action  was  renewed.  More  acid  was  subsequently  added 
and  the  digestion  continued,  until  the  solution  was  apparently  at  an  end.  The  black  grains  and  shining  scales  were 
separated,  washed,  dried,  and  rubbed  in  a  mortar  as  above.  The  blackish-brown  powder  (having  metallic  iron  inter- 
mixed) was  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid;  a  brisk  effervescence  from  the  evolution  of  hydrogen  immediately  ensued. 
When  the  action  had  ceased,  the  fluid  was  decanted,  and  the  residuary,, blackish-brown  powder  transferred  to  a  small 
platinum  capsule,  in  which  it  was  ignited  for  a  few  moments  with  exposure  to  the  air,  in  order  to  burn  off  the  free 
carbon.  It  was  then  ignited  to  low  redness  with  twice  its  weight  of  nitrate  of  potassa.  Water  was  boiled  on  the  fused 
mass;  a  portion  of  the  blackish  powder  still  remained.  The  solution  was  colorless,  showing  the  absence  of  chromium. 
Nitrate  of  silver  produced  in  it  a  pale,  yellowish  precipitate  of  phosphate  of  silver.  The  residuary  brown  powder 
was  now  ignited  for  several  minutes  with  dry  carbonate  of  potassa;  water  was  boiled  upon  the  same;  the  solution  was 
decomposed  by  nitric  acid,  and  then  evaporated  to  dryness,  after  which  the  addition  of  water  brought  flocks  of  silicic 
acid  into  view.  The  results  of  this  analysis  gave — 

Iron 93. 80 

Nickel 4. 66 

Carbon .1 

Silicon [-along  with  grains  of  iron  and  nickel  alloy 0. 10 

Phosphorus] 

Oxygen,  sulphate  of  iron,  sulphur,  moisture,  and  loss 1. 44 

100.00 

Since  my  return  to  New  Haven,  I  have  paid  some  attention  to  another  specimen  of  meteoric  iron  from  the  same 
mass  with  the  above,  which  was  kindly  afforded  me  by  Dr.  Troost.  On  breaking  it  to  obtain  a  fresh  fracture,  the 
regular  crystalline  structure  showed  itself  on  the  largest  scale.  The  clean  surfaces  were  intersected  by  layers  of  bril- 
liant magnetic  iron  pyrites,  varying  in  thickness  from  one-sixteenth  to  one-fourth  of  an'  inch,  whereby  a  series  of 
trihedral  and  rhombohedral  areas  of  various  sizes  were  produced.  These  regularly  inclosed  spaces  were  mostly  black, 
from  the  diffusion  of  a  sooty  form  of  carbon  between  the  plates  of  the  meteoric  iron.  The  contrast  between  the  areas 
and  the  separating  layers  of  pyrites  was  consequently  rendered  more  striking.  Besides  the  distribution  of  the  pyrites 
in  plates  or  veins,  it  also  occurs  in  balls  and  almond-shaped  masses,  sometimes  half  an  inch  or  more  in  thickness.  The 
structure  of  these  is  concentrically  laminar,  the  laminae  being  often  separated  by  iron  and  carbon.  The  pyrites  form 
nearly  one-sixth  of  the  mass.  Dr.  Troost  presented  me  also  with  several  loose  balls  of  the  shape  of  the  pyrites  masses, 
which  to  the  eye  seem  composed  of  little  else  than  carbon,  concerning  which  a  few  remarks  will  presently  be  subjoined. 
None  of  these  balls  are  found  embedded  in  the  specimen  I  am  more  particularly  describing. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  139 

If  we  except  the  bright  projecting  edges  of  the  pyritic  veins,  the  Wid  man  nstatten  figures  produced  by  etching 
with  dilute  nitric  acid  on  polished  surfaces  in  directions  of  cleavage  in  this  iron  are  by  no  means  striking.  Little 
channels  and  waving  striae,  bright  at  bottom  and  dull  at  top,  are  indeed  brought  into  view;  but  these  are  BO  minute  and 
irregular  as  to  require  the  use  of  a  microscope  before  their  true  character  is  detected.  If,  however,  cross  sections  to 
the  above  surfaces  are  polished  and  etched,  we  then  pee  the  delicate,  silver-white  lines  which  are  so  common  in  other 
meteoric  irons.  As  this  iron  is  cleavable  into  layers  of  extreme  tenuity,  I  selected  a  number  of  layers  whose  edges 
were  the  brightest  on  these  etched  surfaces,  for  analysis;  my  inquiry  being  chiefly  to  ascertain  whether  the  ratio  of 
the  iron  to  the  nickel  was  the  same  here  as  in  average  portions  of  the  mass.  I  was  satisfied  that  it  contained  no  greater 
per  cent  of  nickel  than  I  had  found  in  the  analysis  made  at  Charleston. 

In  polishing  some  of  the  carbonaceous  balls  above  alluded  to.  minute  grains  of  pyrites  were  rendered  visible; 
and  others  still  smaller,  which  had  a  more  silvery  whiteness.  A  small  fragment  was  crushed  under  water  in  a  mortar, 
and  yielded  white  malleable  grains,  similar  to  tin.  Portions  of  the  mass  were  then  acted  Xipon  by  the  blowpipe  along 
with  carbonate  of  soda,  when  the  most  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  presence  of  tin  was  afforded.  I  found  also  that 
(by  treating  these  carbonaceous  masses  with  nitric  acid  and  subsequently  igniting  with  potassa)  they  contain  silicon 
and  magnesium  in  decided  proportions,  with  traces  of  aluminum.  Their  shape  and  mode  of  occurrence  served  to 
suggest  an  analogy  they  sustain  to  the  embedded  grains  of  olivin  in  the  Pallas  iron  of  Siberia,  and  the  Otumpa  iron  of 
South  America,  the  difference  in  the  case  being  that  in  the  Tennessee  iron  no  oxygen  was  supplied  for  the  combustion 
of  the  silicon,  the  magnesium,  the  aluminum,  and  the  iron.  * 

Partsch  s  described  the  piece  in  the  Vienna  Museum  as  follows: 

Compact  and  dense  native  iron  with  little  pyrrhotite  and  (according  to  Professor  Troost)  much  graphite.  We 
have  only  some  small  oxidized  fragments  easily  disintegrating  like  that  of  Asheville.  The  crystalline  structure  is 
shown  by  the  well-marked  Widmannstatten  figures  on  etched  surfaces. 

Shepard  4  gave  the  following  additional  notes : 

For  our  earliest  notice  of  this  truly  wonderful  locality  of  meteoric  iron  we  are  indebted  to  Doctor  Troost  and  myself. 
The  history  of  this  locality  is  still  further  illustrated  by  the  following  particulars,  derived  from  two  letters  from  Judge 
Jacob  Peck,  of  Jefferson  County,  Tennessee,  the  one  dated  July,  1845,  and  the  other  December  of  the  same  year. 
Extract  from  the  former,  which  was  addressed  to  Dr.  J.  H.  Kain,  of  this  city:  "  The  large  mass  of  meteoric  iron  found 
some  years  ago  in  Cocke  County  (on  a  creek  called  Cosbys),  fell  into  the  hands  of  some  persons  who  tried  to  break  it  with 
sledge  hammers,  but  not  succeeding,  they  placed  it  upon  what  is  here  called  a  '  log-heap,'  where,  after  roasting  for  some 
time,  it  developed  certain  natural  joints  of  which  advantage  was  taken  with  cold  chisels  and  spikes  for  its  separation 
into  fragments.  These  were  put  into  a  mountain  wagon  and  transported  30  or  40  miles  to  a  sort  of  forge  and  there  ham- 
mered into  '  gun  scalps,'  apd  other  articles  of  more  common  use.  Some  remnants  of  the  mass  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Doctor  Troost.  The  original  mass  was  one  of  rare  character  and  ought  to  have  been  preserved  entire.  Much  of  it  was 
composed  of  large  and  perfect  octahedral  crystals.  Its  weight  was  about  a  ton.  Another  mass  weighing  112  pounds 
was  found  near  the  locality  of  the  larger  one.  This  also  was  malleable,  very  white,  and  easily  cut  with  a  sharp  instru- 
ment. It  was  picked  up  by  a  mountaineer  who,  supposing  it  to  be  silver,  asked  $1,500  for  it.  After  retaining  it  for 
some  years  he  finally  sold  it  to  a  friend  of  mine  for  a  small  sum,  who  transferred  it  to  Doctor  Troost." 

Extract  from  the  letter  of  December,  1845,  to  myself:  "  The  weight  of  the  mass  has  been  variously  estimated,  but  I 
am  certain  it  was  never  weighed  prior  to  its  being  broken  up.  It  was  probably  about  2,000  pounds.  In  figure  it  was 
an  oblong  square  block.  I  saw  several  very  regular  octahedral  crystals  that  had  been  detached  from  the  exterior  angles 
of  the  mass.  I  had  formerly  supposed  that  the  whole  of  it  had  been  taken  to  Lary's  forge,  in  Sevier  County,  and  the 
greater  part  of  it  there  wrought  into  'gun  scalps ' ;  but  very  recently  I  have  been  informed  that  part  of  it  was  taken  to 
the  forge  of  Peter  Brown  in  Green  County,  and  there  forged.  I  understand  that  a  man  by  the  name  of  McCoy  had  a 
neat  bar  forged  from  it  for  making  a  gun  barrel  which,  to  use  the  expression  of  Brown's  son,  'was  as  bright  as  silver.'  In 
the  conversation  young  Brown  informed  me  that  he  thought  a  piece  of  the  iron  in  its  natural  state  still  remained.  On 
searching,  it  was  found  by  a  little  girl  of  the  family.  It  weighs  rather  more  than  a  pound  and  had  been  preserved  by 
the  family  as  a  nutcracker. 

"  The  great  mass  was  found  on  a  hill,  or  rather  on  an  offset  of  an  eminence,  at  about  100  feet  above  the  bed  of  Cosby 
Creek.  I  was  at  the  place  after  the  mass  was  taken  away.  The  formation  was  a  hard  clay  slate,  and  very  little  impres- 
sion was  left  at  the  spot  except  some  stains  of  red  oxyd  of  iron.  McCoy,  who  claimed  to  be  the  owner  of  the  land,  took 
me  there  under  the  impression  that  I  should  be  able  to  aid  him  in  discovering  a  mine  of  pure  iron  near  the  spot, 
especially  as  the  mass  of  112  pounds  was  found  in  the  same  immediate  vicinity.  The  search  of  course  was  to  no  purpose. 
The  mass  of  112  pounds  appeared  to  me  to  be  identical  in  character  with  the  fragments  I  have  seen  of  that  supposed  to 
weigh  a  ton." 

The  specific  gravity  of  this  iron,  as  given  by  Partsch.  is  7.26.  I  have  found  that  of  the  included  magnetic  iron 
pyrites  to  be  4.454. 

Joy  5  gave  an  analysis  and  description  of  the  iron  as  follows : 

The  meteoric  iron  of  which  I  made  the  following  analysis  was  described  in  1840  by  Doctor  Troost,  of  Nashville,  in 
whose  possession  it  is  found.  The  mass  weighing  112  pounds  was  discovered  at  Cosby  Creek,  Cocke  County,  Tennessee, 
after  another  iron  mass  weighing  nearly  2,000  pounds  and  of  very  similar  character  had  been  found  a  little  earlier  in 


140  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

the  same  neighborhood,  which  unfortunately  was  worked  up  to  within  1  pound's  weight.  This  iron  is  especially 
noteworthy  because  of  its  great  similarity  with  the  Arva  iron  described  by  Haidinger.  At  least  this  similarity  was 
striking  in  the  specimen  found  in  the  Royal  Berlin  Museum,  as  well  as  in  a  small  fragment  of  28  grams  weight  which 
was  obtained  from  Sowerby  in  London.  On  the  surface  and  to  some  extent  in  the  body  of  the  mass  it  is  changed  into 
pyrosiderite,  which  crumbles  easily,  in  which  frequently  are  found  leaves  of  schreibersite,  sometimes  quite  large  and 
of  a  yellowish-white  color  with  a  metallic  luster  and  flexible  in  texture,  quite  similar  to  that  of  the  Arva  iron.  After 
etching  a  small,  well-polished  surface  on  this  iron,  a  very  noticeable  marking  of  fine  parallel  lines  appears,  which  is 
visible  to  the  naked  eye  in  the  sunshine  by  the  peculiar  luster  of  the  surface. 

The  small  fragments  of  the  Cosby  Creek  iron  which  served  as  the  materials  for  this  analysis  were  given  me  by  Mr. 
Sowerby  on  the  occasion  of  the  former's  last  visit  to  London.  They  were  all  very  much  oxidized  on  the  exterior. 

The  analysis  gave  the  following  results: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  Cu  and  Sn         Mn  Graphite  Quartz         S 

91.635        5.846       0.809        0.195  0.219  0.092  0.798  0.079  ?    =99.673 

Portion  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid,  3.21,  consisting  of  schreibersite,  graphite,  and  quartz. 

Bergemann  a  also  made  an  analysis  as  follows : 

I  undertook  an  analysis  of  this  meteoric  iron,  which  had  already  been  examined  by  Shepard,  as  I  possessed  a 
broken  fragment  of*4  grams  weight,  which  showed  very  distinctly  the  lamellae  that  are  insoluble  in  muriatic  acid.  I 
recorded  the  results  of  this  analysis  because  they  differ  from  those  of  Shepard.  The  specific  gravity  I  found  to  be 
7.257.  The  insoluble  residue  weighed  0.083  grams,  equal  to  2.075  per  cent.  No  hydrogen  sulphide  was  developed  in 
the  process  of  dissolving  the  material,  and  no  metal  was  precipitated  by  hydrogen  sulphide. 

The  residue  mostly  consisted  of  a  black  dust  in  which  yellowish  particles  of  a  metallic  luster  were  present  in  con- 
siderable quantity  in  the  form  of  small  scales  and  were  easily  removed  with  the  magnet.  The  black  amorphous  powder 
weighed  0.0077  grams,  burned  readily  when  heated  on  platinum  foil,  and  left  a  trace  of  a  residue  consisting  of  iron 
oxide.  The  particles  removed  by  the  magnet  and  freed  from  all  carbon  by  washing  possessed  a  gray  color  shading  into 
brown  and  a  specific  gravity  of  6.99. 

The  following  figures  were  yielded  by  the  analysis: 

Soluble.         Insol.  Res. 

Fe 90.096  1.802 

Ni 6.521  0.183 

Co 0.  332  

P 0.021  0.068 

C...  0.175 


99. 198 

Reichenbach  7  made  numerous  observations  upon  the  meteorite,  the  most  important  of 
which  are  as  follows.     In  Study  XII,  page  458,  he  says: 

If  we  consider  *  *  *  the  North  American  Sevier,  Caryfort,  and  Cosby,  as  well  as  Tejupilco  and  Bata,  we  find 
in  all  magnetic  pyrites  as  large  as  walnuts,  of  a  smooth  rounded  form,  or  in  the  form  of  sections  of  a  cone.  I  also 
possess  pieces  of  graphite  of  the  size  of  walnuts  from  the  Cosby  meteorite  which  fall  out  upon  crumbling  this  loose 
iron  mass. 

On  page  460  he  says: 

I  obtained  from  a  large  specimen  of  the  Sevier  meteorite  a  piece  of  pure  iron  sulphide  as  large  as  half  a  finger.  It 
fell  out  in  the  process  of  cutting  and  had  the  form  of  a  belemnite  (arrow  stone).  In  a  cross  section,  at  right  angles  with 
the  axis,  it  showed  distinct,  concentric  rings  and  the  longitudinal  section  showed  how  these  lay  one  over  the  other  in 
the  form  of  layers  and  scales  along  the  entire  length  of  the  body.  Such  a  case  occurs  seldom  enough  to  make  a  sketch 
worth  while  (which  is  accordingly  given  in  the  text).  It  is  very  easy  to  see  from  this  how  the  iron  sulphide  is  formed 
and  how  it  is  arranged  in  crystalline  layers  around  its  core.  The  hatching  shows  the  different  directions  of  the  foliation 
of  each  layer  of  pyrites.  Only  upon  the  first  thin  layer  around  the  core  is  the  foliation  indistinct.  But  the  entire  cone 
was  an  indisputable  product  of  free  crystallization  proceeding  intermittently. 

In  Study  XV,  page  111,  he  says: 

If  we  compare  further  the  coarser  meteoric  irons  we  see  the  Trias  recurring,  especially  in  Cosby,  the  light  gray 
beam-like  iron,  the  reddish  fawn-colored  band  iron,  and  the  grayish  plessite,  although  all  much  modified.  The  beam 
iron  indeed  shows  its  lines  or  hatching  distinctly  but  coarser.  On  the  other  hand,  this  is  no  longer  formed  in  such 
regular  bars,  no  longer  developed  in  the  beautiful  rectilinear  and  parallel  intersections,  but  is  sprawled  out  in  irregular, 
puffy,  and  nodular  masses  in  which  the  eye  is  able  only  with  difficulty  to  perceive,  in  the  larger  formations  a  longitudinal 
extension  in  contrast  with  breadth  and  thickness.  There  is  little  of  the  isabel-yellow  colored  band  iron,  it  is  so  thin 
that  it  must  be  sought  for  with  the  glass.  The  plessite  is  brighter,  approximates  the  beam  iron  in  color,  remains  always 
without  hatching,  and  is  by  this  single  characteristic  to  be  distinguished  from  the  latter. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  141 

He  further  described  the  structure,  pp.  127-129,  as  follows: 

I  have  followed  this  granulation  of  the  kamacite  most  carefully  in  the  case  of  Cosby.  Pieces  of  this  iron  meteorite 
are  so  incoherent  and  disrupted  throughout  its  entire  substance  that,  when  it  is  only  lightly  struck  with  a  hammer 
it  falls  apart  into  a  sort  of  iron  garble,  which  consists  of  many  sided  crumbs  and  grains,  all  covered  with  a  thin  efflor- 
esence  of  protoxide  of  iron.  Such  garble  in  abundance  has  reached  Europe  from  Cocke  County,  and  a  good  portion 
of  it  came  into  my  possession.  It  apparently  owes  its  origin  to  the  fissuring,  which  is  bound  up  with  its  fine  granular 
division;  if  individual  crumbs  be  further  merely  struck  upon  a  wooden  base,  many  of  them,  without  the  use  of  force, 
fall  apart  into  still  smaller  particles,  and  if  the  process  be  continued,  it  will,  if  properly  conducted,  break  up  the 
kamacite  into  its  ultimate  individual  grains. 

I  selected  many  individual  grains  from  this  garble,  and  after  grinding  them  in  all  directions  and  in  manifold  vari- 
ations, polished  and  etched  them.  In  all  cases  I  obtained  the  hatching  of  the  foliation  and  the  netting  of  the  grains. 
These  were  so  distinct  here  that  in  most  cases  they  were  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  The  phenomena  were  always  the 
same  upon  all  surfaces;  if,  where  they  were  found  visible  upon  beam  fragments,  the  granules  were  ground  and  etched 
from  above,  from  the  side,  or  from  beneath,  the  hatching  was  always  found  over  all  the  ground  surfaces  and  these  sub-  • 
divided  by  division  lines  into  a  mass  of  areas  resembling  a  land  map.  It  follows  that  the  granules  on  all  sides  had  the 
same  characters,  no  preferable  longitudinal  direction,  and  accordingly  were  in  all  respects  actual  granules.  Their 
coherence  with  one  another  in  the  case  of  Cosby  Creek  must  be  especially  weak  as  compared  with  other  meteorites, 
and  accordingly  a  somewhat  loose  coherence  pertains  to  those  masses  which  consist  almost  entirely  of  kamacite. 
There  is  only  one  locality  comparable  in  this  respect  with  it,  and  that  is  ita  neighbor,  Sevier.  This  also  crumbles 
very  easily,  and  my  compatriots  in  America  have  accordingly  frequently  expressed  the  opinion  that  Cosby  and  Sevier 
are  fragments  of  one  and  the  same  meteor.  This  is  entirely  wrong,  however;  these  two  meteorites  are,  mechanically 
and  chemically,  fundamentally  different,  as  will  be  shown  more  particularly  on  another  occasion.  When  I  was  inves- 
tigating the  iron-garble  of  Cosby  I  thought  I  had  found  a  good  occasion  to  discover  pure  kamacite  and  to  be  able  to 
isolate  and  analyze  it.  I  began  to  wash  and  purify  it,  but  so  many  variations  presented  themselves  among  these 
grains  that  I  was  compelled  to  doubt  whether  it  is  possible  to  recognize  beam  iron  that  is  unmistakable  and  ptoe 
enough  for  analysis. 

In  Study  XVI,  page  253,  he  says: 

There  are,  as  has  been  mentioned  here  before,  certain  of  the  Widmannstatten  group  of  meteoric  irons  which  occa- 
sionally have  a  loose  coherence.  They  are  easily  divided,  with  only  moderate  striking,  into  crumbs  which  follow 
the  natural  cleavage.  This  often  takes  place  in  the  line  of  the  tenite  plates,  which  become  loosened  and  produce 
fissures.  The  kamacite  and  plessite  then  separate  and  the  inner  scales  of  the  tsenite  then  fall  out  of  themselves.  This 
happened  in  the  case  of  Asheville,  Sevier,  and  Cosby.  Pieces  of  these  fell  apart  almost  of  themselves,  and  disclosed 
isabel-yellow  colored  particles  which  were  easily  picked  out  and  freed  from  all  adhering  matter. 

On  page  254  he  gives  the  specific  gravity  of  Cosby  as  7.260.  On  pages  257  and  258 
Reichenbach  gives  an  analysis  by  his  son  of  the  entire  Trias  of  Cosby,  that  is  of  the  crude 
meteorite  as  a  whole,  which  gave  the  following  figures  in  two  separate  analyses : 


Fe , 90. 125  89.  324 

Ni 1  9786  (10.123 

Co , [  a'7i  \0.422 

P 0.  089  0. 131 

S..                                                                          Trace.  Trace. 


100.  100. 

On  page  263  of  Study  XV,  Reichenbach  gives  the  specific  gravity  of  the  taenite  as  7.428. 
In  Study  XVII,  page  265,  he  states  that  the  plessite  of  Cosby  Creek  closely  resembles  the 
kamacite,  being  distinguished  only  by  its  duller  luster  and  absence  of  hatching.  In  Study  XX, 
page  621,  he  states  that  iron  sulphide  appears  upon  the  polished  but  unetched  surface  of  me- 
teorites in  three  colors.  Of  these  he  says  (pp.  621-625)  Cosby  contains — 

masses  an  inch  in  size  and  belonging  to  the  first  and  by  far  the  most  numerous  group,  namely  of  bronze-colored,  some- 
times like  polished,  sometimes  like  dull  undressed  gun  metal. 

*****#*** 
Cosby  and  some  others  have  very  bright  sulphide  which  is  sometimes  hard  to  distinguish  from  the  second  class  of 
brass-yellow  color. 

********* 
The  third  form,  or  whitish-yellow  colored  iron  sulphide,  is  found  well  formed  in  Sevier  (and  others).    Here  it  occurs 
with  and  adjacent  to  the  first  or  bronzercolored  variety,  and  indeed  it  embraces  the  latter,  incloses  it,  and  forms  the 
intermediate  member  between  the  bronze  colored  iron  sulphide  and  the  Trias.    It  extends  into  the  latter  and  forms 
.patches  in  it,  and  shows  its  own  color  in  marked  contrast  with  both  the  others. 


142  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

He  also  says,  page  634,  that  he  has — 

well-defined  cases  in  his  collection  where  the  whitish-yellow  (third  class)  compound  is  not  combined  with  pyrrhotite 
and  does  not  envelope  it,  but  is  associated  with  another  body — graphite — and  surrounds  large  lumps  of  it  as  in  other 
cases  it  does  the  pyrrhotite. 

Of  the  graphite  of  Cosby  Creek,  Reichenbach  says  (Study  XXI,  p.  577)  that  he  has  two 
specimens,  one — 

of  which  weighs  not  less  than  34  and  the  other  44  grams.  The  two  fit  together  on  the  rough  edges  exactly  and  were, 
therefore,  originally  one  piece,  which  weighed  SO  grams,  and,  judging  from  the  other  broken  surfaces,  must  have 
weighed  100  grams. 

On  page  579,  he  gives  the  specific  gravity  of  the  Cosby  specimen,  about  a  cubic  inch  in 
size,  as  3.564  "which  is  considerably  heavier  than  terrestrial  graphite,  apparently  because  of  a 
small  content  of  iron.  *  *  *  This  graphite  occurs  frequently  in  company  with  magnetic 
pyrites."  He  gives  a  figure  of  the  nodule,  and  on  page  586  he  states  that  he  observed  abun- 
dant and  fine  examples  of  iron  glass  in  his  specimen  of  Cosby. 

In  Study  XXIa,  pages  172  to  176,  he  says: 

If  meteoric  iron  (as  Cosby,  Arva,  etc.)  be  subjected  for  several  weeks  to  the  action  of  very  dilute  acid  (cold),  it 
will  gradually  dissolve,  and 

********* 
there  is  obtained  in  this  manner,  with  very  dilute  acid,  a  residue  which  makes  up  about  10  per  cent  of  the  meteorite 
of  Cosby.    *    *    *    The  black  fine-grained  powdery  residue,  amounting  to  2  per  cent  of  the  original  mass,  obtained 
from  the  treatment  of  the  above-mentioned  10  per  cent  residue  with  strong  acid  (applied  with  boiling  heat  for  several 
hours)  yielded  from  4  to  5  per  cent  of  phosphorus,  besides  iron  and  nickel.    Sulphur  was  lacking  in  it. 

********* 
Three  grams  of  the  2  per  cent  residue  above. from  the  Cosby  meteorite,  immersed  in  concentrated  cold  hydrochloric- 
acid,  was  dissolved  in  two  years  time  almost  completely  down  to  an  extremely  small  remainder  containing  almost 
nothing  but  carbon.    The  same  substance  treated  with  the  strongest  acid,  namely  concentrated  nitric  acid  or  aqua 
regia  (heated)  quickly  dissolved  entirely. 

******#*« 
In  the  toenite  obtained  from  Cosby  some  sulphur  was  found,  which  is  elsewhere  lacking. 

Rammelsberg 8  received  from  G.  Rose  a  specimen  of  iron  sulphide  from  the  Sevier  iron 
which  contained  particles  of  nickel-iron  which  "followed  the  magnet."  He  found  by  two 
analyses  1 .5  and  1 .9  per  cent  of  nickel  and  such  proportions  of  iron  and  sulphur  as,  by  reckoning 
the  nickel  with  the  latter,  gave  iron  sulphuret  here  also.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  iron  sul- 
phide in  Sevier  he  determined  to  be  4.817. 

Rose  *  describes  the  Berlin  specimen  of  Cosby  Creek  as  follows: 

Many  superficially  oxidized  octahedral  fragments  of  this  meteorite  were  received  by  gift  from  Professor  Troost 
together  with  small  pieces  of  graphite  and  troilite  from  the  same.  The  pieces  extraordinarily  resemble  those  of  the 
Arva  iron;  but  the  quantity  of  schreibersite  is  somewhat  greater  in  one  piece  of  Cosby  Creek.  On  one  piece  graphite 
is  mixed  with  troilite. 

Rose  also  mentions  a  piece  of  Sevier  County  which  he  received  from  Reichenbach  which 
he  does  not  find  to  differ  from  Cosby  Creek. 

In  1864,  Rammelsberg10  analyzed  the  iron  sulphide  previously  mentioned  as  obtained 
from  Rose,  and  obtained  the  following  result: 

1  2 

Residue 0.74    0.60    

Iron ...'. 62.18      62.65  61.43      61.80 

Nickel  (Co) 1.94       1.96  1.55       1.56 

Sulphur 35.14      35.39  36.42      36.64 


100          100  100  100 

Smith  ll  also  gave  an  analysis  of  "troilite  from  Sevier,"  as  follows: 

l  2 

Iron 63.80  63.48 

Sulphur 36.  28  36.  21 

No  trace  of  other  elements  was  found. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  143 

Smith  "  made  a  detailed  study  of  the  graphite  from  one  of  the  Cosby  Creek  masses  as 
follows: 

In  this  communication  I  call  special  attention  to  a  large  nodule  taken  from  the  very  center  of  the  Sevier  iron,  the 
largest  that  has  come  under  my  observation,  and  perhaps  the  largest  known.  It  was  detached  from  the  iron  entire 
and  perfect  in  every  respect.  Its  greatest  length  is  60  mm. ;  its  dimensions  in  the  other  direction  vary  from  20  to  35 
mm.  The  weight  before  it  was  cut  was  92  grams.  Its  form  is  that  of  an  irregular  dumb-bell,  flattened  on  one  side  and 
slightly  nodular  on  the  surface.  Its  color  is  plumbago-black,  except  at  small  places  on  the  surface,  where  there  is  a 
little  bronze-colored  troilite.  Its  texture  is  remarkably  close  and  compact,  and  it  is  cut  readily  by  the  saw,  except 
when  the  tool  encounters  particles  of  inclosed  troilite.  Its  structure  and  powder  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  close-textured 
graphite  of  Borrowdale  in  Cumberland,  England,  and  quite  unlike  the  scaly  graphite  such  as  that  from  Ceylon  or  that 
found  in  certain  cast  irons. 

Examined  from  the  circumference  to  the  center  this  nodule  presents  the  fojlowing  appearance:  About  one-fifth  of 
the  circumference  of  the  section  is  made  up  of  troilite  with  a  thickness  of  1  mm.  The  Ktmainder  of  the  section  has  all 
the  aspect  of  graphite  except  in  a  few  spots.  In  the  nodule  there  is  a  small  mass  of  troilite  not  unlike  in  form  the  entire 
nodule;  it  is  10  mm.  long  by  about  5  mm.  wide;  it  is  not  continuous  from  its  circumference  to  its  center,  but  the  center 
portion  is  cut  off  completely  from  the  exterior  portion  by  a  thin  belt  of  graphite  0.5  to  0.75  mm.  in  thickness.  Again 
on  other  parts  of  the  surface  small  particles  of  troilite  are  to  be  seen. 

The  specific  gravity  of  this  graphite  is  2.26,  as  determined  on  a  piece  in  which  no  troilite  was  visible  to  the  eye  and 
after  it  was  immersed  in  water  and  placed  under  the  receiver  of  an  air  pump  to  abstract  the  air  from  its  pores. 

Chemical  character  of  the  graphite  nodule. — When  pulverized  and  heated  from  100°  to  150°  C.  in  a  short  glass  tube 
water  is  given  off  which  is  doubtless  water  absorbed  from  the  air  by  the  graphite.  If  heated  a  little  higher  and  then 
brought  close  to  the  nose  a  slight  empyreumatic  odor  is  apparent;  if  heated  still  higher  there  is  a  slight  odor  of  sul- 
phureted  hydrogen.  If  heated  in  the  open  air  the  carbon  is  burnt  with  difficulty,  showing  its  true  graphitic  nature. 

Treatment  of  the  graphite  by  ether. — Very  pure  and  concentrated  ether  was  added  to  2  grams  of  material  in  powder 
and  nibbed  up  in  a  porcelain  mortar,  then  poured  into  a  small  beaker,  a  little  more  ether  was  added,  and  the  two 
allowed  to  remain  together  for  12  or  18  hours,  the  vessel  being  covered  to  prevent  evaporation.  The  ether  was 
then  filtered  off  from  the  graphite,  which  was  finally  washed  with  a  little  ether.  The  ether  was  allowed  to  evaporate 
slowly  in  the  uncovered  beaker,  placed  where  the  temperature  was  about  33°  C.  After  the  ether  had  evaporated,  long 
colorless  acicular  crystals  covered  the  rides  of  the  vessel,  and  some  shorter  ones  were  in  the  bottom.  There  were  also 
some  rhomboidal  crystals  and  rounded  particles.  The  solid  residue  exhaled  a  peculiar  odor  of  an  aromatic  character, 
somewhat  alliaceous.  The  quantity  of  these  crystals  was  small,  not  exceeding  15  milligrams  from  2  grams  of  the 
graphite.  Heated  on  a  piece  of  platinum  foil,  they  fuse  at  about  120°  C.  Heated  in  a  small  tube  .closed  at  one  end,  they 
first  melt  and  then  volatilize,  condensing  in  yellow  drops  that  soon  solidify  leaving  a  carbonaceous  residue.  They  are 
not  soluble  in  alcohol,  but  very  soluble  in  sulphide  of  carbon.  Fuming  nitric  acid  oxidizes  the  material  and  gives  as  one 
of  the  products  sulphuric  acid.  The  quantity  was  too  small  to  admit  an  ultimate  analysis,  but  it  was  very  evident  that 
sulphur  was  the  predominating  constituent,  the  remainder  being  carbon  and  hydrogen.  These  three  elements  may  be 
combined,  forming  a  peculiar  sulp-hydrocarbon  which  in  a  previous  note  I  called  cehstialite,  or  it  may  be  sulphur  con- 
taining a  minute  quantity  of  hydrocarbon  that  gives  the  peculiar  odor  and  determines  the  somewhat  singular  form  of 
crystallization  of  the  sulphur,  for  these  acicular  crystals  may  be  only  elongated  rhombohedrons. 

Be  the  compound  what  it  may,  it  is  a  matter  of  chemical  and  astronomical  interest  that  a  solid  graphite  nodule 
thus  incased  in  iron  should  contain  a  sulph-hydrocarbon,  or  free  sulphur  and  a  hydrocarbon. 

The  graphite  powder  after  treatment  with  ether  was  then  treated  with  the  bisulphide  of  carbon  (which  was  redis- 
tilled just  before  use),  and  after  standing  two  or  three  hours  was  thrown  on  a  filter;  the  filtrate  was  evaporated  to  dryneas, 
and  the  residue  was  a  yellow  solid;  in  this  instance,  as  in  the  last,  the  quantity  was  small.  This,  when  heated  in  the 
open  air  on  platinum  foil  to  a  red  dull  heat,  first  melts  at  about  the  temperature  that  sulphur  melts,  and  finally  the 
sulphur  is  burnt  off,  leaving  a  carbonaceous  residue.  When  heated  in  a  tube  it  sublimes,  leaving  a  black  residue. 

To  all  appearances  this  is  the  same  substance,  or  mixture  of  substances,  that  was  extracted  by  the  ether,  the  eth«r 
not  having  exhausted  the  graphite  in  the  first  treatment. 

Later  Smith  lt  oxidized  the  graphite  of  the  meteorite. 

In  1878  Smith 13  found  daubr6elite  in  the  troilite  of  the  meteorite. 

In  1881  Smith  "  mentioned  thin  white  metallic  spangles  from  decomposed  portions  of  the 
meteorite  which  contained  27  per  cent  of  nickel  and  73  per  cent  of  iron.  This  was  undoubtedly 
tsenite. 

Brezina  1S  classed  Cosby  Creek  in  the  Bendego  group  of  coarse  octahedrites.  The  width  of 
the  lamellae  he  gave  as  1.5  to  2  mm.  The  characters  which  he  assigns  to  this  group  are  as 
follows: 

Lamellae  bunched,  irregularly  bounded,  strongly  hatched,  with  lively  oriented  sheen.  Kamacite  predominant; 
fields,  combs,  and  plesrite  lacking  or  minute. 


144  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Huntington  16  noted  the  presence  of  tsenite  in  the  form  of  thin  elastic  foil  separable  from  the 
meteorite.  He  17  also  gave  the  following  description  of  the  specimens  of  the  meteorite  in  the 
Harvard  collection: 

COSBYS  CEEEK,  Cocke  County,  Tennessee,  U.  S.  A. 

Mass  of  12.750  grams. — One  polished  face,  showing  great  variation  in  structure.  Portions  of  the  surface  show  regular 
and  well-marked  Widmansta  tten  figures,  while  other  parts  show  only  irregular  polygonal  masses  with  no  appearance 
of  crystalline  structure.  Moreover,  bright  nickeliferous  iron  appears  abundantly  in  some  places,  while  other  portions 
of  the  surface  are  entirely  free  from  it.  The  exterior  shows  a  very  octahedral  structure,  and  the  plates  are  separated  by 
a  thick  foil  of  schreibersite,  which  can  be  easily  detached  from  the  iron.  (Smith  collection.) 

Mass  of  451  grams. — One  polished  face  showing  characteristic  Widmanstatten  figures  with  sections  of  bright  nickel- 
iron.    The  exterior  shows  very  striking  octahedral  structure,  and  several  of  the  octahedral  faces  have  been  polished  and 
etched,  showing  no  figures.    Contains  a  very  large  nodule  of  troilite.     (Smith  collection.) 
SEVIEB  COUNTY,  found  in  1845,  but  evidently  identical  with  Cocke  County. 

Mass  of  7.710  grams. — Mass  with  two  cut  faces,  one  face  containing  a  large  nodule  of  graphite.  The  exterior  shows 
beautiful  octahedral  structure.  (Smith  collection.) 

Mass  of  70  grams. — Nodule  of  graphite,  formerly  weighed  80  grams,  but  has  been  cut.  Also  numerous  other  nodules 
of  graphite  and  troilite.  (Smith  collection.) 

Mass  of  711  grams. — Complete  individual,  containing  a  large  nodule  of  graphite  and  showing  all  the  characteristics 
structure  of  the  Cocke  County  iron.  This  specimen  was  presented  to  the  cabinet  by  Prof.  N.  S.  Shaler  and  is  reported 
to  have  come  from  Lebanon  County,  Tenn.,  but  is  evidently  the  same  as  the  Sevier  and  Cocke  County  irons. 

Fletcher  18  described  crystals  of  graphitic  carbon,  cubo-octahedral  in  form,  visible  in  some 
of  the  crevices  of  a  large  graphitic  nodule  from  the  meteorite. 
Meunier 19  grouped  the  meteorite  as  arvaite.     He  states : 

The  schreibersite  which  abounds  is  in  the  form  of  an  irregular  network  and  the  metal  gives  very  imperfect  Wid- 
mannstatten  figures.  There  is  considerable  carbon,  and  Fletcher  has  noted  cliftonite. 

Huntington20  regarded  a  number  of  the  Tennessee  meteorites  as  belonging  to  the  Cosby 
Creek  find.  He  also  described  an  octahedron  found  in  graphite  from  the  Cosby  Creek  iron 
as  follows: 

While  examining  a  nodule  of  graphite  formerly  obtained  by  J.  Lawrence  Smith  from  the  Sevier  County  iron,  it  was 
accidentally  broken  and  showed  in  its  interior  what  appeared  to  be  a  skeleton  octahedron  of  graphite  three-eighths  of 
an  inch  in  diameter,  and  with  all  but  one  of  its  faces  sufficiently  perfect  for  measurement  by  an  application  goniometer. 
This  striking  feature  at  once  suggests  that  this  also  may  be  a  pseudomorph  after  diamond. 

Cohen  21  found  that  the  meteorite  acted  Like  soft  iron  in  not  acquiring  permanent  magnetism. 

The  distribution  of  the  meteorite  recorded  by  Wulfing  22  is  98,637  grams.  The  British 
Museum  has  52+  kg.;  Harvard,  21  +  kg.;  Tubingen,  12+  kg.;  and  numerous  other  collections 
the  remainder. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1840:  TEOOST.    Description  and  analysis  of  a  meteoric  mass  found  in  Tennessee,  composed  of  metallic  iron, 

graphite,  hydroxide  of  iron,  and  pyrites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  38,  pp.  250-254. 

2.  1842:  SHEPAED.    Analysis  of  meteoric  iron  from  Cocke  County,  Tennessee,  with  some  remarks  upon  chlorine  in 

meteoric  iron  masses.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  43,  pp.  354-359. 
g.  1843:  PAETSCH.    Meteoriten,  p.  117. 

4.  1847:  SHEPABD.    Report  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  4,  pp.  83-85. 

5.  1853:  JOY.    Analyse  des  Meteoreisens  von  Cosbys  Creek.    Ann.  Chem.  Pharm.,  Bd.  86,  pp.  39-43. 

6.  1857:  BEBGEMANN.    Untersuchungen   von  Meteoreisen.     Ann.  Phys.  und   Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  100,  pp. 

254-255. 

7.  1859-1863:  VON  KBICHENBACH.    No.  12,  pp.  457,  458,  460;  No.  15,  pp.  Ill,  112,  127,  128,  129;  No.  16,  pp.  253, 

254,  257-258,  263;  No.  17,  p.  265;  No.  20,  pp.  621,  623,  625,  634;  No.  21,  pp.  577,  578,  579,  586;  No.  21a,  pp.  172, 
173,  174,  176. 

8.  1862:  RAMMELSBEEG.    Ueber  das  Schwefeleisen  der  Metoeriten.    Monatsber.  Berlin.  Akad.,  pp.  689-691. 

9.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  57-58  and  59. 

10.  1864:  RAMMELSBEBG.    Ueber  das  Schwefeleisen  der  Meteoriten.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  121, 

pp.  366-367. 

11.  1875:  SMITH.    Troilithe,  sa  vraie  place  min.e'ralogique  et  chimique.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  81,  pp.  976-978. 

12.  1876:  SMITH.    Carbon  compounds.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  pp.  392,  393,  434,  and  435. 

13.  1878:  SMITH.    On  the  composition  of  the  new  meteoric  mineral  Daubreelite,  etc.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol. 

16,  p.  272. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  145 

14.  1881:  SMITH.    Anomalie  magnetique  du  fer  me'teorique  de  Sainte-Catherine.     Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  92,  pp. 

843-844. 

15.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  207,  214,  and  234. 

16.  1885:  HCNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  p.  288. 

17.  1887:  HUNTINGTON.    Catalogue  of  all  recorded  meteorites,  pp.  61-62. 

18.  1887:  FLETCHER.    Cubic  crystals  of  graphitic  carbon.    Nature,  vol.  36,  p.  305. 

19.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  pp.  29,  34*,  and  72. 

20.  1894:  HUNTING-TON.    The  Smithville  meteoric  iron.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  arid  Sci.,  vol.  29,  p.  259. 

21.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien,  IV.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.,  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  83,  84,  and  85. 

22.  1897:  WUIJING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  87-89. 


cosmA. 

Loma  de  la  Cosina  or  Cerro  Coaina,  near  Dolores  Hidalgo,  State  of  Guanajuato,  Mexico. 

Latitude  21°  V  N.,  longitude  100°  34'  W. 

Stone.     Crystalline  chondrite  (Ck)  of  Brezina;  Sigenite  (type  24)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  11  a.  m.,  January,  1844;  mentioned,  1866. 

Weight,  1.2  kgs.  (2.6  Ibs.). 

Brief  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  made  by  Burkart 2  as  follows: 

This  stone  fell  some  time  in  January,  1844,  at  about  11  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  The  fall  of  the  stone  and  the 
preceding  flash  of  light  were  observed.  The  entire  stone  had  an  oval  form  and  a  distinctly  crystalline  structure. 
Specific  gravity  (Krantz),  3.095. 

Buchner s  gave  the  following  account: 

Herr  Dr.  Krantz.  in  Bonn,  has  kindly  sent  me  for  publication  the  following  notice:  "From  Professor  Castillo,  in 
Mexico,  Gehimrath  Burkart  and  I  received  about  a  year  ago  half  of  a  meteorite,  hitherto  umnentioned,  with  the 
following  notice:  In  January,  1844,  about  11  a.  m.  (date  not  given),  a  strange  sound  aroused  the  attention  of  laborers 
on  the  hill  of  Cosina  about  8  leagues  east  of  Dolores  Hidalgo.  At  the  same  time  they  saw  an  illuminated  body  proceeding 
in  a  straight  line  and  leaving  behind  a  trail  of  light.  The  light  as  well  as  the  trail  was  white  and  weak.  As  the  sound 
ceased  a  cloud  of  dust  arose  and  the  laborers  ran  to  see  what  had  fallen.  They  found  a  hole  2  feet  deep  out  of  which 
they  raised  the  meteorite. 

"The  stone  has  an  oval  form  somewhat  compressed  in  the  middle.  It  has  some  similarity  to  the  meteorite  of 
Bremervorde.  It  is  distinguished,  however,  from  all  hitherto  known  meteorites  by  its  remarkable  crystalline  structure. 
The  whole  mass  consists  of  crystals,  the  form  of  which  is  not  discernible.  Under  a  lens  they  show  adamantine  luster 
and  may  be  anorthite.  Iron  is  sparsely  present.  The  specific  gravity  I  found  to  be  3.095."  The  remark  that  the 
meteorite  is  like  that  of  Bremervorde  is  peculiar,  since  while  this  consists  almost  wholly  of  crystals  Bremervorde  is  not 
crystalline. 

Meunier  *  classifies  the  meteorite  as  sigenite,  and  Brezina 5  as  crystalline  chondrite.  Cas- 
tillo *  gives  a  more  extended  account  of  the  meteorite  than  other  writers,  but  his  statements 
are  meager  enough.  He  says: 

Meteorite  de  Loma  de  la  Cosina — it  fell  upon  the  hill  of  this  name  35  km.  east  of  the  village  of  Dolores  Hidalgo 
on  a  clear  day  in  the  month  of  January,  1844,  at  11  a.  m.,  in  the  presence  of  laborers  who  raised  it  by  means  of  a  goad 
from  a  hole  2  feet  deep  in  which  it  had  buried  itself.  It  was  of  an  amygdaloidal  form  and  was  broken  in  two  pieces, 
having  a  total  weight  of  1.2  kg.  The  meteorite  is  composed  of  mixed  feldspar  and  meteoric  iron  and  is  surrounded  by  a 
dark  crust  of  the  same  iron.  The  smaller  fragment  was  presented  and  sent  by  me  to  Mr.  Burkart,  in  Bonn,  who  gave 
one  part  to  the  British  Museum  (Natural  History)  and  another  to  the  Vienna  Natural  History  Museum. 

The  above  seems  to  complete  the  known  history  of  the  meteorite.  The  whereabouts  of 
only  284  grams  are  traced  by  Wulfing,7  although  he  states  that  according  to  Rath  a  fragment 
is  in  the  collection  of  the  School  of  Mines  in  Mexico  and  that  Castillo  perhaps  possessed  a  piece. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1865:  BURKABT:  Verh.  naturhist.  Verein  Bonn  (Sitzber.),  Bd.  22,  p.  71. 

2.  1866:  BURKART:  Fundorte  III.    Xeues  Jahrb.,  p.  401-102. 

3.  1866:  BUCHNER:  Neue  Meteoriten.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  129,  pp.  350-351. 

4.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  p.  188. 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  191  and  233. 

6.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Meteorites,  p.  12. 

7.  1897:  WULFING.     Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  89-90. 

716°— 15 10 


146  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

COSTILLA. 

North  side  of  Costilla  Peak,  Sangre  de  Cristo  Range,  Taos  County,  New  Mexico. 
Latitude  36°  55'  N.,  longitude  105°  3(X  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1881;  described  1895. 
Weight,  35  kgs.  (78  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Hills  *  as  follows : 

This  meteorite,  which  for  several  years  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  society,  was  found  in  August,  1881,  on 
the  north  slope  of  Costilla  Peak,  about  6  miles  south  of  the  boundary  line  between  Colorado  and  New  Mexico.  The 
date  of  the  fall  is  unknown.  The  disco  verer/was  a  Mexican  sheep  herder  named  Ignacio  Martin,  who  the  same  year 
sold  the  specimen  to  an  old  settler,  one  Thomas  Tobeus,  receiving  in  exchange  a  small  pony.  Tobeus  kept  the  speci- 
men for  several  years  concealed  under  a  manure  pile  in  his  barn,  until  Mr.  E.  C.  van  Diest,  hearing  of  its  existence 
and  recognizing  its  true  character,  purchased  it  for  the  society.  According  to  Mr.  van  Diest,  to  whom  the  writer  is 
indebted  for  these  particulars,  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  more  specific  information  in  regard  to  locality  and  occurrence, 
for  the  reason  that  Martin  and  his  associates  entertain  the  belief  that  the  mass  is  native  silver  derived  from  a  rich  lode 
somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  the  find,  and  they  are  naturally  desirous  of  discovering  and  locating  the  bonanza  them- 
selves. Previous  to  slicing,  the  dimensions  of  the  mass  were:  Length  32  cm.,  breadth  23  cm.,  thickness  near  center 
10  cm.  The  weight  on  platform  scales  was  approximately  78  pounds.  When  viewed  in  the  direction  of  the  shortest 
diameter,  the  outline  is  roughly  rectangular.  Of  the  two  principal  faces,  one  is  rounded  and  comparatively  smooth; 
the  other,  if  anything,  slightly  concave  with  deep  flutings  and  cavernous  depressions.  Two  of  the  adjacent  edges  are 
comparatively  thin  and  beveled.  Of  the  other  two,  the  longer  exhibits  a  series  of  deep  grooves,  rudely  parallel  with 
the  short  diameter  of  the  mass,  though  preceptibly  divergent;  the  shorter  has  a  smooth,  facet-like  termination.  The 
well-preserved  surface  shows  the  fine  strise  usually  ascribed  to  the  flow  of  the  metal  while  passing  through  the 
atmosphere. 

The  etched  surface  shows  the  crystalline  structure,  which  is  approximately  parallel  with  the  direction  of  the  octa- 
hedral cleavage.  The  kamacite  bands  are  from  1  to  2  mm.  in  width  and  of  considerable  length.  The  taenite  lines, 
which  are  irregular  in  trend  and  direction,  are  of  capillary  size  and  only  visible  through  a  lens  or  in  strong  reflected 
light.  Here  and  there  are  small  nodules  of  troilite,  from  1  to  10  mm.  in  diameter,  some  of  which  inclose  a  dark-gray 
substance  resembling  graphite.  The  etched  surface  is  traversed  by  prominent  irregular  cracks,  roughly  following 
the  planes  of  cleavage,  some  of  which  inclose  a  black  substance  resembling  graphite. 

Analysis  by  Mr.  L.  G.  Eakins: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  S 

91.65        7.71        0.44        0.10        0.26    =100.16 

Mr.  Eakins  says:  "The  sulphur  of  course  indicates  the  presence  of  troilite,  which  was  plainly  visible  in  the  piece 
sent  to  me,  and  would  be  equivalent  to  one-half  of  1  per  cent  of  this  substance.  The  phosphorus  is  derived  from  the 
schreibersite  which  was  evidently  present,  being  noticeable  as  the  iron  was  being  dissolved." 

As  the  sample  contained  one  of  the  larger  nodules  the  troilite  is  probably  less  than  is  estimated  by  the  analyst. 

Brezina 2  says  of  Costilla: 

Costilla  Peak  shows,  on  a  plate  cut  through  the  whole  mass,  beautiful  orientation  of  the  surface;  the  convex  edge 
face,  plainly  belonging  to  the  front  side,  shows  traces  of  the  somewhat  rusted,  thin  front  crust  along  which  runs  a 
glimmering  alteration  zone  2  to  5  mm.  thick.  The  concave  opposite  side  shows  a  rear  side  crust  0.5  to  2  mm.  thick,  at 
the  thicker  points  concentrically  layered,  and  an  alteration  zone  1  to  9  mm.  thick.  The  lamellae  are  long,  straight, 
grouped,  0.8  mm.  thick,  the  tsenite  weak,  fields  predominant,  mostly  containing  repetitions  of  the  lamellae.  The  kama- 
cite and  fields  are  granular;  the  former  coarse,  the  latter  fine.  There  are  many  troilite  grains  and  plates  distributed 
through  the  whole  mass.  Great  similarity  with  Independence. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1895:  HILLS.    The  Costilla  Meteorite.    Proc.  Colorado  Sci.  Soc.,  read  January  7,  1895.     (Illustrations  and  analysis 

by  Eakins.) 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.     Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  280. 


Couch  Iron,  see  Fort  Duncan. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  147 

CRAB  ORCHARD. 

Crab  Orchard  Mountains,  Cumberland  County,  Tennessee. 

Here  also  Powder  Mill  Creek  and  Rockwood. 

Latitude  35°  507  X.,  longitude  84°  47'  W. 

Iron-etone.    Grahamite  of  Brezina;  Logronite  (type  31)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1887;  described  1887. 

Weight:  At  least  five  masses  weighing  85,  9,  5.75,  and  3.5  pounds;  total  about  50  kgs.  (107  Ibe.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  given  by  Howell l  as  follows: 

About  the  middle  of  March,  1887,  Mr.  Elihu  Humbree  found,  on  land  owned  by  Mr.  W.  B.  Lenoir,  8.5  miles  west 
of  Rockwood  Furnace,  Cumberland  County,  Tennessee,  several  pieces  of  what  has  proved  to  be  a  meteorite  of  very 
great  interest,  belonging  to  the  rare  class  of  siderolites,  resembling  in  general  appearance  the  Atacama,  but  differing 
very  widely  in  the  nature  of  the  silicate.  Mr.  Humbree,  mistaking  the  bright  specks  of  nickeliferous  iron  for  silver, 
detached  several  large  pieces  and  many  small  fragments  in  the  attempt  to  find  a  lump  of  native  silver. 

Three  or  four  weeks  later,  Mr.  Lenoir,  suspecting  the  nature  of  the  find,  secured  the  whole  of  it  with  the  exception 
of  some  small  pieces  which  had  been  given  to  friends.  Several  weeks  later  the  entire  mass  was  secured  by  Ward  and 
Howell. 

The  main  mass  is  an  irregular  ellipsoid,  with  one  side  a  little  flattened  and  noticeable  on  account  of  the  almost 
entire  absence  of  the  usual  pittings  which  are  present  elsewhere  on  the  surface.  It  measures  14f  by  10  by  8J  inches. 
The  weight,  which,  owing  to  the  loss  of  some  of  the  fragments  can  not  be  determined  accurately,  is  83  pounds.  Three 
other  smaller  masses  bring  the  weight  of  the  entire  find  to  fully  100  pounds  (probably  203  pounds  more),  of  which  96.5 
pounds  have  been  received. 

The  analyses  thus  far  made  show  it  to  be  in  the  main  a  silicate  of  alumina,  lime,  magnesia,  and  ferrous  oxide, 
probably  in  the  form  of  anorthite  and  augite,  with  no  olivine.  The  iron  grains  contain  12  per  cent  of  nickel,  a  trace 
of  copper,  and  seem  to  be  distributed  quite  evenly  through  the  mass.  One  nodule  of  iron,  however,  measures  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  shows  the  Widmannst&tten  figures  very  characteristically  on  the  etched  surface. 
Although  the  analysis  shows  an  unusually  large  percentage  of  nickel  present,  decomposition  has  only  affected  the 
surface  and  the  seams,  and  to  so  slight  a  degree  that  the  original  black  crust  still  remains  over  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  surface. 

As  to  the  length  of  time  it  has  lain  exposed  since  its  fall,  nothing  is  definitely  known.  In  the  late  autumn  of  1880, 
however,  between  5  and  6  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  meteor  was  seen  passing  to  the  northwest  over  Morgan  County, 
Georgia,  which  left  a  dense  trail,  not  very  wide,  of  light-colored  smoke,  which  could  be  seen  for  at  least  half  an  hour, 
and  which  gradually  spread  out  thin  and  wooly  like  ordinary  smoke.  A  loud  report,  thought  to  be  about  3  minutes 
after  the  passage  of  the  meteor,  was  heard  by  persons  who  did  not  see  it,  as  well  as  by  those  who  did.  This  meteor 
may  be  the  one  from  which  we  have  this  meteorite. 

A  more  detailed  study  was  given  by  Whitfield l  in  November  of  the  same  year  as  follows: 

The  Rockwood  meteorite  was  found  about  the  middle  of  March,  1887,  by  Mr.  Elihu  Humbree  on  a  range  of  the 
Crab  Orchard  Mountains.  The  field  in  which  it  was  picked  up  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  W.  B.  Lenoir,  and  is  situated  8.5 
miles  west  from  Rockwood,  Tennessee,  in  Cumberland  County.  The  material  for  analysis  was  received  from  Mean. 
Ward  and  Howell,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  the  present  owners  of  the  meteorite,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the 
privilege  of  description. 

There  were  three  pieces  found,  the  smallest  measuring  4  by  3  by  2.5  inches  and  weighing  3  pounds  10.5  ounces; 
the  next  larger  measuring  7}  by  6J  by  2|  inches  and  weighing  5  pounds  13.5  ounces;  and  the  largest,  an  irregular  egg- 
shaped  mass  a  little  flattened  on  one  side,  measuring  14f  by  10  by  8J  inches,  with  a  weight  of  about  85  pounds,  and  a 
specific  gravity  of  4.240. 

The  mass  is  quite  brittle,  very  hard  to  saw,  but  easily  broken  by  hammering.  Cut  slices  show  many  irregularly 
shaped  stony  fragments  with  some  nodules,  the  largest  seen  being  about  f  by  f  inches  on  the  surface  diameter.  In 
the  larger  slices  the  stony  part  is  so  broken  as  to  give  the  polished  surface  a  brecciated  appearance.  In  analysis,  the 
metallic  portion  was  freed  from  the  mineral  part  by  crushing  to  rather  fine  particles  and  separating  by  the  aid  of  a 
magnet.  This  was  again  treated  in  the  same  manner,  and  the  resulting  metal  washed  with  alcohol  and  quickly  dried; 
by  fhia  method  it  was  found  possible  to  free  the  metal  from  all  but  the  merest  trace  of  stony  substance. 

The  metallic  portion  proved  to  be  an  alloy,  rich  in  nickel,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  figures: 

Fe 87.59 

Ni 12. 09 

Co Trace. 

Cu , Trace. 

P None. 

S None. 

99.68 


148  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  metallic  grains  seem  to  be  quite  evenly  distributed  through  the  mass.  In  but  one  instance  does  a  nodule 
appear  to  have  attained^a  size  larger  than  that  of  a  pea,  and  on  the  section  of  this  nodule  we  were  able  to  obtain  the 
Widmannstatten  figures  by  etching. 

The  rocky  part,  after  being  freed  as  well  as  possible  from  metal,  was  finally  ground  and  digested  with  dilute  hydro- 
chloric acid,  and  the  resulting  soluble  and  insoluble  portions  investigated  separately,  but  from  the  fact  of  there  being 
a  number  of  minerals  mixed  together,  no  satisfactory  conclusion  could  be  drawn  from  the  examination.  The  mass 
was  therefore  analyzed  as  a  whole  with  the  following  result: 

Si02 .' 41.92 

A12O3 9. 27 

FeO 22. 94 

CaO 9.09 

MgO '. 8. 76 

Fe 3. 75 

Ni 1. 74 

Cl 0. 18=0. 32  FeCLj 

P 0. 65 

S-.  1.58 


99.88 

By  the  analysis  of  the  portions  soluble  and  insoluble  in  dilute  acid,  it  was  found  that  the  greater  part  of  the  lime 
and  but  a  trace  of  the  magnesia  had  gone  into  solution,  proving  the  absence  of  olivine,  and  giving  grounds  for  the  sup- 
position that  the  rocky  portion  is  mainly  a  mixture  of  anorthite  and  a  silicate  related  to  augite,  but  very  rich  in  iron. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  ratio  between  iron  and  nickel  in  the  metallic  portion  is  greater  than  that  in  the  rock. 
This  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  in  the  rocky  part  of  the  meteorite,  the  iron,  as  metal,  has  been  greatly  oxidized, 
as  is  shown  by  the  large  amount  of  rust  covering  the  specimens,  caused  no  doubt  by  the  chloride  of  iron  present,  and 
is  reckoned  as  FeO,  accounting  for  the  large  proportion  of  iron  in  the  supposed  augite. 

Owing  to  the  bad  condition  of  the  fragments  subjected  to  analysis,  we  have  no  grounds  on  which  to  compute  the 
phosphorus  and  sulphur  as  schreibersite  and  troilite,  but  from  the  fact  of  these  minerals  being  among  the  more  common 
constituents  of  this  class  of  meteorites,  and  also  that  in  the  main  analysis  of  the  rock  portion  phosphorus  and  sulphur 
were  found,  it  is  probable  that  the  phosphide  and  sulphide  of  iron  are  two  of  the  minerals  present. 

One  of  the  polished  slices  contained  a  nodule  of  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  which  was  sacrificed  in  order 
that  its  nature  might  be-  determined,  and  the  following  figures  give  the  results  of  analysis.  The  mineral  was  finely 
ground,  the  metallic  portion,  if  any,  separated  by  aid  of  the  magnet  and  digested  in  dilute  hydrochloric  acid. 

The  insoluble  portion  was  found  to  be  94  per  cent,  the  composition  of  which  is — 

Si02 51. 85 

AljOa 4. 52 

FeO. . . .- 13. 26 

CaO 1. 09 

MgO 29. 28 

100.00 

Giving  the  ratio  of  R"0  to  SiO2  93:86,  which  corresponds  well  with  the  mineral  enstatite.  although  in  this  case  much 
of  magnesia  is  replaced  by  iron.  The  soluble  portion  consisted  of  iron  with  a  slight  trace  of  nickel,  which  tends  to 
show  that  the  nodule  contained  some  metallic  particles  which  it  was  impossible  to  extract  with  the  magnet.  During 
the  digestion  in  acid,  as  no  sulphuretted  hydrogen  could  be  detected,  we  infer  the  nonexistence  of  sulphides  in  the 
nodule. 

The  total  mineral  was  also  analyzed  with  the  following  results: 

SiO2 49.96 

A12O3 4. 75 

FeO • 15. 97 

CoO+NiO : . . .  Trace. 

CaO 1. 15 

MgO 28. 15 


99.98 

This  meteorite  is  a  lithosiderite  poor  in  metal,  the  metallic  portion  not  exceeding  16  per  cent  of  the  mass.    The 
stony  part  is  probably  anorthite  and  enstatite. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  149 

Kunz  *  gave  the  following  account  of  the  meteorite: 

Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Moritz  Fischer,  of  the  Kentucky  Geological  Survey,  I  am  now  the  possessor  of  a  piece, 
weighing  over  2,000  grams,  of  the  meteorite  which  Colonel  Sublet  and  Mr.  Lenoir  found  on  the  farm  of  Elihu  Humber,  at 
Powder  Mill  Creek,  about  8  miles  west  of  Rockwood  Furnace  on  the  eastern  slope  of  Crab  Orchard  Mountain  latitude 
35°  507  N.,  longitude  84°  45/  W.,  in  Cumberland  County,  Tennessee  (Rockwood  being  in  Roane  County). 

It  resembles  very  closely  the  Hainholz,  Westphalia,  1856,  and  the  Xewton  County,  Arkansas,  irons,  now  theTaney 
County,  Missouri.  It  is  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  latter  except  that  in  the  latter  the  grains  are  larger  and  more 
readily  defined.  The  specific  gravity  was  found  to  be  4.745.  Chloride  of  iron  (lawrencite)  is  present  in  considerable 
quantities  and  on  a  number  of  sections  which  had  been  cut  and  polished  it  was  perceptible  within  a  short  time.  It 
collected  in  small  beads  on  the  piece  itself  which  will  undoubtedly  lead  to  a  rapid  disintegration  unless  the  iron  is 
coated  with  varnish  or  some  other  preservative.  Even  small  fragments  have  already  become  seamed,  suggesting  that 
the  fall  is  recent. 

Microscopic  sections  were  prepared  and  in  the  groundmass  of  metallic  iron  were  seen  clear  crystals  of  anorthite 
and  olivine.  The  former  are  transparent,  with  inclusions  of  glass  having  fixed  gas  bubbles  and  of  many  needle-shaped 
microlites  and  some  of  larger  size.  The  former  microlites  are  probably  enstatite,  while  some  black  quadratic  sections 
may  be  chromite  or  magnetite.  The  twinning  bands  of  the  anorthite  are  sharp  and  distinct.  The  olivine  crystals  have 
greenish,  brownish  veins  of  alteration  (perhaps  induced  by  the  lawrencite)  with  inclusions  of  glass,  microlites,  and  an 
abundance  of  black  grains  of  picotite.  These  grains  are  occasionally  arranged  symmetrically  around  the  crystals  as  a 
border,  outside  of  which  is  usually  a  grayish,  partly  opaque  mass  between  the  crystal  and  the  metallic  iron.  This 
grayish  mass  is  an  alteration  of  the  olivine  which  in  many  cases  has  taken  place  in  the  entire  crystal  and  in  others  leav- 
ing only  a  small  center  of  clear  olivine.  To  Mr.  J.  H.  Caswell  the  writer  is  indebted  for  the  above  microscopical  data. 

In  a  footnote  to  this  article  Kunz  states  that  this  meteorite  is  identical  with  the  Rockwood 
meteorite  and  that  he  gives  the  name  Powder  Mill  Creek  to  it  because  it  fell  in  Cumberland 
County,  Roane  County  in  which  Rockwood  is  situated  being  adjacent  to  this. 

Newton 4  states  that  the  nickel-iron  in  this  mass  consists  of  isolated  particles  arranged  in 
most  instances  in  a  system  of  lines  which  resembles  that  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  as  may 
be  seen  by  holding  a  polished  section  in  a  strong  light  at  some  distance  from  the  observer. 
Cohen 5  found  a  substance  resembling  tridymite  (asmanite)  which,  however,  he  could  not  inves- 
tigate more  fully  at  the  time.  According  to  Cohen  also,  Daubrfie  found  an  abundant  exudation 
of  iron  chloride  in  the  meteorite.  Cohen  also  remarks  that  the  meteorite  appears  to  be  free  from 
olivine  and  is  thereby  distinguished  from  grahamite. 

Brezina  7  makes  the  following  observations: 

The  iron  here  plays  the  part  of  a  "filler"  between  the  silicate  masses.  Dark,  angular  silicate  fragments  aa  much  as 
4  cm.  in  size,  lie  embedded  in  a  matrix  of  bright  gray,  crystalline  silicate  particles  and  intermingled,  mostly  fine,  iron 
particles,  so  that  dark  and  bright  gray  fragments  are  apparently  of  the  same  sort;  sometimes  the  same  fragments  are 
half  bright,  half  dark.  The  larger  silicate  fragments  are  sometimes  intermixed  with  iron  specks  and  also  longer  iron 
streaks.  Altered,  red-brown  olivine  crystals  attain  the  size  of  hazelnuts. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed  among  collections,  about  one-third  being  in  the  collection  of 
the  Field  Museum.  The  latter  collection  possesses  one  complete  individual  weighing  4,315 
grams  which  is  not  mentioned  in  the  published  accounts. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1887:  HOWELL.    Rockwood  Meteorite.    Science,  vol.  10,  p.  107. 

2.  1887:  WHTTFIELD.    The  Rockwood  Meteorite.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  34,  p.  387-390. 

3.  1887:  KUNZ.    On  some  American  Meteorites. — 5.  On  the  Powder  Mill  Creek  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci. ,3d  ser., 

vol.  34,  pp.  476-477.    (Cut  of  polished  slice,  and  a  thin  section.) 

4.  1893:  NEWTON.    Lines  of  structure  in  the  Winnebago  County  meteorites  and  in  other  meteorites.    Amer.  Joum. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  45,  pp.  152-153  and  355. 

5.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  pp.  220,  232,  and  287. 

6.  1895:  MEUNIEB.    Revision  des  lithoeide'ri.tes,  pp.  33  and  37. 

7.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung.  pp.  262-263. 


Cranberry  Plains.     See  Poplarhill. 
Crawford  County.     See  Mincy. 


150  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XTTT. 

CROSS  ROADS. 

• 

Boyett,  Cross  Eoads  Township,  Wilson  County,  North  Carolina. 

Latitude  35°  4<X  N.,  longitude  78°  5'  W. 

Stone.    Gray  chondrite  (Cg)  of  Brezina;  Chantonnite  (type  42)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  5  a.  m.,  May  24,  1892;  described  1893. 

Weight,  161  grains  (5  ozs.). 

Howell *  describes  this  as 

a,  email  aerolite  which  fell  about  5  o'clock  in  the  morning  on  May  24,  1892,  in  the  township  of  Cross  Roads,  Wilson 
County,  North  Carolina.  It  was  seen  by  a  young  man  named  Gray  Bass,  who  was  only  about  200  feet  distant.  He 
seems  to  have  been  frightened  by  the  sight  and  sound  and  waited  two  or  three  hours  before  going  to  the  spot.  He  dug 
it  up  from  the  ground  where  it  had  embedded  itself  about  4  or  5  inches  in  compact  sodded  earth  close  by  a  roadbed. 
The  finder  states  that  the  grass  near  the  spot  was  dead  and  looked  as  if  it  had  been  killed  by  fire.  He  thought  it  came 
from  the  northwest.  It  was,  however,  heard  by  others  as  far  as  18  miles  in  the  opposite  direction,  i.  e.,  southeast. 
Among  those  who  heard  it  was  a  colored  boy  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  southeast,  and  Micajah  Hales  4  to  6  miles  to  the 
southeast,  who  describes  the  noise  as  "somewhat  like  thunder  accompanied  by  lesser  sounds  like  the  report  of  pistols 
or  the  snapping  of  burning  reeds."  Another  man,  Edward  S.  Dees,  distant  5  or  6  miles  nearly  south,  who  was  in  an 
open  field  some  time  before  sunrise,  heard  a  peculiar  noise  which  lasted  a  quarter  of  a  minute  and  sounded  like  "a 
freight  train  crossing  a  trellis,"  and  thought  that  the  noise  came  from  the  southwest.  William  B.  Scott,  about  18  miles 
to  the  southeast,  says  that  before  sunrise  on  May  24  he  and  a  neighbor  heard  a  noise  "something  like  a  skyrocket  but 
more  like  thunder,  which  went  off  in  a  northern  direction." 

The  stone  now  weighs  157  grams  and  would  probably  have  weighed  200  grams  if  it  had  reached  the  earth  unbroken. 
The  thick  even  crust  indicates  that  it  was  a  complete  individual  and  not  one  of  a  shower.  The  fresh  fractured  surface 
is  of  the  usual  gray  color  and  the  structure  is  chondritic.  The  stone  measures  1  by  2  by  2.5  inches. 

Specific  gravity,  3.67.    This  is  somewhat  greater  than  most  meteorites  of  this  class,  indicating  a  little  more  iron. 

The  stone  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1893:  HOWRLL.    Cross  Roads  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  46,  p.  67.    (Illustration  of  stone.) 


Crow  Creek.    See  Silver  Crown. 


CUBA. 

Eastern  portion  of  the  Island  of  Cuba,  West  Indies. 
Latitude  21°  N.,  longitude  77°  W,  approximately. 
Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 
Described  1872. 
Weight:  Madrid  mass,  1,329  grams  (3  Ibs.). 

Little  is  known  of  this  meteorite  except  the  description  given  by  Solano  y  Eulate  *  in 
1872.     A  translation  of  his  account  follows : 

Coming  from  the  eastern  department  of  the  island  of  Cuba,  there  is  in  the  cabinet  of  natural  history  in  Madrid, 
without  other  details  concerning  its  origin,  an  example  of  meteoric  iron,  weighing  1,327  grams,  which,  belonging  to 
Spanish  territory  and  no  aerolite  of  that  colony  having  been  hitherto  described,  I  consider  it  worth  while  to  describe. 
The  considerable  number  of  meteoric  irons  found  in  the  United  States  which  is  at  so  short  a  distance  from  the  above- 
mentioned  island,  makes  it  easy  to  understand  the  discovery  there  of  a  meteorite  of  this  species,  there  being  sufficient 
motives  to  suspect  the  existence  of  others  even  though  not  discovered. 

The  specimen  which  forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  an  incomplete  aerolite,  as  appears  to  be  indicated  by  the 
fragmentary  aspect  of  one  part  of  its  surface.  It  presents  the  form  of  a  segment  of  a  ring  raised  and  uneven  in  the 
narrowest  part,  rounded  and  attenuated  in  the  widest,  resulting  that  its  transverse  section  is  approximately  triangular. 
The  surface  of  its  upper  and  lower  faces  is  undulating,  as  is  that  of  all  meteoric  irons  and  stones,  and  recalls,  although 
roughly,  the  impressions  which  the  fingers  leave  upon  a  pasty  substance.  The  circumstance  that  the  other  surfaces 
lack  this  characteristic  proves  that  the  specimen  is  only  part  of  an  aerolite  which  must  have  broken  after  the  cooling 
of  its  external  coat.  This  constitutes  a  most  delicate  crust  of  iron  rust,  arising  probably  from  the  oxidizing  action  of 
the  atmosphere. 

Its  structure  is  granular,  presenting  numerous  irregular  pittings  unevenly  distributed  in  the  mass,  due  perhaps 
to  the  fusion  of  the  troilite.  The  luster  of  the  natural  surface  is  lively  and  is  notably  increased  by  polishing.  Its 
hardness  is  extraordinary.  It  scratches  glass  and  may  be  represented  by  6.9;  that  is,  very  little  below  that  of  quartz — 
a  noteworthy  circumstance. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  151 

This  explains  the  failure  of  various  attempts  to  cut  off  a  layer  of  it,  although  it  was  taken  for  thin  purpose  to  the 
arsenal,  where  all  attempts  proved  futile,  and  only  succeeded  after  spoiling  several  files,  in  mating  a  dent  of  a  very 
few  millimeters  in  depth  in  its  surface. 

The  tenacity  of  the  Cuba  iron  preserves  a  relation  to  its  hardness.  It  gives  sparks  with  steel,  a  property  not  com- 
mon among  aerolites  of  this  kind,  and  only  after  repeated  and  strenuous  exertions  was  it  possible  to  break  off  small 
fragments  with  a  heavy  hammer  on  an  anvil.  The  exterior  rust  crust  does  not  have  this  property,  but  is  breakable 
and  even  fragile. 

Likewise,  the  fragments  appear  to  have  been  some  time  separated  and  oxidation  to  have  penetrated  from  the 
exterior  to  the  interior  on  account  of  the  spongy  structure.  The  fragments  show  malleability  under  a  hammer,  and 
can  be  powdered  only  with  difficulty.  The  density  found  is  between  that  of  Claiborne,  determined  by  Rumler  as 
6.82  and  that  of  Rokitzan,  Bohemia,  which  was  found  to  be  6.005.  That  of  our  meteorite  is  6.44.  As  would  be  ex- 
pected of  a  mass  composed  exclusively  of  iron,  this  meteorite  is  strongly  magnetic  without  distinction  of  poles. 
Polished  with  emery  to  a  smooth  surface  and  submitted  to  the  action  of  nitric  acid  for  some  minutes  the  Widmann- 
statten  figures  are  produced  like  those  of  Charcas,  with  nodular  forms  of  schreibersite.  Submitted  to  the  action  of 
aqua  regia  for  some  days  it  largely  dissolved,  forming  a  reddish  liquid  and  a  black  residue.  The  solution  tested, 
according  to  the  method  of  Will,  showed  only  iron  and  nickel.  The  insoluble  portion  deflagrated  with  niter  and  car- 
bonates of  soda  and  potash,  and  treated  with  boiling  water,  gave,  with  ammonium  molybdate,  a  greenish  yellow 
precipitate,  showing  the  presence  of  phosphorus  in  considerable  quantity.  The  soluble  portion  treated  with  hydro- 
chloric acid  and  an  analysis  by  the  system  of  Will  gave  iron  and  nickel.  A  portion  of  the  meteorite  deflagrated  with 
niter  and  potash  and  treated  with  water  gave,  with  barium  chloride,  an  abundant  white  precipitate  insoluble  in  acids, 
which  is  barium  sulphate  and  which  shows  the  presence  of  sulphur.  The  green  coloration  produced  before  deflagra- 
tion shows  manganese  as  does  also  the  violet  tint  produced  by  the  nitric  acid  solution  of  the  meteorite  in  the  presence 
of  lead  oxide.  Submitted  to  the  action  of  aqua  regia  for  a  week  0.4897  grams  gave  a  residue  of  0.274  grams,  showing 
the  following  composition: 

Soluble  portion 94. 41 

Insoluble 5.  59 

100.00 

Separating  in  the  soluble  portion  the  iron  and  nickel  by  addition  of  ammonia  in  excess  in  presence  of  sal  ammoniac, 
the  following  result  was  obtained: 

Iron 96.76 

Nickel 3.24 


100.00 

From  the  preceding  it  appears  that  this  meteorite  is  composed  of  a  mass  of  nickeliferous  iron  with  double  phos- 
phide of  iron  and  nickel  (schreibersite),  and  probably  some  troilite. 

The  specimen  seems  to  be  almost  wholly  preserved  in  Madrid. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1872:  DON  JOSE  MARIA  SOLANO  T  EULATE.    Noticia  sobre  el  hierro  meteorico  de  la  Isla  de  Cuba.    Ann.  Soc. 

Esp.  Hist.  Nat.,  vol.  1,  p.  183. 

2.  1892:  GREDILLA.    Meteorite?,  pp.  99-101. 


CUERNAVACA. 
State  of  Morelos,  Mexico. 

Latitude  18°  56'  X.,  longitude  99°  107  W.  (Ward). 
Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of),  of  Brezina. 
Mentioned,  1889. 
Weight  about  35  kgs.  (77  Ibs.). 

Cuernavaca  is  first  mentioned  by  Castillo  l  who  states  that  in  the  National  Museum  in 
Mexico  is  a  fragment  of  an  iron  meteorite  which  was  found  on  the  way  from  Mexico  to  Cuerna- 
vaca. Fletcher 2  repeats  Castillo's  statement  and  adds  that  Cuertavaca  is  50  miles  frorn 
Xiquipilco  and  40  miles  from  the  city  of  Mexico.  He  thinks,  therefore,  that  Cuernavaca  was 
from  the  Toluca  valley.  Brezina3  and  Berwerth  simply  repeat  the  opinion  of  Fletcher.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  Toluca  and  Cuernavaca  are  irons  of  very  different  character.  The  first  de- 
tailed description  was  given  by  Ward  4  as  follows: 

The  mass  was  entire,  never  having  had  any  further  than  a  minute  chisel  chipping,  the  common  way  of  Mexican 
prospectors,  who  test  all  troven  metal  masses  in  their  search  for  silver.    The  length  of  the  mass  was  480  mm.  (about 


152  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

19  inches),  while  its  other  diameters  were  about  130  mm.  to  150  mm.  (about  5  to  6  inches),  varying  in  different  parts 
of  the  mass.  The  form  might  be  described  as  a  square-sided,  irregular  column,  with  some  protuberances  and  con- 
strictions; and  one  of  its  extremities,  much  enlarged,  projected  several  inches  forward  of  the  main  line  of  the  mass 
in  a  sort  of  a  subcylindrical  turban.  The  surface  of  the  mass,  though  very  uneven  with  alternate  elevations  and  depres- 
sions short  and  sharp  in  contour,  is  still  smooth  in  texture  and  is  quite  covered  with  a  reddish-brown  crust  which  is  of 
unusual  thickness  and  continuity.  This  surface  over  the  entire  mass  is  impressed  with  indentations  from  0.5  to  1.5 
inches  long,  like  chisel  marks.  The  section  of  the  iron  shows  these  indented  lines  to  correspond  with  numerous 
straight,  short  seams  of  troilite,  which  cross  the  mass  in  all  parts  and  at  all  angles.  There  are  also  several  small  troilite 
nodules,  with  one  of  30  mm.  in  diameter.  These  nodules  are  surrounded  and  crossed  by  a  narrow  border  of  schrei- 
bersite.  Etching  brings  out  well-marked  Widmannstaitten  figures  of  the  octahedral  type.  In  these  the  kamacite 
blades  vary  greatly  both  in  breadth  and  length,  causing  a  coarser  or  finer  pattern  in  different  parts  of  the  section. 
The  plessite  patches  are  seen  to  be  composed  of  alternate  layers  of  kamacite  and  tsenite.  The  latter,  although  in  fine 
films  between  the  kamacite  blades,  show  prominently  from  their  brightness.  Specific  gravity,  7.725. 
Analysis  (Whitfield): 

Fe .  .  88.  98 

Ni .  .  10.  30 


99.28 

• 

The  characters  of  the  etched  surface  of  this  iron  show  much  similarity  to  those  of  the  Bella  Roca  siderite. 

Cohen  5  gave  a  description  and  analysis  which  led  him  to  the  conclusion  that  Cuernavaca 
was  a  distinct  fall.     Later 6  he  described  the  structure  more  fully,  as  follows: 

The  lamellae  are  rarely  long,  generally  short,  swollen  and  irregularly  bounded,  generally  not  grouped  but  at  times 
weakly  so,  the  tsenite  border  broad  and  very  sharp;  the  fields  abundant  though  not  equal  in  quantity  to  the  bands. 
The  kamacite  is  darker  than  the  plessite.  It  consists  in  part  of  sharply  bounded,  irregularly  shaped  grains  for  the 
most  part  characteristically  striated  so  as  to  show  lines  under  the  microscope.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  natural 
surface  these  seem  to  be  more  abundant  and  plain  than  in  the  interior  of  the  meteorite,  although  usually  an  opposite 
relation  occurs.  Most  of  the  fields  consist  of  fine-grained  plessite  which  is  so  rich  and  uniformly  distributed  in  shining 
flakes  that  it,  except  for  a  fine  border,  appears  considerably  brighter  than  the  kamacite.  The  grains  are  so  grouped 
that  it  appears  on  stronger  magnification  as  if  isolated  black  grains  lay  in  a  bright,  shining  groundmass.  In  a  second, 
smaller  group  of  fields  the  grains  extend  like  striae  so  that  a  nearly  octahedral  structure  is  produced  though  without 
sharp  separation  of  light  and  dark  striae.  In  many  fields  entire  lamellae  or  abundant  combs  appear  until  the  whole 
field  is  filled  with  the  latter.  The  small  bands  are  like  the  large  ones,  in  part  striated,  in  part  granular.  Schreibersite 
is  sparingly  visible,  but  analysis  shows  that  it  must  be  quite  abundant  in  small  particles.  No  other  accessory  con- 
stituents were  observed. 

Analysis  (Hildebrand): 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  S  Cr          Cu 

89.70        8.76        1.19        0.33        0.12        0.00        0.05    =100.15 

Mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel-iron 97. 58 

Schreibersite 2. 09 

Troilite . .  0. 33 


100.00 
Specific  gravity,  7.748. 

The  mass  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  3. 

2.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  p.  168. 

3.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  274. 

4.  1902:  WARD.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  81,  82. 

5.  1902:  COHEN.    Mitth.  naturwiss.  Verein  Neu-Vorp.  u.  Riigen,  vol.  34,  pp.  98-100. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  379-381. 


Cumberland  County.    See  Crab  Orchard. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AFRICA.  153 

* 

CYNTHIANA. 

Harrison  County,  Kentucky. 

Latitude  38°  23'  N.,  longitude  84°  IT  W. 

Stone.    Gray  chondrite  (Cg)  of  Brezina;  Parnallite  (type  44)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  4  p.  m.,  January  23.  1877. 

Weight,  6  kgs.  (13.2  Ibs). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Smith  *  as  follows: 

I  have  called  this  the  Cynthiana  stone,  although  it  fell  9  miles  from  that  place  in  Harrison  County,  Cynthiana  being 
the  nearest  important  point  to  the  place  where  it  fell. 

At  about  4  p.  m.  on  January  23, 1877,  a  brilliant  meteor  was  seen  traversing  Monroe  County,  Indiana,  in  a  southeast 
direction  at  about  35°  above  the  horizon;  it  was  also  seen  by  several  persons  in  Decatur  County  of  the  same  State, 
latitude  39°  27'  N,  longitude  85°  28'  W.,  where  it  disappeared  just  as  it  seemed  to  touch  the  earth  not  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  It  really  fell  about  60  miles  away.  Apparently  it  was  not  seen  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  but  in 
tlie  State  of  Kentucky  it  was  observed  over  a  considerable  area.  The  phenomenon  culminated  in  the  usual  noises 
heard  in  the  heavens.  Fortunately  one  observer,  an  intelligent  farmer,  heard  a  solid  body  strike  the  ground;  he  walked 
immediately  to  the  spot  and  dug  the  stone  out  of  the  ground  from  a  depth  of  13  inches. 

The  stone  weighs  6  kg.;  it  is  wedge  shaped,  with  one  portion  very  extensively  and  regularly  pitted,  while  the  rest 
is  comparatiVely  smooth.  The  crust  is  dull  black  and  is  as  perfect  as  when  the  stone  fell.  There  was  a  fresh  broken 
spot  of  2  or  3  sq.  cm.  which  was  evidently  made  prior  to  the  fall,  for  a  few  small  specks  of  melted  matter  adhered  to  the 
surface.  In  texture  the  meteorite  belongs  to  the  harder  brecciated  variety,  and  when  broken  presents  a  mottled  surface 
identical  with  that  of  the  Parnallee  stone,  which  it  resembles  in  every  other  particular.  The  specific  gravity  of  the 
two  meteorites  is  identical,  viz,  3.41. 

The  stony  material  freed  from  metallic  iron  consisted  of — 

Matter  soluble  in  HC1 .- 56. 50 

Matter  insoluble  in  HCL.  .  43.50 


100.00 

Some  of  the  soluble  part  was  composed  of  troilite  which  I  could  not  separate  mechanically;  it  is  deducted  in  the 
following  analysis: 

SiO,         FeO       AljO,        CaO          MgO 
Soluble  part:    33.65        30.83        0.11         trace         34.61    =99.20 


Si02         FeO       A^O,      CaO        MgO        CrO 
Insoluble  part:    57.60        11.42        0.43        5.70        23.97        0.38        1.24    =100.74 

The  nickel  iron  (5.93  per  cent  of  the  whole)  contains: 

Fe  Ni  Co 

90.64        8.35        0.73    =99.72 

The  minerals  in  this  stone  are  quite  easily  distinguished  by  the  eye  but  are  very  much  more  conspicuous  under  a 
moderate  magnifying  power,  especially  the  round  and  distinct  concretions  of  a  light-yellow  bronzite.  The  troilite  and 
metallic  specks  and  filaments  are  also  easily  seen. 

No  attempt  was  made  to  separate  the  stony  minerals  in  sufficient  quantity  for  analysis;  quantitative  tests  were  made 
to  distinguish  their  character.  From  the  chemical  examination  previously  made  I  deduce  the  following  as  about  the 
proportion  of  the  mineral  constituents: 

Olivine  minerals  .....................................................  50.  00 

Bronzite  and  pyroxene  minerals  ......................................  38.  00 

Xickel  iron  ..........................................................     6.  00 

Troilite  ..............................................................     5.50 

Chrome  iron.  .  .......................................................     0.  52 


100.02 
There  were  no  distinct  crystals  of  minerals  visible  either  to  the  unaided  eye  or  with  a  lens. 

Little  or  nothing  of  importance  has  been  added  to  Smith's  account  of  this  meteorite.  It 
is  somewhat  distributed,  Harvard  possessing  4.093  grams.  This  is  largely  a  single  stone  (3,113 
grams),  evidently  possessing  orientation  as  shown  by  Huntington's  8  description,  as  follows: 

Dull  gray,  with  white  grains  and  some  iron.  This  specimen  shows  a  distinct  front,  consisting  of  a  nearly  flat 
surface  covered  with  a  dull-black  crust  full  of  small,  round  pittings.  The  crust  has  flowed  back  in  deep  furrows  piling 
up  into  a  point  behind.  Quite  a  large  piece  has  been  broken  from  one  edge  of  the  specimen. 


154  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

« 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1877:  SMITH.    Note  of  the  recent  fall  of  three  meteoric  stones  in  India,  Missouri,  and  Kentucky.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  13,  p.  243. 

2.  1877:  SMITH.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  14,  pp.  224-229  (analysis). 

3.  1877:  KIRKWOOD.    On  8  meteoric  fireballs  seen  in  the  United  States  from  July,  1876,  to  February,  1877.— VII.  The 

meteor  of  January  23,  1877.    Amer.  Philos.  Soc.,  March  16,  1877,  pp.  595-596. 

4.  1884:  MEUNIER.    M6t&>rites,  pp.  273  and  277-278. 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  182  and  232. 

6.  1887:  HUNTINGTON.    Catalogue  of  all  recorded  m6t6orites,  p.  97. 


Dacotah,  see  Ponca  Creek. 
Dakota,  see  Ponca  Creek. 


DALTON. 

Whitfield  County,  Georgia. 

Latitude  35°  N.,  longitude  84°  54'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1860;  described  1886. 

Weight:  Two  masses,  weighing  53  and  6  kgs.  (117  and  13  Ibs.). 

The  first  mention  of  the  masses  known  as  Dalton  seems  to  have  been  by  Smith  *  who  simply 
stated  that  he  had  received  a  meteorite  from  Dalton,  Whitfield  County,  Georgia,  which  he  would 
shortly  describe.  In  1880  Brezina  2  described  a  fragment  under  the  name  of  Dalton  as  follows: 

A  fragment  in  the  Vienna  Museum  showed  moderately  wide  Widmannstatten  figures,  which  in  a  few  places,  on 
account  of  the  abundant  occurrence  of  schreibersite,  become  irregular;  the  toenite  is  tolerably  broad,  the  plessite,  on 
account  of  its  unusually  dark  color  and  the  complete  absence  of  ridges,  is  inconspicuous;  in  many  places  veins  filled 
with  magnetite  pass  from  the  natural  surfaces  2  or  3  cm.  deep  into  the  interior  of  the  iron. 

A  13-pound  mass  from  the  locality  was  described  by  Hidden  3  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  discovered  in  1877  on  a  farm  about  20  miles  northeast  of  Dalton,  Georgia,  near  the  Tennessee  and 
North  Carolina  State  line,  a  region  remarkable  for  the  number  of  meteorites  it  has  afforded.  As  has  happened  in 
similar  cases  the  specimen  was  locally  considered  to  be  native  iron  and  was  preserved  as  such  until  Dr.  Geo.  B.  Little, 
then  State  geologist  of  Georgia,  visited  the  region  in  1878  and  recognizing  its  real  nature  procured  it  for  the  State 
museum  at  Atlanta. 

In  its  complete  condition  this  meteorite  is  said  to  have  weighed  13  pounds.  Its  present  weight  is  9.75  pounds. 
Doctor  Little  states  that  one  end  became  detached  on  the  way  to  Atlanta.  The  mass  remaining  is  thin  and  oblong  in 
shape  and  much  resembles  a  very  rusty  mass  of  ordinary  iron.  It  is  about  10  inches  long  and  5  inches  wide  and 
varies  in  thickness  from  1  to  1.5  inches.  Its  surface  is  very  irregular  and  has  many  jagged  points.  It  is  of  the  usual 
composition,  with  deliquescence  of  chloride  of  iron  in  many  spots.  The  Widmannstatten  figures  are  remarkably  well 
developed  on  this  iron. 

Two  years  later,  Shepard4  described  a  mass  weighing  117  pounds  as  follows: 

Whether  the  mass  here  described  is  of  identical  origin  with  that  found  in  1877,  and  described  by  W.  Earl  Hidden 
in  volume  21,  No.  124,  p.  287,  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  is  not  quite  certain. 

The  circumstances  of  the  finding  of  this  meteorite  are  detailed  in  a  letter  of  H.  C.  Hamilton,  of  Dalton,  Georgia, 
to  Maj.  E.  Willis,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  under  date  of  October  18,  1882. 

The  meteorite  was  found  some  time  in  the  year  1879  by  Francis  M.  Anderson  on  his  farm,  on  lot  No.  109  in  the  10th 
district  and  3d  section  of  Whitfield  County,  Georgia,  about  14  miles  northeast  of  Dalton.  It  was  discovered  while 
plowing  on  the  west  side  of  a  ridge,  near  its  base.  The  ridge  runs  north  and  south,  and  the  furrows  east  and  west. 
It  was  lying  with  its  apex  upward,  and  buried  about  6  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

Some  time  during  the  fall  of  1860,  an  unusual  atmospheric  phenomenon  occurred  in  the  region.  A  bright  light 
shot  across  the  heavens,  followed  by  a  loud  report,  creating  great  alarm  among  the  people,  many  of  whom  supposed 
the  end  of  the  world  had  arrived. 

A  large  mass  of  iron,  supposed  to  be  a  meteorite,  was  found  half  a  mile  from  this  one  about  the  year  1862.  It  was 
sent  to  Cleveland,  Tennessee,  where  it  appears  to  have  been  lost  sight  of. 

The  mass  now  described  belongs  to  the  meteoric  collection  of  C.  U.  Shepard,  jr.,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 
It  weighs  117  pounds. 

Its  shape  is  somewhat  that  of  a  pear  whose  apex  is  slightly  trihedral.  The  surface  is  nearly  black  and  very  little 
oxidized.  It  is  destitute  of  deep  indentations,  and  presents  a  surface  with  only  faint,  wavelike  depressions. 

It  is  more  easily  divided  with  the  saw  than  most  irons,  owing  to  the  absence  of  pyritic  veins  and  kernels.  When 
broken  across  a  thickness  of  one-eighth  of  an  inch,  it  presents  a  coarse,  but  highly  uniform,  granular  structure,  and 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  155 

shows  a  cleavage  of  the  individuals,  much  resembling  that  of  the  Braunau  iron.  Its  polished  surfaces  are  almost  per- 
fectly homogenous,  being  wholly  free  from  amygdaloidal  inclosures.  At  places  within  an  inch  of  the  outside,  how- 
ever, a  few  very  thin,  black,  thread-like  veins  occur,  apparently  the  products  of  shrinkage  in  the  process  of  cooling. 
The  substance  of  these  veins  is  partly  the  oxides  of  iron  with  which  is  intermingled  a  trace  of  chlorine,  the  latter 
probably  derived  by  infiltration  from  the  soil.  The  deliquescence  of  the  polished  surfaces  is  confined  to  these  black 
seams. 

The  Widmannstatten  figures  present  a  rather  remarkable  feature.  The  peculiarity  of  the  pattern  consists  in  the 
tendency  in  one  series  of  bars  to  cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  while  in  a  second  series,  less  uniform  in  width,  they 
pass  diagonally  (in  descending)  from  right  to  left  across  the  shaded  spaces. 

On  etched  surfaces,  the  schreibereite  shows  in  exceedingly  thin  and  nearly  straight  continuous  lines,  though  they 
are  occasionally  interrupted  at  short  intervals,  when  they  resemble  the  markings  on  telegraphic  ribbons.  The  con- 
tinuous lines  sometimes  swell  into  triangular  or  polygonal  enlargements,  forming  a  string  of  nearly  disconnected  beads. 

The  analysis  of  C.  U.  Shepard,  jr.,  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co 

94.66        4.80        0.34     =99.80 

Specific  gravity,  7.986. 

It  is  not  possible  to  decide  whether  this  meteorite  belongs  to  the  same  fall  with  the  13  pound  mass  described  by 
Mr.  Hidden.  The  two  were  found  at  different  times,  several  miles  asunder,  and  were  totally  unlike  in  the  character 
of  their  surfaces.  Besides,  the  smaller  abounded  in  chlorous  deliquescence;  and  it  appears  to  have  been  easily  sepa- 
rated by  cleavage,  suggesting  a  longer  contact  with  the  soil. 

Brezina 5  described  the  structure  of  a  section  from  the  large  mass  as  follows : 

A  specimen  in  the  Vienna  museum  shows  the  kamacite  sometimes  very  finely  hatched,  sometimes  entirely  free 
from  hatching,  and  even  somewhat  granular. 

The  next  year  Kunz  •  suggested  that  the  Lea  or  East  Tennessee  meteorite  might  be  from 
the  same  locality  as  the  Dalton  meteorite.  Some  of  his  arguments  were  as  follows: 

A  large  etched  section  of  this  iron — the  Lea  iron — shows  several  cracks  completely  filled  with  rust,  indicating 
large  quantities  of  chloride  of  iron  in  the  mass.  The  large  mass  of  the  Whitfield  County  iron  rusts,  cracks,  and  exfo- 
liates exactly  like  the  above.  The  Widmannstatten  figures  are  also  identical. 

Cleveland,  Tennessee,  is  28  miles  northeast  of  Dalton,  Georgia,  and  the  Whitfield  County  iron  was  found  14  miles 
northeast  of  Dalton,  the  latter  place  being  very  near  to  the  State  line.  Mr.  Raht  also  states  that  a  50  pound  (?)  mass 
fell  10  miles  from  Cleveland,  near  the  State  line,  which  locates  it  very  near  where  the  Whitfield  County  iron  was  found. 
Cleveland,  Tennessee,  the  place  from  which  the  East  Tennessee  meteorite  is  said  to  have  been  sent,  is  on  or  near  a 
railroad  line.  The  mass  was  probably  sent  there  for  sale  or  to  be  worked  at  one  of  the  iron  furnaces.  When  we  con- 
sider that  the  war  was  then  in  progress,  and  that  even  for  some  years  after  the  war  intercourse  which  had  been  broken 
off  was  not  resumed,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  this  mass  may  have  lain  unnoticed  for  several  years. 

A  difference  in  the  analyses  of  the  two  meteorites  is  mentioned  by  Kunz,  but  it  is  sug- 
gested that  this  is  not  an  insuperable  objection  to  uniting  the  two. 

In  spite  of  Kunz's  suggestion  the  two  meteorites  have  usually  been  listed  separately. 

In  order  to  test  the  supposed  difference  in  chemical  composition  a  fragment  from  the 
Dalton  specimen  hi  the  Field  Museum  collection  was  analyzed  by  H.  W.  Nichols.  This  analy- 
sis, which  has  not  previously  been  published,  gave: 

Iron 91. 02 

Nickel  and  cobalt . .  7.  38 


98.40 

These  values  differ  much  less  from  the  analysis  of  the  Lea  iron  than  do  those  obtained  by 
Shepard.  Shepard's  values  would  be  anomalous  for  a  meteorite  of  this  group.  Another  point 
of  resemblance  between  the  two  meteorites  is  the  presence  of  Reichenbach  lamellae,  remarked 
by  Cohen  7  independently  for  the  two  irons. 

The  large  mass,  50,917  grams,  of  Dalton  is  mentioned  hi  Clarke's  catalogue  as  in  the  United 
States  National  Museum  collection,  but  is  not  mentioned  by  Tassin.  1900. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1877:  SMITH.    Two  new  meteoric  irons.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  14,  p.  246. 

2.  1880:  BREZIXA.    Bericht  I.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.  Bd.  82  I,  p.  351. 

3.  1881:  HIDDEN-.    On  the  Whitfield  County,  Georgia,  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  21,  pp.  286-287. 

(Illustration  of  etched  plate.) 

4.  1883:  SHEPARD.    On  meteoric  iron  from  near  Dalton,  Whitfield  County,  Georgia.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol. 

26,  pp.  336-338.    (Analysis,  illustration  of  mass,  and  etched  plate.) 


156  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  211  and  234. 

6.  1887:  KUNZ.    On  some  American  meteorites. — 3.  Is  the  East-Tennessee  meteoric  from  Whitfield  County,  Georgia? 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  34,  pp.  473-475.     (Analysis  and  diagram.) 

7.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  p.  193. 


DANVILLE. 

Near  Danville,  Morgan  County,  Alabama. 
Latitude  34°  25'  N.,  longitude  87°  4'  W. 
Stone.    Gray  chondrite,  veined  (Cga)  of  Brezina. 
Fell  5  p.  m.,  November  27,  1868;  described  1870. 
Weight,  2  kgs.  (4.5  Ibs.). 

Knowledge  of  this  meteorite  is  confined  almost  wholly  to  the  account  by  Smith  l  which  is 
as  follows: 

On  Friday  evening,  November  27,  1868,  about  5  o'clock,  Mr.  T.  F.  Freeman,  of  Danville,  Alabama,  on  stepping 
from  his  house,  was  startled  by  a  loud  report  BO  much  like  artillery  that  for  the  moment  it  was  attributed  to  the  firing 
of  a  small  piece  kept  in  the  village;  but  on  inquiry  it  was  found  that  no  firing  had  taken  place  there  but  that  the  sound 
was  heard  at  the  village,  and  attributed  to  very  heavy  artillery  at  Decatur,  Trinity,  Hillsboro,  or  some  other  point  to 
the  northward  of  Danville.  *  *  * 

The  following  day  Mr.  William  Brown,  living  3  miles  west  of  Danville,  brought  to  the  village  a  piece  of  rock  which 
he  said  fell  near  him  and  some  laborers  who  were  picking  cotton.  He  dug  it  up  at  a  depth  of  about  1.5  to  2  feet.  It 
weighed  about  4.5  pounds  and  had  the  characteristic  aspects  of  a  meteoric  stone  but  it  was  broken  by  the  party  obtaining 
it  and  all  but  about  half  a  pound,. now  in  my  possession,  had  been  scattered  and  probably  lost  or  thrown  away. 

Several  other  stones  fell  in  the  same  vicinity.  Some  negroes  working  in  a  cotton  field  on  the  plantation  of  Capt. 
McDaniel,  half  a  mile  from  Danville,  heard  a  body  fall  with  a  whizzing,  humming  sound,  and  strike  the  ground  near 
them  with  tremendous  force  but  they  were  alarmed  and  did  not  approach  the  spot  that  night;  a  rain  fell  during  the 
night  and  no  trace  of  it  could  be  found  next  day.  Various  other  stones  were  heard  to  fall  in  different  parts  of  the 
adjacent  country.  Two  brothers  by  the  name  of  Wallace  were  plowing  in  their  field,  about  1.75  miles  northwest  of 
Danville,  they  distinctly  heard  two  or  three  fainter  reports  after  the  first  loud  one  and  heard  the  sound  of  two  falling 
bodies  whizzing  down,  one  to  the  right  and  the  other  to  left  of  them. 

With  the  above  data  and  the  known  geography  of  the  country  its  direction  must  have  been  northeast  and"  south- 
west, but  it  is  impossible  to  say  from  which  of  these  quarters  it  came. 

The  portion  of  the  meteorite  that  I  possess  has  a  large  part  of  it  covered  with  the  usual  black  crust.  Its  general 
aspect  is  rough  and  dull;  a  portion  of  the  outer  surface,  not  covered  with  the  black  coating,  was  nevertheless  a  surface 
which  it  had  when  it  reached  the  ground  for  on  this  surface  are  streaks  and  little  patches  of  bright,  pitchy  matter  which 
was  once  fused,  and  was  derived  either  from  another  part  of  the  coating  that  was  thrown  off  in  a  melted  state  from  the 
coated  portion,  and  whipped  around  as  it  were  on  to  the  unfused  surface  as  the  stone  fell  through  the  air,  or  from  an 
incipient  fusion  that  was  begun  on  the  denuded  surface  and  arrested  by  the  termination  of  the  fall.  Where  the  black 
crust  reaches  the  denuded  places  it  appears  to  be  rounded  off  as  if  it  had  been  melted  matter  passing  from  one  portion 
of  the  stone  and  rolled  over  the  surface  of  the  borders. 

The  broken  surface  has  a  dark  gray  color  and  is  somewhat  oolitic  in  structure,  but  not  as  much  so  as  many  other 
meteoric  stones.  There  are  veins  and  patches  of  a  slate-colored  mineral  running  through  it.  Pyrites  and  iron  are  also 
to  be  seen  diffused  through  the  stone;  thin  flakes  of  the  iron  give  that  slickensided  appearance  to  a  fracture  not  unfre- 
quently  seen  in  this  class  of  bodies.  There  seems  to  be  more  of  iron  in  the  slate-colored  mineral  than  in  other  parts. 
There  are  a  few  patches  of  white  mineral  which  may  be  enstatite.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone  is  3.398. 

For  further  examination  a  portion  of  the  meteorite  was  mechanically  separated  into  three  parts,  the  pyrites,  the 
metallic  iron,  and  the  earthy  minerals.  As  in  the  case  of  most  meteorites  the  earthy  minerals  were  so  intermixed  that 
it  was  impossible  to  separate  the  different  varieties,  three  of  which  were  easily  traceable  by  the  eye. 

The  iron  separated  with  great  care  from  the  pulverized  meteorite  constitutes  3.092  per  cent  of  the  entire  mass,  and 
an  analysis  furnished: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  PS 

89.513        9.050       0.521         minute         0.019        0.105    =99.208 

quantity 

The  sulphide  of  iron  detached  very  carefully  from  the  mass  of  the  meteorite  gave: 

Fe 61.11 

S...  .  39.56 


100.67 

which  corresponds  with  the  prosulphid  of  iron,  FeS.    Whether  it  contains  any  troilite  was  not  determined. 
The  stony  minerals  were  freed  as  much  as  possible  from  iron  and  pyrites  and  reduced  to — 

Soluble  portion 60.  88 

Insoluble  portion 39. 12 

100.00 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  157 

The  insoluble  portion  yielded  upon  analysis: 

Silica        Alumina        FeO         MgO        Lime 

50.08  4.11  19.85        20.14         3.90  =98.08 

From  all  the  circumstances  connected  with  this  mineral,  its  physical  characters,  etc.,  it  is  doubtless  a  pyroxene  of 
the  augile  variety. 

The  soluble  portion,  owing  to  the  unavoidable  presence  of  a  little  iron  and  pyrites,  simply  furnished  results  on 
analysis  that  showed  it  to  be  mostly  olivine.  The  stony  matter  as  a  whole  freed  as  much  as  possible  from  pyrites  and 
nickeliferous  iron,  gave: 

Silica 45.90 

Protoxyd  of  iron 23. 64 

Magnesia 26. 52 

Alumina 1. 73 

Lime 2.31 

Soda 0.51 

Potash 0.64 

Oxide  of  manganese minute  quantity,  not  estimated. 

Oxide  of  chrome minute  quantity,  not  estimated. 

Phosphorus minute  quantity,  not  estimated 

Lithia marked  reaction  with  the  spectroscope. 

Sulphur :.... 1.01 


102. 26» 

The  excess  in  the  footing  up  of  the  analyses  above  100  per  cent  is  due  to  the  fact  that  a  part  of  the  iron,  estimated 
as  protoxyd,  is  combined  with  sulphur  forming  sulphide  of  iron. 

This  meteoric  stone  is  similar  in  every  respect  to  that  which  fell  March  28, 1859,  in  Harrison  County,  Indiana.  This 
meteorite  is  therefore  composed  of  nickeliferous  iron,  olivine,  pyroxene,  protosulphid  of  iron,  with  minute  quantities 
of  schreibersite,  chrome  iron,  and  probably  albite. 

Later  catalogues  mention  Danville  but  give  little  or  no  account  of  it.  Brezdna*  classifies 
it  as  veined  gray  chondrite. 

But  little  of  the  meteorite  is  now  preserved,  the  Harvard  collection  possessing  the  largest 
amount  (105  grams). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1870:  SMITH.    Account  of  a  fall  of  meteoric  stones  near  Danville,  Alabama,  with  an  analysis  of  the  same.    Amer. 

Joum.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  49,  pp.  90-93. 

2.  1870:  RAMMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  pp.  103, 105,  106,  and  139. 

3.  1876:  SMITH.    Carbon  compounds.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  p.  391. 

4.  1879:  RA.MMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  pp.  10  and  25. 

5.  1884:  MEUXIER.    Meteorites,  pp.  85,  197,  and  206. 

6.  1885:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung.  pp.  182  and  233.  . 

Davidson  County,  see  Drake  Creek. 


DEAL. 

Monmouth  County,  New  Jersey. 

Latitude  40°  17'  N.,  longitude  74°  W. 

Stone.    Intermediate  chondrite  (Ci)  of  Brezina;  Luceite  (type  37,  subtype  2)  of  Meunier. 

FeU  11.30  p.  m.,  August  14,  1829:  mentioned  1829. 

Weight:  Unknown,  probably  about  Vi«H  an  ounce  (14  grams). 

The  first  mention  of  this  stone  seems  to  have  been  in  1829,1  though  the  authorship  does  not 
seem  to  be  known.     This  mention  was  as  follows: 

At  Deal,  New  Jersey,  on  August  14,  1829,  two  aerolites  fell  with  black,  uniformly  irregular  surfaces,  the  interior 
bright  gray  with  metallic  points.  A  bright  meteor  preceded  its  fall,  which  occurred  about  midnight.  The  meteor 
first  rose  like  a  rocket,  described  a  curve,  and  then  exploded.  There  were  some  12  to  13  distinct  explosions  resembling 
musketry  fire. 


158  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Shepard 3  refers  to  a  note  upon  the  fall  by  Vaux  and  McEuen 2  but  the  reference  given  by 
Shepard  must  be  incorrect  as  no  mention  is  made  of  the  meteorite  in  the  place  quoted.  Shepard's 
account  is  as  follows : 

I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  Elwyn,  the  treasurer  of  the  association,  for  a  reference  to  the  notice  of  the  meteorite"  of  Deal 
by  Mr.  Robert  Vaux  and  Dr.  Thomas  M'Euen,  published  in  volume  16,  page  181,  of  the  transactions  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  (Philadelphia);  and  still  further  to  the  curators  of  the  academy  for  a  few  grains  of  the  stone, 
detached  from  their  specimen  (of  rather  more  than  half  an  ounce  weight),  which  has  enabled  me  to  extend  the  account 
of  its  properties  beyond  the  following  brief  remark,  which  is  all  that  is  embraced  on  this  head  in  the  paper  above 
referred  to,  viz:  "The  stone  is  3  inches  in  its  greatest  length,  and  the  surface  black  with  many  indentations." 

Its  specific  gravity  is  3.25  to  3.30. 

Its  coating  is  perfectly  black,  but  without  the  glassy  luster.  In  some  spots  it  penetrates  by  narrow  veins  and  chinks 
into  the  mass  of  the  stone  for  a  slight  distance. 

It  is  of  a  light  color  within  (destitute  of  rust  points),  and  has  a  vitreo-pearly  luster.  Nickeliferous  iron  is  dis- 
tributed through  it  in  minute  shining  globules,  with  here  and  there  bronze-colored  specks  of  magnetic  iron  pyrites. 
The  stone  is  slightly  coherent,  and  appears  to  be  destitute  of  rounded  concretions. 

The  metallic  portion  is  rich  in  nickel.  The  earthy  part  is  readily  attacked  by  hydrochloric  acid;  and  the  solution 
formed  contains  silica,  oxide  of  iron  and  magnesia,  apparently  in  the  proportions  of  howardite. 

The  stone  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  nearly  identical  with  that  of  Castine  (May  20,  1848)  and  of  Poltawa  (March 
12,  1811). 

Brezina 4  classed  the  meteorite  as  an  intermediate  chondrite.  Nothing  further  seems  to  be 
known  of  the  meteorite.  Wulfing6  accounts  for  10  grams,  of  which  Paris  possesses  5  grains, 
and  the  Shepard  collection  in  Washington  4  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1829:  GAY-LUSSAC  (or  AKAQO?).    Chute  d'ae"rolithes.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  Bd.  42,  p.  419. 

2.  — ?:  VAUX  and  M'EUEN.    Trans.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philadelphia,  Bd.  16,  p.  181. 

3.  1851:  SHEPARD.    On  the  meteoric  stone  of  Deal,  New  Jersey,  which  fell  August  15,  1829.    Proc.  Amer.  Assoc. 

Adv.  Sci.,  1851,  pp.  188-189. 

4.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  181  and  232. 

5.  1897:  WULFINQ.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  99. 


Decatur  County.    See  Prairie  Dog  Creek. 


DE  CEWSVILLE. 

Haldimand  County,  Ontario,  Canada. 
Latitude  42°  57'  N.,  longitude  79°  56'  W. 
Stone.    White  chondrite  (Cw)  of  Brezina. 
Fell  2  p.  m.,  January  21,  1887;  described  1890. 
Weight,  340  grams  (0.(T  lb.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Ho  well  *  as  follows: 

This  aerolite  fell  in  the  village  of  De  Cewsville,  Ontario,  Canada,  about  2  p.  m.,  January  21,  1887,  striking  in  the 
ditch  on  the  south  side  of  the  street  known  as  Talbot  Road,  opposite  lot  43,  concession  1.  The  ditch  at  the  time  con- 
tained about  a  foot  of  water  from  a  recent  thaw,  which  was  covered  with  thin  ice.  The  meteorite  made  a  hole  in  this 
ice  about  a  foot  in  diameter.  The  whizzing  noise  in  the  air  and  the  splash  in  the  water  were  heard,  and  the  latter 
was  seen  by  a  Mrs.  Leonard  Strohm,  who  was  walking  along  the  middle  of  the  street  and  was  only  about  15  feet  distant. 
Her  first  thought  was  that  some  one  had  thrown  a  snowball.  The  noise  made  by  its  passage  through  the  air  seems  to 
have  been  heard  with  about  equal  distinctness  by  two  men  who  were  engaged  in  conversation,  Mr.  Drinkwater  and 
Mr.  Jacob  Strohm,  one  sitting  in  his  sleigh  in  the  middle  of  the  road  and  the  other  standing  by  a  pump  in  his  barn- 
yard, on  the  south  side  of  the  road,  about  150  yards  west  of  where  the  meteorite  fell.  This  fact,  together  with  the 
further  fact  that  the  meteorite,  after  striking  the  ice  and  frozen  ground  in  the  bottom  of  the  ditch,  seems  to  have  passed 
3  or  4  feet  to  the  eastward,  indicates  pretty  clearly  that  it  came  from  the  west,  and  the  impression  of  at  least  one  of 
the  persons  who  heard  it,  Mr.  Strohm,  whom  I  saw  and  questioned,  was  that  it  came  from  the  west  or  a  little  north 
of  west.  Search  was  at  once  made  for  the  stone  by  Mr.  Strohm  and  others,  but  without  success,  and  the  spot  where 
it  struck  was  marked  by  cutting  a  notch  in  the  fence  near  by. 

After  the  melting  of  the  snow  and  ice  the  stone  was  found  by  William  Kinear  while  on  his  way  to  school,  on  the 
morning  of  February  16,  about  3  or  4  feet  to  the  east  of  where  it  struck. 

As  the  specimen  has  been  kept  intact,  no  analysis  has  been  made  of  it. 

Its  specific  gravity,  3.52,  is  somewhat  greater  than  most  aerolites  and  it  doubtless  contains  a  little  more  iron  than 
meteorites  of  its  class. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  159 

Brezina 2  further  described  the  stone  as  follows: 

The  single  stone  of  this  fall,  weighing  340  grams,  has  the  form  of  the  segment  of  a  sphere,  such  as  would  be  pro- 
duced by  four  radial  cracks  in  a  spherical  shell  6  cm.  thick  and  of  large  radius  (about  30  cm.).  The  outer,  slightly 
convex,  spherical  surface,  as  well  as  the  corresponding  inner,  approximately  concave  surface,  is  extraordinarily  glazed 
with  a  thick,  primary  crust;  the  converging  flat  sides  have  somewhat  more  prominence,  although  they  possess  also  a 
primary  character;  on  several  corners  and  angles  small  fragments  have  been  broken  off  and  the  fractured  surface  has 
been  covered  with  a  secondary  crust.  The  primitive  crust  is  thick  and  dark,  the  secondary  is  of  a  reddish  brown 
color. 

The  stone  is  preserved  almost  entire  in  the  Vienna  museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  HOWELL.    Description  of  new  meteorites.    The  De  Cewsville  meteorite.    Proc.   Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol. 

1,  pp.  91-93. 

2.  1895:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  243. 


DEEP  SPRINGS. 

Deep  Springs  Farm,  Rockingham  County,  North  Carolina. 

Latitude  36°  2(K  N.,  longitude  79°  W  W. 

Iron.     Nickel-rich  ataxite,  Morradal  group  of  Brezina. 

Found  about  1846;  described  1890. 

Weight,  11.5  kgs.  (25  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Venable  *  as  follows: 

This  mass  was  reported  to  have  fallen  about  the  year  1846,  near  the  old  Mansion  House,  Deep  Springs  Farm,  in 
Rockingham  County,  North  Carolina.  One  of  the  old  negro  servants  related  to  Mr.  Lindsay,  the  owner  of  the  farm, 
that  "the  rock  fell  on  a  clear  morning  and  struck  the  ground  about  a  hundred  yards  back  of  the  garden.  It  fright- 
ened everyone  very  much.  Col.  James  Scales,  the  owner  of  the  farm  at  that  time,  and  Mr.  Dillard  took  a  man  and 
went  to  the  spot  and  dug  in  about  4  or  5  feet  and  got  it  out."  It  lay  about  the  house  as  a  curiosity  for  several  years, 
when  it  ceased  to  be  of  any  more  interest  and  was  thrown  aside.  After  Mr.  T.  B.  Lindsay  bought  the  farm,  he  kept 
the  meteoric  mass  for  several  years  upon  the  porch.  In  the  fall  of  1889,  he  presented  it  to  the  State  Museum.  The 
indentation  in  the  earth  where  it  is  reported  to  have  struck  is  still  pointed  out. 

The  weight  of  the  mass  was  11.5  kilograms.  It  had  somewhat  the  outline  of  a  rhomboid,  measuring  270  by  210 
mm.,  and  having  a  thickness  which  varied  from  10  to  70  mm.  It  is  coated  with  oxidation  products  to  a  depth  in 
places  of  several  millimeters.  These  give  the  whole  mass  a  dull  reddish  brown  color.  The  surface  is  irregularly  pitted 
with  broad  shallow  pits.  It  is  somewhat  concave  on  one  side.  On  being  polished  and  etched  it  gave  faintly  the  Wied- 
mannstatten  figures.  It  belongs  to  the  class  of  sweating  meteorites,  beads  of  deliquescent  ferric  chlorine  appearing 
on  the  surface.  This  lawrenceite,  so  called,  is  evidently  unevenly  distributed  through  the  mass.  Analyses  from 
different  portions  gave  different  amounts  of  chlorine,  the  less  the  deeper  the  material  examined.  In  one  boring  it 
was  noticed  that  the  metal  near  the  surface  (within  2  cm.)  gave  a  decided  percentage  of  chlorine,  while  that  coming 
from  the  deeper  part  of  the  drill  hole  (3  to  5  cm.  from  the  surface)  gave  no  appreciable  amount  of  chlorine. 

The  analysis  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co         Cu          Cr  C  Cl  P  S         SiO2 

87.01        11.69        0.79        0.00        0.00         0.00        0.39         0.04          0.00        0.53    =100.45 

Cohen 2  described  the  structure  as  follows: 

On  cutting  a  piece  for  chemical  investigation  the  saw  blade  struck  in  the  middle  of  the  plate  an  irresistible  obstacle, 
so  that  the  cutting  had  to  be  carried  on  from  the  other  surface  and  separation  obtained  by  breaking.  The  character  of 
this  small  layer  of  so  great  hardness  I  could  not  determine.  A  part  of  the  section  remained  unchanged  on  etching. 
The  portion  bounded  by  the  natural  surface  of  the  meteorite  is  covered  with  a  layer  of  rust,  as  is  the  case  with  the 
Cape  iron.  The  nickel  iron  rusts  very  easily  and  contains,  as  shown  by  the  analysis,  chlorine  in  large  quantity.  In 
this  meteorite,  as  in  the  Cape,  Lick  Creek,  and  other  irons,  the  abundant  grains  of  iron  chloride  may  be  traced  to  sharply 
bounded  portions  with  greater  porosity,  although  a  structural  difference  between  the  portions  of  the  iron  rich  and  poor 
in  chlorine  can  not  be  recognized  under  the  microscope.  Besides  being  in  the  porous  spots  the  iron  chloride  was  prob- 
ably originally  pretty  uniformly  distributed  in  the  meteorite.  On  weak  etching,  the  section  appears  dull  and  com- 
pletely homogeneous.  On  strong  etching  it  takes  a  weakly  granular  appearance.  Under  the  microscope  there  appear 
in  large  number  minute,  strongly  reflecting  particles,  partly  in  the  form  of  points,  though  at  times  in  the  form  of  light 
lines  which  have  a  length  of  0.02  mm.  and  a  breadth  of  0.005  mm.  Although  the  latter  are  generally  oriented  in  different 
directions  and  pretty  uniformly  distributed,  there  is  visible  under  the  microscope  a  very  slight  grouping  which  give 
a  spotted  appearance  on  an  etched  surface.  The  iron  seems  to  be  constructed  of  very  fine  grains  whose  separation 
is  not  distinct  even  on  strong  magnification.  The  only  accessory  constituents  are  small  flakes  of  schreibersite  and 


160  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

rhabdite,  the  latter  reaching  a  length  of  0.3  mm.  and  a  breadth  of  0.03  mm.  According  to  information  kindly  given  by 
Doctor  Farrington,  the  section  in  the  Field  Columbian  Museum  75  sq.  cm.  in  size,  shows  3  small  troilite  inclusions 
averaging  about  2  mm.  in  diameter. 

Analysis  by  Dr.  J.  Fahrenhorst  gave  the  following: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  C  Cr  Cl  PS 

85.99          13.4        0.70        0.03        0.03        0.02        0.02        0.06        0.00         =100.29 

This  analysis  shows  chromium  but  not  sulphur  to  be  present.  The  chromium  can  not,  therefore,  be  considered  to 
be  present  as  daubreelite.  Since  a  higher  content  of  chlorine  was  found  in  the  easily  rusted  portion  a  piece  weighing 
4.659  grams  was  used  for  a  special  determination.  This  showed  0.99  per  cent  of  chlorine. 

The  following  mineralogical  composition  of  the  iron  may  thus  be  determined: 

Portion  Portion 

rich  in  poor  in 

chlorine.  chlorine. 

Nickel  iron 99. 57          97.  87 

Schreibereite 0.  39  0.  38 

Lawrencite...  0.04  1.75 


100.  00        100.  00 

The  specific  gravity  was  determined  by  Dr.  Ziegler  at  22°  C.  to  be  7.4538.  A  medium  content  of  iron  chloride 
(0.60  per  cent)  would  give  a  calculated  specific  gravity  for  the  nickel  iron  of  7.5443.  This  value  is  very  low  for  an  iron 
so  rich  in  nickel  and  probably  indicates  a  porous  structure  in  the  easily  rusted  portion.  Deep  Springs  stands  by  reason 
of  ite  content  of  nickel  and  cobalt  nearer  the  nickel-rich  than  the  nickel-poor  ataxites.  Nevertheless  it  seems  to  me 
better  to  group  it  with  the  latter  on  account  of  its  structure  and  physical  properties,  which  differ  essentially  from  those 
of  the  nickel-rich  ataxites. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  (5,444  grams)  in  the  possession  of  the  North  Carolina  State  Museum, 
Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  In  addition,  Ward  has  738  grams,  Chicago  420  grams,  and  Berlin  314 
grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  VENABLE.    Two  new  meteoric  irons.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  40,  pp.  161-162. 

2.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien  XI.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.,  Wien,  vol.  15,  pp.  353-355. 


Dekalb  County.     See  Smithville. 


DENTON  COUNTY. 
Texas. 

Latitude  33°  12'  N.,  longitude  97°  107  W.  approximately. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 
Known  since  1856;  described  1860. 
Weight,  20  kgs.  (40  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Shumard  *  as  follows: 

Since  writing  the  above  the  Texas  State  cabinet  has  been  enriched  with  another  mass  of  meteoric  iron,  somewhat 
similar  in  composition  to  the  Brazos  specimen  but  of  much  smaller  size.  All  that  we  have  been  able  to  gather  of  the 
history  of  this  meteorite  is  that  it  was  picked  up  in  Denton  County,  in  the  northern  part  of  this  State,  and  thence  con- 
veyed by  the  finder  to  McKinney,  in  Collin  County,  and  presented  to  a  blacksmith  of  that  place,  in  whose  possession  it 
remained  for  several  months.  In  December  last  Mr.  Higby,  of  McKinney,  brought  me  a  small  hammered  specimen 
of  this  iron  weighing  40  grains.  He  stated  that  the  mass  from  which  he  had  taken  the  specimen  weighed  about  40 
pounds  when  it  arrived  in  McKinney,  but  that  the  blacksmith  had  cut  off  several  pieces,  which  he  had  wrought  into 
cane  heads  and  various  implements  so  that  its  original  size  had  been  much  reduced. 

During  last  winter  Dr.  G.  G.  Shumard  procured  from  the  blacksmith  a  piece  weighing  12  pounds  5.5  ounces,  which, 
after  strict  inquiry,  was  all  that  could  be  found  of  the  original  mass. 

This  piece  is  of  an  irregular  shape  and  appears  to  have  formed  the  middle  portion  of  an  elongated  mass,  though  in  ita 
present  condition  we  can  form  no  very  definite  opinion  with  regard  to  its  original  shape.    The  iron  is  remarkably  close 
textured  and  appears  to  be  quite  as  malleable  as  the  Brazos  iron.    Specific  gravity,  7.6698. 
The  chemical  composition,  as  determined  by  Prof.  W.  P.  Elddell,  is: 

Kesidue  insoluble  in  NO5 0.  32814 

Iron  (mean  of  three  determinations) 94.  02466 

Nickel 5.42982 

Cobalt..  Trace. 


99.  78262 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  161 

Little  further  account  has  been  given  of  the  meteorite. 

Analysis  was  made  by  Madelung  2  on  a  specimen  having  a  specific  gravity  of  7.42,  with 
the  following  result: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  Inaol. 

92.099     .  7.530        Trace        0.001        Trace    =99.63 

Brezina,3  in  his  1885  catalogue,  speaks  of  the  iron  as  follows: 
Denton  County  is  not  well  disclosed;  kamacite  somewhat  puffy,  bands  0.3  mm.  wide. 
Meunier 4  in  1893,  describes  it  as  follows: 

The  kamacite  is  in  pretty  large  bands,  separated  from  each  other  at  many  points  and  only  by  fine  laminae  of  tsenite. 
The  plessite  is  less  abundant  and  is  unequally  distributed.  The  metal  incloses  numerous  grains  of  schreibersite;  no 
pyrrhotine  is  visible. 

Small  pieces  of  the  meteorite  are  reported  in  various  collections.     The  main  mass  is  said 
to  be  in  the  State  Museum  at  Austin,  Texas. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1860:  SHUMARD.    Notice  of  meteoric  iron  from  Texas.    Trans.  St.  Louis  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  1, 1856-1860,  pp.  623-624. 

2.  1862:  MADELUNG.    Ueber  das  Vorkommen  dee  gediegenen  Arsens  in  der  Natur  nebst  den  Analysen  einiger  neuerer 

Meteoriten. — Das  Meteoreisen  von  Denton  County.    Dissert.  GSttingen,  1862,  pp.  40-41. 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  213,  214,  and  234. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Kevision  des  fere  meteoriques,  pp.  52  and  56. 


Denver.     See  Bear  Creek. 
Denver  County.     See  Bear  Creek. 


DESCDBRIDORA. 

District  of  Catorze,  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi,  Mexico. 
Here  also  Catorce  (found  1885)  and  Agua  Blanca  (which  has  been  lost). 
Latitude  23°  44'  N.,  longitude  100°  58'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Schwetzite  (type  15)  of  Meunier. 
Known  since  1780-1783;  mentioned  1804. 

Weight:  Two  masses,  one  of  576  kg.  (1,270  Ibs.),  the  otherof  41.5  kg.  (90  Ibs.).    The  weight  of  other 
masses  referred  to  here  is  not  known. 

In  the  view  of  Brezina 25  the  following  masses  should  be  grouped  here.    He  says: 

Under  the  name  Descubridora  are  to  be  classed  at  least  the  following: 

(1)  The  large  mass  of  576  kg.  weight  which,  according  to  Castillo,21  was  found  before  1780  (or  1783)  in  the  Descu- 
bridora  Mountains  upon  the  Hacienda  de  Poblazon,  and  brought  from  there  to  the  stamp  mill  of  San  Miguel.    It  was 
there  converted  into  an  anvil,  and  later  brought  to  the  Hacienda  del  Tanque  de  Dolores,  then  once  more  to  the 
Hacienda  San  Miguel,  and  from  thence  to  the  Geographico-Statistical  Society  of  Mexico,  through  the  efforts  of  M. 
Yrizar.    The  Vienna  specimen  agrees  exactly  with  the  Durango  iron,  and  relatively  with  Pila,  with  Catorze,  and  with 
the  Descubridora  specimen  of  Yale  College.    The  kamacite  glistens  brightly,  the  tsenite  is  well  developed,  and  the 
fields  resemble  the  bands.    This  iron  is  identical  with  that  of  the  Hacienda  de  Vanegas  (not  Venagas),  from  which 
I  erroneously  concluded  that  it  was  a  hexahedral  iron  of  nearly  cylindrical  form. 

(2)  An  iron  from  Descubridora  put  on  the  market  by  Ward  and  Howell,  which  was  obtained  from  the  Yale  College 
collection.    This  iron  has  straight,  notched  laminae  of  medium,  almost  fine,  breadth,  and  with  kamacite  and  plessite 
in  specks. 

(3)  The  iron  of  Catorze  of  41.5  kg.  weight,  described  by  Geo.  F.  Kunz,  now  in  the  Vienna  Museum,  in  which  a 
groove  had  been  chiseled,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  off  a  fragment,  in  which  there  remained  the  broken 
end  of  a  copper  chisel.    The  etched  surface  shows  complete  agreement  with  the  first  two  irons  and  also  great  similarity 
with  Morito. 

(4)  According  to  Fletcher,  an  iron  of  4.5  to  5.5  kg.  weight,  in  the  possession  of  a  certain  Chialiva  at  Zacatecas. 

(5)  The  iron  from  Real  del  Guangoche,  near  Catorze. 

(6)  The  iron  of  Agua  Blanca,  near  Catorze. 

The  Charcas  iron,  which  Fletcher  indicated  as  apparently  belonging  also  to  the  Descubridora  iron,  is  provision- 
ally regarded  as  an  independent  mass  because  of  its  somewhat  finer  figures,  but  especially  because  of  the  intermixture 
of  a  peculiar  powder-like  substance.  A  thorough  chemical  investigation  is  necessary  to  determine  accurately  the 
chemical  constituents  of  this  mass. 

716°— 15 11 


162  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Of  the  masses  mentioned  in  the  foregoing,  the  most  important  is  the  one  weighing  576  kg., 
which  was  fully  described  by  Burkart  n  as  follows: 

In  the  year  1830  I  learned  of  the  existence  of  a  large  mass  of  meteoric  iron  within  the  bounds  of  the  Hacienda 
of  Poblazon,  and  soon  afterwards  I  saw  a  smaller  meteoric  iron  mass  in  the  possession  of  a  friend,  said  to  have  come  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Alamos  de  Catorze.  Later,  in  1856, 1  learned  that  the  mass  from  Poblazon,  estimated  at  18  cm. 
weight,  had  been  brought  by  a  Mr.  Aguilar  to  his  amalgam  works  situated  at  Catorze,  in  order  to  make  of  it  a  base  for 
a  stamp  mill  for  this  work;  and  in  the  course  of  the  year  1873,  Prof.  Don  Antonio  del  Castillo,  of  Mexico,  informed 
me  that  this  meteorite  had  been  brought  from  San  Luis  Potosi  to  the  capital  city  of  Mexico  without,  however,  stating 
how,  when,  or  from  whence  the  same  had  come  to  San  Luis  Potosi.  Further  particulars  concerning  this  iron  meteorite, 
only  the  locality  of  which  has  been  known  hitherto,  are  found  in  the  journals  of  two  Mexican  scientific  societies  for 
geography  and  statistics  and  for  natural  history,  from  which,  therefore,  we  have  drawn  the  following: 

The  Society  for  Geography  and  Statistics  obtained  already  in  the  year  1871  an  iron  meteorite  sent  from  San  Luis 
Potosi,  and  later  also,  according  to  their  desire,  an  historical  notice  of  the  same.  They  appointed  a  commission  to 
investigate  and  describe  the  meteorite,  which,.with  reference  to  its  approximate  place  of  discovery,  they  designated 
as  the  aerolite  of  Descubridora,  and  to  install  the  same  in  the  building  used  by  the  society  as  the  nucleus,  with  other 
objects  already  in  hand,  of  a  collection  of  natural  products  and  works  of  art.  This  determination,  however,  was  later 
changed  and  a  distribution  of  the  mass,  under  the  direction  of  the  commission,  was  determined  upon  in  order  to  be 
able  to  make  an  exhaustive  investigation  of  it.  This  determination  called  forth  sharp  censure  from  different  quarters 
because  the  great  meteoric  iron  mass  was  at  the  time  regarded  as  Mexico's  finest  meteorite,  and  its  destruction  was 
given  up  in  order  to  preserve  it  inviolate  for  posterity.  *  *  * 

The  meteorite  of  Poblazon  was  found  certainly  between  the  years  1780  and  1783  upon  the  mountain  of  Descu- 
bridora, in  the  neighborhood  of  the  mining  region  of  Alamos  de  Catorze,  a  district  noted  for  its  rich  diggings  of  silver 
ore,  and  therefore  even  yet  designated  as  Descubridora.  It  reached  San  Luis  Potosi  in  the  year  1871,  in  charge  of 
Vicento  Irizar,  for  the  Society  of  Geography  and  Statistics  in  Mexico. 

Its  form  was  described  as  that  of  a  distinctly  marked  prism,  with  an  egg-shaped  base  of  90  cm.  Ita  weight  was 
given  as  575  kg.,  and  it  was  noted  that  its  mass  was  of  a  whitish,  steel-gray  color,  very  tough,  of  a  fibrous  texture,  and, 
on  account  of  its  great  density,  capable  of  taking  a  beautiful  polish. 

The  mass  was  cut  in  two  pieces,  the  larger  of  which  was  60  cm.  long.  From  this,  however,  there  had  been  cut  a 
slice  4  cm.  thick  which  was  said  to  have  been  divided  up  into  smaller  pieces  among  the  public  collections  and  chem- 
ical laboratories  of  the  land. 

The  section  surfaces  of  both  the  larger  pieces  are  said  to  have  been  engraved,  upon  one  surface  the  national  arms, 
upon  the  other  information  as  to  the  place  of  find,  the  date  of  same,  the  name  of  the  donor,  the  original  weight,  the 
volume,  the  results  of  analysis,  and  the  physical  characteristics  of  the  meteorite.  The  particles  resulting  from  the 
cutting  of  the  iron  are  said  to  have  been  used  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  a  knife  blade,  an  elastic  spring,  a 
wire,  etc.,  in  order  to  determine  the  malleability,  hardness,  and  toughness,  as  well  as  the  practical  uses  of  the 
meteorite;  then,  according  to  the  specifications  in  the  instructions  of  the  commission  of  the  Society  of  Geography  and 
Statistics,  the  smith  of  the  Hacienda  San  Miguel,  near  Poblazon,  had  already  made  hatchets  and  nails  of  a  few  frag- 
ments cut  from  the  meteorite  which,  on  account  of  their  durability,  were  very  much  prized. 

The  mass  must,  therefore,  at  an  earlier  time  have  been  larger,  heavier,  and  of  somewhat  different  form  than  it 
appears  to  have  been  at  the  time  of  its  investigation  in  Mexico,  even  though  Aguilar,  its  former  owner,  is  said  not  to 
have  carried  out  his  intention  of  making  a  stamp  mill  base  of  the  iron. 

In  the  second  of  the  foregoing,  the  commission  of  the  Society  of  Natural  History  gave  a  somewhat  more  complete 
description  of  the  meteorite  of  Poblazon,  or  Descubridora.  They  found  at  the  beginning  of  their  activity  that  the 
meteorite  had  already  been  cut  in  two,  and  they  could  not,  therefore,  as  they  themselves  assert,  form  an  even  approxi- 
mately correct  idea  of  its  general  form,  but  concluded  from  the  form  of  the  piece  and  from  the  data  in  the  first  report 
that  the  meteorite  had  a  distinctly  pyramidal  form. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  the  commission  had  also  obtained  photographs  which  had  been  taken  from  the  iron 
mass  in  San  Luis  Potosi,  and  which  are  said  to  have  shown  the  three  flat  surfaces  of  the  pyramid.  These  surfaces  show 
in  their  outline  a  few  straight  lines  which  for  the  most  part  correspond  to  the  direction  of  the  cleavage  planes,  since  by 
prolonging  the  most  distinct  of  these  lines,  according  to  the  opinion  of  the  commission,  figures  should  be  obtained  which 
resemble  the  figures  obtained  by  treating  the  polished  surfaces  of  the  meteorite  with  nitric  acid,  and  among  the  angles 
formed  by  the  intersection  of  the  lines,  the  angle  of  109°,  corresponding  to  the  octahedron,  may  often  be  recognized. 
Moreover,  the  commission  noted,  upon  one  of  the  surfaces,  a  crack  parallel  with  the  line  of  the  contour,  and  between 
the  two  another  blackish  line  which  meets  with  the  line  proceeding  from  another  point. 

The  color  of  the  iron  in  places  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  is  brownish-black;  in  some  other  places  on  which  schrei- 
bersite  appears  to  be  exposed  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  silver  white,  and  upon  a  fresh  fracture  whitish,  steel-gray.    It  shows 
a  distinct  crystalline  structure,  and  has  in  general  a  little  metallic  luster,  but  on  the  oxidized  exterior  is  dull. 
Hardness=8;  flexible  and  malleable;  specific  gravity=7.38.    Both  poles  of  the  magnetic  needle  were  attracted  by 
the  iron. 

On  the  inside  of  the  meteorite  occur  some  cavities  which  were  filled  with  a  crystalline,  earthy  (?)  mass  of  speiss 
gelbe  color  shading  into  torn-back  brown,  and  with  a  metallic  luster,  the  troilite  of  Haidinger  or  iron  sulphide. 

Analysis  by  Patricio  Murphy: 

Fe  Ni  Co  S          Cr,  P,  0  loss 

89.51        8.05        1.94        0.45  0.05  =100 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  163 

Etching  on  polished  surface  produces  distinct  Widmannstatten  figures  like  those  of  the  Xiquipilco  iron. 

In  view  of  the  above-given  characteristics,  the  commission  referred  the  iron  to  the  holosiderites  of  Daubree. 

The  commission  furthermore  cited  the  result  of  different  experiments  with  the  meteorite  of  Descubridora,  of 
which  the  following  data  may  find  place  here. 

The  piece  of  the  meteorite  used  for  the  experiment  showed  especially  a  prismatic  or  cubic  form  which  was  also 
indicated  by  the  fracture. 

The  resistance  of  the  iron  to  crushing  was  38  kg.  (upon  a  cross  section  of  1  sq.  mm.) ;  resistance  to  tension  40  kg.,  etc., 

Much  of  Burkart's  account  seems  to  have  been  drawn  from  Barcena's u  description. 
Barcena13  later  summarized  this  before  the  Philadelphia  Academy  as  follows: 

In  the  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi  two  aerolites  of  large  dimensions  were  found.  One  of  them,  called  "Meteorite  de  la 
Descubridora,"  was  sent  4  years  ago  to  the  Mexican  Society  of  Geography  and  Statistics  of  the  City  of  Mexico  by  Messrs. 
Cabrera  and  Yrizar  of  the  city  of  San  Luis  Potosi.  This  mass,  which  weighed  576  kg.,  was  divided  in  several  pieces 
for  the  purpose  of  making  some  investigations  as  to  its  structure.  The  form  of  the  meteorite  was  also  prismatic;  it 
resembled  that  of  a  pyramid  with  a  triangular  base;  the  drawing  taken  with  a  photographic  apparatus  presented  in  its 
outline  several  well-determined  lines  which  formed  triangular  and  quadrilateral  figures  very  similar  to  those  produced 
by  hydrochloric  acid  upon  the  polished  surface  of  the  same  mass.  The  color  of  the  aerolite  is  grayish  white  and  its 
texture  notably  crystalline.  Ite  specific  weight  is  7.38.  It  is  composed  of: 

Fe  Ni  Co  S  Cr         Loss 

89.51        8.05        1.94        0.45        trace        0.05    =100 

The  resistance  of  the  iron  to  rupture  by  compression  is  38  kg.  to  the  square  millimeter;  the  resistance  to  the  rupture 
by  extension  is  40  kg.,  being  the  section  of  the  metallic  thread  of  a  square  millimeter.  The  coefficient  of  linear  dilata- 
tion between  0"  and  100°  is  0.0000701. 

The  analysis  of  the  meteorite  in  question  was  made  by  the  Mexican  chemist  Don  Patricio  Murphy.  The  other 
studies  were  made  by  a  commission  of  which  I  had  the  honor  of  being  a  member. 

The  92-pound  mass  was  first  described  by  Kunz  "  as  follows: 

The  Catorze  mass,  weighing  92  pounds,  was  found  by  a  miner  near  Catorze,  San  Luis  Potori,  Mexico,  in  1885.  It 
measures  31.5  by  34.5  by  20  cm.  It  shows  beautiful  raised  octahedral  markings.  On  one  side  an  opening  9  cm.  long 
has  been  made  and  a  piece  of  a  chisel  of  native  copper  left  in  it.  This  piece,  which  is  partially  covered  with  oxide  of 
copper,  is  22  mm.  long  on  one  side,  33  mm.  on  the  other,  and  14  mm.  wide. 

This  iron  is  one  of  the  Cailite  group  of  Stanislaus  Meunier  and  shows  the  Widmannstatten  lines  very  finely.  It 
resembles  the  irons  of  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  of  Glorieta  Mountain,  and  others  of  this  group.  No  troilite  was 
observed,  the  mass  having  been  cut  very  little  and  schreibersite  is  only  sparingly  present. 

Analysis  by  J.  B.  Mackintosh: 

Fe          Ni  and  Co          P  Insoluble  in  HNO3 

90.09  9.07  0.24  0.60  =100 

Specific  gravity,  7.509. 

This  iron  Kunz  regarded  "from  all  appearances"  as  a  "new  and  distinct  fall." 
Castillo  21  mentions  only  the  576  kg.  mass  and  describes  a  peculiar  mineral  which  he  found 
in  it. 

Fletcher's  B  views  have  already  been  referred  to. 
Meunier  **  makes  the  following  observations: 

The  figures  produced  by  this  iron  are  identical  with  those  of  the  Schwetz  iron.  The  kamacite  is  composed  of  bands 
more  than  a  millimeter  in  size  and  the  sides  of  the  plessite,  which  are  often  square,  are  on  an  average  4  mm.  in  size. 
The  latter  show  under  the  glass  very  small  specks  of  schreibersite.  The  kamacite  is  often  bordered  by  a  very  fine 
lamina  of  tanite.  The  pyrrhotine  occurs  in  very  elongated  masses. 

The  large  mass  is  now  in  the  Mexican  National  Museum.  It  is  cut  in  two  parts  and  the 
parts  bound  with  iron  hoops  to  prevent  their  falling  apart  from  the  fissure  already  referred  to 
by  Burkart  as  running  through  them.  The  surface  of  one  of  the  masses  is  nicely  engraved  with 
the  locality,  weight,  etc.  The  92-pound  mass  is  preserved  almost  entire  in  the  Vienna  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1804:  DEL  Rio.    Tablas  Mineralogicas,  Mexico,  1804,  p.  57. 

2.  1805:  DEL  Rio.    Elementos  de  Orictognosia,  Segunda  parte,  p.  40. 

3.  1855:  SMITH.    Memoir  on  meteorites. — Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  "d  ser.,  vol.  19,  p.  160  (Hacienda  of  Venagas). 

4.  1S56:  BURKART.    Fundorte  I.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1856,  pp.  2S5-286  and  287. 

5.  1857:  BURKART.    Briefliche  Mitteilung.    Xeues  Jahrb.,  1857,  pp.  53-54. 

6.  1858:  BUBKART.    Fundorte  II.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1858,  p.  770. 

7.  1859:  HARRIS.    Dissert.  Gottingen.  p.  107. 


164  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

8.  1869:  SMITH.    The  Cohahuila  iron  of  1868,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  47,  p.  383  (V«nagas). 

9.  1870:  BUBKART.    Fundorte  IV.    Neues  Jahrb.  Min.,  p.  691. 

10.  1872:  ZEREGA,  REYES,  and  EPSTEIN.    Boletin  de  la  Sociedad  de  Geografia  y  Estadistica  de  la  Republica  mexi- 

cana,  Segunda  Epoca,  vol.  4,  Mexico,  pp.  5  and  317  (319?). 

11.  1873:  COMACHO,  Rio  DE  LA  LOZA,  BARZENA,  MANZANO,  and  IGLESIAS.     "La  Naturaleza."    Periodico  cientifico 

de  la  Sociedad  mexicana  de  Historia  natural,  Mexico,  vol.  2,  p.  277  ft.     (Analysis  by  Murphy,  p.  290.) 

12.  1874:  BURKART.    Die  Meteoreisenmasse  von  dem  Berge  Descubridora  bei  Poblazon  unweit  Catorze  im  Staate 

San  Luis  Potosi  der  Republik  Mexico.    Neuea  Jahrb.  Min.,  pp.  22-28. 

13.  1876:  BAHCENA.    On  certain  Mexican  Meteorites.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Hist.  Philadelphia,  pp.  123-124. 

14.  1877:  Anales  del  Museo  Nacional  de  Mexico,  vol.  1,  p.  117.     (Analysis  with  2.13  per  cent  tin.) 

15.  1881:  BREZINA.    Bericht  II.     Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  83  I,  p.  473. 

16.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  pp.  116  and  127. 

17.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  213  and  234  (Charcas). 

18.  1887:  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  Ilia.    Verhandl.  k.  k.  geol.  Reichsanstalt,  p.  289. 

19.  1887:  KUNZ.    On  two  new  meteorites  from  Carroll  County,  Kentucky,  and  Catorze,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  33,  pp.  233-235.    (Analysis  by  Mackintosh,  illustration  of  mass,  and  an  etching.) 

20.  1888:  VON  HAUER.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.,  Wien,  Bd.  3  (Not.),  p.  42;  and  Bd.  4,  1889,  (Not.),  p.  64. 

21.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  pp.  4-5,  10,  and  13-15. 

22.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  66-70,  71-72,  99,  104,  156-160,  and  174. 

23.  1890:  BREZINA.    Reise.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.,  Wien,  Bd.  4  (Not.),  p.  117. 

24.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fers  me'tebriques,  p.  46. 

25.  1895:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  269,  273-274,  and  275. 


DE  SOTOVILLE. 

Choctaw  and  Sumter  Counties,  Alabama. 

Here  also  Tombigbee  River. 

Latitude  32°  13'  N.,  longitude  88°  W  W. 

Iron.    Hexahedrite  (H)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1859  to  1886;    described  1899. 

Weight,  six  masses  weighing  46  kgs.  (96.5  Ibs.). 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  have  been  summarized  by  Cohen  8  as  follows : 

In  1899,  W.  M.  Foote  '  described  six  masses  of  iron  from  Alabama,  three  of  which  were  found  south  of  De  Soto- 
ville,  in  Choctaw  County,  and  three  north  of  the  same  place  in  Sumter  County.  They  were  found  at  points  lying 
in  nearly  a  straight  line  16  km.  in  length  and  at  almost  equal  distance  from  the  Tombigbee  River,  the  masses  being 
arranged  in  order  of  weight,  the  heavier  ones  at  the  north  and  decreasing  in  weight  toward  the  south.  Foote  chose 
the  name  "Tombigbee  River"  for  these  new  meteoric  irons;  but  as  this  stream  traverses  the  State  of  Alabama  for  a 
distance  of  nearly  300  km.,  it  does  not  locate  the  place  of  discovery  very  definitely,  and  accordingly  the  designation, 
De  Sotoville,  is  to  be  preferred. 

The  following  data  as  to  the  weight  and  date  and  place  of  discovery  of  these  six  masses  are  given: 
I.    15.019  g. ;  found  1878;  apparently  cast  upon  the  surface  by  the  uprooting  of  a  tree. 
II.    11,976  g. ;  found  1886  by  a  plowman;  of  an  irregularly  rounded  form. 

III.  9,215  g. ;  found  1886;  form  similar  to  II. 

IV.  3,568  g. ;  found  in  the  making  of  a  road;  flat  and  elongated. 
V.    3,260  g.;  found  by  a  plowman;  egg-shaped. 

VI.  757  g.;  found  1859;  flat  and  oval;  a  portion  of  it  was  wrought  up  into  nails,  so  that  its  original  weight  was 
greater. 

The  formation  of  the  rust  coating  was  accompanied  by  the  occurrence  of  reddish-brown  drops,  and  according  to 
the  statement  of  the  finder  of  No.  I,  its  weight  in  1878  was  22,200  grams,  so  that  in  21  years  a  diminution  of  7,181  grams 
was  produced  by  the  formation  of  rust,  since  the  form  does  not  permit  the  supposition  that  a  piece  was  cut  off.  The 
mention  of  platter-shaped  depressions  upon  the  exterior  makes  such  a  marked  diminution  of  volume  not  entirely 
probable. 

If  the  loss  in  weight  of  Nos.  I  and  II  be  taken  into  account,  the  total  original  weight  would  be  about  51  kg. 

Masses  III  and  V  were  more  closely  examined  by  Foote.  Upon  No.  V  he  observed  a  distinct  cleavability,  which 
was  referred  to  thin  plates  of  a  pyritiferous  mineral ;  upon  cut  surfaces  these  appeared  as  sharply  scratched  lines.  Upon 
etching  this  soft  and  easily  polished  iron  it  shows  cubic  crystallization,  the  Widmannstatten  figures  being  composed 
of  extraordinarily  fine,  microscopic  lines  which  intersect  at  various  angles.  Mass  III  shows  a  different  etching  sur- 
face, since  it  lacks  the  figures  of  No.  I.  A  portion  of  the  plessite  shows  an  appearance  suggestive  of  metallic  sheen, 
due  to  the  arrangement  of  tin-white  bladelets  or  cracks;  another  portion  of  the  plessite  remains  entirely  smooth. 

Berwerth  2  placed  De  Sotoville  (Tombigbee)  among  the  ataxites.  Klein  4  assumed  that  it  belonged  to  the  finest 
octahedrites,  but  pointed  out  that  it  needed  closer  investigation.  Farrington  *  called  attention  to  its  cubic  characters 
and  advised  further  examination. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  165 

All  three  of  the  samples  examined  by  Brezina  and  Cohen  *  (consisting  of  a  portion  of  No.  I,  •weighing  1,054  grams 
and  measuring  135  cm. ;  a  portion  of  No.  Ill,  weighing  570  grams  and  measuring  75  cm. ;  and  a  portion  of  No.  VI,  weigh- 
ing 243  grams  and  measuring  38  cm.)  are  characterized  by  abundant  schreibersite  in  elongated,  twisted  individuals 
with  hook  or  loop  like  conformation.  In  respect  to  the  size  and  manifold  form  of  the  schreibersite.  De  Sotoville  exceeds 
all  known  meteorites  except  Primitiva.  Other  shapes  and  forms  resembling  hieroglyphics  also  occur.  Rhabdite 
also  occurs,  sometimes  isolated,  but  mostly  compacted  together  in  groups,  and  then  in  a  twofold  formation  and  arrange- 
ment. In  many  places  the  needles  attain  a  length  of  3  mm. ;  they  appear  to  be  arranged  according  to  three  directions, 
so  that  two  of  these  intersect  at  an  angle  of  90°,  and  the  third  runs  diagonally.  Their  occurrence  in  layers  separated 
some  1.5  cm.  from  one  another,  is  extremely  various,  as  well  as  the  lengthening  of  the  latter.  Sometimes  they  traverse 
completely  a  large  plate,  sometimes  they  can  be  followed  only  for  a  short  distance.  Schreibersite  is  entirely  wanting 
for  some  distance,  where  rhabdite  accumulates  in  larger  quantities.  Finally,  in  many  places  near  the  natural  exterior, 
giant  rhabdites  occur;  these  are  from  0.05  to  0.15  mm.  wide  and  as  much  as  2  cm.  long,  and  sometimes  lie  parallel  to 
one  another;  sometimes  they  intersect  at  various  angles,  apparently  without  regularity.  Should  there  occur  here 
also  a  regular  orientation,  still  there  is  another  as  in  the  case  of  the  elongated  rhabdites. 

Most  of  the  giant  rhabdites  remained  rough  and  lusterless  after  etching,  as  if  not  entirely  unchanged.  All  the 
rhabdites  are  surrounded  with  a  highly  lustrous  etching  zone,  a  feature  which  is  the  exception  in  the  case  of  the  large 
schreibersites  and  then  only  on  portions  of  the  crystals. 

It  appears  to  be  the  giant  rhabdite  which  Foote  mentions  as  the  " pyritiferous  mineral";  on  the  contrary,  how- 
ever, the  analyses  sometimes  show  no  sulphur  at  all,  and  only  small  masses  of  it  at  most  in  other  cases.  At  all  events, 
iron  sulphide  has  not  been  observed  in  visible  particles,  which,  considering  the  size  of  the  cut  surfaces  examined, 
appears  quite  remarkable. 

"  Eisenglas"  frequently  occurs  on  the  edge  of  the  plates,  and  this  usually  incloses  and  sometimes  penetrates  large 
schreibersites.  After  dislodging  the  crystals  there  remains  a  thin  black  film  clinging  to  the  nickel-iron;  it  is  partially 
covered  over  with  a  brown  coating,  wEich,  contrary  to  expectation,  gives  no  chlorine  reaction. 

Brezina  and  Cohen  *  give  the  following  analysis  of  the  schreibersite  from  carefully  selected  material: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P       Residue. 

71.70        12.58        0.32        15.45        0.15    =100.20 

Accordingly  this  schreibersite  belongs  to  the  variety  which  contains  the  least  nickel  of  any  yet  investigated.     It  would 
be  interesting  also  to  determine  whether  the  rhabdite,  as  usual,  is  here  characterized  by  a  higher  content  of  nickel. 

While  the  accessory  ingredients  and  their  occurrence  are  the  same  in  all  three  masses,  the  structure  is  so  divergent 
that  a  separate  description  seems  to  be  desirable. 

In  the  case  of  No.  I.  after  moderate  etching,  densely  compacted  Neumann  lines  appear,  which  are  of  such  fine- 
ness as  scarcely  to  be  noticeable  to  the  naked  eye;  under  the  glass,  however,  they  appear  with  extraordinary  distinct- 
ness. From  the  various  line  systems  a  few  are  distinguished,  as  usual,  by  greater  length  than  the  others,  but  not  by 
a  corresponding  depth  and  breadth,  as  is  usually  the  case  in  other  hexahedrites.  As  a  rule,  the  etching  lines  contrast 
sharply  with  the  large  schreibersites,  and  only  occasionally  is  a  slight  faulting  observed.  Disregarding  the  latter 
purely  local  phenomenon,  the  former  extends  with  similar  orientation  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  section.  At  this 
stage  of  the  etching,  the  etched  surface  takes  on  such  a  bright,  atlas-like  sheen  that  portions  with  stronger  or  weaker 
reflection  may  be  distinguished,  which,  by  turning  the  plate,  gradually  pass  into  one  another.  The  difference  in 
the  behavior  of  individual  portions  in  direct  light  seems  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  in  places  only  Neumann  lines  are 
present,  while  on  other  portions  etching  pits  occur  which  gradually  increase  in  number  and  thus  render  the  lines 
indistinct.  At  all  events  it  is  easy  to  see  that  an  oriented  luster  can  only  be  conditioned  by  etching  lines,  and  that 
the  occurrence  of  etching  pits  does  not  increase  the  distinctness  of  this  sheen.  This  is  easily  explainable  also,  since 
the  pittings  are  bordered  by  hexahedral  facets,  but  the  surfaces  laid  bare  by  the  etching  out  of  the  twin  lamella:  run 
in  different  directions,  and  now  one  and  now  another  reflection  will  determine  the  sheen.  By  further  etching,  the 
lines  and  pits  become  broader  and  deeper  and  new  etching  lines  seem  to  be  added;  finally,  the  smooth,  lustrous  little 
areas  between  the  Neumann  lines  become  rounded  lumps,  the  entire  etched  surface  takes  on  a  rippled,  lumpy  appear- 
ance, and  the  former  strongly  and  uniformly  oriented  sheen  now  becomes  dull  because  of  diffuse  reflection.  Adjacent 
to  the  schreibersite  the  hexahedral  iron  shows  numerous  etching  zones  0.3  to  0.5  mm.  wide,  upon  which,  after  etching, 
the  iron  remains  bright  gray,  while  it  becomes  dark  gray  at  a  distance  from  the  schreibersite.  The  same  thing  occurs 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  rhabdite. 

If  it  be  concluded  from  the  regular  course  of  the  Neumann  lines  and  from  the  compact,  parallel  layers  of  rhabdite, 
as  well  as  from  its  orientation  within  the  layers,  that  the  entire  mass  is  an  individual  of  the  structure  of  a  hexahedrite, 
this  result  becomes  established  if  a  plate  be  half  cut  through  and  then  broken.  The  fractured  surface  leaves  signs  of 
cleavage  which  are  oriented  in  three  directions  perpendicular  to  one  another.  Larger  continuous  cleavage  surfaces 
are  entirely  wanting,  since  the  division  usually  takes  place  along  the  borders  of  the  schreibersite  and  the  cleavage  is 
thereby  interrupted. 

The  etched  surface  of  No.  VI  shows  a  silken  sheen  which  here,  however,  appears  peculiarly  burnt,  as  in  the  case  of 
Primitiva.  The  Neumann  lines  almost  disappear;  they  can  only  be  seen  under  a  strong  glass  and  then  are  confined 
almost  entirely  to  those  portions  of  the  nickel-iron  which  lie  in  the  vicinity  of  large  schreibersites  or  are  enveloped  in 
growth  forms  of  the  same.  Besides  or  instead  of  the  etching  lines,  fine,  short,  slightly  crumpled  cracks  occur  everywhere 
and  run  parallel  to  one  another  and  in  the  main  parallel  to  the  direction  of  the  velvety  sheen.  Very  fine,  straight  Neu- 
mann lines  appear  whose  breadths  have  been  determined  under  the  microscope  as  0.003  to  0.004  mm.,  running  prin- 


166  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

cipally  in  two  directions,  which  include  between  them  an  angle  of  55°.  The  wavy  lines  are  much  broader  (0.04  to  0.05 
mm.)  and,  at  least  in  the  portions  not  disturbed,  almost  follow  the  longer  diagonal  of  the  rhombus  formed  by  the  sharp 
lines  (measuring  angles  of  38,  17  to  30,  and  25°).  The  wavy  lines  frequently  are  situated  with  their  ends  upon  a  line 
system  inclined  at  an  angle  of  55°.  In  two  places  a  considerable  disturbance  slightly  bends  the  sharp  lines  and  has  a 
similar  though  more  considerable  effect  upon  the  wavy  lines.  The  elongated  islet  of  iron  in  the  middle  beneath  appears 
to  be  turned  toward  the  iron  particles  beyond  the  schreibersite  at  an  angle  of  about  8°.  The  two  sharp  and  the  wavy 
line  systems  seem  to  show  closely  compacted  line  systems,  the  first  of  which  is  inclined  perpendicular  to  the  section 
surface,  the  latter  very  level  with  it. 

Besides  these  structural  lines  still  another  structural  element  is  visible.  First  of  all  a  vein,  which  runs  in  a  double 
curve  from  the  middle  above  to  the  uppermost  point  of  the  schreibersite,  then  extends  toward  the  upper  left  branch  of 
the  schreibersite  crystal,  penetrates  this  at  a  slight  angle  of  deviation,  and,  parallel  with  the  downward  curved  portion 
of  the  branch,  a  piece  runs  into  the  large  bay.  This  vein  is  fine  grained  and  spotted  but  does  not  lie  in  a  granular 
groundmass.  Another  phenomenon  is  the  occasional  granulation  running  entirely  independent  of  the  Neumann  lines 
which  it  penetrates.  The  abundant  layers  of  rhabdite,  here  uniformly  fine  and  short,  are  for  the  most  part  surrounded 
by  grains  of  nickel-iron  0.05  to  0.3  mm.  in  size,  which  frequently  are  confined  to  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
needles  and  are  then  situated  like  berries  on  a  branch.  Also,  lengthwise  of  a  giant  rhabdite,  or  of  the  individual  faces 
of  large  schreibe'rsites,  as  well  as  of  finer  irregular  cracks,  a  small  fine-grained  zone  occurs,  but  the  entire  granular 
portions  compose  a  very  small  part  of  the  total  section  surface. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  nickel-iron  of  No.  Ill  is  scattered  in  irregular  sharply  defined  grains — roundish,  longish, 
bent,  and  jagged — every  portion  of  which  has  the  same  strongly  oriented  sheen.  The  diameter  of  the  grains  is  between 
0.2  and  1.5  mm.,  and  the  form  is  in  general  the  more  irregular  the  greater  the  dimensions.  In  some  places  particles  of 
a  very  fine-grained  structure  predominate  with  characteristic  oriented  sheen  in  which,  however,  are  found  large  grains, 
singly  or  in  groups,  with  different  sheen.  As  in  No.  VI,  so  here  also  a  row  of  brightly  glistening  grains  lies  directly 
along  the  giant  rhabdite,  where  they  stand  out  sharply.  Under  the  microscope  these  grains  appear  in  part  spotted  and 
then  less  glistening,  and  in  part  full  of  compact  lattice-like  etching  lines,  and  then  with  lively  oriented  sheen.  Here 
and  there — especially  where  particles  of  nickel-iron  become  inclosed  by  branching  schreibersite  or  interjected  between 
neighboring  larger  schreibersite — lie  isolated  grains  with  a  smooth  etched  surface,  and  the  groundmass  then  shows 
Neumann  lines,  which  are  unmistakable,  although  their  development  is  much  less  complete  than  in  No.  I. 

Independent  of  the  grains  is  a  network  of  fine,  irregularly  meandering  cracks,  occasionally  breaking  through  the 
former,  therefore  of  later  origin.  They  appear  even  after  weak  etching,  provided  the  granular  structure  does  not  make 
itself  perceptible,  and  are  to  be  regarded  as  a  segregation  phenomenon. 

Very  noteworthy  is  the  already  mentioned  fine-grained,  microscopically  compact-appearing  portion  which  traverses 
the  entire  plate,  and  which  appears  as  a  vein  1  to  3  mm,  in  breadth,  which  is  sharply  marked  off  by  a  small  border 
zone  filled  with  dark  dust-like  particles.  It  penetrates  one  of  the  giant  rhabdites,  which  appears  to  be  displaced  about 
2mm. 

The  following  analyses  of  Masses  I,  III,  and  V  are  given: 

1.  Mass  I,  Dr.  R.  Knauer  and  E.  Cohen. 

2.  Mass  III,  Dr.  O.  Hildebrand  and  E.  Cohen. 

3.  Mass  III,  Dr.  B.  Knauer. 

4.  Mass  V,  J.  E.  Whitfield. 

a  gives  the  total  composition,  6  the  composition  of  the  nickel-iron  after  abstraction  of  accessory  material,  c  the 
mineralogical  composition  of  the  masses. 

la 

Fe 95.41 

Ni 4.04 

Co 0.74 

Cr 0.  02 

Cu 0.04 

C. 

P 0.14 

S 0.05 

Cl 

Residue 0.02 

100.46 

16 

Fe 95.40 

Ni 3.83 

Co 0.71 

Cr 0.02 

Cu 0.04 

c : 

100.00 


2a 

3a 

4a 

95.18 

95.14 

95.02 

4.32) 
0.  69f 

4.82 

|     4.11 
1     0.40 

0.01 

0  04 

0  05 

0.07 

0.16 

0.20 

0.29 

0.32 

0.06 

Trace. 

0.00 

100.50 

100.37 

100.01 

26 

35 

45 

95.22 

95.60 

95.86 

4.021 
0.65) 

4.34 

f    3.62 
I    0.36 

0.00 

0.01 

0.04 

0.05 

0.07 

0.  16 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  167 

lc  2c  3c  4c 

Nickel-iron 98.93         98.71         97.96  97.89 

Schreibersite 0.91  1.29  1.88  2.11 

Troilite 0.14         ......  0.16  

Residue...  0.02 


100.00        100.00        100.00        100.00 

The  content  of  Ni  and  Co  ig  the  lowest  which  has  hitherto  been  found  in  a  meteoric  iron,  if  only  the  newer,  trust- 
worthy analyses  are  taken  into  account. 

On  the  one  hand  the  chemical  composition  of  the  masses  is  identical;  on  the  other  hand,  despite  many  differences 
of  structure,  many  correspondences  are  also  present.  Mass  I,  considered  by  itself  alone,  may  be  regarded  as  hexa- 
hedral  iron;  Mass  VI,  as  the  same,  though  possessing  in  places  a  granular  structure;  while  in  Mass  III  only  traces  of 
Neumann  lines  are  visible.  On  the  other  hand  the  occurrence  of  the  giant  rhabdite  in  Nos.  I  and  III  is  entirely  alike, 
likewise  the  characteristics  of  the  veins.  In  addition,  there  is  the  nearness  of  the  places  of  find,  as  well  as  the  similarity 
of  the  accessory  materials  in  respect  to  their  unusual  structure  and  arrangement.  The  connection  of  the  masses  as  one 
fall  is,  therefore,  not  to  be  doubted. 

It  must  be  assumed  that  the  various  masses  of  the  De  Sotoville  iron  were  originally  normal  hexahedrites  and,  in 
varying  degree  or  extent,  were  subjected  to  agencies  which  wrought  a  change  of  structure.  Probably  different  degrees 
of  heating  may  account  for  the  differences,  which  in  the  case  of  some  of  the  masses,  may  have  been  carried  to  the  extent 
of  softening  or  of  complete  melting  of  the  entire  mass.  The  end  piece  of  Mass  VI  would  represent  a  slight  degree  of 
alteration,  in  which  case  only  the  twin  structure  has  really  disappeared,  and  a  granular  texture  in  a  few  places  of  very 
limited  extent  has  attained  full  development.  In  the  case  of  Mass  III,  however,  almost  the  entire  mass  has  taken 
on  a  granular  structure  and  the  twin  lamellae  only  in  places  remain  so  far  intact  as  to  show  definite  indications  of  Neu- 
mann lines.  It  can  not  be  determined  with  certainty  whether  the  masses  in  question  were  heated  by  their  finders, 
as  so  often  happens  in  the  case  of  meteoric  iron,  or  whether  a  secondary  softening  took  place  before  or  during  their  fall . 

In  addition  to  the  heating  there  must  also  have  been  some  mechanical  process  to  produce  the  faulting  and  bending 
of  the  Neumann  lines  as  well  as  the  displacement  and  formation  of  veins. 

The  mechanical  changes  could  in  no  case  have  been  brought  about  by  artificial  means,  since  such  means  would 
be  far  too  coarse  to  produce  so  delicate  displacements  on  such  an  enormous  scale. 

Since,  however,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  displacements  and  veins,  occur  structural  changes  similar  to  those  of 
the  apparently  thermally  altered  portions,  the  conclusion  may  be  drawn  that  the  thermal  process  is  also  not  of  artificial, 
terrestrial  origin,  but  of  the  same  cosmic  nature  as  the  mechanical  changes;  and  that  through  heating  and  pressure 
there  was  a  gradual  change  of  a  hexahedral  iron  into  an  ataxite. 

The  meteorites  are  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1899:  FOOTE.    Note  on  a  new  meteoric  iron  found  near  the  Tombigbee  River  in  Choctaw  and  Sumter  Counties, 

Alabama,  U.  S.  A.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  8,  pp.  153-156.    (With  cuts  showing  external  appearance 
of  Mass  No.  1,  and  sections  of  Nos.  3  and  5;  and  a  diagram  showing  localities  of  finds.) 

2.  1903:  BERWERTH.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  15  and  81. 

3.  1903:  FARRrNGTON.    Catalogue  of  the  Meteorite  Collection,  Field  Columbian  Museum,  p.  118. 

4.  1903:  KLEIN*.    Berlin  Sammlung.    Ber.  Berlin  Akad.,  1903,  p.  168. 

5.  1904:  BREZINA  and  COHEN.    Ueber  Meteoreisen  von  De  Sotoville.    Wien  Akad.,  pp.  113  I,  89-103. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  208-215. 


Dickson  County.    See  Charlotte. 
Dolores  Hidalgo.     See  Cosina. 


DRAKE  CREEK. 

Sumner  County,  Tennessee. 

Here  also  Sumner  County,  Somner  County,  Nashville,  and  Tennessee,  1830. 

Latitude  36°  21'  N.,  longitude  86°  32'  W." 

Stone.    Veined  white  chondrite  (Cwa)  of  Brezina;  Luceite  (type  37,  subtype  2)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  4  p.  m.,  May  9,  1827;  mentioned  1830. 

Weight.    Five  stones;  the  largest  weighed  11  pounds,  another  5J  pounds. 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Silliman,1  who  stated  that  the  meteorite  had  been 
ordered  sent  to  him  by  Professor  Bowen,  but  on  its  way  it  had  been  left  with  Mr.  Seybert  for 
analysis.  The  methods  of  Seybert's  analysis  are  given  in  considerable  detail,  but  the  results  of  an 
analysis  of  the  undecomposable  part,  specific  gravity  3.485,  are  as  follows: 

SiO2  FeO          MnO          MgO  CaO         AL,  <53       NiO(Co)  S  FejO3         Cr*O, 

40.000        12.000  23.833  2.466    '     2.166  2.443         12.200        0.833      =95.941 


168  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

He  also  stated  that  the  "mineral"  consists  of  a  friable,  granular  mass  of  a  grayish  color  in 
which  metallic  particles  are  easily  discernible  to  the  naked  eye.  It  is  coated  externally  with  a 
crust  of  a  dark-brown  color  which  shows  evident  marks  of  fusion.  It  is  highly  magnetic  and 
when  thrown  into  hydrochloric  acid  sulphureted  hydrogen  is  evolved. 

A  brief  account  of  the  appearance  of  the  meteorite  was  given  by  Silliman2  later,  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  stone  which  we  have  received  presents  a  decidedly  felspathic  appearance,  and  is  quite  homogeneous 
except  its  black  crust  and  the  small  metallic  particles  consisting  of  the  protosulphuret  of  iron  and  native  iron  every- 
where disseminated  through  its  mass.  Its  specific  gravity  as  ascertained  by  Mr.  Seybert  is  3.48.  Of  all  the  stones  of 
this  sort  which  have  fallen  in  the  United  States  it  resembles  the  most  nearly  those  of  Maryland,  from  which  it  differs 
only  in  being  of  a  color  more  nearly  approaching  to  white. 

A  later  notice  by  Silliman 3  was  given  of  the  circumstances  of  fall  as  follows,  copying  an 
account  from  the  Nashville  Banner: 

This  account,  although  published  at  the  time  in  the  Nashville  Banner,  has  but  recently  been  placed  in  our  hands. 
As  all  such  notices  that  are  authentic  ought  to  be  preserved,  it  is  now  inserted  in  this  journal.  It  is  on  the  authority  of 
the  Rev.  Hugh  Kirkpatrick,  who  is  spoken  of  as  worthy  of  entire  confidence. 

On  Wednesday,  May  9,  about  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  the  day  being  as  clear  as  usual,  my  son  and  servants  were  planting 
corn  in  the  fields  when  they  heard  a  report  similar  to  that  of  a  cannon,  which  was  continued  in  the  air  resembling  the 
firing  of  cannon  or  muskets  by  platoons  and  the  beating  of  drums  as  in  a  battle.  Some  small  clouds  with  a  trail  of 
black  smoke  made  a  terrific  appearance  and  from  them,  without  doubt,  came  a  number  of  stones  with  a  loud  whizzing 
noise  which  struck  the  earth  with  a  sound  like  that  of  a  ponderous  body.  One  of  these  stones  my  son  heard  fall  about 
60  yards  from  where  he  was.  In  its  descent  to  the  ground  it  struck  a  pawpaw  tree  of  the  size  of  a  small  handspike  and 
tore  it  to  pieces  as  lightning  would  have  done;  guided  by  the  tree  he  immediately  found  the  spot  and  there  he  found 
the  stone  about  8  or  10  inches  under  the  ground;  this  stone  weighed  5.25  pounds.  Mr.  James  Dugge  was  also  present. 
They  stated  that  the  stone  was  cold,  but  had  the  scent  of  sulphur. 

On  the  same  day  and  about  the  same  time  my  son-in-law,  Mr.  Peter  Ketsing,  was  in  a  field  with  his  laborers  about 
1  mile  distant  when  a  stone  fell  which  weighed  11.5  pounds.  This  took  place  near  him,  his  wife,  and  three  other 
women.  A  number  of  respectable  men  were  present  when  it  was  found  and  taken  up;  it  was  12  inches  under  the 
ground.  I  have  seen  one  that  fell  at  Mr.  David  Garrett's,  and  part  of  one  that  fell  at  Mr.  John  Bones's;  I  have  also 
heard  of  one  more  that  has  been  found.  These  stones  are  perfectly  similar,  glazed  with  a  thin,  black  crust  and  bear  the 
marks  of  having  been  through  a  body  of  fire  and  black  smoke.  Many  gentlemen  who  have  been  excited  within  a  few 
days  to  come  to  my  home  to  see  them  say  they  never  saw  such  before. 

The  editor  of  the  paper  says  the  noise  was  heard  10  or  12  miles  or  more. 

I  have  nothing  more  to  add  to  the  description  of  this  stone  already  published,  except  that  the  innumerable  metallic 
points  which  are  visible  through  the  light  gray  (almost  white)  surface  of  the  mass  are  nearly  as  brilliant  as  silver,  although 
they  have  obviously  been  rounded  by  heat.  They  are  attended  by  an  immense  number  of  brilliant,  black,  vitreous 
globules  which  have  every  appearance  of  perfect  fusion  and  the  entire  mass  lias  that  harsh,  acrid  feel  which  belongs  to 
lavas  and  trachytic  rocks. 

The  black  crust  has  evidently  been  in  a  state  of  at  least  pasty  fusion;  its  roughnesses  are  rounded  and  on  drawing  a 
file  over  any  of  its  prominent  points  bright  metallic  iron  is  immediately  uncovered. 

There  is  no  account  of  a  fireball  attending  these  meteorites,  but  as  it  was  full  daylight  and  probably  sunshine  we 
can  not  conclude  that  there  was  no  fireball.  It  is  more  probable  that  there  was  one. 

The  locality  given  above  is  northeast  of  Nashville.  It  is  in  Sumner  County,  and  not 
Davidson  County,  in  which  Nashville  is  located.  On  account  of  the  mention  of  Nashville  in  the 
above  statement,  however,  the  meteorite  has  often,  though  wrongly,  been  called  by  that  name. 

Von  Baumhauer4  obtained  the  following  result  by  analysis  (specific  gravity  =  3. 469) : 

Groundmass.        Crust. 

SiO2 58.75  60.49 

FeO 22.70  32.10 

MnO 2.08  

MgO 18.50  1.48 

CaO 30  

A12O3 23  

NiO 2.08  L85 

S 1.80  2.47 

Sn 10  

02  

35  

*  106. 91  98. 39 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  169 

Brezina  in  1885 7  placed  the  meteorite  among  the  vein-free  white  chondrites,  but  in  1895,"  on 
the  ground  of  Reichenbach's  statement  that  the  mass  was  veined,  changed  its  place  to  the  veined 
chondrites. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed.  Wumng's  fl  list  accounts  for  5,501  grams,  of  which  Harvard 
possesses  1,481  grams  and  Leyden  2,222  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1830:  SILLDCAN.    Tennessee  Meteorite  which  fell  near  Drake's  Creek,  18  miles  from  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  the 

year  1827.    Amer.  Journ.  ScL,  1st  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  326-328. 

2.  1830:  SILIJMAN.    Tennessee  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  ScL,  1st  ser.,  vol.  18,  p.  200. 

3.  1830:  SILLIHAN.    Notice  of  the  circumstances  attending  the  fall  of  the  Tennessee  meteorites  May  9,  1827.     Idem, 

pp.  378-379. 

4.  1845:  VON  BAUMHAUER.    Ursprung,  Chemische  Untersuchung  des  am  22.    Mai,  1827,  in  Sommer  County  gefallenen 

Meteorsteins.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  66,  pp.  465  and  498-503. 

5.  1858-1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  5,  p.  475;  No.  9,  pp.  161, 167, 168,  169,  178;  No.  1»,  pp.  359,  361,  363;  No.  11, 

pp.  294,  300;  No.  13,  pp.  365,  369,  377;  No.  20,  p.  623;  No.  25,  pp.  319,  324,  428,  607. 

6.  1870:  RAMHELSBERG.    Meteoriten.  pp.  103, 107,  and  138. 

7.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  177  and  232. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.     Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  242,  244. 

9.  1897:  WCUTNG.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen.  pp.  106-107. 


DUEL  HILL. 

Madison  County,  North  Carolina. 
Here  alto  Duell  Hill  and  Madison. 
Latitude  35°  32'  N.,  longitude  82°  28'  W. 
Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1873;  described  1876. 
Weight,  11  kgs.  (25  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite,  which  has  been  at  times  combined  with  Jewell  Hill,  was  first  described  by 
Burton  J  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  was  placed  in  my  hands  for  examination  by  Prof.  F.  H.  Bradley,  who  also  furnished  the  following 
facts  in  regard  to  its  history: 

"The  mass  was  found  in  August,  1873,  on  land  of  Robert  Farnesworth,  near  Duel  Hill  Madison  County,  North 
Carolina.  It  was  lying  on  a  hillside  where  it  had  probably  been  used  by  the  first  settlers  of  the  land  for  supporting 
the  corner  of  a  rail  fence,  now  rotted  away.  It  is  said  to  have  weighed  when  first  found  about  25  pounds.  Two  or 
three  pounds  of  'specimens'  had  been  hammered  off,  most  of  which  could  not  be  recovered.  Mr.  Farnesworth  reported 
that  a  similar  mass  weighing  about  40  pounds  had  been  found  about  a  mile  farther  west  before  the  war,  perhaps  about 
1857,  which  has  since  disappeared,  probably  having  become  buried  in  rubbish." 

This  meteorite  consists  of  metallic  iron,  of  a  rounded  irregular  shape,  with  the  usual  coating  of  magnetic  oxide, 
and  measuring  9  by  6.5  by  3.5  inches,  and  weighed  21  pounds.  Over  the  surface  at  various  points  was  a  small  bead- 
like  deliquescence  of  iron  chloride.  A  portion  was  cut  off  at  a  machine  shop  and  was  described  by  the  machinist  aa 
"  the  toughest  piece  of  iron"  he  ever  handled.  The  usual  markings  were  brought  out  by  etching  the  polished  surface, 
though  they  were  rather  indistinct;  at  the  same  time,  distinct  particles  of  schreibersite  were  developed,  disseminated 
irregularly  over  the  surface,  which  came  out  more  prominently  under  prolonged  action  of  the  acid.  Specific  gravity, 
7.46.  Iron  not  passive.  Dissolved  in  hydrochloric  acid  without  liberation  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  leaving  a  very 
slight  black  carbonaceous  residue  which  contained  Si02.  Fe,  Cr,  Ni,  and  P.  The  following  result  was  obtained  on 
about  one  gram  of  the  iron: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P          Cu         Residue 

94.24        5.17        0.37        0.14        50.  0.15     =100.07 

Brezina,2  in  1881,  gave  the  following  account  of  the  structure  of  the  meteorite: 

A  piece  of  this  meteorite  shows  that  it  belongs  to  the  group  of  the  same  iron  which,  like  the  one  variety,  Szlanicza 
(Arva),  Caryfort,  Sarepta,  and  Southeast  Missouri,  shows  inclusions,  in  the  midst  of  the  coarse  kamacite,  of  plates  or, 
upon  the  section  surface,  of  ribs  of  porous  schreibersite.  The  specimen  exhibits  upon  the  kamacite  by  etching  only  a 
separation  among  grains  of  from  1  to  1.5  mm.  in  diameter,  which  indicates  as  plainly  as  possible  that  this  iron  must 
have  been  at  some  time  subjected  to  a  forge  fire;  by  continuous  action  of  the  acid  the  familiar  glimmer  arising  from 
the  very  regular  striations  appears  quite  distinctly  upon  the  entire  surface  of  the  section.  Interspaces  are  not  very 
abundant,  and  are  thickly  filled  with  combs,  eo  that  the  plessite  is  reduced  to  small  amount. 


170  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

In  his  1885  catalogue,  Brezina3  grouped  Duel  Hill  in  the  Arva  group  of  coarse  octahe- 
drites.  These  are  described  as  having 

lamellae  long  and  abundant,  grouped,  generally  weakly  hatched  and  granulated,  with  strong  oriented  sheen;  most  of 
the  bands  containing  inclusions  of  porous  schreibersite.     Breadth  of  the  bands,  1.2  to  2.5  mm.,  mostly  1.5  mm. 

Brezina  says  further: 

These  irons,  which  belong  to  the  most  beautiful  iron  meteorites,  show  characters  peculiar  to  themselves.  Owing 
to  the  generally  strongly  oriented  sheen,  in  combination  with  evident  grouping  of  the  lamellae  in  certain  portions, 
large  areas  appear  dark  and  others  light,  an  appearance  noted  by  Haidinger.  The  breadth  of  the  bands  in  one  iron 
(Duel  Hill)  falls  so  low  that  it  belongs  among  irons  with  medium  lampllse.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  foreborne  to 
subdivide  the  group  because  the  appearance  of  all  the  irons  of  this  group  is  so  similar,  and  for  the  further  reason  that 
the  plates  of  Duel  Hill  which  I  have  examined  are  not  large  enough  to  allow  a  conclusion  as  to  the  whole  of  an  iron 
whose  structure  changes  so  rapidly. 

Further  he  states: 

Duel  Hill  and  Caryfort  are  intermediate  between  [coarse  and  medium  octahedrites].  They  have  oriented  sheen, 
hatching  not  prominent,  hence  kamacite  strongly  granulated  in  the  former. 

Genth  and  Kerr 4  simply  repeat  the  statements  of  Burton.  Fletcher 5  includes  Duel  Hill 
under  Jewell  Hill  and  says  that  the  two  irons  probably  belong  to  one  fall. 

Venable,6  in  his  catalogue  of  North  Carolina  meteorites,  under  the  title  of  "Madison 
Meteorites,"  gives  Duel  Hill  as  the  locality  and  states: 

There  are  several  meteoric  masses  attributed  to  Duel  Hill  and  to  Jewel  Hill,  Madison  County.  The  similarity  of 
these  names  in  pronunciation  and  apparent  confusion  between  them  led  to  inquiry  as  to  their  exact  location.  The 
result  of  the  inquiry  is  that  at  present  no  Jewel  Hill  is  known  in  this  county.  There  was  a  Jewel  Hill,  at  one  time  the 
county  seat,  but  its  name  was  changed  to  Duel  Hill  and  the  county  seat  removed  to  Marshall.  These  two  are  therefore 
one  and  the  same  locality. 

Venable  lists  three  masses  from  this  locality.     One,  he  states — 

was  found  in  1856  and  is  recorded  as  preserved  in  the  Amherst  collection.    It  weighed  40  pounds.    No  analysis  has 
been  found.    Amherst  has  two  pieces,  one  of  600  grams  and  one  of  167.5  grams. 

The  next  one  is  the  8  pound  mass  described  by  Smith  (see  Jewell  Hill) ,  and  the  next  the 
mass  here  described. 

Brezina,8  in  1895,  objected  to  the  uniting  of  the  masses  of  Jewell  Hill  and  Duel  Hill  by 
Fletcher,  on  account  of  their  great  differences  in  structure  and  composition.  Their  difference 
in  structure  he  illustrates  by  two  plates.  Further  he  says: 

Duel  Hill  is  distinguished  by  the  appearance  of  large  troilite  cylinders  lying  parallel  to  one  another;  in  a  com- 
plete transverse  section  in  the  Vienna  collection  is  one  15  cm.  in  length  by  1  to  1.8  cm.  in  thickness  which  is  inclosed 
throughout  its  entire  length  in  a  covering  of  schreibersite  and  upon  one  end  to  within  2.5  cm.  from  the  edge  is 
enveloped  in  limonite;  a  second  troilite  cylinder,  3  cm.  thick,  has  fallen  away  except  for  a  few  traces.  The  illustra- 
tion shows  the  structure  very  distinctly,  the  prominent,  dark,  compact  ribs  of  cohenite  being  very  regularly  disposed 
in  the  kamacite  or  absent  altogether. 

Cohen 7  remarks  the  occurrence  of  cohenite  in  the  meteorite  and  notes 8  that  it  takes  on  a 
more  or  less  strong  permanent  magnetism. 

In  the  separation  of  Duel  Hill,  most  later  authorities  agree  with  Brezina.  Apparently, 
two  falls  took  place  upon  the  same  hill  within  a  mile  of  each  other.  One  was  a  fine,  the  other 
a  coarse,  octahedrite.  Of  the  fine  octahedrite,  there  were  two  masses,  probably,  since  the 
Amherst  specimens  are  fine  octahedrites.  A  further  account  of  the  history  of  the  meteorite  is 
given  under  Jewell  Hill. 

Only  1,510  grams  of  Duel  Hill  are  listed  in  collections,  Vienna  possessing  the  largest  piece. 
As  remarked  by  Cohen,11  however,  the  catalogues  do  not  always  distinguish  between  Duel  Hill 
and  Jewell  Hill. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1876:  BURTON.    Notice  of  a  meteorite  from  Madison  County,  North  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol. 

12,  p.  439.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1881:  BREZINA.    Bericht  III.     Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  84  I,  pp.  279-280. 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  215,  216,  and  234. 

4.  1885:  GENTH  and  KERR.    The  minerals  and  mineral  localities  of  North  Carolina,  p.  14.     (Printed  at  Raleigh.) 

5.  1888:  FLETCHER.     Introduction,  p.  60. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  171 

6.  1890:  VENA.BLB.    Meteorites  of  North  Carolina.    Journ.  Elisha  Mitchell  Sci.  Soc.,  Reprint,  pp.  12-13. 

7.  1891:  COHEN  and  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus..  Wien,  Bd.  6,  p.  161. 

8.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  pp.  115  and  194. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  233,  277,  and  286. 

10.  1895:  COHEN.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.,  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  82. 

11.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  350-354. 


East  Tennessee,  1840.    See  Cosby  Creek. 

East  Tennessee,  1853.    See  Tazewell. 

East  Tennessee,  1860.    See  Cleveland. 

East  Tennessee,  1887.    See  Morristown. 

East  Tennessee,  1891.    See  Jonesboro. 

Eau  Claire.    See  Hammond. 

Echo.    See  Salt  Lake  City. 
Eddy  County.    See  Sacramento  Mountains. 


EAGLE  STATION. 

Carroll  County,  Kentucky. 

Here  also  Carroll  County. 

Latitude  38°  38'  N.,  longitude  85°  W. 

Pallasite  (P)  of  Brezina;  same  (type  26)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1880;  described  1887. 

Weight,  36.5  kgs.  (80  Ibs.). 

The  first  description  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Kunz  *  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  was  found  in  1880,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  Eagle  Station,  Carroll  County,  Kentucky,  10 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  River  and  about  7  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  both  the  Kentucky  and  Ohio 
rivers. 

The  mass  weighs  about  80  pounds  (36.5  kg.),  is  almost  square  in  form,  and  measures  19  by  22  by  29  cm.  The  surface 
is  rusted  in  some  places  to  a  depth  of  10  or  12  mm.,  and  deep  pits,  some  2  cm.  across,  are  observed  in  spots  where  grains 
of  olivine  have  dropped  out.  All  of  the  original  crust  has  disappeared.  The  mass  is  largely  made  up  of  fine,  yellow, 
transparent  olivine,  resembling  closely  that  of  the  famous  Pallas  iron. 

Fragments  of  meteoric  iron  found  in  the  Turner  Mounds  in  the  Little  Miami  Valley,  Ohio,  some  60  miles  distant, 
probably  belong  to  the  same  fall  as  the  Eagle  Station  specimen. 

The  iron  in  the  Carroll  County  meteorite  is  scarcely  more  than  sufficient  to  hold  the  mass  together  securely.  On 
etching,  small,  fine,  Widmannstatten  figures  are  produced.  By  reflected  light,  minute  crystals  of  bronzite  can  easily 
be  recognized,  and  the  analysis  showed  the  presence  of  chromite  in  fine  grains  and  a  very  small  quantity  of  schreibersite. 

Analyses  of  the  olivine  and  iron  were  made  by  J.  B.  Mackintosh: 

Olivine.  Metallic  portion. 


SiO2 37.90          39.36  Fe 73.  44  or  Fe 7L  73 

MgO 4L65     (4L83)»  Ni 14.27      Ni 14.27 

FeO 19.66          18.81  Co 0.95      Co 0.95 

MnO,  CoO..     0.42        P 0.05      P 0.05 

SiO, 4.23      Olivine....  11.12 

99.63        100.00  MgO 4.69      Chromite..     0.90 

Chromite  ...     0.  90 
Specific  gravity=3.47 

98. 53  99. 02 

The  balance  in  the  last  analysis  is  oxygen  in  the  form  of  iron  oxide  and  undetermined  constituents.  For  the  pure 
metallic  portion  we  obtain  then  a  below  or  6  on  the  assumption  that  the  deficiency  in  the  analysis  is  chiefly  oxygen 
combined  with  iron  as  magnetic  oxide. 

a  6 

Fe 82.45          81.92 

Ni 16.40          16.90 

Co 1.09  1.12 

P...  0.05  0.06 


100.  00        100.  00 

For  comparison,  analyses  of  the  olivine  and  iron  from  the  Turner  mound  and  Atacama  meteorites  are  added. 

»  By  difference. 


172  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

While  in  this  paper  Kunz  expressed  the  opinion  that  this  meteorite  belonged  to  the  same  fall 
with  the  irons  from  the  Ohio  mounds,  in  a  later  paper 4  he  withdrew  this  conclusion  on  account 
of  the  structure  of  Eagle. 

Meunier  3  gives  a  brief  account  of  the  study  of  the  meteorite,  but  elicits  no  facts  of  importance. 
Brezina,5  in  his  1895  catalogue,  classes  Eagle  in  the  Rokicky  group,  the  characteristics  of  which 
are  polyhedral  olivines  broken  and  separated  by  movement  of  the  inclosed  iron.  Of  Eagle  he 
remarks  that  it — 

is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  interesting  meteorites  in  consequence  of  the  freshness  of  its  olivine  and  the  peculiar 
faulting.  The  iron  borders  the  olivine  generally  in  the  form  of  complete  lamellae,  a  strong  tsenite  ribbon  lying  adjacent 
to  the  olivine.  The  iron  in  the  interior  is  separated  into  differently  oriented  parts  by  wavelike,  bent  bands  of  tsenite. 
No  actual  trias  is  visible,  but  here  and  there  in  the  interior  of  the  iron  appear  groups  of  fine  lamellae  like  those  of  Butler. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  but  is  chiefly  (18  kg.)  in  the  Vienna  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1887:  KUNZ.    On  two  new  meteorites  from  Carroll  County,  Kentucky,  and  Catorze,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  33,  pp.  228-232  (illustration  and  analysis  by  Mackintosh). 

2.  1887:  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  Ilia.    Verhandl.  k.  k.  geol.  Reichsanstalt,  p.  289. 

3.  1889:  MEUNIER.    Sur  la  m6t6orite  d'Eagle  Station,  nouveau  specimen  de  brahinite.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  108, 

pp.  762-763. 

4.  1890:  KUNZ.    On  five  new  American  meteorites. — Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  eer.,  vol.  40,  p.  317. 

5.  1895:  BHEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  265. 


EL  CAPITAN. 

El  Capitan  Mountains,  New  Mexico. 
Latitude  33°  4<X  N.,  longitude  105°  17'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina,. 
Found  1893;  described  1895. 
Weight,  27.5  kgs.  (61  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  has  been  described  only  by  Ho  well 1  as  follows: 

This  handsome  meteorite  was  found  by  a  Mexican  sheep  herder,  Julian  Jesu,  in  July,  1893,  on  the  northern  slope 
of  the  El  Capitan  range  of  mountains  in  New  Mexico.  Three  small  pieces  were  broken  from  the  thin  edge  which  show 
beautifully  the  octahedral  structure  of  the  iron.  The  smallest  of  these,  weighing  a  few  ounces,  was  sent  to  the  United 
States  National  Museum,  and  the  two  larger,  weighing  respectively  1  pound  12.5  ounces  and  3  pounds  14  ounces 
together  with  the  main  mass,  55  pounds,  came  into  my  possession  at  different  dates  in  1894.  The  weight  of  the  iron 
when  whole  was  about  61  pounds;  the  general  shape  is  shown  by  cuts.  It  measured  10  by  9  by  '5  inches,  thinning  at 
one  edge,  and  had  the  usual  irregular  pitted  surface.  My  information  in  regard  to  the  history  of  the  meteorite,  as  well 
as  the  meteorite  itself,  was  obtained  from  Mr.  C.  R.  Biederman  of  Bonito,  New  Mexico.  Mr.  Biedennan  says  that  he, 
in  company  with  many  miners,  was  standing  in  front  of  a  store  in  Bonito  some  time  in  July,  1882,  when  they  saw  "a 
meteorite  which  looked  like  a  fiery  ball  moving  rapidly  toward  the  south  at  an  angle  of  45°  which  vanished  behind  the 
El  Capitan  range."  Mr.  Biederman  thinks  the  meteorite  found  by  the  Mexican  is  the  one  they  saw  fall,  and  there  is 
nothing  in  its  appearance  to  disprove  his  claim.  It  is  entirely  free  from  oxidation  and  evidently  fell  at  a  comparatively 
recent  date.  The  Widmannstatten  figures  are  developed  very  easily  and  clearly  and  indicate  that  it  belongs  to  the 
usual  type  of  octahedral  irons  with  rather  broad  bands  of  kamacite. 

Analysis  (Stokes): 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  Si  P  S 

90.51        9.40        0.60        0.05        trace         0.24        trace      =99.80 

The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1895:  HOWELL.    On  two  new  meteorites,  2:  The  El  Capitan  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,   3d  eer.,  vol.  50, 
pp.  253-254. 


Eldorado  County.     See  Shingle  Springs. 
•     Ellenboro.     See  Colfax. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  173 

ELM  CREEK. 

Lyon  County,  Kansas. 

Latitude  38°  40'  N.,  longitude  96°  5'  W. 

Stone.    Ornansite  (CcO),  of  Brezina. 

Found  1906;  described  1907. 

Weight  7,075  gr.  7  kgs.  (15  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Howard  l  as  follows: 

Another  aerolite  from  Kansas  has  just  been  obtained  by  Ward's  Natural  Science  Establishment,  of  Rochester, 
New  York.  It  is  of  especial  interest  as  having  been  found  near  Admire,  Lyon  County,  where  the  Admire  pallasite 
was  found  in  1902. 

About  May  10,  1906,  J.  R.  Waters  ploughed  up  the  meteorite  some  three  miles  north-northeast  of  Admire.  It 
was  buried  about  eight  inches  deep  in  a  field  that  up  to  that  time  had  never  been  cultivated  to  any  depth.  Mr. 
Waters  also  says  that  "it  was  on  a  slope  where  the  soil  would  wash  off  of  it  instead  of  burying  it  up  deeper."  The 
exterior  of  the  stone  exhibits  considerable  oxidation,  so  that  it  has  evidently  lain  in  the  ground  for  a  number  of  years. 
There  have  been  so  many  aerolites  found  in  Kansas  that  at  first  there  was  a  question  as  to  whether  this  one  constituted 
a  distinct  fall  or  if  it  were  merely  one  of  a  shower.  An  examination  of  a  polished  surface,  however,  showed  that  it  ia 
entirely  different  from  other  Kansas  stones. 

Rim  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  River,  flows  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  where  the  stone  was 
found,  and  as  one  meteorite  has  already  been  named  after  Admire  this  one  will  be  called  the  Elm  Creek  aerolite. 

Its  weight  is  7,075  grams.  It  measures  approximately  22  by  19  by  12  centimeters.  The  stone  ia  highly  oriented, 
the  pittings  radiating  from  a  point  a  little  below  the  center.  Any  markings  that  may  have  been  on  the  reverse  side 
have  been  obliterated  by  oxidation.  The  stone  is  very  firm  and  excepting  where  a  few  small  chips  have  scaled  off 
shows  no  signs  of  fracture. 

Dr.  Geo.  P.  Merrill,  of  the  United  States  National  Museum,  has  made  a  microscopic  examination  of  the  aerolite 
and  describes  it  as  follows:  "The  stone  on  a  polished  surface  is  of  a  dark  gray,  nearly  black  color,  thickly  studded  with 
metallic  iron  and  with  numerous  indistinct  chondrules  which  break  in  large  part  with  the  groundmass.  Under  the 
microscope  the  silicate  portion  is  found  to  consist  essentially  of  olivine  and  enstatite  with  a  twinned  monoclinic 
pyroxene.  The  olivine  occurs  in  the  usual  clear,  colorless  forms  quite  free  from  inclosures;  in  minute  fragments  and 
splinters  and  in  chondrulea  of  the  barred  and  porphyritic  type  common  to  meteorites.  A  part  of  the  porphyritic 
forms  show  a  base  of  yellowish  glass,  while  others  seem  holocrystalline.  Occasional  forms  are  met  with  in  which 
the  entire  chondrule  is  composed  of  a  single  individual,  in  which  case  the  central  portion  is  clear  and  colorless,  while 
the  borders  are  of  a  light  smoky-brown  color  and  show  a  fibrous  structure.  All  portions  are,  however,  optically  a  unit. 

•'The  enstatites  like  the  olivines  occur  in  scattered  fragmental  particles  and  in  chondrules,  the  latter  of  the  com- 
mon cryptocrystalline  and  radiate  type,  and  in  porphyritic  forms.  In  the  latter  the  crystal  outlines  are  at  times  very 
well  developed.  The  cryptocrystalline  forms  are  often  remarkably  spherical,  or  at  least  circular  in  outline  in  the 
section.  As  such  they  rarely  polarize  as  a  single  individual,  but  as  Is  commonly  the  case  the  field  breaks  up  into 
sectors,  as  the  stage  is  revolved  between  crossed  Nicols.  It  is  of  course  possible  that  not  all  of  these  cryptocrystalline 
forms  are  of  enstatite;  some  may  be  of  augite  or  possibly  olivine.  An  optical  determination  Is  impossible,  and  the 
determination  is  based  on  their  resemblance  to  others  which  have  been  tested  chemically. 

"The  monoclinic  pyroxene  is  of  interest  on  account  of  the  beautifully  developed  polysynthetic  twinning  which 
it  presents  when  either  in  chondrules  or  in  fragments  in  the  groundmass.  In  this  respect  it  would  seem  to  be  fully 
comparable  with  the  meteorite  of  Renazzo,  Italy,  as  figured  by  Tschermak  on  Plate  15  of  his  Mikroskopische  Beschaff- 
enheit  der  Meteoriten.  Crystal  outlines  are  rare  and  the  mineral  is  a  trifle  less  limpid  than  the  enstatite.  A  pris- 
matic cleavage  is  fairly  well  developed.  No  feldspars  or  other  silicates  than  those  mentioned  were  detected. 

"The  most  striking  feature  of  the  stone  is  the  spherical  perfection  of  many  of  the  chondrules  and  the  perfection 
of  the  twinning  in  the  pyroxene.  As  a  whole  the  stone  is  plainly  fragmental — is  composed  of  amoderately  firm  mass  of 
angular  fragments  in  which  are  embedded  the  chondrules.  I  am  disposed  to  class  it  with  those  of  Allegan,  Michigan, 
San  Emigdio,  California,  and  Warrenton,  Missouri.  This,  following  Brezina,  would  throw  it  in  the  group  of  Ornansite 
(CcO),  from  which  it  differs  only  in  its  firm  character.  I  confess,  however,  that  I  fail  to  see  the  necessity  of  attempting 
to  name  rocks  according  to  their  degree  of  compactness  or  friability."  '. '  . 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1907:  HOWARD.    The  Elm  Creek  aerolite.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci..  4th  ser.,  vol.  23,  pp.  379-381. 


Emmett  County.    See  Estherville. 


EMMTTSBURG. 
Frederick  County,  Maryland . 
Latitude  39°  42'  N.,  longitude  77°  197  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1854;  described  1885. 
Weight  (assignable),  177  grams  (7  ounces). 

Nothing  seems  to  have  been  published  regarding  the  history  of  this  meteorite.     The  first 
mention  of  it  seems  to  be  in  the  Vienna  catalogue  of  1885 l,  where  it  stands  as  the  representative 


174  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

of  the  Emmitsburg  group  of  octahedrites  with  medium  lamellae.     The  characters  of  this  group 
given  by  Brezina  l  are  as  follows: 

Lamellae  straight,  grouped,  not  very  long;  kamacite  dark  gray,  hatched,  in  part  spotted,  with  plain  though  not 
very  strongly  oriented  sheen.  Rhabdite  very  abundant,  at  times  on  the  edges  of  the  fields  taking  the  place  of  taenite. 
Width  of  lamellae  0.6  mm. 

In  the  1895  catalogue,  Brezina2  remarked  that  Emmitsburg  much  resembles  Plymouth. 
No  further  account  of  the  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  given.  The  spelling  Emmitsburg, 
here  adopted,  is  from  the  United  States  Postal  Guide.  Brezina's  spelling  is  Emmetsburg. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed  among  collections,  but  only  177  grams  in  all  seem  to  be  known, 
according  to  Wulfing.3 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1885:  BREZINA.     Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  211,  234. 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  277. 

3.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  113. 


ESTACADO. 
Hale  County,  Texas. 

Estacado  is  located  in  Crosby  County,  but  the  place  of  find  was  Hale  County. 

Latitude  33°  5<X  N.,  longitude  101°  45'  W. 
Stone.    Crystalline  chondrite  (Cka)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1902;  described  1906. 
Weight,  290  kgs.  (640  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Howard  and  Davison 2  as  follows : 

What  is  known  concerning  the  fall  of  this  meteorite  is  told  by  a  resident  of  Hale  Center,  Texas:  "The  best  history 
I  can  give  of  the  meteorite  is  as  follows:  It  was  found  12  miles  south  of  Hale  Center,  which  is  located  in  the  center  of 
Hale  County,  Texas,  in  the  spring  of  1902,  or  rather  that  is  when  it  was  taken  home  by  R.  A.  McWhorter,  who  had  been 
the  owner  of  it  all  the  time.  In  the  year  of  1882  a  bright  meteor  was  seen  one  night  by  the  people  of  a  Quaker  colony 
called  Estacado.  This  place  is  about  15  miles  southeast  of  where  the  meteor  was  found.  The  meteor  was  seen  to  pass 
to  the  west  and  fall  northwest  from  them.  At  that  time  this  Quaker  colony  was  the  only  settlement  on  the  whole 
Staked  Plains  and  the  only  people  outside  of  them  were  a  few  scattering  cowmen.  In  the  following  year  of  1883  a  few 
cowboys  in  rounding  up  the  range  saw  this  meteor,  and  the  Estacado  people  felt  certain  that  this  was  what  they  saw 
fall  the  year  before,  and  we  have  all  considered  it  so."  As  the  region  is  a  stoneless  one,  the  attention  of  the  people  of 
the  vicinity  was  naturally  attracted  to  this  remarkable  mass.  The  name  of  the  settlement,  Estacado,  seema  most 
appropriate  for  the  aerolite. 

The  weight  of  the  meteorite  before  sawing  was  about  290  kg.,  it  thus  being  among  the  largest  of  known  aerolites. 
Its  form  was  trapezoidal.  Its  longest  diameter  was  58.5  cm.,  while  its  other  two  diameters  measured  45.7  cm.  and 
44.4  cm.  It  was  cut  in  half  parallel  to  its  longest  and  shortest  diameters.  Several  slabs  were  taken  off  at  the  same  time. 

The  exterior  of  the  mass  is  rusty  brown  in  color,  probably  due  to  terrestrial  oxidation.  The  sawed  slices  of  the 
stone  show  a  tendency  to  rust  rapidly.  Hardly  any  of  the  coating  of  the  meteorite  approaches  in  appearance  the  black 
of  an  original  crust.  On  some  of  the  sides  the  oxidation  has  been  considerable,  a  scale  knocked  off  of  one  side  being  3 
to  4  mm.  thick.  The  mass  has  eight  well-marked  sides,  one  of  which  looks  like  an  old  fracture  surface.  The  oxidation 
on  this  side  is  less  than  elsewhere  and  there  is  no  apparent  variation  in  structure  as  the  edge  is  approached,  such  as 
there  is  on  the  other  sides.  The  sides  are  quite  flat,  some  of  them  even  slightly  concave,  the  edges  between  adjoining 
sides  being  for  an  aerolite  fairly  angular. 

Side  A  (shown  in  cut)  has  a  smoothed  appearance  and  may  have  been  the  "nose  "  of  the  mass  in  flight.  The  surface 
markings  on  this  side  are  not  deep,  while  on  sides  D  and  E,  which  are  opposite  A,  there  are  well-defined  pittings. 

The  stone  is  a  crystalline  chondrite,  its  structure  being  very  similar  to  the  Pipe  Creek  aerolite,  which  is  also  from 
Texas.  In  Brezina's  classification  Pipe  Creek  is  placed  in  group  Cka. 

The  polished  surface  shows  a  dull  black  groundmass  thickly  permeated  with  irregular  particles  of  nickel  iron. 
Roundish  enstatite  chondri  of  a  more  shiny  black  are  scattered  through  the  stone.  Here  and  there  are  green  olivine 
chondri,  some  of  which  are  larger  than  any  of  the  black  chondri.  The  largest  of  the  green  ones  measures  about  1  cm. 
in  length. 

The  slice  also  shows  some  other  interesting  markings.  Some  5  cm.  from  the  center  toward  the  smaller  end  a  straight 
dark  line  runs  across  the  meteorite  at  an  inclination  of  about  15°  from  the  vertical.  It  passes  just  to  one  side  of  one 
of  the  olivine  chondrules.  Parallel  to  and  15  cm.  from  side  A  (shown  in  cut)  is  an  irregular  and  somewhat  broken  line 
composed  of  the  metallic  particles.  This  line  runs  from  the  edge  of  side  F  nearly  to  the  edge  of  side  B. 

The  line  also  shows  on  some  of  the  other  slabs,  and  on  one  of  them  just  before  it  reaches  the  edge  of  side  B  it 
turns  and  runs  parallel  with  the  edge  for  a  couple  of  centimeters.  On  the  various  slabs  the  metallic  lines  are  at  different 
distances  from  side  A,  indicating  that  a  seam  of  this  material  passes  through  the  meteorite  obliquely  to  the  cut  surface. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  175 

From  the  edge  of  side  F,  which  shows  comparatively  slight  oxidation,  three  indistinct  veins  run  into  the  meteorite. 
They  are  black,  indefinite  in  outline,  and  somewhat  branching. 

A  petrological  analysis  by  W.  Harold  Tomlinson  of  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  shows  that  the  mineral  constituents 
are  olivine  and  enstatite.  Some  pyrrhotite  was  also  found.  Mr.  Tomlinson  remarks:  "The  olivine  and  enstatite  occur 
both  as  grains  and  as  chondri.  The  grains  of  olivine  contain  frequent  inclusions  of  smaller  grains  and  of  iron,  and 
occasionally  have  gaseous  inclusions.  The  inclusions  in  the  enstatite  are  generally  parallel  to  the  cleavage."  He 
found  the  specific  gravity  to  be  3.60. 

CHEMICAL  ANALYSIS  BY  JOHN  M.  DAVISON. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  Estacado  aerolite  is  3.63.  The  metallic  part  was  separated  with  a  magnet  and  the  slight 
amount  of  adhering  stony  matter  determined  and  deducted. 

The  stony  part  was  separated  by  hydrochloric  acid  into  a  soluble  and  an  insoluble  portion.  The.  insoluble  portion 
was  digested  with  a  solution  of  NajCO3  and  the  dissolved  SiO2  added  to  that  dissolved  by  HC1.  This  analysis  gave: 

Metallic 16.41 

s          (Soluble  in  HC1 4L  09 

(Insoluble  in  HCL.  .  42.50 


100.00 
Analyses  of  these,  omitting  minor  constituents  and  calculated  to  100,  gave: 

Metallic.                             Soluble  in  HC1.  Insoluble  in  HC1. 

Fe 89.45  SiO, 32.00  SiO2 63.57 

Ni 9.99  MgO 32.02  MgO 23.45 

Co 0.56  FeO 3L  60  FeO 9.54 

CaO..                 4.38  CaO..                   3.44 


100.00 


100.  00  100.  00 


The  stony  part  appears  to  be  mainly  olivine  and  enstatite.    The  analysis  of  the  entire  mass  gave  the  following 
percentages: 

Fe 14.68 

Xi : L60 

Co 0.08 

Cu Trace. 

C  (found  but  not  determined). 

S L37 

P a  15 

SiO2 35.  82 

FeO 15.53 

MgO 22.74 

CaO 2.  99 

AljO, 3.  60 

Na,O 2.07 

KjO 0.32 

TiOj,  Cr2Oj,  and  MnO  (found  but  not  determined). 


100.95 
Lees  O  for  S...  .68 


100.27 

Of  the  S  found  0.82  per  cent  came  from  the  metallic  and  the  portion  soluble  in  HC1,  and  0.55  per  cent  from  the 
insoluble  portion  fused  with  NajC^.  In  this  fusion  the  crucible  was  screened  by  a  close  fitting  asbestos  board  and  a 
blank  experiment  showed  that  there  was  no  contamination  from  the  gas  flame.  This  distribution  of  the  S  would 
indicate  that  nearly  half  of  the  troilite  was  embedded  in  the  enstatite  protected  from  action  of  acids. 

From  3.9597  grams  of  the  aerolite  0.025  gm.  of  chromite  was  separated  by  repeated  treatment  with  HF  and  other 
acids.  With  the  chromite  were  a  few  minute  particles  of  a  transparent  colorless  mineral  that  had  survived  this  usage 
though  evidently  attacked.  Search  was  made  for  ZrO2,  with  negative  result. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1906:  HOWARD.    Estacado  aerolite,  preliminary  notice.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  21,  p.  186. 

2.  1906:  Ho  WARD  ^nd  D  AVISO  \T.    The  Estacado  aerolite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  22,  pp.  55-60  (analyafe 

and  illustrations). 


176  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

ESTHERVILLE. 

Emmet  County,  Iowa. 

Here  also  Emmet  County  and  the  "  Perry  meteor. " 
Latitude  43°  25'  N.,  longitude  94°  50'  W. 

Mesosiderite  (M),  of  Brezina;  Esthervillite  (type  30),  of  Meunier. 
Fell  5p.m.,  May  10,  1879;  described  1879, 

Weight.    A  shower  of  many  hundred  stones.    Total  known  weight  337  kgs.  (744  Ibs.).    The 
two  largest  masses  weighed  437  and  151  pounds,  respectively. 

The  first  mention  of  this  fall  was  by  Peckham,1  in  a  letter  to  the  editors  of  the  American 
Journal  of  Science,  from  Minneapolis,  published  in  July,  1879.  His  account  was  substantially  as 
follows: 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1879,  a  meteor  exploded  and  fell  in  full  daylight  at  5  p.  m.,  at  Estherville,  Emmet  County, 
Iowa.  One  of  the  fragments,  weighing  about  500  pounds,  fell  on  railroad  land  and  was  dug  up  from  a  depth  of  about 
14  feet  in  a  stiff  clay  soil.  Another  smaller  portion,  weighing  about  170  pounds,  fell  on  the  farm  of  A.  A.  Pingrey,  at  a 
distance  of  2  miles  from  the  first.  Many  smaller  pieces  of  a  few  ounces  or  pounds  weight  were  scattered  in  the  vicinity. 
The  smaller  mass  fell  upon  a  dry  knoll  and  penetrated  the  earth  vertically  to  a  depth  of  4.5  feet.  The  fall  was  accom- 
panied by  a  noise  described  as  a  continuous  roll  of  thunder  accompanied  by  a  crackling  sound. 

The  metallic  portion  ia  composed  of  an  alloy  of  iron,  nickel,  and  tin.  Full  half  the  mass  consists  of  stony  matter, 
which  appears  in  dark-green  crystalline  masses  embedded  in  a  light  gray  matrix.  Some  of  the  crystalline  masses  are 
2  inches  in  thickness,  and  exhibit  distinct  monoclinic  cleavage.  Under  the  microscope,  in  thin  sections,  olivine  and 
a  triclinic  feldspar  appear  to  be  embedded  in  a  matrix  of  pyroxene.  A  small  polished  surface  exhibited  the  Wid- 
mannstatten  figures  very  finely  by  etching. 

The  larger  mass  is  still  in  the  hands  of  those  who  dug  it  from  the  ground,  although  their  ownership  is  contested 
by  one  who  claims  to  have  contracted  for  the  land  on  which  it  fell.  Their  ideas  of  its  value  enlarge  daily,  the  latest 
announcement  being  that  they  should  feel  insulted  at  an  offer  of  $5,000.  We  trust  their  feelings  may  be  spared. 

The  smaller  mass  referred  to  by  Peckham,  he  states  was  acquired  by  the  University  of 
Minnesota.  It  is  described  as  being  square  in  form  and  15  by  18  by  6  inches  in  dimension. 

Two  months  later  a  more  complete  account  was  published  by  Shepard,2  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  nearly  complete  abstract: 

Messrs.  S.  E.  Bemis,  Howard  Graves,  and  Henry  Barber,  of  Estherville,  are  authority  for  the  following  account 
of  the  fall  of  this  meteorite: 

The  fall  occurred  at  5  p.  m.  on  May  10,  1879,  attended  by  a  terrible  explosion,  resembling  the  discharge  of  a 
cannon,  only  louder.  It  seemed  to  proceed  from  a  region  high  up  in  the  air,  and  was  followed  by  a  second  report,  more 
like  a  heavy  blast.  This  again  was  succeeded  by  one  or  two  more  reports,  that  may  have  been  echoes  of  the  first  two. 
Nearly  a  minute  after,  a  rumbling  sound  was  heard,  apparently  passing  from  the  northeast  to  the  southwest.  The 
sky  was  clear  at  the  time,  or  only  a  few  fleecy  clouds  were  visible.  An  observer,  Mr.  Charles  Ega,  looking  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  report,  could  see  nothing  on  account  of  the  sun's  rays;  but  following  with  his  eye  the  direction  of  the 
roaring  sound  that  succeeded,  he  saw  dirt  thrown  high  into  the  air  at  the  edge  of  a  ravine,  100  rods  from  the  place 
where  he  was  standing.  At  a  like  distance  still  farther  in  the  same  direction,  a  similar  disturbance  of  the  ground  was 
seen  by  Mr.  Barber.  Another  witness,  Mr.  S.  W.  Brown,  living  three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant,  being  in  the  edge  of 
a  wood,  and  having  his  eyes  directed  upward  at  the  moment  for  the  inspection  of  some  oak  trees,  saw  a  red  streak  in 
the  heavens;  and  while  looking  at  it,  the  explosion  took  place.  It  appeared  to  him  that  the  meteor  was  passing  from 
west  to  east,  and  that  when  it  burst  there  was  a  cloud  at  the  head  of  the  red  streak  which  darted  out  of  it  like  smoke 
from  a  cannon's  mouth  and  then  expanded  in  every  direction. 

On  examining  the  ravine  where  a  body  was  seen  to  strike,  a  hole  in  the  ground  was  discovered,  12  feet  in  diameter 
and  6  in  depth.  It  was  filled  with  water.  Within  this  hole,  at  a  depth  of  14  feet  below  the  general  surface  of  the 
ground,  the  large  mass,  weighing  431  pounds,  was  found.  It  had  penetrated  a  stratum  of  blue  clay  to  the  depth  of 
6  feet  before  its  progress  had  been  arrested.  The  mass  measured  27  by  22.75  by  15  inches.  Its  surface  is  described  as 
"fearfully  rough,"  with  ragged  projections  of  metal.  From  one  of  these  a  portion  was  detached  and  shaped  into  a 
finger  ring.  After  much  searching  there  have  since  been  found  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  hole  several  smaller 
masses,  varying  in  weight  from  1  to  8  ounces;  also  one  mass  of  4  pounds  and  another  of  32. 

At  the  distance  of  2  miles  from  this  spot,  in  a  westerly  direction,  a  mass  of  151  pounds  was  also  discovered.  It 
was  embedded  in  a  dry  gravelly  soil  at  the  depth  of  4.5  feet. 

It  is  marked  by  the  unusual  prevalence  of  chrysolite  and  meteoric  iron,  the  former  probably  constituting  two- 
thirds  of  its  bulk;  also  by  the  size  and  distinctness  of  the  chrysolitic  individuals,  together  with  their  pretty  uniform, 
yellowish-gray  or  greenish-black  color,  and  by  the  ramose  or  branching  structure  of  the  meteoric*  iron.  Nearly  one- 
half  of  the  chrysolite,  however,  is  more  massive,  approaching  fine  granular,  or  compact.  Yet,  in  this  condition  it  is 
still  highly  crystalline,  and  with  difficulty  frangible.  This  portion  is  of  an  ash  gray,  flecked  with  specks  of  a  dull 
greenish-yellow  color.  The  luster  is  feebly  shining.  It  is  without  any  traces  of  decomposition;  on  the  contrary,  it 
is  throughout  a  fresh,  undecomposed  crystalline  aggregate.  It  is  especially  observable  that  the  stony  portions  nowhere 
present  traces  of  the  oolitic  or  semiporphyritic  structure,  so  common  in  meteoric  stones. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  177 

The  crust  is  of  the  usual  thickness,  black,  without  luster,  and  much  wrinkled.  One  of  the  fragments  shows  a 
cavity  of  half  an  inch  area  completely  lined  with  a  shining  dark-green  glass,  as  if  from  perfect  fusion  of  chrysolite. 

The  meteoric  iron,  besides  being  in  ramose  branches,  is  also  in  enveloping  coatings  around  the  chrysolite,  some- 
what as  in  the  Pallas  and  Atacama  irons.  The  presence  of  schreibersite  in  the  metal  is  apparent  to  the  naked  eye; 
also  traces  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures  which  so  constantly  attend  its  presence,  and  to  which  they  owe  their 
production. 

A  very  remarkable  appearance  is  exhibited  by  the  meteoric  iron  in  some  specimens.  It  is  the  bright  silvery 
whiteness  of  the  metal  where  it  forms  a  portion  of  the  exterior  of  the  stone.  It  appears  to  have  been  fused  and  is  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  the  black  crust  coming  from  the  stony  material. 

Chrysolite  occurs  in  large  distinct  concretions,  some  of  which  show  imperfect  crystalline  facets,  and  nearly  all 
the  larger  ones  possess  eminent  cleavages.  In  a  few  instances  they  are  transparent  and  gemlike. 

Troilite,  in  distinct  individuals,  sometimes  as  large  as  a  pea  is  highly  crystalline,  rarely  presenting  splendent 
crystalline  facets,  whose  color  approaches  silver  white.  The  proportion  in  which  it  exists  is  apparently  large,  and 
may  equal  2  per  cent. 

A  feldspathic  mineral,  presumably  anorthite,  is  highly  crystalline,  white,  lustrous,  and  nearly  transparent,  resem- 
bling the  similar  material  found  among  the  jecta  of  Vesuvius. 

Specimens  of  an  opallike  mineral  of  a  yellowish  brown  color,  probably  chassignite,  and  chromite  occnr. 

It  differs  widely  from  the  normal  meteoric  stones,  in  the  unusual  prevalence  of  a  chrysolite  similar  to  that  found 
in  the  meteoric  irons;  in  the  large  proportion  of  meteoric  iron  present;  and  in  the  fresh  and  highly  crystalline  con- 
dition of  all  the  constituents.  Nothing  like  an  aggregation  of  pulverulent,  ashlike  grains,  more  or  less  rolled  into 
oolitic  shapes,  so  common  in  meteoric  stones,  is  descernible.  The  stony  portions  resemble  much  more  the  olivinic 
rocks  of  extinct  volcanoes,  particularly  those  of  the  Eifel  district. 

Judging  from  the  specimens  in  hand,  it  can  not  properly  be  referred  to  any  group  of  meteoric  stones  with  which 
we  are  acquainted.  It  would  rather  appear  to  be  a  connecting  link  between  the  litholites  and  the  lithosiderites, 
though  it  may  possibly  find  a  place- in  the  Eucritic  group  of  the  former,  in  which  case  it  would  form  an  order  by  itself. 

An  elaborate  study  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  J.  Lawrence  Smith  4  and  published  about 
a  year  after  Shepard's  account.     Smith's  account  was  essentially  as  follows: 

The  place  of  fall  is  near  Estherville,  Emmet  County,  Iowa,  just  on  the  boundary  of  the  State  of  Minnesota,  latitude 
43°  SO',  longitude  94°  5XK,  within  that  region  of  the  United  States  which  has  become  remarkable  for  meteoric  falls. 

The  fall  occurred  about  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  under  a  clear  sky,  with  the  sun  shining  brightly.  The  accom- 
panying phenomena  were  of  the  usual  character  but  on  a  grander  scale.  In  some  places  the  meteor  was  plainly  visible 
in  its  passage  through  the  air  and  looked  like  a  ball  of  fire  with  a  long  train  of  vapor  or  cloud  of  fire  behind  it,  and  one 
observer  saw  it  100  miles  from  where  it  fell.  The  sounds  produced  in  ita  course  are  described  as  "terrible"  and  "inde- 
scribable," as  scaring  cattle  and  terrifying  people  over  an  area  many  miles  in  diameter.  At  first  they  were  louder 
than  that  of  the  largest  artillery;  these  were  followed  by  a  rumbling  noise  as  of  a  train  of  cars  crossing  a  bridge.  The 
concussion  when  it  struck  the  ground  was  sensible  to  many  persons.  There  were  distinctly  two  explosions.  The  first 
took  place  at  a  considerable  height  in  the  atmosphere  and  several  large  fragments  were  projected  to  different  points 
over  an  area  of  4  square  miles,  the  largest  mass  going  farthest  to  the  east.  Another  explosion  occurred  just  before 
reaching  the  ground  and  this  accounts  for  the  small  fragments  found  near  the  largest  mass. 

A  remarkable  fact  connected  with  the  fall,  besides  the  concussion  which  was  sensible  to  many  persons  and  the 
throwing  up  of  the  ground  around  the  place  where  it  struck,  is  the  depth  to  which  the  mass  penetrated.  Had  the  fall 
taken  place  at  night  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  largest  mass  would  have  been  found.  '  It  struck  within  200  feet  of  a 
dwelling  house  at  a  spot  where  there  was  a  hole  (previously  made)  6  feet  deep  and  over  12  feet  in  diameter,  filled  with 
water  and  having  a  bottom  of  stiff  clay.  This  clay  was  excavated  to 'a  depth  of  8  feet  before  the  meteorite  was  discovered 
and  two  or  three  days  elapsed  before  it  was  reached.  Its  total  depth  below  the  general  surface  of  the  ground  was 
therefore  14  feet. 

The  second  large  mass  was  found  embedded  in  blue  clay  2  miles  distant  from  the  first.  The  third  of  the  three 
largest  masses  was  not  discovered  until  February  23, 1880,  more  than  nine  months  after  the  fall,  and  its  locality  was  4  miles 
from  the  first.  A  trapper  on  the  prairies  who  had  witnessed  the  original  occurrence  observed  a  hole  in  a  dried-up 
slough;  on  sounding  it  with  his  rat  spear  he  detected  a  hard  body  at  the  bottom,  and  on  digging  found  the  stone  at  a 
depth  of  5  feet.  Some  small  fragments  were  doubtless  detached  when  the  large  mass  approached  the  ground,  as  they 
were  discovered  near  to  it.  The  fragments  thus  obtained  weighed,  respectively,  437,  170,  92.5,  28,  10.5,  4,  and  2 
pounds. 

A  railroad  engineer  who  observed  it  before  the  report  estimated  ita  height  to  be  40  miles,  but  at  the  time  of  the 
explosion  much  less;  from  an  imperfect  computation  he  considered  its  velocity  to  be  from  2  to  4  miles  per  second. 

The  masses  are  rough  and  knotted  like  large  mulberry  calculi,  with  rounded  protuberances  projecting  from  the 
surface  on  every  side;  the  black  coating  is  not  uniform,  being  most  marked  between  the  projections.  These  projections 
sometimes  have  a  bright  metallic  surface,  showing  them  to  consist  of  nodules  of  iron,  and  they  also  contain  large  lumps 
of  an  olive-green  mineral  having  a  distinct  and  easy  cleavage,  which  is  more  distinct  when  the  surface  has  been  broken. 
The  greater  portion  of  the  stony  material  is  of  a  gray  color,  with  this  green  mineral  irregularly  disseminated  through  it. 
The  two  minerals  are  mixed  under  various  forms;  sometimes  the  green  mineral  is  in  small,  rounded  particles  intimately 
mingled  with  the  gray;  at  other  times  it  is  in  small  cavities  in  minute  crystalline  fragments  without  any  distinct  faces 
716°— 15 12 


178  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

and  almost  colorless.  The  masses  are  quite  heavy  and  vary  much  in  specific  gravity  in  different  parts,  but  the  average 
can  not  be  less  than  4.5. 

When  broken  one  is  immediately  struck  with  the  large  nodules  of  metal  among  the  gray  and  green  stony  substances, 
some  of  which  will  weigh  100  grams  or  more.  In  this  respect  this  meteorite  is  unique,  differing  entirely  from  the  mixed 
meteorites  of  Pallas,  Atacama,  etc.,  or  the  known  meteoric  stones  rich  in  iron,  for  in  none  of  these  has  the  iron  this 
nodular  character. 

Another  striking  feature  in  the  relation  of  the  iron  and  stony  matter  is  that  the  larger  nodules  of  iron  seem  to  have 
shrunk  away  from  the  matrix,  an  elongated  fissure  of  from  1  to  3  mm.  sometimes  intervening,  separating  the  matrix  and 
nodules  to  the  extent  of  one-half  the  circumference  of  the  latter  and  appearing  as  if  the  iron  had  contracted  from  the 
stony  matrix  during  the  process  of  cooling.  There  are  numerous  small  cavities  of  various  sizes  where  there  are  no  iron 
nodules,  and  where  the  minerals  appear  more  crystalline,  indicating  an  irregular  shrinkage  during  the  consolidation. 

At  first  sight  I  expected  to  find  more  than  two  earthy  minerals.  The  microscope  gave,  as  with  most  meteoric 
stones,  unsatisfactory  results. 

I  therefore  tried  to  separate  the  stony  materials  mechanically;  the  only  mineral  that  I  was  enabled  to  obtain  pure 
in  sufficient  quantity  has  an  olive-green  color  and  occurs  in  masses  of  from  one-half  to  1  inch  in  size,  having  an  easy 
cleavage,  especially  in  one  direction;  this  proved  to  be  olivine.  The  same  mineral  occurs  also  in  minute  rounded 
concretions  in  other  parts  of  the  meteorite,  and  minute,  almost  colorless,  crystalline  particles  in  the  cavities  I  take  to  be 
olivine.  Nickeliferous  iron,  as  already  stated,  is  very  abundant.  Troilite  exists  in  small  quantity.  Chromite  was 
also  found. 

That  the  stony  part  of  this  meteorite  consists  essentially  of  bronzite  and  olivine  will  be  seen  from  the  chemical 
investigation,  which  found  only  three  essential  constituents,  viz,  silica,  ferrous  oxide,  and  magnesia.  Another  silicate 
will  be  referred  to  beyond,  consisting  of  the  same  oxides  but  in  different  proportions  from  either  bronzite  or  olivine. 

Chemical  constitution. — The  stony  part,  pulverized  and  freed  as  far  as  possible  from  metallic  iron  by  the  aid  of  the 
magnet,  when  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid  on  a  water  bath  for  several  hours,  is  resolved  into  soluble  and  insoluble 
partc,  the  proportions  varying  very  much  with  different  fragments  and  ranging  from  16  to  60  per  cent  for  the  soluble 
part.  This  soluble  part  consists  of  silica,  ferrous  oxide,  and  magnesia,  and  without  a  trace  of  lime,  thus  indicating  the 
absence  of  anorthite. 

1.  Insoluble  portion. — The  insoluble  portion  was  carefully  analyzed  by  fusion  with  carbonate  of  soda  and  found  to 

contain: 

Oxygen  ratio. 

Silica 54.12  29.120 

Ferrous  oxide 21.  05  4. 670 

Chromic  oxide trace        

Magnesia 24.50  9.800 

Soda  with  traces  of  potash  and  lithia 09  .  023 

Alumina...                                                                                          .03  .013 


99.29 

The  oxygen  ratio  clearly  indicates  the  mineral  to  be  Sift,  being  virtually  Si(MgFe),  or  the  common  form  of  bronzite 
contained  in  meteorites. 

2.  Soluble  portion. — On  testing  the  green  mineral  already  referred  to  I  found  that  this  was  the  soluble  portion,  and 
it  was  readily  detected  in  a  pure  state  from  the  stony  part  of  the  meteorite.  Its  cleavage  in  one  direction  is  very 
perfect;  its  specific  gravity  3.35;  hardness  about  7;  pulverized  it  is  readily  and  completely  decomposed  by  hydro- 
chloric acid.  Two  analyses  were  made,  one  by  decomposing  it  directly  with  hydrochloric  acid  over  a  water  bath  and 
the  other  by  first  fusing  it  with  carbonate  of  soda,  the  two  analyses  agreeing  perfectly. 

Oxygen  ratio. 

Silica 41.50        22.13 

Ferrous  oxide 14.  21          3. 12 

Magnesia 44.  64        17.  86 


100.35 

The  above  analysis  gives  the  formula  SiRj,  or  that  of  olivine. 

3.  Opalescent  silicate.— In  some  parts  of  this  meteorite  a  silicate  occurs  that  is  opalescent,  of  a  light  greenish-yellow 
color,  and  cleaves  readily.  In  one  instance  I  observed  it  making  a  notable  projection  on  the  surface.  Although  I 
had  a  number  of  fragments  of  the  meteorite  for  examination,  amounting  to  10  or  12  pounds,  I  did  not  obtain  enough  of 
the  mineral  to  establish  positively  its  true  character,  but  I  hope  to  obtain  more.  An  analysis  was  made  with  about 

100  mg.  of  the  pure  mineral  with  the  following  result: 

Oxygen  ratio. 

Silica 49.60        26.12 

Ferrous  oxide 15.  78         3.  50 

Magnesia 33.01        13.21 

98.39 

Equivalent  to  Sil^+SijR,  one  atom  of  bronzite  plus  one  atom  of  olivine,  a  form  of  silicate  that  we  might  expect 
to  find  in  meteorites. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  179 

4.  The  nickeliferous  iron. — As  already  stated  this  iron  is  abundant  in  meteorite,  and  sometimes  in  large  nodules  of 
50  to  100  grams;  on  a  polished  surface  the  Widmannstatten  figures  are  beautifully  developed  by  acid.    On  analysis  it 
was  found  to  contain: 

Iron 92.001 

Nickel 7.100 

Cobalt 690 

Copper,  minute  quantity. 

Phosphorus 112 

99.903 

5.  Troilite. — The  proportion  of  troilite  is  not  large  and  it  could  be  detached  only  in  small  fragments. 

6.  Chromite. — When  small  pul^rulent  fragments  of  the  meteorite  are  heated  with  hydrochloric  acid  for  some  time 
and  the  residual  matter  washed  and  dried  it  is  easy  to  find  particles  of  the  stony  mineral  more  or  less  filled  with  minute, 
black,  shining  particles  which  are  chromite. 

The  constitution  of  this  meteorite,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  make  it  out,  is  therefore  as  follows:  Bronzite, 
abundant;  olivine,  abundant;  nickeliferous  iron,  abundant;  troilite,  in  moderate  quantity;  chromite,  in  minute 
quantity;  silicate,  not  yet  well  determined. 

It  will  be  thus  seen  that  in  its  composition  the  meteorite  contains  nothing  that  is  peculiar.  I  should,  however, 
give  it  a  unique  position  among  meteorites,  on  account  of  the  phenomena  accompanying  its  fall,  especially  the  great 
depth  to  which  it  penetrated  beneath  the  surface,  and  also  because  of  its  physical  characters  and  the  manner  of  asso- 
ciation of  its  mineral  constituents.  I  examined  carefully  for  feldspar  and  schreibersite;  but  the  absence  of  both  lime 
and  alumina  (except  as  a  trace)  clearly  proved  the  absence  of  anorthite;  and  the  email  particles  of  the  mineral  that 
might  have  been  taken  for  schreibersite  were  found  on  examination  in  all  instances  to  be  troilite. 

Iii  the  same  volume  but  in  a  later  issue  Smith  *  reported  the  finding  of  additional  masses, 
as  follows: 

A  number  of  boys,  herding  cattle  near  a  lake  about  4  miles  west  of  Estherville  on  the  day  of  the  fall,  reported 
that  when  the  meteor  passed  over  them,  a  great  shower  of  what  appeared  to  them  hailstones  fell,  and  that  the  surface 
of  the  water  was  alive  with  the  falling  bodies.  Nearly  a  year  after  the  fall,  or  about  April  15,  1880,  the  people  of  that 
region  began  to  find  on  the  freshly  burned  prairies  small  pieces  of  meteorites,  from  the  size  of  a  pea  to  1  pound  in 
weight;  300  to  500  were  thus  found;  and  10  days  later  (about  May  1,  1880),  thousands  of  men,  women,  and  children 
were  on  the  ground  daily,  and  from  the  meteoric  field  probably  5,000  pieces  have  been  already  gathered,  making  not 
less  than  60  to  75  pounds  in  all. 

This  statement  was  repeated  in  the  next  volume  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and 
some  additional  observations  made  as  follows:5 

This  lake  was  near  the  border  of  Dickinson  County  (the  county  west  of  Emmet)  and  about  5  or  6  miles  southwest 
from  where  the  larger  masses  fell.  All  the  smaller  pieces  are  little  lumps  of  nickeliferous  iron,  and  even  the  larger 
ones  have  but  little  stony  material  attached.  These  lumps  of  iron  were  on  the  wet  prairie  for  nearly  one  year,  and 
yet  they  were  not  in  the  least  rusted,  many  parts  being  bright,  some  looking  like  nuggets  of  platinum.  It  may  be 
that  they  are  protected  by  an  invisible  coat  of  melted  silicate. 

It  is  clear  that  the  rapid  passage  of  the  meteorite  through  the  air  disintegrated  the  surface  very  rapidly,  pulver- 
izing the  stony  part  completely;  and  the  nodules  of  iron  not  undergoing  this  disintegration  fell  in  the  track  of  the 
meteorite  for  many  miles,  and  the  greater  number  of  them  will  never  be  found. 

This  last  discovery  helps  to  fix  more  positively  the  direction  of  the  meteorite.  In  former  descriptions  its  course 
is  given  as  from  northwest  to  southeast.  But  its  general  direction  was  from  south-of-west  to  norih-of-east;  the 
meteorite  came  from  south  of  an  easterly  course  in  Dickinson  County,  and  going  north  of  that  line  in  Emmet  County 
dropped  the  smaller  fragments  over  the  surface  of  the  latter. 

In  this  last  statement  Smith  seems  to  be  in  error.  From  his  own  showing,  he  should  have 
said  larger  fragments  over  the  surface  of  the  latter,  i.  e.  Emmet  County,  instead  of  smaller. 

In  the  same  paper,  Smith5  gives  a  further  description  of  what  is  evidently  the  "opal- 
escent silicate,"  referred  to  by  him  in  a  previous  paper.  This  he  considers  to  be  a  new  mineral 
and  gives  it  the  name  "peckhamite." 

He  states  that  having  been  furnished  with  additional  material  he  is  enabled  to  make  a 
more  positive  determination  of  the  distinctive  characters  of  the  mineral,  which  he  regards  as 
decidedly  different  from  any  mineral  he  has  seen  associated  with  meteorite^. 

In  two  or  three  specimens  it  projected  above  the  outer  surface,  having  a  dingy  yellow  color  and  a  fused  surface. 
When  broken  it  has  a  greasy  aspect  with  a  more  or  less  perfect  cleavage,  and  the  yellow  color  has  a  greenish  hue.  Its 
structure  differs  widely  from  olivine,  as  may  be  seen  under  the  microscope.  Small  rounded  nodules,  several  mili- 
meters  in  size,  are  found  in  the  interior  of  the  mass,  sometimes  of  irregular  form,  from  which  fragments  nearly  pure 
can  be  detached. 


180              MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Chemical  analyses  from  two  specimens  gave: 

Oxygen  ratio 

No.  1.          No.  2.  from  No.  2. 

Silica 49. 50        49. 59  25. 73 

Ferrous  oxide 15. 88        17. 01  3. 77 

Magnesia 33.01        32.51  12.76 


98.  29        99. 11 

The  oxygen  ratios  indicate  a  compound  of  two  atoms  of  enstatite  or  bronzite  plug  one  atom  of  olivine. 

These  small  fragments  (of  Estherville  meteorite)  in  the  differences  of  composition  and  specific  gravity,  show  a 
hitherto  unheard  of  phenomenon  of  meteorites  of  one  and  the  same  fall.  One  of  these  small  masses,  for  instance,  con- 
sists almost  exclusively  of  iron,  with  a  specific  gravity  of  7  to  7.3;  others  are  almost  £-ee  of  iron  and  consist  of  a  granular 
crystalline  mass  of  olivine,  with  a  specific  gravity  of  4  to  3.  Between  these  extremes  are  all  variations.  The  mean 
specific  gravity  of  14  specimens  is  5.80  and  this  may  be  the  weight  of  the  larger  masses. 

According  to  Shepard,  the  small  aerolites,  with  their  differing  specific  gravities,  do  not  originate  from  the  breaking 
up  of  larger  bodies  by  its  entrance  into  the  earth's  atmosphere,  but  are  independent  parts  of  the  swarm.  While  the 
pieces  of  iron  are  of  very  irregular,  sometimes  of  jagged  form,  Shepard  describes  a  small  stone  with  a  specific  gravity 
of  3  as  a  flattened  spheroid  with  distinct  Brust  and  Ruckenseite  and  also  lines  of  flow  which,  directed  from  apex  to 
periphery,  indicate  the  direction  of  flight. 

Vom  Rath 6  gives  the  following  account  of  the  meteorite: 

On  account  of  its  mineralogical  constitution,  the  Estherville  fall  possesses  great  interest.  The  stones  are  of  an 
unusual  kind;  that  is,  they  are  not  chondrites.  They  are  further  remarkable  for  the  highly  granular,  crystalline 
structure  and  the  absence  of  chondritic  spheres.  The  crystalline  grains  (olivine)  are  of  extremely  various  sizes. 
Besides  grains  of  1  cm.  in  size,  distinguished  by  their  cleavability,  there  are  others  of  less  than  a  milimeter  in  size. 
The  structure  is  also  noteworthy  from  the  fact  that  hollow  spaces  and  swellings,  so  exceedingly  rare  in  meteorites, 
are  present,  upon  whose  walls  individual  very  small  crystals  are  to  be  seen.  As  olivine  forms  the  largely  predomi- 
nant constituent  of  two  samples  almost  entirely  free  of  iron,  so  it  appears  also  in  many-sided  crystals  in  the  small 
hollow  places.  In  a  granule  of  about  0.5  mm.  in  size,  rounded  like  the  pallas-olivine,  there  may  be  two  zones  crossed 
in  one  face.  Besides  the  olivine,  there  is  also  present,  as  a  more  subordinate  constituent,  an  almost  colorless  mineral 
of  a  glassy  luster,  which  also  occasionally  shows  crystalline  faces.  Shepard  regards  this  colorless  constituent  as  a 
triclinic  feldspar,  anorthite,  an  explanation  which,  however,  does  not  seem  free  from  doubt.  According  to  Shepard, 
chromite  is  also  present  in  extremely  small  quantities.  Finally  troilite  is  still  to  be  mentioned  as  a  constituent  of 
the  Estherville  meteorite.  Although  the  small  aerolites  of  the  Estherville  fall,  so  strikingly  different  in  respect  to 
the  predominance  of  olivine  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  iron  on  the  other  hand,  are  not  to  be  regarded  as  fragments  of  a 
much  larger  mass  broken  up  by  entrance  into  the  earth's  atmosphere,  we  must  still  regard  both  as  constituents  of 
meteoric  phenomena;  as  also  the  larger  lumps  inclosed  in  predominant  olivine  masses  are  unevenly  distributed  and 
irregularly  formed  iron  masses.  It  is  not  easy,  as  Shepard  has  pointed  out,  to  refer  this  meteorite  to  any  division 
hitherto  established.  If  we  consider  the  stones  as  made  up  essentially  of  olivine,  the  meteorite  of  Chassigny,  which 
is  regarded  as  the  type  of  a  special  class,  would  furnish  the  nearest  comparison,  while  the  masses  rich  in  iron  appear 
to  connect  themselves  with  the  pallasites. 

Brezina,8  in  1881,  made  brief  mention  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Specific  gravity  of  stony  portion,  3.36;  of  metallic  portion,  5.97. 

The  Estherville  stone  shows  a  very  beautiful  and  peculiar  crust,  although  corresponding  to  the  coarse-grained 
structure  in  extremely  various  forms,  according  as  they  inclose  troilite  or  the  bronzelike  groundmass  of  the  iron.  The 
small  quantity  of  peckhamite  present  does  not  at  all  suffice  to  distinguish  this  stone  from  the  other  rnesosiderites. 

Meunier 9  reports  his  conclusions  from  a  study  of  the  meteorite,  as  follows: 

In  classifying  the  specimens  from  this  fall,  it  occurred  to  me  to  see  whether  the  rock  of  which  they  are  composed 
is  new  to  science  or  whether  it  belongs  in  some  of  the  numerous  lithological  types  already  established. 

The  result  of  my  researches,  very  different  from  what  might  be  inferred  from  those  of  Lawrence  Smith,  is  that 
the  meteorite  of  Emmet  County  belongs  lithologically  to  the  type  which  since  1870  I  have  called  by  the  name  of 
logronite,  the  best-known  example  of  which  is  procured  from  the  masses  of  the  Sierra  de  Cliaco  (Bolivia).  It  is 
known,  moreover,  that  the  fall  of  logronite  was  already  witnessed  at  Barea,  near  to  Logrono  (Spain),  on  July  4,  1842. 

At  first  sight  the  Estherville  rock  appears  to  differ  distinctly  from  the  logronite  type.  It  ia  not  so  dark,  and  the 
granules  of  iron  disseminated  through  it  present  on  the  whole  a  more  considerable  volume.  The  result  of  this  latter 
characteristic  is  that  the  mass  makes  the  impression  of  a  pure  polysiderite;  but  upon  closer  inspection  it  is  possible  to 
discover  that  with  the  more  or  less  globular  grains  of  iron  are  associated  thin  metallic  filaments  which  bind  the  whole 
together  and  constitute  at  many  points  the  true  cement  of  the  stony' elements.  This  characteristic  appears  also  in  the 
meteorites  of  Sierra  de  Chaco  and  Logrono,  which  are  as  much  syssiderites  as  sporadosiderites. 

As  to  the  lighter  shade  of  the  Emmet  County  specimen,  in  comparison  with  Logrono  and  Sierra  de  Chaco,  it  may 
be  due  to  certain  coloring  matters,  infiltrated  into  these  latter,  which  had  not  time  to  originate  in  equal  proportion  in 
the  more  recently  fallen  stone.  These  coloring  matters  are  probably  derived,  by  oxidation,  from  certain  elements  of 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  181 

the  rock.  In  thin  sections,  Emmet  County,  Logrono,  and  Sierra  de  Chaco  give  the  same  results,  with  this  peculiarity, 
consequent  upon  the  former,  that  the  transparency  of  the  rock  is  the  less  the  longer  the  time  since  its  fall. 

The  principal  minerals  in  the  Emmet  County  meteorite  are: 

Olivine  in  very  large  crystalline  masses,  showing  in  polarized  light  the  most  brilliant  mosaic  colorings.  In  natural 
light  they  are  colorless,  often  cloven,  and  filled  with  crystalline  inclusions.  Liquid  bubbles,  remarkable  for  their 
large  size,  may  also  be  seen  in  the  spheroidal  cavities.  In  converging  light  the  crystals  give  two  systems  of  very  bril- 
liant rings  whose  axes  are  very  remote. 

Bronzite,  in  crystals  poorly  terminated,  distinctly  dichroitic,  often  presenting  rectilinear  cleavages  parallel  to 
one  another  and  very  distinct. 

A  mineral  in  large  crystals  slightly  colored  and  having  a  contrary  effect  upon  polarized  light.  The  action  of 
acids  upon  them  would  indicate  that  they  result  from  the  union  of  alternate  laminae  of  extremely  thin  bronzite  and 
olivine,  and  this  supposition  may  perhaps  account  for  the  analysis,  published  by  Smith,  of  a  mineral  which  he  calls 
peckhamite  and  which  he  found  in  the  Estherville  meteorite.  A  small  fragment  of  peckhamite  in  the  Museum  at 
Paris  shows  the  characteristics  of  the  new  mineral;  and  a  grayish  grain,  embedded  in  the  specimen  2Q.414  of  the  Sierra 
de  Chaco  meteorite,  appears  to  be  identical  with  this  peckhamite.  This  is  another  link  between  the  Estherville  and 
Sierra  de  Chaco  meteorites. 

Pyrrhotine,  a  grain  of  which  shows  several  faces  of  the  prism. 

Schreibersite,  the  presence  of  which  is  established  in  the  Estherville  mass  and  which  shines  with  a  lively  luster 
in  the  residuum  left  by  the  action  of  acid  upon  the  rock. 

Iron  oxide  in  very  distinct  octahedrons. 

Nickel-iron. 

It  is  known  that  besides  the  large  masses,  the  fall  of  May  19,  1879,  furnished  an  abundance  of  quite  complete 
small  meteorites.  They  differ  very  much  among  themselves;  some  are  almost  entirely  metallic  and  present  a  structure 
resembling  that  of  the  syssiderites  of  the  Rittersgrun  group.  The  iron  is  malleable  and  yields  beautiful  etching 
figures;  8  per  cent  of  nickel  has  been  found  in  it.  Other  complete  specimens  are  both  metallic  and  stony.  The  iron 
sometimes  constitutes  an  extremely  fine  network,  quite  comparable  to  that  of  the  meteorite  of  Lodran. 

In  view  of  these  various  characteristics  of  composition  and  structure,  it  is  evident  that  the  identity  of  this  speci- 
men with  the  logronite  already  described  is  complete.  We  may  suppose,  in  regard  to  Estherville,  that  the  original 
mass  was  in  a  fragmentary  state,  partly  stony,  partly  metallic,  perhaps  accumulated  in  a  crevice,  and  was  there  sub- 
jected to  metalliferous  emanations  whose  product,  in  the  form  of  a  fine  network,  cemented  these  independent  elements. 
The  remarkable  cavities  sometimes  occurring  between  the  grains  of  iron  and  their  stony  matrices  have  been  artifi- 
cially reproduced  in  experiments  on  the  metallic  cementation  of  the  powder  of  peridot  by  a  process  previously 
described. 

Tschermak  n  gave  a  study  of  the  optical  characters,  as  follows: 

The  meteorite  of  Estherville,  which  brought  to  the  earth  many  small  and  some  large  individuals,  may  be  included 
among  the  mesosiderites.  Many  of  the  small  pieces  are  composed  wholly  of  iron,  others  of  silicates,  the  remainder 
have  both.  In  the  larger  individuals  both  occur.  If  all  the  masses  were  united  into  one,  a  coarse,  irregular  mixture 
of  iron  and  granular  silicates  would  be  formed.  According  to  Smith  the  iron  also  occurs  in  the  form  of  nodules  among 
the  silicates.  *  *  *  In  thin  sections  a  green,  granular  mass  is  seen,  except  for  the  large  crystals  of  olivine,  in  which, 
as  groundmass,  occurs  fine  granular  olivine  with  many  inclusions  in  which  are  suspended  crystals  and  grains  of  bronz- 
ite. The  bronzite  has  in  part  the  usual  appearance  and  contains  few  inclusions,  and  in  part  is  clouded  by  fine  dust 
and  shows  in  addition  larger  glass  inclusions.  These  turbid  grains  have  megascopically  an  unusual  appearance. 
They  have  a  greasy  luster  and  by  the  clouding  appear  brighter  than  the  other  constituents.  Smith  investigated  these 
grains  specially  and  found  their  composition  one  of  two-thirds  bronzite  and  one-third  olivine.  He  regarded  them  a 
special  substance  to  which  he  gave  the  name  peckhamite.  Through  the  kindness  of  N.  H.  Winchell,  in  Minneapolis, 
I  obtained  a  specimen  of  the  silicate  mixture  with  some  of  the  lustrous  grains,  also  a  large  grain  of  peckhamite.  The 
latter  showed  the  prismatic  cleavage  of  bronzite,  but  gave  also  cleavages  which  could  be  referred  to  the  crystal  faces 
of  olivine.  The  optical  characters  were  almost  similar  to  those  of  bronzite.  A  section  parallel  to  a  prismatic  cleavage 
gave  the  appearance  shown.  The  whole  section  is  clouded  by  a  fine  dust  and  also  contains  larger  inclusions  of  two 
kinds.  One  variety  is  in  the  form  of  dark-brown  to  black  spheres,  the  other  rodlike  or  spindlelike  light-colored  glass 
inclusions  which  correspond  to  negative  crystals  and  similarly  colored  round  glass  inclusions.  A  glance  suffices  to 
show  that  the  substance  is  a  mixture,  and  the  analysis  does  not  give  a  result  which  corresponds  to  a  simple  mineral. 
Since  the  turbid  bronzite  in  the  silicate  aggregate  shows  the  same  characters  as  the  above-described  peckhamite,  and 
since  all  gradations  occur  from  pure  bronzite  to  peckhamite,  I  consider  this  a  bronzite  which  has  been  rendered 
turbid  and  of  greasy  luster  by  a  great  quantity  of  inclusions.  In  many  places,  in  sections,  one  may  recognize  colorless, 
transparent  crystals  and  groups  of  plagioclase  which  exhibit  broad  twinning  lamellae,  now  free  from  inclusions,  now 
again  containing  crystallized  inclusions  like  the  mass  of  Sierra  de  Chaco,  and  now  rendered  turbid  by  many  small, 
round  glass  inclusions.  A  figure  shows  plagioclase  intergrown  with  olivine  and  bronzite.  Troilite  and  chromite 
occur  in  grains  everywhere  in  the  silicates. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  Tschermak  does  not  regard  Smith's  peckhamite  as  a 
separate  species,  and  this  opinion  has  been  generally  concurred  in. 


182  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

A  careful  study  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  Wadsworth  12  as  follows : 

This  is  a  peridotite  consisting  of  a  grayish  granular  groundmass,  holding  irregular  grains  of  olivine  and  diallage. 
The  olivine  grains  are  of  various  sizes  from  very  minute  ones  to  those  of  two  inches  in  diameter.  Scattered  through  the 
mass  in  irregular  nodular  jagged  forms,  occurs  iron.  Some  bluish-gray  fragments  were  seen  inclosed  but  of  an  unknown 
nature,  although  they  may  be  olivine.  The  groundmass  is  identical  in  appearance  with  that  of  the  finer  grained  peri- 
dotites  and,  excepting  the  iron,  the  rock  is  strikingly  similar  to  some  from  North  Carolina. 

Two  or  three  patches  composed  of  yellowish-green  olivine  and  a  glassy  white  mineral  were  seen.  The  latter  resem- 
bles feldspar  or  quartz,  but  it  would  probably  not  be  found  in  the  section  or  by  chemical  analysis  unless  especial  por- 
tions were  taken  for  examination.  The  iron  shows  imperfect  dodecahedral  forms  with  striated  faces.  One  imperfect 
form  resembled  a  cube  face  modified  by  two  pentagonal  dodecahedral  planes.  A  few  small  black  grains  were  seen 
resembling  picotite  or  chromite.  The  crust  in  some  places  shows  that  it  was  derived  from  the  fused  olivine;  hence  if 
the  fusion  point  of  this  olivine  could  be  ascertained  it  would  give  the  minimum  temperature  of  the  surface  during  its 
passage  through  the  air.  The  specimen  above  described,  in  the  Harvard  College  cabinet,  is  said  to  weigh  28  pounds, 
and  it  affords,  on  account  of  the  large  extent  of  its  fractured  surface,  a  good  opportunity  to  study  the  microscopic 
characteristics  of  this  peridotite.  This  specimen  in  some  places  shows  the  remains  of  an  internal  cavernous  structure, 
its  cell  walls  being  lined  with  minute  crystals. 

Section:  A  grayish  groundmass,  holding  grains  of  enstatite,  olivine,  and  diallage,  with  iron  and  pyrrhotite.  The 
groundmass  ia  composed  of  a  crystalline  granular  aggregate  of  these  minerals. 

The  olivine  is  in  clear  rounded  grains  of  irregular  outline.  Lying  in  the  olivine  are  numerous  grains  and  irregular 
masses  of  iron  which  are  usually  confined  to  certain  portions  of  the  mineral  and  are  wanting  in  some  crystals.  Besides 
the  larger,  easily  recognizable,  irregular,  semispongelike  masses  of  iron,  surrounding,  projecting  into,  or  included  in 
the  olivine,  droplike  forms  are  seen  extending  in  irregular  lines  from  points  on  the  larger  iron  masses  through  silicate. 
These  globules  are  of  every  size,  from  those  whose  metallic  luster  and  character  can  be  readily  recognized  with  low 
powers  to  those  remaining  a  fine  dust  when  magnified  a  thousand  diameters.  It  can  not  be  said  that  the  finer,  dustlike 
portions,  resembling  the  globules  in  the  basaltic  base,  are  the  same  as  the  larger  globules  of  iron;  but  the  gradual  tran- 
sition in  size  between  the  grains  of  different  sizes,  and,  with  the  increase  of  power,  the  increase  in  number  of  globules 
that  can  be  recognized  as  metallic  iron  leads  one  to  suspect  that  all  these  granules,  whatever  may  be  their  size,  are  of 
the  same  origin  and  material — iron.  These  forms,  in  the  minute  state,  are  similar  to  those  of  the  inclusions  in  the  olivine 
of  the  Cumberland  pallasite,  but  in  the  latter  case  the  iron,  if  occurring,  would  be  oxidized.  Some  of  the  olivine  grains 
show  a  fine  cleavage  adjacent  to  the  cross  fissures. 

The  enstatite  is  in  irregular  and  oval  masses,  with  a  perfect  longitudinal  cleavage  and  a  cross  fracture.  The 
extinction  takes  place  in  polarized  light  parallel  to  the  cleavage.  The  enstatite  contains  inclusions  of  olivine  and  of 
iron,  the  same  as  previously  described  in  the  olivine. 

The  diallage  has  an  irregular  longitudinal  cleavage,  its  forms  being  the  same  as  those  of  the  enstatite.  The  cleavage 
lines  of  the  diallage  are  either  cut  by  irregular  cross  fractures,  or  connect  by  oblique  fissures,  so  as  to  give  an  irregular 
net  work  over  the  face,  rendering  it  more  obscure  and  cloudy.  The  extinction  is  oblique  to  the  principal  cleavage  planes. 
It  contains  the  same  inclusions  as  the  enstatite.  While  the  olivine,  enstatite,  and  diallage  are  all  clear,  transparent, 
and  colorless  in  the  thin  section,  yet  their  cleavage  characters  are  so  distinct  that  in  general  they  can  readily  be  dis- 
tinguished from  one  another  without  the  use  of  polarized  light. 

The  iron  and  pyrrhotite  are  in  detached  granules,  droplets,  irregular  jagged  masses,  and  in  imperfect  spongelike 
forms.  In  some  cases  they  form  an  irregular  network  in  the  groundmass,  and  in  an  imperfect  ring  surround  the  larger 
grains  of  olivine,  enstatite,  and  diallage.  The  material  for  the  above-described  sections  was  purchased  from  W.  J. 
Knowlton  of  Boston. 

A  figure  represents  a  central  crystal  of  diallage  with  the  surrounding  mass  of  olivine,  enstatite,  diallage,  iron, 
pyrrhotite,  and  the  ferruginous  staining. 

Another  figure  shows  the  semispongelike  mass  of  iron  and  pyrrhotite  with  their  inclosed  silicates,  forming  a  ground- 
mass  holding  two  porphyritic  crystals  of  diallage  and  enstatite,  showing  their  characteristic  cleavages  and  inclusions, 
although  the  latter  are  imperfectly  represented. 

Doctor  Smith's  chemical  analysis  was  made  in  such  a  manner  that  it  is  impossible  from  it  to  draw  any  conclusion 
as  to  the  relative  proportion  of  the  elements  in  the  mass  as  a  whole. 

I  can  find  no  evidence  in  the  sections  that  its  materials  ever  held  any  other  relation  than  the  present  one,  and  no 
sign  of  a  former  fragmental  state;  but  I  do  see  evidence  that  is  convincing  to  me  that  the  entire  mass  has  been 
formed  by  contemporaneous  crystallization,-!,  e.,  it  has  the  same  structure  that  a  terrestrial  lava  of  the  same  composi- 
tion, cooling  under  conditions  that  would  allow  the  entire  mass  to  crystalize,  would  have.  The  inclusion  of  the  iron 
in  the  silicates,  indicating  their  later  solidification,  would  show  that  the  iron  was  not  a  posterior  emanation.  Such  a 
formation  as  Meunier  supposes  could  not  take  place  without  leaving  a  record  behind  of  its  action. 

The  sections  obtained  from  Prof.  C.  W.  Hall,  of  the  University  of  Minnesota,  who  was  expected  to  publish  a  com- 
plete microscopic  description,  are,  in  their  general  and  mineralogical  characters,  so  unlike  those  already  described,  that, 
were  it  not  for  the  source  from  which  they  were  obtained,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  believe  that  they  came  from  the 
same  meteorite. 

They  have  a  confused  light-greenish-yellow  groundmass,  holding  irregular  masses  of  olivine,  enstatite,  and  feldspar. 
The  groundmass  appears  to  be  composed  of  olivine,  enstatite,  feldspar,  pyrrhotite,  and  magnetite.  But  little  native 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  183 

iron  is  to  be  found  in  the  sections.  The  groundmass  is  stained  a  ferruginous  yellow  in  many  places,  and  the  commence- 
ment of  a  serpentine  alteration  was  observed  in  some  of  the  olivines. 

The  feldspar  is  in  irregular  glassy  masses  and  in  imperfect  crystals  showing  striation  and  extinction  oblique  to  the 
nicol  diagonal.  They  contain  inclusions  apparently  of  olivine,  enstatite,  magnetite,  bubble-bearing  glass  cavities,  etc. 

The  olivine  and  enstatite  also  contain  glass  inclusions,  magnetite,  etc.  The  enstatite  in  some  places  is  dichroic 
along  its  cleavage  planes  owing  to  ita  slight  greenish  alteration. 

These  sections  having  been  prepared  by  a  student  are  of  such  thickness  and  ground  with  so  uneven  a  surface 
that  the  study  of  them  is  very  difficult.  A  few  grains  resemble  quartz  but  they  are  probably  unstriated  glassy  feldspar. 

From  the  various  descriptions  given  it  is  to  be  concluded  that  the  Estherville  peridotite  varies  considerably  in  its 
mass  in  different  portions — from  those  parts  entirely  iron,  those  of  a  spongelike  iron  mass  holding  silicates,  those  of  but 
little  iron  with  the  silicates,  and  those  that  are  pure  or  nearly  pure  silicates.  If  detached  portions  should  be  taken  and 
analyzed  chemically  and  microscopically  it  could  be  claimed  that  this  meteorite  is  a  siderolite,  a  pallasite,  a  peridotite, 
and  all  be  equally  correct  so  far  as  the  portion  examined  would  show;  but  studying  this  meteorite  as  a  whole  its  proper 
place,  both  chemically  and  microscopically,  appears  to  be  with  the  peridotites.  The  variations  in  the  descriptions 
given  by  the  different  observers  who  have  examined  this  meteorite  are  doubtless  owing,  in  many  cases,  to  the  actual 
variation  in  the  rqck  itself.  It  offers  a  striking  illustration  of  the  need  of  some  more  general  method  than  a  purely 
mineralogical  one  in  the  naming  of  rocks. 

Since  the  preceding  was  written  specimens  of  this  meteorite  containing  peckhamite  have  been  received  from 
Professor  Peckham. 

These  later  sections  obtained  from  Professor  Peckham  (containing  peckhamite)  present  for  the  mass  of  the  meteorite 
the  same  composition  and  structure  as  those  obtained  from  Professor  Hall.  The  peckhamite  presents  the  optical 
characters  and  cleavage  of  enstatite  but  is  filled  entirely  full  of  vapor  cavities,  iron,  glass,  brown  grains,  etc.  To  these 
inclusions  is  apparently  owing  the  coloid  appearance  of  peckhamite  and  the  variation  in  its  analysis;  while  Meunier 
probably  mistook  plagioclase  for  this  mineral. 

Meunier,17  in  his  revision  of  the  lithosiderites  in  1895,  makes  the  following  further  obser- 
vations : 

Thin  slices  examined  under  the  microscope  show  large  crystals  of  peridot,  poorly  defined,  full  of  cracks,  very 
active  in  polarized  light  and  containing  various  inclusions.  These  crystals,  evidently  worn  upon  the  surface,  rounded 
and  cracked,  are  buried  in  a  crystalline  magma,  very  thin  where  it  is  marked  by  elongated  grains  of  pyroxene,  small 
crystals  of  triclinic  feldspar,  and  numerous  opaque  granules,  which  by  special  effort  I  was  able  to  recognize  as  oxidized 
iron,  more  or  less  chromiferous. 

Brezina 18  hi  1895,  also  reported  further,  as  follows : 

A  lady's  finger  ring  made  from  the  iron  of  this  mesosiderite  was  procured  for  the  Vienna  Museum  with  the  Kunz 
collection.  A  nodule,  rich  in  iron,  cut  in  two,  showed  upon  the  etched  surface  grains  of  iron  surrounded  by  grains  of 
troilite  and  covered  with  fine  \Vidmannstatten  figures.  One  of  these  inclosed  a  retort-shaped  troilite  concretion. 
Another  Estherville  section  showed  a  fresh  brown  olivine  crystal  1.5  to  2.5  cm.  in  size  with  perfect  cleavage. 

The  meteorite  is  pretty  well  distributed  among  collections.  London  possesses  117  kgs., 
Minneapolis  the  151-pound  mass.,  Paris  50  kgs.,  Yale  48  kgs.,  Harvard  18  kgs.,  and  Vienna  23 
kgs.  Torrey  and  Barbour  1<J  state  that  500  pounds  (presumably  including  the  437-pound  mass) 
were  sent  to  the  British  Museum  and  subsequently  divided  between  London,  Paris,  and  Vienna. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1879:  PECKHAM.    Fall  of  a  meteorite  on  the  10th  of  May,  in  Iowa.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3dser.,  vol.  18,  pp.  77-78. 

2.  1879:  SHEPARD.    On  the  Estherville,  Emmet  County,  Iowa,  meteorite  of  May  10,  1879.    Idem,  pp.  186-188. 

3.  1879:  HINRICHS  and  DAUBBEE.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  88,  pp.  1219-1220. 

4.  1880:  SMITH.     Study  of  the  Emmet  County  meteorite  that  fell  near  Estherville,  Emmet  County,  Iowa,  May  10, 

1879.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  19,  pp.  459-463  and  495.    (Analysis.) 

5.  1880:  SMITH.    A  new  meteoric  mineral  (Peckhamite)  and  some  additional  facts  in  connection  with  the  fall  of  meteor- 

ites  in  Iowa,  May  10, 1879.    Amer.  Journ.  ScL,  3d  ser.,  vol.  20,  pp.  136-137.    (Analysis.) 

6.  1880:  VOM  RATH.    Verhandl.  naturhist.  Verein  Bonn,  Bd.  37  (Sitzber.),  pp.  239-241. 

7.  1880:  HOFFMANN.     Idem,  pp.  285-287. 

8.  1881:  BKEZI.NA.     Bericht  III.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  84  I,  pp.  278  and  279. 

9.  1882:  MEUNIER.     Determination  lithologique  de  la  me't&mte  d'Estherville,  Emmet  County,  Iowa  (10,  May,  1879). 

Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  94,  p.  1659-1661. 

10.  1883:  TSCHERMAK.    Beitrag.     Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  88  I,  p.  351. 

11.  1883-1885:  TSCHERMAK.    Photographien,  pi.  24,  pp.  22  and  23. 

12.  1884:  WADSWORTH.     Studies,  pp.  92-101. 

13.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  155  and  168. 

14.  1888:  NEWTOX.    Orbits.     Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  36,  p.  4. 


184  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

15.  1889:  FLETCHER.    Atacama  Meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  8,  p.  226. 

16.  1891:  TOEEEY  and  BAHBOUR.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol.  8,  p.  66. 

17.  1895:  MBUNIBR.    Revision  des  lithoside'rites,  pp.  30-32.     ( Illustrations  of  etching  and  thin  section.) 

18.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  262. 

Fairfield  County.    See  Weston. 


FARMINGTON. 

Washington  County,  Kansas. 

Here  also  Washington. 

Latitude  39°  58'  N.,  longitude  97°  15'  W. 

Stone.    Black  chondrite  (Cs),  of  Brezina;  Tadjerite  (type  41),  of  Meunier. 

Fell  12.45  p.  m.,  June  25,  1890;  described  1890. 

Weight,  90  kgs.  (197  Ibs.). 

• 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Snow  1  as  follows : 

Having  seen  press  dispatches  from  Washington,  the  county  seat  of  Washington  County,  Kansas,  announcing  the 
fall  of  an  aerolite  near  that  town  on  Wednesday,  June  25,  I  visited  that  county  at  the  earliest  possible  opportunity 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  facts.  I  found  them  to  be  as  follows,  and  verified  by  a  multitude  of  witnesses.  At 
about  10  minutes  before  1  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  June  25,  the  sky  being  free  from  clouds,  a  strange  noise  was 
heard  by  thousands  of  people  residing  in  the  counties  of  Washington,  Kepublic,  Cloud,  Clay,  Riley,  Pottawatomie, 
and  Marshall,  in  Kansas,  and  in  the  counties  of  Thayer,  Jefferson,  and  Gage,  in  Nebraska.  The  same  noise  was  heard 
by  hundreds  of  people  in  counties  more  distant  than  those  mentioned. 

The  descriptions  given  me  of  the  character  of  this  strange  sound  were  exceedingly  various.  Mr.  E.  F.  Woodruff, 
of  Clifton,  fully  25  miles  from  the  place  where  the  meteor  struck  the  ground,  stated  to  me,  that  while  standing  on  the 
front  porch  of  his  hotel  after  dinner,  a  few  minutes  before  1  o'clock,  his  attention  was  attracted  to  a  rumbling  like 
thunder,  which  began  gently,  and  increased  in  power  to  a  maximum,  rising  even  above  the  din  of  a  Missouri  Pacific 
Railroad  train  which  passed  within  a  few  rods  during  the  continuance  of  the  phenomenon.  The  sound  appeared  to 
him  to  come  from  the  zenith,  and  to  continue  for  two  or  three  minutes,  gradually  fading  away,  and  being  at  no  time 
of  an  explosive  character.  Mr.  John  Yates,  of  Grant  Township,  more  than  50  miles  from  Washington,  on  the  con- 
trary, heard  the  sound  of  the  flying  meteor,  and  described  it  as  like  the  report  6f  a  hundred-pound  cannon,  which 
shook  his  house  and  jarred  the  windows.  He  at  first  supposed  the  disturbance  to  be  produced  by  the  explosion  of  a 
boiler  at  Gann's  elevator,  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Riley.  Mr.  Sprengle,  father  of  L.  J.  Sprengle,  of  the  Washington 
Republican,  not  only  heard  the  meteor,  but  looking  toward  the  zenith,  shading  his  eyes  from  the  glare  of  the  sun,  saw 
just  below  that  luminary  a  swiftly  moving  mass  of  waving  mist,  followed  by  a  double  trail  of  bluish  smoke. 

This  aerolite  was  seen  by  many  observers  at  a  much  greater  distance  from  the  place  where  it  fell.  Mr.  D.  C.  Ruth, 
of  Halstead,  Harvey  County,  Kansas  (130  miles  distant  in  a  direction  slightly  west  of  south),  saw  a  large  fire  ball  mov- 
ing through  the  atmosphere  at  a  few  minutes  before  1  o'clock  on  June  25.  It  was  also  seen  at  Topeka  (87  miles  south- 
east) by  a  neighbor  of  H.  R.  Hilton,  Esq.  It  was  reported  by  the  newspapers  as  having  been  both  heard  and  seen  at 
Atchison  (102  miles  distant),  and  at  Leavenworth  (115  miles  distant),  the  last  two  places  being  in  a  direction  east- 
southeast  from  Washington.  A  note  received  from  C.  W.  Marston,  Esq.,  of  Cedar  Junction  (130  miles  southeast  from 
Washington)  makes  the  following  statements:  "  An  aerolite  passed  in  sight  of  this  place  on  Wednesday,  June  25,  at 
about  1  p.  m.  Of  the  several  who  saw  it,  Mrs.  John  D.  Randall  says  of  it:  '  It  was  a  ball  of  fire  as  large  as  a  table.  It 
had  a  trail  like  a  comet,  and  it  wabbled  like  a  kite.'  " 

At  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  40  miles  northeast  of  Washington,  it  was  reported  as  a  brilliant  meteor  passing  over  the 
city  from  north  to  south,  leaving  a  distinct  fiery  trail  behind.  The  fact  that  at  places  to  the  north  of  the  point  of  col- 
lision with  the  earth,  the  meteor  appeared  to  be  moving  toward  the  south,  while  at  places  to  the  south  it  appeared  to 
be  moving  toward  the  north,  corroborates  the  testimony  given  by  the  nearly  perpendicular  sides  of  the  hole  it  made 
in  the  ground,  that  it  passed  through  the  atmosphere  from  the  vicinity  of  the  zenith. 

The  meteor  reached  the  ground,  and  buried  itself  out  of  sight  4  feet  deep  below  the  18  inches  of  upper  alluvium 
in  the  underlying  shaly  clay  or  "gumbo."  This  spot  is  located  3.5  miles  north  of  Washington,  in Farmington  Town- 
ship, about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  north  and  south  road,  near  the  southwest  corner  of  NW.  \  SW.  J  Sec.  13,  T.  2, 
R.  3  E.  The  farm  belongs  to  Mrs.  Lydia  V.  Kelsey,  of  Iowa,  and  was  rented  by  Mr.  J.  H.  January,  who  was  on  that 
day  breaking  the  prairie  sod.  The  noon  hour  had  not  quite  expired,  and  Mr.  January  was  underneath  his  wagon 
making  some  repairs,  when  he  heard  the  sound  of  the  approaching  meteor,  and  came  out  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the 
disturbance.  He  had  hardly  gained  the  erect  position,  when  the  meteor  struck  the  ground  only  a  few  rods  distant, 
throwing  up  the  earth  to  a  height  of  40  feet  into  the  air,  and  outward  for  about  25  feet.  It  was  also  seen  to  strike  the 
earth  by  Miss  Guild,  a  teacher,  who  was  returning  to  her  home  in  the  country  after  her  forenoon's  attendance  at  the 
Washington  County  Normal  Institute,  and  was  at  the  instant  driving  her  horse  and  cart  along  the  north  and  south 
road,  only  a  100  yards  distant.  As  soon  as  her  frightened  and  trembling  horse  had  recovered  from  the  shock,  Miss 
Guild  drove  to  the  spot,  which  she  reached  at  the  same  moment  with  Mr.  January.  As  soon  as  Mr.  January  had  calmed 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  185 

his  frightened  horses,  he  began  to  dig  for  the  aerolite;  and  with  the  help  of  a  neighbor,  Mr.  J.  D.  Foster,  and  three 
other  men,  he  reached  the  upper  surface  of  the  stone  in  one  hour,  but  it  required  three  hours  to  remove  the  mass  from 
its  bed,  it  was  so  firmly  held  in  place  by  the  compressed  "  gumbo. ' '  The  stone  was  not  hot  when  reached,  which  may 
be  explained  by  the  fact  that  it  seems  to  have  passed  through  the  minimum  amount  of  air  from  a  direction  but  a  few 
degrees  south  of  the  zenith.  It  was  covered,  however,  by  the  usual  burned  crust.  The  stone  was  found  to  have  been 
cracked,  doubtless  by  the  force  of  collision  acting  upon  a  body  already  under  the  disrupting  strain  of  unequal  tem- 
peratures. The  entire  mass  weighed  188  pounds,  and  was  divided  by  this  crack  into  two  portions,  weighing  respec- 
tively 144  and  44  pounds.  The  smaller  mass  was  soon  subjected  to  a  process  of  sledge  hammering  by  the  hundreds  of 
people  who  almost  immediately  visited  the  spot.  Nearly  every  citizen  of  Washington  has  in  his  pocket  a  small  frag- 
ment of  the  stone.  The  portion  remaining,  weighing  144  pounds,  is  somewhat  wedge  shaped,  in  dimensions  19  by  17 
inches,  by  8  inches  at  the  base.  The  writer  obtained  from  Mr.  J.  D.  Foster  for  analysis  a  fragment  weighing  2.25 
pounds.  In  color  the  stone  is  dark  slate,  resembling  a  compact  trap  rock.  An  analysis  has  been  made  by  Mr.  E.  E. 
Slosson,  assistant  in  our  chemical  department. 

The  stone  is  of  a  gray  color  and  resembles  porphyry.  A  few  metallic  grains  are  all  that  can  be  detected  with  the 
naked  eye.  Under  a  microecope*by  chemical  treatment  the  following  minerals  can  be  detected: 

1.  A  white  crystalline  silicate,  insoluble,  forming  about  half  the  mass  of  whole;  probably  enstatite  or  a  similar 
bisilicate  of  the  pyroxene  group. 

2.  A  black  translucent  crystalline  silicate,  intermingled  with  the  above,  though  lees  in  amount.    It  is  decom- 
posed by  aqua  regia  and  contains  iron;  probably  a  unisilicate  of  the  olivine  type.    These  two  minerals  are  in  some 
fragments  arranged  in  alternate  microscopic  layers  of  equal  thickness. 

3.  Malleable  nickeliferous  iron  in  small  irregular  masses,  intimately  mixed  with  troilite  and  the  silicates. 

4.  Troilite  or  pyrrhotite  in  microscopic  particles  disseminated  through  the  whole  rock,  estimated  from  sulphur  to 
be  about  10  per  cent. 

5.  Chromite,  distinguishable  as  small  black  magnetic  crystals  in  the  residue  after  treatment  with  acids. 

6.  A  few  scattered  siliceous  crystals,  yellow  and  red;  too  small  to  determine,  probably  olivine. 
The  following  is  an  approximate  analysis  of  a  small  fragment: 

Metallic  iron  (with  part  of  the  iron  in  silicates) 14.  953 

Troilite 10 

Soluble  silicates  (olivine) 25. 147 

Insoluble  silicates  (enstatite) 49.  9 

Nickel  and  chromite,  undetermined. 

100.000 
Specific  gravity  of  fragment  weighing  2.5  pounds,  3.48,  water  at  25°  C. 

The  characters  of  the  meteorite  were  later  fully  described  by  Kunz  and  Weinschenk  *  as 
follows : 

Wednesday,  June  25,  1890,  at  12.55  p.  m.,  central  time,  in  the  neighborhood  of  75  miles  about  Washington,  Wash- 
ington County.  Kansas,  a  roaring,  bursting  sound  was  heard  and  some  observers  saw  a  meteor  which  moved  ia  a 
northerly  direction  and  left  behind  traces  of  smoke.  The  sun  was  shining  clear  and  in  consequence  no  light  was 
observed.  The  explosion  which  followed  was  likened  by  many  witnesses  to  the  sound  of  a  steam  boiler,  a  clap  of 
thunder,  or  a  distant  cannon  shot.  The  largest  piece  of  the  meteorite,  weighing  about  82  kg.,  fell  on  the  farm  of  W. 
H.  January,  near  the  owner,  he  being  employed  in  mending  a  wagon,  and  he  was  considerably  startled  by  the  phe- 
nomenon. The  neighbors  broke  off  pieces  weighing  about  20  kg.  The  rest  has  been  distributed  among  various 
scientific  collections.  A  second  piece,  weighing  about  4  kg.,  which  evidently  produced  the  second  smoke,  was  found 
on  the  farm  of  J.  Windhurst. 

The  analysis  was  made  by  L.  G.  Eakins,  and  gave  the  following  composition  of  the  whole  stone: 

Nickel-iron 7.  7 

Iron  sulphide 5.0 

Silicate  soluble  in  HC1 46. 0 

Silicate  insoluble  in  HC1 . .  4L  5 


10L2 
The  analysis  of  the  nickel-iron  gave: 

Iron 86.  76 

Nickel 12.18 

Cobalt..  0.83 


B  -. :: 


This  composition  shows  that  the  nickel-iron  of  stony  meteorites  is  in  general  richer  than  the  iron  masses.  A  con- 
tent of  about  13  per  cent  nickel  plus  cobalt  has  been  shown  in  a  great  number  of  the  stony  meteorites,  but  in  iron 
meteorites  only  exceptionally.  The  siliceous  portion  of  the  stone  remaining  after  treatment  with  the  magnet  was 
separated  by  hot  hydrochloric  acM  into  soluble  and  insoluble  portions.  Under  I  is  given  the  result  of  the  analysis 


186  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

of  the  first;  under  II  the  same  after  the  removal  of  the  iron  sulphide  and  reduction  to  100  per  cent.    Under  III  is 
given  the  composition  of  the  insoluble  portion,  and  under  IV  the  same  reduced  to  100  per  cent. 

Soluble  in  HC1,  Insoluble  in  HC1. 

I               II  III             IV 

Si02 19.15         38.50  24.29          53.80 

ALjOa 1.95            4.32 

FeO 16.16         23.54  5.41          11.98 

NiO 34  .69  

CoO trace        

MnO 17  .34  trace        

CrO .64           L41 

CaO 06             .12  1.84           4.08 

MgO 18.31          36.81  10.10          22.37 

K2O »12             .27 

Na2O .80           1.77 

S...  1.97 


56.15        100.00  45.15        100.00 

The  result  of  the  analysis  ia  the  usual  one  since  the  portion  soluble  in  HC1  has  pretty  nearly  the  composition  of 
olivine,  while  the  insoluble  shows  a  mixture  of  different  minerals.  The  molecular  relations  of  the  soluble  portion  if 
Ni,  Co,  and  Mn  are  included  with  Fe  and  Ca  with  Mg  figure  as  follows: 

Si02 38.50    :    59.92    =0.643 

FeO 2457    :    71.84    =  .328 

MgO 36.93    :    39.90    =.925 

or  R02 :  RO=0. 643 :  0.  328+0.  925 
=        1 :  1.  95 

and  FeO  :  MgO=   1 :  2.  820  nearly  corresponding  to  an  olivine  of  the  formula  of  (Fe  Mg3)2  SiO4. 

In  the  insoluble  portions  chromite  is  shown  by  the  analysis,  also  a  mineral  of  the  pyroxene  group,  and  perhaps 
also  an  asymmetric  feldspar.  Calculation  in  a  stone  of  this  kind  of  the  constitution  is,  on  account  of  its  very  variable 
composition,  of  no  value  and  it  must  therefore  be  determined  by  the  microscopic  analysis  given  below.  Macroscopically 
the  meteorite  of  Washington  has  in  fracture  the  characters  of  a  doleritic  lava  of  a  dark-gray  color,  hard  and  of  splintery 
fracture.  Single  white  radiating  chondri,  as  well  as  pieces  of  the  same,  appear  in  the  black  groundmass  and  in  druses 
iron  sulphide  crystallizes  out.  The  surface  of  these  crystals  is  so  rounded  that  they  appear  melted  and  measurement 
is  impossible.  The  material  at  hand  is  not  sufficient  for  analysis,  although  one  would  be  of  great  value  since  the  light 
yellow  brilliant  crystals  show  no  trace  of  oxidation.  The  complete  solubility  in  hydrochloric  acid,  the  bright  color, 
and  the  lack  of  magnetism  indicate  troilite.  The  same  mineral  is  also  sprinkled  in  the  whole  mass  of  the  meteorite  in 
fine  grains.  This  stone  easily  takes  a  polish  on  account  of  its  great  hardness,  and  the  content  of  nickel-iron,  which  only 
slightly  appears  on  fractured  surfaces,  appears  on  polished  surfaces  in  numerous  grains  which  vary  from  minute  to  4 
mm.  in  diameter.  Armored  surfaces  are  beautifully  shown  in  the  meteorite,  appearing  on  the  polished  faces  as  pretty 
broad,  numerously  branched  veins  which  are  accompanied  by  some  iron  sulphide  and  crust.  On  these  faces  fracture 
easily  occurs.  The  crust  of  the  meteorite  is  very  hard,  black,  uneven  to  swollen,  and  occasionally  0.8  mm.  thick.  Ita 
surface  is  dull. 

Under  the  microscope  the  structure  is  seen  to  be  porphyritic.  The  radiating  chondri,  also  fragments  and  crystals 
of  different  minerals,  lie  in  an  irergular  granular  groundmass  which  is  often  so  fine  grained  that  it  resembles  a  micro- 
felsite.  The  whole  appears  to  be  colored  by  an  opaque,  dark  brown,  glassy  substance  which  gives  a  dark  color  to  the 
whole.  In  some  chondri  these  inclusions  are  lacking  and  they  have  a  white  color.  A  thin  section  treated  with  cold 
concentrated  HC1  becomes  colorless  and  the  opaque  inclusions  become  dissolved  coloring  the  acid  yellow.  Hence 
there  is  no  carbonaceous  substance  here  and  through  heating  no  indication  of  such  appears.  Probably  it  is  an  amorphous 
ferrous  silicate  easily  soluble  in  HC1.  The  groundmass  does  not  have  the  character  of  a  tuff  but  that  of  a  rapidly  crys- 
tallized substance.  It  shows  no  detritus  of  crystals  but  incomplete  crystals  and  crystal  skeletons.  Most  of  the  indi- 
viduals have  the  form  of  fragments  and  show  mechanical  deformation  such  as  is  common  in  telluric  lavas.  The  most 
prominent  are  fragments  and  crystals  of  olivine,  partly  in  skeleton  forms  and  seldom  with  distinct  boundaries.  The 
formation  of  these  minerals  is  different  from  the  ordinary  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine  them  with  certainty.  Also 
prominent  is  a  great  quantity  of  inclusions  of  the  dark  substance  so  richly  present  in  the  groundmass,  often  arranged 
parallel  to  certain  crystallographic  directions.  The  outlines  of  these  often  appear  irregular  and  without  crystallographic 
boundaries  resembling  glass  inclusions.  The  cleavage,  uncommonly  complete  for  olivine,  can  be  observed,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  rapidity  of  the  crystallization,  so  that  undulatory  extinction  is  a  common  phenomenon.  This  property 
renders  the  recognition  of  the  minerals  difficult.  A  piece  of  a  thin  section  exposed  to  stronger  heat  caused  one  mineral 
to  assume  a  red-brown  color  and  a  weak  pleochroism  while  the  other  portions  remained  unchanged;  with  cold  hydro- 
chloric acid  digesting  in  24  hours  the  regularly  arranged  inclusions  were  completely  dissolved  and  only  a  few  black 
and  deep  brown  octahedral  crystals  of  chromite  remained.  This  is  certainly  olivine  of  a  composition  somewhat  different 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  187 

than  the  analysis  shows,  since  the  inclusions  dissolved  in  HC1  would  influence  the  result.  Of  other  minerals  a  rhombic 
pyroxene  can  be  observed  which  often  shows  almost  fibrous  cleavage  and  seldom  haa  definite  boundaries;  also  mono- 
symmetric  augite  can  be  observed.  Both  these  minerals  are  poor  in  inclusions  and  form  radiating  clear  chondri. 
Feldspar  may  be  present  in  the  groundmass  but  was  not  found  among  the  larger  ingredients.  Occasionally  occurs  the 
mineral  designated  by  Tschermak  as  "monticellitelike"  formed  in  the  usual  way.  This  contains  rounded  colorless 
inclusions  with  bubbles,  probably  of  glass.  The  chondri  appear  as  usual  so  that  there  is  nothing  to  be  said  of  them. 
The  most  various  forms  occur  side  by  side.  A  glassy  base  is  not  present.  The  stone  is  rather  completely  crystalline. 
The  iron  veins  appear  under  the  microscope  to  be  bounded  by  a  network  of  a  dark  brown  to  black  glassy  substance 
which  surrounds  the  flakes  and  extends  pretty  deeply  into  the  adjoining  mass.  The  meteorite  of  Washington  belongs 
to  the  black  chondrites  and  resembles  most  the  meteorite  of  Sevrukof.  It  is  moreover  a  veined  black  chondrite. 
According  to  its  macroscopic  and  microscopic  appearance  it  belongs  to  those  meteorites  which  are  certainly  not  poly- 
genie  tuffs,  but  cooled  suddenly  from  a  hot  mass.  What  the  conditions  were  that  produced  the  features  of  rapid 
crystallization,  yet  gave  the  appearance  of  a  completely  crystalline  stone,  we  can  not  now  state. 

In  a  later  article  which  repeats  many  of  the  above  statements,  Kunz  and  Weinschenk  s 
recorded  the  find  of  a  distinct  mass  weighing  9  pounds  on  the  farm  of  John  Windhurst. 
Brezina  5  has  the  following  notes  on  the  meteorite: 

Farmington,  which  has  a  certain  superficial  resemblance  to  Mackinney,  is  distinguished  from  the  latter  by  its 
porous  character  which  extends  to  the  formation  of  large  druses  (mostly  lined  with  troilite  crystals  and  crystal  fragments) 
and  by  a  richness  in  iron  in  some  portions  in  place  of  the  abundant  troilite  of  the  Mackinney  mass.  The  fusion  crust 
is  very  scarce  on  the  Farmington  mass,  only  remaining  in  isolated  warts  the  size  of  millet  seeds.  In  one  place  along 
the  natural  crustless  exterior  may  be  seen  a  broad  black  crust  infiltration  reaching  to  a  depth  of  3.5  cm.,  in  which  run 
numerous  finely  branched  cracks  for  the  most  part  filled  with  nickel-iron.  One  of  these  cracks  is  laid  bare  for  a  distance 
of  15  mm.  and  does  not  have  the  appearance  of  an  armor  face,  but  that  of  a  crystalline  tin-white  metal  plate.  Another 
piece  shows  a  crevice  1  mm.  wide  which  traverses  the  entire  piece  and  is  lined  with  troilite  crystals.  A  roundish 
hollow  space  1  cm.  in  size  is  lined  with  rounded  nickel-iron  crystals.  A  email  piece  shows  on  a  fractured  surface  a 
black  crystal  1  cm.  long  of  a  pyroxene  mineral  with  two  cleavage  planes  almost  perpendicular  to  each  other,  also  a  grain 
of  a  white  monticellitelike  substance.  A  troilite  outcrop  in  another  piece  bears  an  imprint  of  half  spherical  form  with 
even,  glistening  faces  on  the  bottom. 

In  contrast  to  Mackinney  the  chondri  are  not  very  abundant.  They  are  either  leek-green  or  olivine  color.  In 
part  they  show  a  greenish- white  coating  0.5  mm.  in  thickness,  sharply  separated  from  the  interior,  but  running  out 
into  the  surrounding  groundmass  on  the  exterior.  Monticellite-like  chondri  occur. 

Meunier  8  remarked  the  metal  veins  as  follows : 

One  specimen  on  the  Paris  museum  is  remarkable  for  the  almost  capillary  veinlets  of  metal  alloy  having  an  intimate 
analogy  with  the  accidents  of  many  metallic  veins  and  contrasting  absolutely  with  the  structure  which  results  in  the 
case  of  terrestrial  rocks  of  volcanic  formation. 

Preston  *  described  metallic  veins  occurring  in  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Several  sections  of  the  136.25-pound  mass  of  this  meteorite,  resembling  dark  gray  conglomerate,  show  numerous 
small  patches  or  grains  of  iron  scattered  through  it,  the  largest  of  which  is  11  by  6  mm.  In  the  corner  of  three  of  these 
slices  there  are  several  veins  or  fissures  extending  from  10  to  75  mm.  from  the  edge  toward  the  center,  some  of  which 
are  filled  with  iron  for  65  mm.  in  length  from  the  edge  of  the  slice  inward  and  measuring  1  mm.  in  width.  On  the 
opposite  end  of  the  slice  there  is  a  very  narrow  vein  about  90  mm.  long  which  for  the  greater  part  of  the  way  is  filled 
with  iron.  Beyond  the  larger  nodule  mentioned  the  iron  is  scattered  rather  evenly  throughout  the  mass  in  compara- 
tively small  grains. 

The  following  suggestion  as  to  the  origin  of  the  veins  was  made  by  Preston: 

That  as  the  meteor  struck  our  atmosphere  the  concussion  was  so  great  that  the  mass  was  fractured  in  various  places, 
of  coarse  extending  from  the  surface  inward,  and  the  larger  of  these  fissures  or  fractures  were  then  filled  by  the  metallic 
iron  which  was  fused  on  the  exterior  surface  of  the  mass  due  to  its  velocity  through  the  atmosphere,  and  was  thus 
forced  in  a  molten  state  into  its  present  position,  thus  forming  the  metallic  veins. 

This  explanation  was  questioned  by  Farrington.7  His  conclusion  was  that  the  veins  were 
phases  of  structure  of  the  metallic  constituents  of  the  mass,  his  objections  to  Preston's  view 
being  the  following: 

First.  The  interior  of  a  meteoric  mass  of  any  considerable  size  is  so  cold  that  portions  of  molten  metal  would  be 
chilled  before  penetrating  to  any  appreciable  distance.  Second.  The  metallic  constituents  of  the  Farmington  meteorite 
are  its  least  fusible  ones. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  Field  Museum  possessing  the  largest  amount  (23.5  kg.). 


188  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  SNOW.    Science,  vol.  16,  pp.  38-39. 

2.  1891:  KUNZ  and  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoritenstudien.     1.  Washington,  Washington  County,  Kansas.    Mineral,  und 

Petrogr.  Mitth.,  Tschermak,  Bd.  12,  pp.  177-182  (analysis  by  Eakins). 

3.  1892:  KUNZ  and  WEINSCHENK.    Farmington,  Washington  County,  Kansas,  Aerolite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser., 

vol.  43,  pp.  65-67. 

4.  1892:  PRESTON.    Notes  on  the  Farmington,  Washington  County,  Kansas,  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  6er.,vol. 

44,  pp.  400-401  (illustration  of  a  slice). 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  253. 

6.  1897:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  Pierres  M^teoriques,  p.  61. 

7.  1901:  FARRINGTON.    On  the  nature  of  the  metallic  veins  of  the  Farmington  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4thser., 

vol.  11,  pp.  60  and  62. 


Fayette  County.    See  Bluff. 


FELIX. 

Perry  County,  Alabama. 
Latitude  32°  3(X  N.,  longitude  87°  9'  W. 
Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc),  of  Brezina. 
Fell  11.30  a.  m.,  May  15,  1900;  described  1901. 
Weight,  3  kgs.  (7  Ib8.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Merrill  *  as  follows : 

The  meteorite  here  described  fell  about  11.30  a.  m.,  on  May  15,  1900,  near  Felix,  Perry  County,  Alabama.  For 
the  details  concerning  the  fall  *  *  *  the  Museum  is  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Colman,  who  obtained  them  from  eye- 
witnesses as  follows: 

Mr.  Robert  D.  Sturdevant,  a  farmer  of  Augustin,  Perry  County,  said  that  while  at  work  in  his  cotton  field  his 
attention  was  attracted  by  a  loud  rumbling  noise  sounding  very  much  like  thunder.  It  being  a  clear,  cloudless  day, 
he  immediately  looked  up  and  saw  the  meteorite  directly  overhead.  There  was  one  very  loud  report,  followed  by 
two  lesser  ones,  the  appearance  being  compared  to  that  of  "a  big  piece  of  red-hot  iron  being  struck  with  a  hammer, 
causing  many  sparks  to  fly  in  all  directions.  After  the  explosion  the  smaller  pieces  popping  off  sounded  much  like  a 
small  stone  or  nail  being  thrown  with  great  force,  making  a  humming  or  hissing  noise.  The  meteor  seemed  to  be 
passing  from  east  to  west." 

The  main  mass  of  the  stone,  weighing  about  7  pounds,  was  subsequently  brought  by  a  colored  boy  to  Mr.  Sturde- 
vant, who  visited  the  locality,  about  half  a  mile  away,  and  found  that  in  falling  it  had  made  a  hole  about  6  inches  deep 
in  the  soft  plowed  ground. 

Mr.  Robert  S.  Browning,  who  was  on  Mr.  Sturdevant's  place  at  the  time  of  the  fall,  stated  that  "there  was  a 
rumbling  noise,  followed  by  three  loud  reports  much  like  thunder  or  a  big  gun."  He  compared  the  appearance  of 
the  meteorite  to  that  of  "a  big  shovel  of  red-hot  coals  being  upset." 

Mr.  W.  A.  Kenan,  of  Benton,  Alabama,  some  25  miles  from  the  place  where  the  stone  was  found,  stated  that  the 
report  was  heard  in  Selma,  Montgomery,  and  Marion,  the  latter  place  being  about  16  miles  west  of  Augustin. 

So  far  as  can  be  learned,  the  stone  broke  into  three  pieces,  the  larger  of  which  alone  is  now  known,  the  second 
having  been  lost,  and  the  third,  if  such  there  was,  never  having  been  found. 

The  piece  which  was  reserved  has  been  broken  into  five,  which  weigh  together  2,049  grams.  It  measured,  entire, 
about  13  by  9  cm.  in  breadth  and  thickness.  The  color  of  the  broken  surface  is  dark  smoky  gray,  almost  black.  It 
is  very  fine-grained,  with  numerous  small  dark  chondri  not  more  than  1  to  2  mm.  in  diameter  at  most,  and  with  no 
metallic  iron  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  The  mass  is  quite  soft  and  friable,  and  resembles  in  a  general  way  the  stones 
of  Warren  ton  and  Lance.  *  *  * 

Under  the  microscope  the  stone  is  seen  to  belong  to  the  chondritic  type.  The  essential  minerals  are  olivine, 
augite,  and  enstatite,  with  troilite  and  native  iron;  the  silicates  occurring  in  the  form  of  chondri  or  associated  with 
more  or  less  fragmental  particles,  embedded  in  a  dark  opaque,  or  faintly  translucent  base,  which  is  irresolvable  so  far 
as  the  microscope  is  concerned. 

The  details  of  the  microscopic  structure  are  as  follows:  In  a  very  dense,  dark  gray,  seemingly  amorphous  base 
are  scattered  various  silicate  minerals  in  the  form  of  fragments  and  chondri,  and  interspersed  with  occasional  minute 
blebs  of  native  iron  and  troilite.  The  chondri  are  composed  of  olivine,  enstatite,  or  augite,  and  are  sometimes 
monosomatic  and  sometimes  polysomatic,  holocrystalline,  or  with  a  varying  amount  of  glassy  base.  Interspersed  with 
these  are  fragments  of  olivlnes  and  enstatites  of  all  sizes,  from  half  a  millimeter  down  to  the  finest  dust.  Scattered 
through  the  groundmass  are  proportionally  large  plates  or  clusters  of  enstatites.  These  are  very  light  gray  in  color, 
with  poorly  defined  outlines  and  extremely  irregular  borders  projecting  into  black  irresolvable  material  which  forms 
the  base.  The  enstatite  chondri  are  in  some  cases  almost  completely  amorphous  or  cryptocrystalline. 

Many  of  the  augites  show  polysynthetic  twinning,  such  as  was  noted  by  Tschermak  in  the  meteorites  of  Renazzo 
and  Mezo  Madras,  as  do  also  those  of  the  meteorite  of  Warrenton,  Warren  County,  Missouri.  The  banding  is  in  some 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


189 


cases  ao  regular  and  the  colors  so  light  that  it  was  at  first  thought  such  might  be  in  part  plagioclase  feldspars.  The 
forms  are,  however,  those  of  augite;  they  lack  the  pellucidity  of  feldspars,  and,  moreover,  sections  of  the  mineral  show- 
ing no  twinning  bands  give  extinctions  as  high  as  39°.  There  is,  therefore,  apparently  no  doubt  of  their  augite  nature. 

The  most  striking  features  of  the  stone  are  its  extremely  irregular,  almost  amorphous  areas.  These  seem  in  a 
general  way  to  resemble  the  amorphous  chondri  described  by  Tschermak  from  the  meteorite  of  Grosnaja.  They  pre- 
sent, however,  certain  features  which  suggest  quite  a  different  origin. 

The  chemical  composition  of  the  stone  is  shown  in  the  analyses  given  below,  as  made  in  the  laboratory  of  the 
department  by  Dr.  Peter  Fireman.  By  treatment  with  solution  of  the  double  salt  of  mercuric  ammonium  chloride, 
after  the  method  of  Carl  Friedheim,  there  was  obtained: 

Metallic  portion 3. 04 

Nonmetallic  portion,  including  troilite  and  chromite 96.  96 


The  metallic  portion  yielded: 


100 


Fe 
85.04 


Ni 
11.93 


Co 

2.79 


Cu 

0.24 


=  100 


The  silicate  portion  was  digested  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  sodium  carbonate  solution  after  the  usual  method. 
The  soluble  and  insoluble  portions  then  yielded  results  as  below,  deducting  those  constituents  present  in  combination 

as  troilite,  chromite,  or  as  free  carbon. 

Soluble  Insoluble 

silicate.  silicate. 

Si02  ....................................................  32.  91  53.  79 

ALA  ...................................................    2.73  6.97 

FeO  .................................  ....................  34.  74  3.  50 

MnO  .....  ................................................  94  ...... 

NiO  and  CoO  ............................................    L  39  ...... 

CaO  ......................................................     6.  43  4.  33 

MgO  ..............................  .'  .....................  19.  39  31.  33 

K20  ......................................................  11  -34 

NajO  ....................................................  70  .63 

H2O  at  110°  ..............................................  22  ...... 


99.  56        100.  69 


From  these  analyses  the  total  chemical  composition  was  calculated  as  follows: 


Fe  

2.  59] 

Ni                                  

36 

Metallic  portion 

Co  

08 

—  3.04  per  cent. 

Cu                                        

01 

Si02                                        

33.  57] 

ALO, 

3.  24 

OoO, 

80 

FeO         .            

26.  22 

FeS                                         ..     .   . 

4.76 

MnO          .                  

68 

NiO  and  CoO  

CaO        

5.  45 

Stony  portion 

MeO 

19.  74 

=  96.96  per  cent. 

K20                                   

14 

62 

C  (Graphite) 

36 

H2O  at  110°  

16 

99.79 

Mineralogical  composition: 

Metal  ..............................................................    3.04 

Troilite  ............................................................    4.  76 

Chromite  ..........................................................     1.  17 

Graphite  ............................................................  36 

Soluble  silicate  (chrysolite  in  part)  .....................  .  72.  60 

Insoluble  silicate  (enstatite  and  augite  in  part)  ........................  18.  07 


100.00 


Specific  gravity,  3.78  (Tassin.) 


190  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

There  are  certain  points  of  these  analyses  which  I  am  unable,  at  present,  to  satisfactorily  explain.  The  insoluble 
portion  may  be  considered  as  essentially  enstatite  and  aluminous  monoclinic  pyroxene  and  the  soluble  portion  as 
largely  olivine.  But  the  high  per  cent  of  iron  protoxide  (FeO),  as  well  as  the  lime  and  alumina  in  this  latter  portion, 
are  not  easily  accounted  for.  It  is  possible  that  the  last  two  elements  may  be  constituents  of  the  colorless  undetermined 
mineral  referred  to,  but  the  source  of  the  iron  protoxide  is  for  the  present  unexplainable. 

The  case  is,  however,  not  without  precedent,  J.  Lawrence  Smith  reporting  similar  conditions  in  the  Warrenton, 
Warren  County,  Missouri,  stone  which,. however,  he  allows  to  pass  without  comment. 

For  purposes  of  comparison,  I  give  below  the  analyses  of  the  soluble  and  insoluble  silicate  portions  of  the  Felix 
and  Warrenton  meteorites: 

Warrenton,  Missouri. 

Soluble.         Insoluble. 

33.  02  56.  90 

.12  .20 

37.  57  10.  20 


Si02  

Soluble. 
32.  91 

Felix 
Insoluble. 
53.59 

ALO, 

2.  73 

6.97 

FeO  

34.  74 

3.50 

MnO 

.95 

NiOl 

1.39 

CoO)  
CaO       

6.  43 

4.33 

MgO 

19.  39 

31.  33 

K2O         

11 

.34 

Na,O.. 

.70 

.63 

1. 54  

.31  

Tr.  7. 62 

28.  41  22.  41 


.  07  1.  00 


99.34  100.69  101.04  98.33 

The  dark  color  of  the  rock  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the  carbon  it  contains,  since  the  amount  of  iron  and  troilite,  as 

shown  by  the  analyses,  is  extremely  small.    More  than  that,  the  finely  pulverized  rock,  after  prolonged  digestion, 

shows  a  residue  of  carbon  in  the  form  of  graphite. 

The  stone  evidently  belongs  to  Brezina's  class  of  Kiigelchenchondrites  and  to  Meunier's  group  of  Ornansites. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  United  States  National  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1901:  MERRILL.    Proc.  U.  S,  Nat.  Mus.,  vol.  24,  pp.  193-198. 


FERGUSON. 

Haywood  County,  North  Carolina. 

Latitude  35°  36'  N.,  longitude  83°  0'  W. 

Stone. 

Fell  July  18,  1889;  described  1890. 

Weight,  8  ounces  (lost). 

All  that  is  known  of  this  meteorite  is  contained  in  the  following  account  by  Kunz  * : 

Mr.  W.  A.  Harrison,  of  Ferguson,  Haywood  County,  North  Carolina,  says  that  about  6  o'clock  on  the  evening  of 
July  18,  1889,  he  noticed  a  remarkable  noise  west  of  him,  and  that  15  minutes  later  he  saw  something  strike  the  earth 
which,  on  examination,  proved  to  be  a  meteoric  stone,  so  hot  that  he  could  scarcely  hold  it  in  his  hand  5  minutes  after 
it  fell.  Two-thirds  of  its  bulk  was  buried  in  the  earth  when  found.  This  stone  was  sent  to  the  writer  and  was  unfor- 
tunately lost  in  December  in  New  York  City.  The  stone  was  slightly  oblong,  covered  with  a  deep  black  crust  which 
had  been  broken  at  one  end,  showing  a  great  chondritic  structure  with  occasional  specks  of  iron.  Its  weight  was  about 
8  ounces  and  it  very  closely  resembled  the  meteoric  stone  from  Mocs,  Transylvania.  It  remained  in  the  writer's  pos- 
session so  short  a  time  that  it  was  not  properly  investigated,  but  still  the  mere  mention  of  a  fall  which  had  been  so 
carefully  observed  is  thought  to  be  well  worthy  of  publication. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  KUNZ.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  40,  p.  320. 


FISHER. 

Polk  County,  Minnesota. 

Latitude  47°  48'  N.,  longitude  96°  48'  W. 

Stone.     Intermediate  chondrite,  veined  (Cia)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  4  p.  m.,  April  9,  1894;  described  1894. 

Weight:  Two  masses,  weight  of  the  larger  not  known;  weight  of  the  smaller,  4  kgs.  (9.5  Ibs.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Winchell  *  as  follows : 

On  April  9,  1894,  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  peculiar  rumbling  sound  startled  the  people  of  Fisher  in  Polk 
County,  in  the  Red  River  Valley,  northwestern  Minnesota.     In  July  of  the  same  year  while  making  hay  on  a  meadow 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  191 

in  sec.  23,  R.  49,  T.  150,  a  stone  was  found  which,  had  embedded  itself  in  the  sod  a  few  inches  from  the  force  of  its  fall, 
the  impact  of  the  mass  having  also  turned  back  the  turf  in  all  directions  around  it.  There  being  no  drift  bowlders  in 
the  region  on  the  surface,  this  was  at  once  connected  with  the  rumbling  noise.  On  examination  it  proved  to  be  a 
chondritic  meteoric  stone.  Ite  weight  was  about  9.5  pounds  and  it  was  entirely  covered  with  the  usual  black  crust. 
This  being  the  first  meteorite  known  to  have  fallen  in  the  State,  it  is  proposed  to  name  it  Minnesota  No.  1,  with  a  view 
to  continue  the  series  by  suitable  numeration  for  all  future  Minnesota  meteorites. 

In  his  1895  catalogue  Brezina 2  classified  Fisher  as  an  intermediate  chondrite.    About  a 
year  after  his  first  mention  Winchell 3  gave  a  full  account  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

The  stone  is  covered  with  a  thick  brown  crust  showing  the  wavy  fluidal  surface,  indicating  fusion  by  the  applica- 
tion of  heat  to  the  exterior.  It  is  pitted  with  the  usual  depressions  and  prominences.  Of  the  two  pieces  that  fell,  one 
was  immediately  broken  up  by  the  farmers,  who  desired,  as  they  said,  to  know  whether  any  gold  was  inside  of  it.  The 
fragments  were  scattered  amongst  them  and  some  were  taken  into  North  Dakota.  The  other  stone  remains  entire. 
The  one  which  was  broken  up  was  the  larger  of  the  two,  the  smaller  one  weighs  about  9.5  pounds.  Several  of  the  pieces 
of  the  larger  mass  have  been  recovered  and  from  these  this  description  was  written,  except  as  to  the  exterior  appearance, 
which  is  described  as  it  occurs  on  the  smaller  mass.  The  coating,  however,  on  the  smaller  fragments  has  no  noticeable 
difference  from  that  on  that  of  the  unbroken  mass. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone  is  3.44. 

The  color  is  light  gray,  but  flecked  with  rustiness  from  oxidation  of  the  iron.  The  iron  is  not  abundant,  but  is  found 
in  isolated  grains  varying  in  size  from  a  mere  speck  to  1.5  or  2  mm.  in  diameter.  The  broken  surface  glitters  with  scat- 
tered bronzy  reflections,  apparently  of  troilite. 

In  thin  section  the  stone,  aside  from  the  iron  elements,  appears  to  be  principally  a  granular  mass  of  olivine  more  or 
less  rusted,  and  of  enstatite,  showing  occasionally  the  chondritic  structure.  The  olivine  seems  to  have  been  entirely 
shattered  from  its  crystalline  integrity  and  to  exist  now  in  the  form  of  more  or  less  angular  cleavage  and  other  fragments 
impacted  together  and  held  in  place  by  a  secondary  cohesion.  Still,  in  general,  the  individual  fragments  are  not  far 
removed  from  their  original  positions,  and  in  some  instances  are  sufficiently  large  to  operate  on  with  convergent  light 
with  crossed  nicols. 

The  polarization  colors  are  high.  Of  the  numerous  sections  afforded  by  the  slices  some  are  found  perpendicular  to 
the  different  axes  of  elasticity.  In  one  perpendicular  to  ng(c)  two  cleavage  systems  are  distinctly  apparent  which 
intersect  each  other  at  right  angles,  although  these  are  crossed  by  other  coarse  cracks  which  cut  the  grain  into  many 
irregular  fragments.  These  cleavages  are  those  parallel  to  the  brachypinacoid  (010)  and  the  base  (001),  the  latter 
being  less  evident  than  the  former.  Extinction  takes  places  parallel  to  these  cleavages. 

Another  section  is  cut  perpendicular  to  nm(b)  and  has  a  bright  bluish-green  color.  It  extinguishes  parallel  to  its 
principal  cleavage  (010),  the  other  cleavage  being  reduced  by  the  shattering  which  all  the  grains  have  suffered  to  an 
irregular  series  of  cross  fractures  of  the  lamellae  010,  hardly  continuous  enough  to  be  recognized  as  cleavage.  This 
section  is  parallel  to  the  base.  Other  basal  sections  show  no  basal  cleavage. 

Another  section  with  two  distinct  rectangular  cleavages  is  perpendicular  to  np(a),  which  in  olivine  indicates  a 
section  parallel  to  the  brachypinacoid.  One  cleavage  is  straight  and  clear,  the  other  coarse  and  somewhat  irregular. 
Extinction  is  parallel  to  these  cleavages. 

There  are  numerous  sections  which  have  extinction  at  a  varying  angle  with  the  cleavage  owing  to  their  obliquity 
with  the  principal  zones. 

The  chondri  are  composed  of  olivine  and  enstatite.  The  various  lamellae  consist  of  many  individual  granules 
having  a  common  orientation  and  the  lamellae  themselves  extinguish  in  unison  and  frequently  parallel  to  their  elonga- 
tion. Occasionally  a  granule  not  exactly  in  line  with  the  series  constituting  one  of  the  lamellae,  but  rather  between 
two  lamellae,  extinguishes  at  a  different  angle.  The  lamellae  in  the  olivine  chondri  are  nearly  straight  and  parallel. 
Between  them  is  sometimes  an  isotropic  substance  which  is  probably  glass,  but  sometimes  this  substance  affords  an 
aggregate  polarization.  In  those  olivine  chondri  in  which  the  lamellae  are  cut  parallel  to  001 — that  is,  perpendicular  to 
the  mean  axis  of  elasticity — the  distinct  cleavages  run  directly  transverse  to  the  elongation  of  the  lamellae  as  viewed. 
Hence  the  lamellae  are  of  the  nature  of  plates  parallel  to  100.  Sometimes  the  lamellae  contain  no  interlamellar  glass, 
but  the  alternate  lamellae  are  differently  oriented,  there  being  two  directions,  with  an  angle  of  about  24°  between  them. 
Sometimes  parts  of  different  chondri  are  closely  adjacent,  each  having  its  independent  orientation.  In  thi«  condition 
the  appearance  somewhat  resembles  the  radiating  lamellae  of  the  chondri  of  enstatite  and  in  some  of  the  enstatite 
chondri  olivine  constitutes  a  portion  of  the  interlamellar  mineral. 

There  are  apparently  two  isotropic  substances  in  this  meteorite,  one  being  glass  (at  least  glassy)  and  the  other  having 
a  cleavage.  The  latter  is  clear  as  glass  in  ordinary  light  and  has  refraction  approaching  that  of  olivine,  as  shown  by  the 
shagreen  which  is  produced  on  lowering  the  condenser.  It  may  be  maskelynite,  which  is  a  mineral  discovered  by 
Tschermak  in  1872,  isotropic  but  having  nearly  the  composition  of  labradorite.  A  sketch  shows  the  aspect  of  the 
cleavable  grain  in  common  light  with  the  condenser  lowered.  This  indeed  is  the  only  grain  of  the  isotropic  substance 
showing  a  distinct  cleavage.  The  noncleavable  substance  appearing  like  glass  is  rather  widely  distributed,  but  there 
is  no  certainty  that  they  are  the  same,  although  the  glassy  substance  seems  occasionally  to  transmit  a  little  light  between 
crossed  nicols.  The  cleavable  mineral  has  occasionally,  a  trace  of  a  second  cleavage. 

There  is  this  distinction  between  these  isotropic  substances,  viz,  the  glassy  grains,  as  appears  in  the  chondri  of 
olivine  where  the  interlaminations  between  the  lamellae  of  olivine  are  in  part  of  this  glassy  substance,  on  becoming 


192  MEMOIES  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

crystalline  gradually  transmit  light  and  have  four  extinctions.    But  the  cleavable  mineral,  when  perfectly  crystalline, 
is  continually  dark  between  crossed  nicols.    They,  therefore,  belong  to  different  crystalline  systems. 

In  consideration  of  the  specific  gravities  of  the  principal  elements  of  this  meteorite  there  appears  to  be  reason  to 
look  for  the  presence  of  a  lighter  mineral  than  olivine.  Thus: 

Olivine         Iron         The  stone          Maskelynite 
3.30  7.50  3.44  2.65 

The  small  amount  of  iron  present  would  probably  raise  the  specific  gravity  of  the  stone  higher  than  3.44  if  not 
counteracted  by  a  lighter  mineral. 

The  metallic  iron  is  bright  and  silvery  when  polished.  The  larger  pieces  are  about  1.5  mm.  in  diameter  but  the 
smallest  are  mere  specks.  They  are  dispersed  among  the  other  grains  in  a  very  irregular  and  fortuitous  manner.  Some 
of  the  finest  fragments  are  in  the  chondri. 

Troilite  is  in  about  the  same  proportion  as  metallic  iron.    It  has  a  dark  bronzy  luster.    *    *    * 

About  a  year  later  a  further  study  of  the  meteorite  was  reported  by  Winchell  and  Berkey  5 
as  follows: 

For  the  purpose  of  further  determination  of  the  mineral  which  resembles  maskelynite,  two  micro-chemical  testa 
were  made.  The  particles  are  so  small  that  no  chemical  examination  is  practicable,  viz: 

1.  Particles  belonging  to  group  2,  i.  e.,  glass. 

2.  Particles  of  a  translucent  mineral  which  showed  angular  fracture  and  but  little  or  no  cleavage,  presumed  to  be 
the  doubly  refracting  mineral  which  is  like  maskelynite,  and  possibly  represented  by  groups  5  and  6. 

With  the  first  the  test  revealed  lime  and  soda.  With  the  second  were  developed,  along  with  fluosilicates  of  lime, 
a  liberal  sprinkling  of  hexagonal  rods  of  fluosilicate  of  soda. 

There  is  not  enough  of  this  mineral  present  to  warrant  an  attempt  at  quantitative  analysis.  It  remains,  therefore, 
undecided  whether  the  meteorite  contains  maskelynite.  The  evidences  in  favor  of  its  presence  are: 

1.  A  feebly  polarizing  mineral,  low  in  double  refraction,  occurring  in  the  midst  of  the  chondri  and  elsewhere. 

2.  This  mineral  shows  little  or  no  cleavage. 

3.  It  contains  lime  and  soda. 

4.  The  glass  from  which  it  seems  to  have  crystallized  also  contains  soda  and  no  soda  has  been  detected  in  the  other 
minerals. 

An  analysis  of  some  small  fragments  of  this  meteorite  was  made  by  C.  P.  Berkey,  of  the  University  of  Minnesota. 
Preliminary  qualitative  tests  showed  the  following  elements:  Silicon,  aluminum,  iron,  nickel,  calcium,  magnesium, 
and  sulphur.  Silicon  occurs  as  the  oxide,  forming  the  mineral  tridymite  and  also  occurs  in  the  silicates  maskelynite, 
olivine,  and  enstatite.  Aluminum,  calcium,  and  magnesium  and  a  part  of  the  iron  occur  in  the  silicates.  Nickel  is 
present  native,  or  possibly  forming  an  alloy  with  the  iron.  Iron  is  prasent  in  three  forms,  metallic  iron,  ferrous  oxides 
in  the  silicates,  and  ferric  oxide  chiefly  as  an  oxidation  from  the  native  metal. 

Sulphur  is  present  in  small  quantity  in  the  mineral  troilite.    No  alkali  metals  were  found. 
The  bulk  of  the  analysis  gave: 

Silica,  SiOjj 41.16 

Alumina,  A12O3 6.  60 

Iron,  calculated  as  Fe 24.  26 

Magnesia,  MgO : 19.  03 

Lime,  CaO 4.  34 

Nickel,  calculated  as  Ni 2.  26 

Sulphur,  S Traces. 

97.65 
In  the  above  analysis  all  the  compounds  appear  in  the  correct  chemical  combination  with  the  exception  of  iron  and 

sulphur.    Sulphur  should  appear  as  FeS,  but  the  small  amount  obtained  made  such  estimate  impracticable.    A  part 

of  the  24.26  per  cent  of  iron  should  be  estimated  as  FeO  and  also  a  part  as  Fe2O3,  which  will  then  bring  the  analysis  to 

the  proper  total  amount. 

The  lacking  2.35  per  cent  should  properly  be  accounted  for  in  this  way;  6.89  per  cent  of  iron  disposed  of  in  this 

way  satisfies  the  chemical  proportions. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed  among  collections. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1894:  WINCHELL.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol  14,  p.  389. 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  247. 

3.  1896:  WINCHELL.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol.  17,  p.  173. 

4.  1896:  WINCHELL.     Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  122,  Mar.  16,  p.  681. 

5.  1897:  WINCHELL.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol.  20,  p.  316.  * 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  193 

FLOWS. 

Cabarrus  County,  North  Carolina. 

Here  also  Cabairus  County,  Cabanus  County,  and  Monroe. 

Latitude  35°  13'  N.,  longitude  80°  3^  W. 

Stone.    Gray,  veined  chondrite  (Cga),  of  Brezina;  Endebenite  (type  34),  of  Meunier. 

Fell  3  p.  m.,  Oct.  31,  1849;  described  1850. 

Weight,  8.8  kgu.  (19.5  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Silliman  *  from  the  account  by  Gibbon,1 
as  follows : 

On  the  authority  of  a  communication  from  J.  H.  Gibbon,  of  the  branch  mint  of  the  United  States  at  Charlotte, 
North  Carolina,  we  give  a  condensed  view  of  facts  regarding  a  fall  of  meteoric  masses  in  that  State,  not  having  room  for 
the  less  important  details. 

On  Wednesday,  October  31,  1849,  at  3  p.  m.,  several  persons  in  the  town  of  Charlotte  were  astonished,  and  not  a 
few  were  exceedingly  terrified,  by  a  sudden  explosion,  followed  at  short  intervals  by  two  other  reports,  and  by  a  rum- 
bling in  the  air  to  the  east  and  south. 

The  sounds  were  distinct,  and  continued  more  than  half  a  minute;  they  were  imputed  by  some  to  thunder,  but 
there  were  no  clouds,  the  evening  was  calm  and  mild  like  the  Indian  summer,  and  only  a  mist  was  seen  in  the  eastern 
horizon ;  nor  were  the  impressions  of  others  better  founded  that  the  explosions  were  due  to  the  blasting  of  rocks  on  a  rail- 
road; but  Sheriff  Alexander,  having  once  before  witnessed  the  explosion  of  a  meteor,  justly  traced  the  detonation  to 
that  cause. 

The  negroes,  who  are  very  acute  observers  of  sounds  in  the  open  air,  denied  the  thunder,  and  an  old  fisherman 
said  that  the  reports  were  like  those  of  three  pieces  of  heavy  artillery  followed  by  the  base  drum.  Horses  both  in 
harness  and  under  the  saddle  started  with  alarm. 

Inquiry  began  to  be  made  for  fallen  stones,  and  on  Monday  a  servant  of  the  mint  brought  in  a  report  from  Cabarrus 
County,  25  miles  distant,  that  there  were  notices  stuck  up  on  the  trees  inviting  people  to  come  and  see  "a  wonderful 
rock  that  had  fallen  from  the  skies  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Hiram  Poet." 

Mr.  Gibbon,  of  the  mint,  with  Dr.  Andrews,  traveled  21  miles,  and  partly  at  night  by  torchlight,  to  see  "the 
large  mass  of  metallic  rock."  They  found,  placed  in  a  conspicuous  position  upon  a  barrel  elevated  upon  a  post,0  "a 
bluish  gritty  rock,"  of  irregular  form,  8  inches  long,  6  broad,  and  4  thick,  bearing  marks  in  spots  of  recent  fracture,  but 
otherwise  black  as  if  it  had  been  exposed  to  heat  and  smoke,  the  black  color  being  relieved  where  the  crust  had  been 
broken,  and  a  little  of  the  clayey  soil  in  which  it  was  buried  in  its  descent  still  adhered  to  it.  It  had  the  curved  inden- 
tations usual  in  meteorites,  as  if  it  had  been  soft  and  yielded  to  impressions,  and  lustrous  metallic  points  appeared 
through  the  ground  color,  which  had  generally  a  bluish  slaty  appearance,  but  no  such  rock  was  known  in  the  neigh- 
borhood .  Mr.  Post  took  the  travelers  by  torchlight  to  see  the  place  where  the  mass  fell.  He  was  at  the  time  in  company 
with  a  young  man  on  horseback;  they  heard  overhead  a  whizzing  sound — the  whole  atmosphere  appeared  to  be  in 
commotion — they  compared  the  sound  to  that  of  a  chain  shot,  or  of  platoon  firing.  Nothing  was  visible;  but  their  atten- 
tion being  directed  by  the  sound  toward  a  large  pine  tree  east  of  them,  they  heard  the  stone  strike  "with  a  dull,  heavy 
jar  of  the  ground,"  while  the  dog,  in  terror,  crouched  at  his  master's  feet. 

Mr.  Post  (in  his  peculiar  language),  had  sighted  the  sound,  and  his  negro  man  plowing  in  a  field  had  done  the  same 
from  a  different  direction,  and  by  ranging  with  the  aid  of  these  intersecting  lines,  they  found  the  stone  the  next  mom- 
ing,  which  had  splintered  a  pine  log  lying  on  the  ground.  By  sounding  with  a  sharp  stick  in  the  hole  made  by  the 
stone  in  its  fall  they  soon  found  it,  and  extricated  it  from  its  hiding  place,  which  was  10  inches  below  the  surface;  the 
dried  leaves  which  had  been  "driven  about  by  the  percussion,"  aided  in  discovering  the  spot,  which  was  in  the 
woods  about  300  yards  from  the  place  where  Mr.  Post  had  stood  at  the  moment  of  the  fall,  but  there  were  no  marks 
on  the  trees,  although  the  impression  was  that  numerous  small  bodies  had  fallen,  "making  a  noise  like  hot  rocks 
thrown  into  water." 

Mr.  Gibbon  and  his  companion  viewed  the  place  both  by  torch  and  daylight,  and  were  convinced  of  the  accu- 
racy of  the  statement. 

The  people  of  the  vicinity  imagined  that  a  rock  had  been  thrown  up  from  a  volcano  or  from  blasting,  or  had  come 
from  the  moon,  and  were  not  easily  persuaded  that  it  could  be  formed  in  the  atmosphere. 

As  is  usual  in  cases  of  extraordinary  celestial  phenomena,  some  were  terrified  by  the  supposed  approach  of  the 
day  of  judgment,  or  of  war,  or  some  other  dire  calamity,  and  a  militia  colonel,  in  a  spirit  quite  professional,  said  that 
"there  must  be  war  in  Heaven,  for  they  were  throwing  rocks." 

At  the  request  of  Doctor  Andrews,  the  stone  was  diverted  from  another  destination,  in  favor  of  Prof.  Charles  TJ. 
Shepard,  of  the  Medical  College  of  South  Carolina,  at  Charleston,  from  whom  we  learn  that  at  a  recent  date  the  speci- 
men had  not  yet  reached  him. 

a  With  laudable  liberality  and  caution  joined,  the  worthy  proprietor  of  the  boon  which  had  {alien  on  his  land  had  annexed  a  written  notice: 
"  Gentlemen,  sirs— please  not  to  break  this  rock,  which  fell  from  the  skies  and  weighs  19.5  pounds." 

716°— 15 13 


194  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

In  due  time  we  shall  have  the  result  of  his  scientific  examination,  but  from  the  circumstances  we  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  admitting  this  case  as  genuine.  The  facts  are  perfectly  familiar  to  hundreds  on  record,  and  in  many  partic- 
ulars are  in  accordance  with  the  remarkable  event  of  this  nature  which  happened  in  Weston,  Connecticut,  in  December, 
1807,  and  with  which  the  senior  editor  of  this  journal,  with  his  college  colleague,  Professor"Kingsley,  was  at  the  time 
familiar.  There  is  no  room  to  discuss  theories,  but  we  feel  fully  assured  that  aerolites  are  not  formed  in  our  atmos- 
phere, are  not  projected  from  terrestrial  or  lunar  volcanoes,  but  have  a  foreign  origin,  giving  us  the  only  reports  of  the 
physical  constitution  of  other  worlds  which  have  ever  reached  our  earth. 

By  an  additional  communication  from  J.  H.  Gibbon,  dated  November  29,  1849,  it  is  rendered  probable  that 
"luminous  materials  were  seen  advancing  from  several  points  in  the  atmosphere  toward  a  common  center,  where  a 
solid  mass  of  heated  metal  (materials)  exploded  and  was  violently  projected  in  different  directions  to  the  earth." 

It  is  stated  also  that  there  was  a  distinct  appearance  of  a  single  fiery  elongated  body,  like  iron  advanced  to  a  white 
heat,  sparkling  in  its  passage  from  west  to  east,  rising  like  a  rocket  but  not  vertically,  and  passing  through  the  air  with 
a  long  white  streak  or  tail  following  a  denser  body  in  the  form  of  a  ball  of  fire.  ("The  true  flaming  sword  of  antiquity.") 

Still  it  is  to  be  observed  that  neither  the  fireball  nor  any  light  was  seen  by  many  who  heard  the  successive  reports 
and  the  fall  of  the  stones,  and  the  rumbling  "  like  loaded  wagons  jolting  down  a  rocky  hill."  (This  was  the  very 
comparison  used  at  Weston,  in  December,  1807,  by  the  people  there,  ift  describing  a  portion  of  the  reports  heard  on 
that  occasion.)  But  this  is  no  way  extraordinary,  as  it  was  daytime,  with  a  clear  sky,  and  those  only  would  see  the 
fireball  who  were  looking  in  the  proper  direction  at  the  time  "when  it  was  in  its  most  ardent  state."  At  the  explo- 
sion, the  meteor  was  about  45°  high. 

The  estimation  of  time  between  the  disappearance  of  the  light  and  the  arrival  of  the  sound  was  very  different, 
as  made  by  different  persons,  at  several  minutes,  even  as  high  as  five.  The  latter  supposition  would  make  the  meteor 
almost  extra  atmospheric,  but  doubtless  the  period  of  five  minutes  is  much  too  high,  and  we  infer  that  the  meteor, 
like  that  at  Weston,  was  fully  within  the  atmosphere,  and  probably  not  over  15  or  20  miles  from  the  earth  when  it 
exploded.  It  was  seen  through  250  miles  from  the  line  of  Virginia  to  Sumter  district  in  South  Carolina,  and  from  east 
to  west  it  was  seen  through  60  miles. 

A  further  account  and  analysis  was  given  by  Shepard  2  as  follows : 

This  stone  fell  at  3.15  p.  m.  on  October  31,  1849.  The  place  of  fall  was  upon  the  estate  of  Mr.  H.  Bost,  which  is 
situated  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county,  18  or  20  miles  from  Concord,  its  shiretown,  22  miles  east  from  Charlotte, 
and  15  miles  from  Monroe,  the  county  seat  of  Union.  An  account  of  the  principal  circumstances  attending  the  fall  of 
the  mass  has  been  given  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Gibbon,  of  the  United  States  Branch  Mint,  at  Charlotte,  which  appeared  in  a  late 
number  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science.  Additional  particulars  of  the  same  phenomenon  have  been  afforded  by 
the  same  gentleman  which  were  published  in  the  National  Intelligencer.  As  abstracts  from  both  these  sources  have 
been  made  by  several  papers  in  different  sections  of  the  country,  it  will  be  unnecessary  to  take  up  time  here  with 
further  particulars  on  this  part  of  the  subject.  A  few  additional  facts  communicated  to  me  by  Dr.  William  D.  Kersh, 
of  this  State,  and  by  Dr.  E.  H.  Andrews,  of  Charlotte,  may  be  communicated  on  a  future  occasion. 

For  an  opportunity  of  describing  this  stone  I  am  indebted  to  the  kind  offices  of  Doctors  Gibbon  and  Andrews,  of 
Charlotte,  both  of  whom  repaired  immediately  to  the  place  of  fall  and  secured  for  me  the  refusal  of  the  mass.  It  was 
soon  afterwards  purchased  by  Doctor  Andrews  and  transmitted  to  me  here,  thus  affording  me  the  pleasure  of  exhibit- 
ing it  to  the  association  almost  precisely  in  the  condition  in  which  it  was  found. 

The  present  weight  is  18.5  pounds,  it  having  been  reduced  1  pound  by  the  abstraction  of  two  or  three  fragments  by 
those  who  saw  it  prior  to  the  visit  of  Doctors  Gibbon  and  Andrews. 

The  shape  reminds  one  the  most  forcibly  of  a  human  foot  inclosed  in  an  india-rubber  overshoe.  It  nevertheless 
exhibits  several  tolerably  distinct  planes  giving  rise  to  a  low,  irregular,  four-sided  pyramid  truncated  at  the  summit 
and  having  for  a  base  a  somewliat  rounded  undulating  surface.  Its  greatest  length  is  10.5  inches,  its  height  5.5  inches, 
and  its  breadth  6.75  inches.  The  sides  present  the  indentations  and  the  angles  the  blunt  terminations  which  are  so 
common  in  these  bodies. 

The  crust  is  thin,  black,  and  strongly  coherent,  having  a  smooth  surface  with  exception  of  minute  projections 
occasioned  by  metallic  grains.  In  point  of  luster  it  is  quite  dull.  Minute  portions  of  yellowish  clay  and  fibers  of 
lignin  (the  former  from  the  soil  into  which  it  fell  and  the  latter  from  the  tree  against  which  it  struck)  are  still  visible 
upon  portions  of  the  surface. 

An  attempt  to  break  the  mass  for  obtaining  a  fresh  view  of  the  interior  revealed  a  remarkable  difference  between 
this  and  most  meteoric  stones.  It  required  repeated  strong  blows  with  a  heavy  hammer  to  detach  a  fragment  of  1  pound 
weight;  and  the  fracture  was  at  last  effected  only  where  a  fissure  had  before  been  observed,  and  where  a  sort  of  natural 
joint  with  perfectly  glazed  plumbaginous  surfaces  had  existed.  In  force  of  cohesion  it  fully  equals  most  trappean  rocks. 

Its  ground  color  is  of  a  dark  bluish-gray  stained  with  fine  rust  points.  It  is  mottled  with  rounded  grains  and  crystals 
of  a  lighter-colored  mineral,  rendering  the  mass  when  closely  viewed  subporphyritic.  Though  rich  in  nickeliferous 
iron  and  pyrites,  these  ingredients  can  scarcely  be  discovered  upon  a  fractured  surface  owing  to  the  fineness  with  which 
they  are  interspersed. 

It  is  the  first  example  belonging  to  the  trappean  order  of  stones  which  has  been  described  in  the  United  States,  and 
approximates  most  closely  to  the  rare  stone  of  Tabor,  in  Bohemia,  which  fell  July  3,  1753. 

It  is  strongly  magnetic.     Its  specific  gravity  varies  from  3.60  to  3.66. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  195 

The  composition  of  the  stone  as  a  whole  was  found  to  be — 

Xickeliferous  iron  (with  traces  of  chromium) 6.320  :«* 

Magnetic  pyrites 3.807 

Silica 56.168 

Protoxide  of  iron 18. 108 

Magnesia 10.406 

Alumina. . .  1.  797 


96.606 
Traces  of  lime,  soda,  and  potassa,  with  loss 3. 394 

100.000 

The  earthy  portion  of  the  meteor  is  made  up  of  two  (possibly  three)  distinct  minerals.  One  of  these  is  olivinoid 
to  the  amount  of  one-third  or  one-half  of  the  entire  mass.  It  is  in  rounded  or  subangular  grains,  like  one  variety  of  leucite 
in  certain  lavas.  Its  color  ia  grayish-white,  with  a  tinge  of  lavender  blue.  The  size  of  the  concretions  vary  from  that 
of  a  mustard  seed  to  that  of  a  peppercorn.  The  other  mineral  is  dark  bluish-gray.  It  is  fine  granular,  approaching 
compact,  and  constitutes  the  paste  or  cement  which  holds  the  alumina  and  metallic  ingredients  together.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  separate  it  for  investigation  by  itself  and  to  determine  whether  it  is  a  described  mineral  or  new.  It  seems  more 
probable  that  it  is  the  latter,  and  that  it  belongs  to  the  feldspar  genus.  It  certainly  differs  from  howardite  and  from 
anorthite  by  very  marked  properties. 

Wadsworth  *  gave  the  following  observations: 

The  specimen  in  the  Harvard  College  cabinet  shows  the  usual  chondritic  structure  and  contains  considerable  iron. 
The  grayish-white  minerals  with  a  tinge  of  lavender  blue  are  the  chondri  which  are  well  marked  in  this  meteorite.  It 
possesses  a  striking  similarity  to  the  Iowa  County  meteorite,  although  the  chondri  are  somewhat  smaller.  Judging  from 
the  general  character  of  the  Cabarrus  meteorite,  it  is  probable  that  Shepard's  analysis  is  incorrect,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  a  new  one  will  be  made. 

Tschermak  °  figure  an  olivine  chondrus  of  the  meteorite  surrounded  by  an  iron  rim. 

The  name  Flows  was  first  applied  to  this  meteorite  by  Farrington  7  who  states  that  the 
name  of  Monroe,  Cabarrus  County,  often  applied  to  the  meteorite,  is  incorrect,  since  Monroe  is 
18  miles  distant  from  the  place  of  fall  and  not  in  Cabarrus  County.  The  name  Flows  is  suggested 
since  the  fall  took  place  near  the  post  office  of  that  name.  The  origin  of  the  name  Monroe  as 
applied  to  the  meteorite  is  not  known  to  the  present  writer. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  but  the  largest  quantity  of  the  mass,  14  pounds  lOf  ounces,  is 
in  the  Amherst  collection.  In  addition  Wulfing  lists  4,798  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1850:  GIBBON.    Meteorite  in  North  Carolina.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  9,  pp.  143-146. 

2.  1850:  SHEPABJ>.    Meteoric  stone  of  Cabarrus  County,  North  Carolina.    Proc.  Amer.  Assoc.  Adv.  Sci.,  pp.  149-151 

(analysis  and  cut  of  stone);  and  Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  10,  pp.  127-128  (analysis). 

3.  1859-1865:  vox  REICHENBACH.    No.  9,  pp.  162,  171,  and  180;  No.  10,  pp.  359  and  363;  No  13,  p.  358;  No.  20,  p. 

623;  and  No.  25,  pp.  432  and  607. 

4.  1880:  HAHX.    Die  Meteorite  (Chondrite)  und  ihre  Organismen;  Tubingen,  pi.  13,  fig.  6;  pi.  24,  fig.  6. 

5.  1884:  WADSWOBTH.    Studies,  pp.  103-104,  and  187. 

6.  1883-1885:  TSCHEBJ*AK.    Photographien,  PI.  19,  pp.  16  and  17. 

7.  1903:  FABRIXGTON-.    Catalogue  of  the  collection  of  meteorites.    Publ.  Field  Col.  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  2,  p.  96. 


Floyd  County.    See  Indian  Valley. 

Floyd  Mountain.    See  Indian  Valley. 

Fomatlan.    See  Tomatlan. 


FOREST  CITY. 

Winnebago  County,  Iowa. 

Here  also  Kossuth  County,  Leland,  and  Winnebago  County. 
Latitude  43°  15'  N.,  longitude  93°  45'  W. 

Stone.    Brecciated  spherical  chondrite  (Ccb)  of  Brezina;  Chantonnite  (type  42)  of  Meunier. 
Fell  5.15  p.  m.,  May  2, 1890;  described  1890. 

Weight:  Shower  of  stones,  5  large  ones  of  80,  66, 10,  4,  and  4  pounds,  respectively,  and  500  to  1,000 
weighing  from  0.05  to  20  ounces  each. 


196  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  first  scientific  mention  of  this  shower  of  meteorites  was  by  Torrey  and  Barbour  *  in  1890 
and*was  as  follows: 

This  large  and  brilliant  meteor  fell  in  northern  Iowa  on  the  afternoon  of  May  2, 1890,  at  5.30  o'clock  and  was  widely 
observed  throughout  the  adjoining  country.  It  appears  that  the  phenomenon  was  rather  in  the  nature  of  a  meteoric 
shower  judging  by  appearances  and  the  fact  that  several  complete  meteoritea  of  considerable  size  (10,  70,  and  100 
pounds)  were  found  at  long  distances  from  each  other  with  a  number  of  smaller  ones.  The  splendor  of  this  great  lumi- 
nous ball,  bright  even  in  full  sunlight;  its  fiery  cometlike  tail,  3°  to  4°  in  length;  and  the  long  train  of  smoke  lingering 
behind  it  fully  10  minutes  and  plainly  marking  its  course  in  the  sky  inspired  all  who  saw  it  with  awe.  It  is  described 
as  sputtering  through  its  course  like  fireworks.  To  the  students  who  saw  it  enter  the  atmosphere  it  appeared  to  start  a 
few  degrees  below  the  zenith  and  to  pass  below  the  horizon  to  the  north-northwest  of  this  place,  descending  at  an  angle 
of  50°.  The  meteoric  shower  covered  an  area  2  or  3  miles  wide  near  Forest  City,  Winnebago  County,  Iowa,  while  one 
meteorite,  weighing  100  pounds,  passed  into  Kossuth  County.  These  meteorites  belong  to  the  stone  class.  Their  most 
notable  feature  is  the  large  amount  of  metal  contained  in  the  fragments  examined,  it  amounting  to  45  per  cent  by  weight. 
The  metal  is  in  exceedingly  small  globules  and  thin  flakes,  making  its  separation  from  the  matrix  a  matter  of  consider- 
able difficulty.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  matrix  was  2.63;  of  the  metal  free  from  matrix  5.75. 

Analysis  gave: 

Si02          Fe^Oa        A12O3          CaO        MgO 

47.03         29.43  2.94          17.58        2.96     =99.94 

At  the  same  time  a  study  of  the  orbit  of  the  meteorite  was  given  by  Newton  2  as  follows: 

The  newspaper  accounts  of  the  Iowa  meteorite  of  May  2,  1890,  are  definite  enough  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  its  orbit 
around  the  sun  before  entering  our  atmosphere.  The  path  that  best  satisfies  the  accounts  that  seem  to  be  reliable  was 
directed  from  a  point  a  little  north  of  west  and  somewhat  higher  than  the  sun,  the  sun  being  about  20°  high  and  due 
west.  The  velocity  of  the  meteorite  may  be  safely  assumed  to  have  been  greater  than  that  of  Encke's  comet  at  distance 
unity,  and  less  than  that  belonging  to  a  parabolic  orbit.  With  this  assumption  the  orbit  would  be  inclined  to  the 
ecliptic  between  10°  and  20°  with  direct  motion.  The  ascending  node  is  in  longitude  42.5°.  The  body  had  passed 
perihelion  several  weeks,  how  long  depends  mainly  upon  the  inclination  to  the  horizon  of  the  path  through  the  air. 
The  perihelion  distance  was  probably  between  0.50  and  0.70,  this  element  also  being  largely  dependent  upon  the  same 
inclination. 

In  October  of  the  same  year  a  further  account  was  given  by  Kunz 3  as  follows: 

On  Friday,  May  2,  1890,  at  5.15  p.  m.  standard  western  time,  a  meteor  was  observed  over  a  good  part  of  the  State 
of  Iowa.  It  is  described  as  a  bright  ball  of  fire  moving  from  west  to  east,  leaving  a  trail  of  smoke  which  was  visible  for 
from  10  to  15  minutes;  it  was  accompanied  by  a  noise  likened  to  that  of  heavy  cannonading  or  thunder,  and  many 
people  rushed  to  their  doors  thinking  it  was  the  rumbling  of  an  earthquake.  Authentic  reports  of  it  came  from  Des 
Moines,  Mason  City,  Fort  Dodge,  Emmetsburg,  Algona,  Ruthven,  Humboldt,  Britt,  Garnet,  Grinnel,  Sioux  City,  and 
Forest  City;  the  noise  was  also  heard  at  Chamberlain,  South  Dakota.  Some  of  these  places  were  distant  more  than 
a  hundred  miles  from  the  point  where  the  meteorite  fell.  It  exploded  about  11  miles  northwest  of  Forest  City,  at 
Leland,  Winnebago  County,  in  the  center  of  the  northern  part  of  Iowa,  latitude  43°  15'  N.,  longitude  93°  45'  W.  of 
Greenwich,  near  the  Minnesota  State  line,  and  the  fragments  were  scattered  over  an  area  1  mile  wide  and  nearly 
2  miles  long.  Masses  weighing,  respectively,  80,  66,  and  10  pounds  have  been  found,  two  of  4  pounds,  and  about  500 
fragments  weighing  from  0.05  to  20  ounces  each,  while  a  part  of  the  mass  is  believed  to  have  passed  over  into  Minnesota. 
The  pieces  are  all  angular  with  rounded  edges. 

The  meteorite  is  a  typical  chondrite  apparently  of  the  type  of  the  Parnallite  group  of  Meunier.  The  stone  is 
porous,  and  when  it  is  placed  in  water  to  ascertain  its  specific  gravity,  there  is  considerable  ebullition  of  air.  The 
specific  gravity  on  a  15-gram  piece  was  found  to  be  3.638.  The  crust  is  rather  thin,  opaque  black,  not  shining,  and 
under  the  microscope  is  very  scoriaceous,  resembling  the  Knyahinya  (Hungary)  and  the  West  Liberty  (Iowa)  meteorites. 

A  broken  surface  shows  the  interior  color  to  be  gray,  spotted  with  brown,  black,  and  white,  containing  small  specks 
of  meteoric  iron  from  1  to  2  mm.  across.  Troilite  is  also  present  in  small  rounded  masses  of  about  the  same  size.  On 
one  broken  surface  was  a  very  thin  scum  of  black  substance,  evidently  graphite,  soft  enough  to  mark  white  paper;  a 
feldspar  (anorthite)  was  likewise  observed,  as  well  as  enstatite. 

Results  and  analyses  furnished  by  L.  G.  Eakins. 

Approximate  composition  of  the  mass: 

Nickeliferous  iron 19.  40 

Troilite 6.19 

Silicates  soluble  in  HC1 36. 04 

Silicates  insoluble  in  HC1 38.  37 

Analysis  of  the  nickeliferous  iron: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P 

92.65        6.11        .65        trace    =99.41 

Specific  gravity  of  the  mass,  3,804  at  28.5°  Celsius. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


197 


Soluble  in  HC1. 

Insoluble  in  HC1. 

1 

2 

3' 

4 

5» 

Si02 

17.82 
14.27 
.17 
Trace. 
.31 
18.28 
Trace. 
2.67 
Trace. 

17.82 
8.26b 
.17 
Trace. 
.31 
18.28 
Trace. 

«_<•> 
Trace. 

39.74 
18.42 
.38 

SiO, 

26.49 
2.59 
.12 
4.49 
Trace. 
1.45 
11.50 
.07 
1.01 

55.51 
5.43 
.25 
9.45 

FeO 

A1,O,.. 

JiiO    

Cr,Oj.. 

MnO              

Feb 

CaO 

.69 
40.77 

NiO  

MgO       

CaO  

3.00 

24.09 
.15 
2.12 

Alkalies 

MfO..           

s        

KjO  

P>0« 

NajO  

O  for  S. 

53.52 
1.34 

44.84 

100.00 

47.72 

100.00 

52.18 

•  Calculated  to  100  per  cent. 

b  Minus  6.01  FeO,  equivalent  to  4.67  Fe,  required  by  S  to  form  FeS  (troilite).  , 

«  Minus  2.67  S  to  form  FeS  (troilite). 

The  approximate  composition  of  the  mass  was  got  by  extracting  everything  possible  by  an  electromagnet,  which 
took  out  all  the  nickel  iron  and  a  little  troilite,  leaving  the  siliceous  part  and  most  of  the  troilite.  Then  the  amount  of 
S  present  in  the  magnetic  portion  and  that  in  the  siliceous  portion  was  calculated  as  FeS,  the  silicates  were  split  into 
two  portions  by  HC1,  and  by  the  weights  found  in  each  case  the  given  approximate  composition  was  calculated.  Under 
the  head  of  analysis  of  nickeliferous  iron  is  given  the  analysis  of  the  metallic  portion  after  allowing  for  a  very  slight 
amount  of  attached  silicates  and  troilite. 

The  analyses  numbered  from  1  to  5  are  the  residue  left  after  removing  all  the  magnetic  material.  Column  1  is  the 
part  soluble  in  HC1,  column  4  that  insoluble  in  HC1;  these  two  added  together  would  give  the  analysis  as  a  whole  of  the 
nonmagnetic  portion.  Column  2  is  the  same  analysis  as  1,  after  removing  the  2.67  per  cent  S  and  an  amount  (6.01 
per  cent)  of  FeO  equivalent  to  the  Fe  necessary  to  form  troilite  with  the  S.  Column  3  is  the  same  as  2  calculated  to 
100  per  cent.  Column  4,  as  stated,  is  the  analysis  of  the  insoluble  portion  and  5  is  the  same  to  100  per  cent.  It  is  of 
course  probable  that  the  CT^O3  represents  chromite,  and  possible  that  the  alkalies  and  alumina  with  a  little  lime  repre- 
sent a  soda-lime  feldspar. 

In  1891,  Torrey  and  Barbour  *  published  a  further  account  of  the  fall,  as  follows: 

The  Winnebago  County  meteorite  fell  near  the  new  town  of  Thompson,  11  miles  northwest  of  Forest  City,  Win- 
nebago  County,  at  5.15  p.  m.,  May  2,  1890.  Seven  large  fragments  are  noted,  weighing,  respectively,  86  pounds,  66 
pounds,  10  pounds.  10  pounds,  60  ounces,  and  60  ounces,  and,  according  to  Prof.  N.  H.  Winchell  ,about  5,000  small 
fragments  weighing  from  the  fraction  of  an  ounce  to  a  pound  or  more.  Between  two  and  three  hundred  small  frag- 
ments are  in  the  collection  of  Yale  University  alone.  About  100  pieces  and  the  66-pound  piece  are  in  the  University 
of  Minnesota.  Others  are  owned  by  Ward  and  Howell,  Rochester,  New  York,  and  by  Geo.  F.  Kunz,  New  York  City. 

The  dead-black,  scoriaceous  crust,  when  broken,  reveals  a  light  gray  stone  interspersed  with  innumerable  dark 
particles  of  iron,  and  globules  of  troilite,  quite  like  the  Iowa  County  stones  in  appearance.  Thin  seams  and  cracks 
occur  occasionally  filled  with  a  substance  that  has  somewhat  the  appearance  of  graphite,  and  small  spheroidal  masses 
of  olivine  are  abundant.  The  specific  gravity  is  3.638. 

Chemical  composition  of  the  matrix  from  a  fragment  of  the  66-pound  aerolite: 


Si03 
47.03 


29.43 


A120, 
2.94 


CaO 

17.58 


MgO 
2.96    =99.94 


This  is  but  the  approximate  composition,  and  it  is  our  opinion  that  nothing  else  should  be  offered,  and  that  no 
analysis  yet  published  is  strictly  reliable,  owing  to  the  nonhomogeneous  character  of  the  matrix.  Another  difficulty 
not  sufficiently  recognized  is  the  practical  impossibility  of  separating  the  iron  from  the  matrix  by  the  magnet,  owing 
to  the  infinitesimal  division  of  the  iron,  which  is  still  visible  under  the  microscope,  even  in  the  impalpable  powder. 

A  partial  analysis  of  the  metallic  portion  gave: 


Fe 

95. 79 


Hi 

2.89 


Si 
0.03 


C 
undt. 


Mn 
undt. 


S 
0.68 


0.54    =99.93 


The  so-called  104-pound  fragment  or  '•  Kossuth  County  aerolite"  deserves  notice  here  from  the  fact  that  it  figured 
in  all  the  earlier  notices,  at  least,  as  the  largest  fragment  of  the  Winnebago  County  meteorite,  being  sold  to  parties  in 
Forest  City  as  such,  whereas  it  is  simply  a  fraud.  Pieces  of  the  bowlder  commonly  called  "nigger  head  "  were  sent 
us  at  once  for  examination.  Analysis  showed  it  to  be  a  diorite  or  allied  rock,  without  crust :  no  metal  present.  Gravity 
(2.83)  about  one  unit  lower  than  that  of  the  meteorite. 


198  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

In  its  passage  the  meteor  was  seen  throughout  all  Iowa,  and  observers  report  it  from  Kansas,  Dakota,  and 
Minnesota.  • 

However  exaggerated  the  press  reports  may  have  been  in  certain  instances,  the  fact  of  its  splendor  stands  never- 
theless; so,  too,  the  fact  of  the  terror  which  the  sudden  light,  the  hissing  passage,  and  terrific  explosion  inspired  in  the 
people  of  northern  Iowa,  especially  Winnebago  County  and  immediate  vicinity.  Reports  from  all  the  towns  and  cities 
for  many  miles  around  Winnebago  County  liken  the  noise  of  the  explosion  to  heavy  cannonading,  accompanied  by 
a  "rushing  sound  "  or  unearthly  hissing  and  a  noticeable  tremor  which  caused  the  citizens  to  fly  from  their  houses  to 
inquire  into  the  cause.  This  vivid  display  occurred  in  the  face  of  a  bright  spring  sun,  and  an  almost  cloudless  sky. 
The  dazzling  head,  likened  to  the  moon  in  size,  "sputtering"  and  throwing  off  a  long  train  of  sparks;  the  heavy  line 
of  black  smoke  left  in  its  wake  to  mark  its  course  for  a  full  10  or  15  minutes;  all  were  seen  and  marvelled  at  by  the 
people  of  several  States. 

Its  course  to  the  eye  was  from  southwest  to  northeast,  and  its  inclination  to  the  earth  most  commonly  judged  to  be 
about  55°.  One  well-authenticated  but  surprising  report  comes  from  Tabor,  in  the  extreme  southwestern  corner  of 
the  State,  to  the  effect  that  the  "noise  there  was  like  thunder,  and  was  compared  by  some  to  an  earthquake  shock, 
the  jarring  of  the  ground  being  so  evident;  and  that  four  distinct  explosions  were  observed  by  one."  This  is  a  point 
of  considerable  interest,  for  at  Grinnell  but  faint  noise,  if  any  at  all,  accompanied  the  transit.  Although  the  clamor 
over  a  hotly  contested  game  of  ball  on  the  athletic  field  of  the  campus  hindered  the  students  and  faculty,  who  saw  it, 
from  making  careful  observations  on  this  point,  yet  to  satisfy  ourselves  we  visited  all  the  farmers  for  some  20  miles 
northwest  of  Grinnell  to  find  but  one  who  thought  possibly  he  heard  a  noise  in  connection  with  the  passage  through 
the  air.  It  was  surely  accompanied  by  little  or  only  imaginary  noise  at  this  point. 
»  The  train  of  smoke  left  by  the  meteorite  seems  worthy  of  notice. 

The  velocity  of  the  meteorite  was  such  that  its  transit  through  the  earth's  atmosphere  was  momentary,  and  at 
the  time  the  head  passed  below  the  horizon  the  entire  course  of  the  meteor  was  marked  by  a  broad  ribbon  of  smoke, 
having  straight,  sharply  denned  edges.  This  ribbon  of  smoke  tapered  off  toward  the  higher  atmosphere,  as  if  vanish- 
ing in  perspective,  showing  the  great  rarity  at  that  elevation.  The  smoke  began  to  curl  away  gradually,  but  lingered 
for  a  full  15  or  20  minutes  before  disappearing  entirely.  The  fall  was  largely  on  unimproved  land  near  Thompson, 
covering  with  fragments  an  elliptical  area  some  2  or  3  miles  long  by  1.5  wide.  (It  seems  as  if  the  major  axis  might  be 
taken  roughly  as  the  direction  of  the  meteor,  that  is,  northeast,  as  it  appeared  to  the  eye;  or,  as  Professor  Winchell  sug- 
gests, the  line  of  direction  is  more  nearly  that  of  the  line  of  impact  of  the  large  fragments,  that  is,  northwest.) 

The  66-pound  fragment  buried  itself,  close,  to  a  farmer  in  the  field,  more  than  three  feet  in  the  hard  prairie  soil. 
It  was  not  dug  out  till  the  next  day.  Prof.  N.  H.  Winchell,  who  visited  the  spot  at  once,  states  it  was  not  hot  when 
dug  out,  notwithstanding  all  reports  to  the  contrary,  and  that  the  clay  around  it  was  neither  baked  nor  in  any  way 
changed;  and  that  the  86-pound  stone  fell  on  old  turf,  where  last  year's  grass  remained  dry,  and  after  the  stone  was 
taken  out,  portions  of  the  grass  carried  down  by  it,  adhered  to  the  surface  unburned.  Besides,  one  piece  fell  on  a 
straw  stack  and  did  not  fire  the  straw. 

The  paper  of  Torrey  and  Barbour  is  accompanied  by  township  maps,  showing  the  area 
covered  by  the  meteorites,  also  by  drawings  of  the  66-pound  stone  and  the  microscopic  appear- 
ance of  sections.  The  map  shows  that  the  fall  took  place  in  Linden  and  King  Townships,  north- 
west of  Forest  City  and  Leland. 

Newton 9  observed  lines  of  structure  in  polished  surfaces  which  he  described  as  follows : 

The  polished  surface  of  a  small  specimen  of  this  stone,  3  or  4  sq.  cm.  in  area,  shows  several  hundreds  of  bright 
metallic  points.  The  larger  iron  particles  in  this  area  have  great  varieties  of  shapes,  the  smaller  ones  are  usually  mere 
points.  When  seen  with  a  lens,  or  even  at  a  distance  from  the  eye  suited  to  distinct  vision,  there  does  not  appear  to 
be  any  regular  structure  or  arrangement  of  the  bright  points.  But  if  the  surface  is  so  held  as  to  be  a  little  beyond  the 
point  of  distinct  vision  and  at  the  same  time  turned  around  in  such  a  way  as  to  reflect  always  a -strong  light  to  the  eye, 
either  skylight  or  lamplight,  there  appear  lines  of  points  across  the  polished  surface  of  the  stone,  which  suggest  very 
strongly  the  Widmannstatten  figures  on  metallic  meteorites.  At  times  as  the  stone  is  turned  no  lines  can  be  detected. 
Again,  one  set  of  parallel  lines  or  two  sets  crossing  each  other  become  visible.  Some  of  the  sets  are  very  sharply  mani- 
fested, and  some  are  so  faint  as  to  leave  one  in  doubt  whether  the  lines  are  real  or  only  fancied.  There  are  on  the 
surface  in  question  six  or  eight  of  these  sets  of  lines. 

A  second  surface  was  ground  nearly  parallel  to  the  first,  at  about  1  cm.  distant  from  it,  and  like  lines  appeared 
on  this  parallel  surface.  Some  of  the  lines,  but  not  all  of  them,  corresponded  in  direction  in  the  two  surfaces.  Four 
more  surfaces  approximately  at  right  angles  to  the  first  surface,  and  corresponding  to  the  faces  of  a  right  prism  were 
then  ground  and  upon  these  surfaces  the  like  sets  of  lines  appear  with  greater  or  less  distinctness. 

These  markings  are  such  as  we  might  expect  if  the  forces  which  determine  the-  crystallization  of  the  nickel-iron 
of  the  iron  meteorites  also  dominated  the  structure  of  the  rocklike  formations  of  the  stony  meteorites  and  the  distri- 
bution therein  of  the  iron  particles.  The  relation  of  quartz  crystals  to  the  structure  of  graphitic  granite  is  naturally 
suggested  by  these  meteoric  markings. 

Brezina,7  in  1895,  made  the  following  observations: 

Forest  is  distinguished  by  the  great  number  of  complete  individuals  weighing  from  40  kg.  down,  on  which,  as  in 
the  case  of  Mocs  and  Pultusk,  numerous  formations,  especially  those  due  to  fusion,  are  to  be  seen.  Armor  formation 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  199 

and  cosmic  division  according  to  the  armor  faces  are  present,  as  well  as  secondary  incrustation  of  all  degrees,  crust 
spattering,  drift,  lines  of  pittings,  less  frequently  crackling  of  the  front  side,  ridges  of  crust  on  the  border  line  between 
the  front  and  back  side,  brown  to  reddish-brown  thin  crust  or  less  frequently  thick  bark  crust  on  the  rear  side.  Now 
and  then  a  stone  has  reversed  orientation.  Neither  globular  nor  brecciated  formations  are  very  distinctly  marked, 
and  few  individuals  show  either  one  or  the  other  prominently. 

The  accounts  show  that  neither  of  the  names  which  have  been  given  this  meteorite,  Forest 
City  or  Leland,  accurately  show  the  location  of  fall.  Apparently,  however,  Forest  City  was 
as  near  the  point  of  fall  as  Leland,  and  as  this  name  has  gained  vogue  it  may  as  well  stand. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  many  collections  possessing  numbers  of  the  small  individ- 
uals. The  81-pound  stone  is  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  collection;  the  66- 
pound  stone  at  Minneapolis.  The  Field  Museum  possesses  about  700  individuals;  New  Haven 
also  has  a  large  number. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  TORREY  and  BAEBOUR.    Fall  of  meteorites  in  Iowa.    Amer.  Joum.   Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  39,  pp.  521-522 

(Analysis). 

2.  1890:  XEWTOX.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  39,  p.  522. 

3.  1890:  KUNZ.    On  five  new  American  meteorites. — 2.  On  the  Winnebago  County,  Iowa,  meteorite.    Amer.  Joum. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  40,  pp.  318-320.    (Analysis  by  Eakins.) 

4.  1891:  TORREY  and  BARBOUR.    The  recorded  meteorites  of  Iowa,  with  especial  mention  of  the  last  or  Winnebago 

County  meteorite.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol.  8,  pp.  67-72. 

5.  1893:  NEWTON.    Lines  of  structure  in  the  Winnebago  County  meteorites  and  in  other  meteorites.    Amer.  Joum. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  45,  pp.  152-153,  and  355. 

6.  1895:  BREZTKA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  259. 


FORSYTE. 

Monroe  County,  Georgia. 

Latitude  33°  0'  N.,  longitude  83°  55'  W. 

Stone.    Veined  white  chondrite  (Cwa),  of  Brezina;  Luceite  (type  37,  subtype  2),  of  Meunier. 

Fell  3.30  p.  m.,  May  8,  1829;  described  1830. 

Weight,  16  kgs.  (36  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  published  among  Miscellanies  in  the  American 
Journal  of  Science,  as  follows: 

Having  recently  received  from  Dr.  Boykin  specimens  of  the  meteoric  stone  which  fell  in  Forsyth,  in  Georgia,  in 
May,  1829,  we  are  induced  to  republish  an  extract  from  an  original  statement  of  the  facts,  as  it  appeared  in  the  news- 
papers at  the  time. 

"Between  3  and  4  o'clock,  on  May  8,  a  small  black  cloud  appeared  south  from  Forsyth,  from  which  two  distinct 
explosions  were  heard,  following  in  immediate  succession,  succeeded  by  a  tremendous  rumbling  or  whizzing  noise 
passing  through  the  air,  which  lasted,  from  the  best  account,  from  two  to  four  minutes.  This  extraordinary  noise 
was  on  the  same  evening  accounted  for  by  Mr.  Sparks  and  Captain  Postian,  who  happened  to  be  near  some  negroes 
working  in  a  field  1  mile  south  of  this  place,  who  discovered  a  large  stone  descending  through  the  air,  weighing,  as  was 
afterwards  ascertained,  36  pounds.  The  stone  was,  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  or  very  early  the  next  morning, 
recovered  from  the  spot  where  it  fell.  It  had  penetrated  the  earth  2.5  feet.  The  outside  wore  the  appearance  as  if  it 
had  been  in  a  furnace;  it  was  covered  about  the  thickness  of  a  common  knife  blade  with  a  black  substance  somewhat 
like  lava  that  had  been  melted.  On  breaking  the  stone,  it  had  a  strong  sulphurous  smell,  and  exhibited  a  metallic 
substance  resembling  silver.  The  stone,  however,  when  broken  had  a  white  appearance  on  the  inside  with  veins. 
By  the  application  of  steel,  it  would  produce  fire.  The  facts  as  related  can  be  supported  by  many  individuals  who 
heard  the  explosion  and  rumbling  noise,  and  saw  the  stone.  Elias  Beall." 

The  following  notice,  forwarded  to  the  editor  by  Dr.  Boykin,  of  Georgia,  under  date  of  June  2,  1830,  corresponds 
substantially  with  the  above : 

"No  one  can  tell  from  what  direction  the  meteor  came.  The  first  thing  noticed  was  the  report,  like  that  of  a  large 
piece  of  ordnance;  some  say  the  principal  explosion  was  succeeded  by  a  number  of  lesser  ones  in  quick  succession; 
similar  to  the  explosions  of  a  cracker;  one  has  told  me  the  secondary  noise  was  only  a  reverberation.  Very  soon  after 
the  explosion  some  black  people  heard  a  whizzing  noise,  and  on  looking  saw  a  faint  'smoke'  descend  to  the  ground; 
at  which  time  they  heard  the  noise  produced  by  the  fall  of  the  stone.  They  ran  to  the  spot,  for  they  saw  where  it 
fell,  and  discovered  the  hole  it  had  made  in  the  ground,  being  more  than  2  feet  in  a  hard  clay  soil.  The  negroes  and 
others  who  went  early  to  the  spot,  say  they  perceived  a  sulphurous  smell.  The  stone  weighed  36  pounds;  it  fell  at 
a  small  angle  with  the  horizon." 

Having  received  the  specimens,  just  as  this  number  of  the  journal  is  about  being  finished,  I  can  add  only  the 
following  notice:  The  color  of  the  interior  of  the  stone  is  a  light  ash  gray,  and  very  uniform,  except  that  it  is  sprinkled 


200  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

throughout  with  thousands  of  brilliant  points  of  metallic  iron,  having  very  nearly  the  color  and  luster  of  polished  silver. 
The  iron  is  rarely  in  points  larger  than  a  small  pin's  head,  but  the  points  are  so  numerous  that  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
powder  of  the  stone  is  taken  up  by  the  magnet,  even  when  it  is  in  fine  dust,  and  by  a  magnifier  the  little  points  of  iron 
can  even  then  be  seen  standing  out  from  the  magnet.  It  greatly  resembles  the  Tennessee  meteorite. 

It  has  the  usual  black  crust  on  certain  parts,  and  this,  although  resembling  a  semifused  substance,  exhibits  bright 
metallic  points  when  a  file  is  drawn  across  it.  A  similar  black  crust  is  seen  pervading  the  stone  in  some  places  through 
its  interior,  and  forming,  where  it  is  seen  in  a  cross  fracture,  black  lines  or  veins.  The  stone  is  full  of  semifused  black 
points  and  ridges  similar  to  the  crust,  and  its  entire  mass  seems  half  vitrified  in  points,  so  as  to  resemble  an  imperfect 
glass.  The  specific  gravity,  as  ascertained  by  Mr.  Shepard,  is  3.37. 

Shepard  2  gave  an  analysis  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Having  been  supplied,  through  the  kindness  of  President  Church  and  Professor  Jackson,  of  the  University  of 
Athens,  with  a  specimen  of  this  scarce  stone  weighing  half  a  pound,  I  have  been  able  to  subject  it  to  analysis,  as  well 
as  to  determine  its  specific  gravity  more  accurately  than  I  had  been  able  to  do  before.  It  is  3.52.  It  contains  the 
following  ingredients: 

Nickel-iron  (Fe,  89;  Ni,  9.6;  Cr  and  loss,  1.4) 10 

Howardite 70 

Olivinoid  and  anorthite 10-15 

Magnetic  pyrites 2-5 

Apatite Trace 

Analysis  gave : 

SiO2         FeO        MgO       CaO        A12O3 

50.00        33.33        9.30        5.30         1.80     =99.73 

Brezina,  in  1885  3  placed  this  meteorite  among  the  unveined  white  chondrites;  but  in 
1895  4  he  placed  it  among  the  veined  white  chondrites,  remarking  that  both  of  the  Tubingen 
specimens,  one  of  2  and  the  other  of  59  grams,  were  veined  white  chondrites. 

Wulfing  B  is  able  to  account  for  only  741  grams,  which  is  distributed.  In  addition  Am- 
herst  has  6£  ounces  (about  170  grams).  Wiilfing's  query,  as  to  whether  the  main  mass  is  at 
Athens,  Georgia,  in  the  University  of  Georgia,  was  answered  in  the  negative  in  a  letter  received 
by  the  writer  from  the  Chancellor  of  that  institution. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1830:  SILLIMAN.    Georgia  meteor  and  aerolite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  18,  p.  388. 

2.  1848:  SHEPAKD.    Report  on  meteorites. — 5.  Forsyth,  Georgia.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  p.  406-407. 

(Analysis.) 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.  Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  177  and  232. 

4.  1895:  BREZINA.  Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  242  and  244. 

5.  1897:  WULFING.  Die  Meteoriten  jn  Sammlungen,  p.  122. 


FORSYTH  COUNTY. 

Forsyth  County,  North  Carolina. 

Latitude  36°  5'  N.,  longitude  80°  15'  W. 

Iron.    Nickel-poor  ataxite,  Nedagolla  group  (Dn)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1894;  described,  1896. 

Weight,  22i  kgs.  (50  Ibs.). 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  have  been  summarized  by  Cohen 3  as  follows: 

E.  A.  de  Schweinitz  states  that  this  iron  was  found  on  a  farm  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Forsyth  County,  North 
Carolina,  by  a  plowman,  that  it  weighed  about  22.5  kg.,  had  an  irregular  wedge-shaped  appearance,  and  was  covered 
with  a  thin  coating  of  rust.    The  iron  was  extraordinarily  tough  and  yielded  no  Widmannstattian  figures  upon  etching, 
but  showed  a  dappled  crystalline  structure. 
His  analysis  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co  S  P 

94.90        4.18        0.33        0.22         trace     =99.63 

When,  upon  the  ground  of  its  chemical  composition,  de  Schweinitz  expressed  the  belief  that  this  was  a  part  of  the 
Guilford  County  meteoric  iron  it  appeared  to  be  entirely  without  foundation.  On  the  one  hand  the  latter  is  an  octa- 
hedral iron,  on  the  other  hand  the  analysis  by  Shepard  used  for  comparison  of  the  two  may  not  be  correct. 

Stiirtz,  who  obtained  the  block  from  G.  F.  Kunz  in  New  York,  requested  me  to  examine  and  describe  it  more 
exactly.  I  was  the  more  ready  for  the  task  inasmuch  as  Schweinitz  had  not  given  sufficient  information  concerning  the 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  201 

structure  of  the  meteorite,  and  the  analysis,  which  was  evidently  merely  a  provisional  one,  indicates  an  unusually  low 
percentage  of  nickel  and  cobalt. 

Already  the  cursory  examination  of  the  etched  section  had  given  the  unexpected  and  startling  result  that  the 
block  possessed  no  individual  structure.  The  difference  is  so  marked  that  at  first,  as  I  possessed  only  sections  cut  from 
both  ends,  I  was  convinced  that  a  mistake  had  been  made  and  that  pieces  of  two  different  meteorites  had  been  sent  me. 
Not  until  I  reassembled  all  the  fragments  obtained  by  dissection  (altogether  17.2  kg.  with  a  section  face  of  1,537  sq.  cm.) 
did  it  become  evident  to  me  that  here  was  a  meteorite  which  was  granular  on  one  end  and  amorphous  on  the  other. 
Such  a  phenomenon  appears  never  to  have  been  observed  before. 

Variation  of  structure  has  indeed  been  noted  before  in  a  few  instances,  but  so  far  as  can  be  determined  from  the 
meager  descriptions  extant  it  has  affected  only  a  small  area,  so  that  the  general  character  of  the  meteorite  is  unitary; 
while  in  the  present  case  the  whole  meteorite  can  be  divided  into  two  portions  having  different  structure  and  in  general 
quite  distinctly  marked  off  from  one  another.  Characteristics  similar  to  those  of  Forsyth  would  be  expected  soonest  in 
the  meteoric  irons  of  Floyd  Mountain,  Holland's  Store,  and  Summit;  but  whether  such  characteristics  are  actually 
present  can,  naturally,  only  be  determined  definitely  when  each  meteorite  is  as  completely  disclosed  as  happened  in 
the  case  of  Forsyth. 

When,  from  the  individual  fragments  into  which  Forsyth  has  been  broken  up,  the  original  form  has  been  recon- 
structed, a  three-sided,  sharp-pointed  pyramid  is  obtained  whose  lower  half  is  semiglobular  in  form.  On  the  thinner 
end  the  nickel  iron  consists  of  small  grains  of  nearly  the  same  size.  Moat  of  them  have  a  diameter  of  0.25  to  0.5  mm.; 
only  in  very  isolated  cases  does  it  exceed  this  by  a  small  amount,  and  the  number  of  smaller  grains  lying  between  the 
former  is  also  comparatively  small,  so  that  from  a  not  too  exact  observation  of  the  structure  it  seems  conspicuously  of  a 
uniformly  granular  character.  While  the  grains  are,  moreover,  almost  isometric  they  are  not  round,  but  with  many 
small  excrescences.  The  larger  number  glisten  at  a  certain  position  of  the  section.  If  the  latter  be  examined  under 
a  magnifying  power  of  50  diameters  by  reflected  light  it  is  evident  that  each  grain  possesses  the  same  structure  as  the 
rest  of  the  iron,  only  very  much  finer.  Each  grain  is  composed  of  grains  from  0.02  to  0.03  mm.  in  size,  a  portion  of 
which  are  more  vigorously  attacked  by  the  etching  than  the  rest,  so  that  by  sufficient  magnifying  power  fine  pittings 
of  apparently  uniform  size  and  distribution  appear  upon  the  surface.  These  pittings  apparently  produce  the  above- 
mentioned  sheen.  They  are  scarcely  bounded  by  crystal  facets;  then  when  the  reflection  is  placed  under  the  micro- 
scope it  returns  first  upon  turning  the  section  through  360°. 

This  portion  of  Forsyth  then  may  be  designated,  like  Locust  Grove,  as  "granular  ataxite,"  a  group  which  hitherto 
has  not  been  more  sharply  defined.  The  lower  thick  portion  of  the  block  is  essentially  different  in  character  from  that 
of  the  upper  sharp  end.  A  section  through  the  former  upon  etching  takes  on  to  the  unaided  eye  an  entirely  homo- 
geneous appearance,  such  as  could  be  produced  only  by  a  very  uniform  fine  structure.  The  etched  surface  appears 
perfectly  dense  and  dull,  with  a  velvet-like  luster,  and  seems  exactly  similar  to  the  etching  surface  of  a  Babbs  Mill 
specimen.  Under  a  very  strong  glass  a  very  fine  structure,  as  in  the  case  of  Babbs  Mill,  may  be  discerned;  the  indi- 
vidual grains  may  measure  0.02  mm. 

The  boundary  between  the  denser  and  the  more  granular  nickel  iron  runs  somewhat  like  a  cut  aslant  through  the 
pointed  portion  of  the  block,  so  that  two  pieces  running  to  a  sharp  pointed  wedge  shape  are  formed,  of  which  the  densely 
compacted  part  forms  about  six-sevenths  and  the  granular  part  one-seventh  of  the  meteorite.  Of  the  pieces  obtained 
by  division,  therefore,  one  large  end  piece  weighing  7.5  kg.,  the  next  largest  sections  (together  weighing  3,600  gr.), 
and  a  11-cm.  slice  cut  from  the  side  and  weighing  1.5  kg.,  are  entirely  or  almost  entirely  amorphous.  Thereupon  follow 
sections  with  small  granular  particles  on  the  border  until  finally  the  latter  predominate,  and  lastly  the  two  end  pieces 
obtained  from  the  pointed  part  of  the  pyramid  are  entirely  granular.  While  the  two  sorts  of  nickel  iron  are  sharply 
marked  off  from  one  another  in  the  larger  portion,  still  the  direction  of  the  boundary  face  is  very  irregular  in  the  smaller. 
The  granular  and  the  amorphous  portions  penetrate  one  another  in  manifold  bendings,  and  upon  the  section  surface 
numerous  isolated  granular  particles  lie  in  the  amorphous  portion,  and  vice  versa.  Often  these  are  projecting  portions 
cut  off  by  the  section,  but  this  is  not  always  the  case,  since  not  infrequently  toward  the  border  the  granular  parts  may 
be  seen  to  break  up  and  resolve  into  small  groups  or  even  isolated  grains  until  finally  the  amorphous  iron  alone  prevails. 
At  the  same  time,  however,  the  border  remains  ever  distinct,  inasmuch  as  there  is  no  gradual  diminution  in  the  size 
of  the  grains,  but  each  isolated  grain  shows  essentially  the  same  size  as  individual  grains  in  the  aggregate,  and  the 
differences  in  structure  likewise  remain  entirely  distinct.  A  figure  gives  a  clear  view  of  the  character  of  the  border, 
the  section  being  taken  from  the  same  portion  of  the  meteorite  in  which  both  sorts  of  nickel  iron  are  about  equally  well 
developed. 

The  granular  and  the  amorphous  nickel  iron  show  remarkably  different  effects  from  treatment  with  hydrochloric 
acid;  the  former  is  readily  etched  with  dilute  acid,  the  latter  is  only  slowly  attacked  by  concentrated  acid. 

The  number  of  accessory  constituents,  in  respect  to  the  abundance  of  the  materials  at  disposal  for  investigation,  is 
small,  section  surfaces  occurring  of  from  60  to  70  and  even  occasionally  of  110  sq.  cm.  in  size  from  which  they  are 
entirely  wanting.  Troilite  occurs  most  abundantly  of  all.  The  larger  nodules  are  of  an  ellipsoidal  form  and  attain  a 
length  of  17  mm.  and  a  breadth  of  10  mm.  When  they  are  found  near  the  border  they  are  as  a  rule  surrounded  by  a 
broad,  considerably  rusted  zone,  and  a  portion  of  the  latter  may  have  been  formed  at  the  expense  of  the  iron  sulphide. 
Occasionally  in  the  large  ones  the  boundary  is  very  regularly  ellipsoidal,  in  the  small  ones  delicately  bent.  Many 
particles  of  troilite  are  elongated  and  irregularly  bounded;  for  example,  there  is  one  15  mm.  long  and  only  from  1  to 
2  mm.  broad.  Finally  there  are  also  small  roundish  grains  with  a  diameter  of  1  mm.  and  from  that  diminishing  down 
to  mere  points  in  size;  to  these  belong  small  dark  round  specks. 


202  MEMOIKS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Especially  in  the  middle  portion  of  the  block  rounded  nodules  of  graphite  are  found,  in  addition  to  the  troilite, 
which  attain  a  length  of  8  mm.  and  a  breadth  of  6  mm.,  but  which  as  a  rule  are  of  only  small  size.  Occasionally,  too, 
graphite  occurs  as  a  scaly  envelope  of  larger  troilite  nodules,  while  an  intimate  admixture  of  both  minerals,  such  as  is 
not  infrequently  seen  in  other  meteoric  irons,  is  not  present  in  this. 

The  nickel-iron  phosphides  can  be  discerned  with  certainty  only  by  the  aid  of  a  strong  glass.  Khabdite  appears 
to  be  entirely  wanting,  and  only  here  and  there  are  small  tin-white  granules  of  schreibersite  visible.  In  a  few  places 
are  to  be  seen  extremely  thin  lamina,  as  much  as  5  mm.  in  length,  which  appear  under  a  strong  glass  merely  as  hair 
lines.  They  would  be  easily  overlooked  were  they  not  for  the  most  part  surrounded  with  a  small  aureole  of  rust.  This 
arises  apparently  from  the  fact  that  iron  chloride  appears  on  the  borders  of  the  leaflets,  while  the  surrounding  compact 
nickel  iron,  which  is  free  from  accessory  constituents,  remains  entirely  fresh.  According  to  the  analogy  of  Locust 
Grove  these  lamellae  may  be  regarded  as  nickel-iron  phosphides;  although  they  are  much  finer  in  Forsyth,  shorter  and 
scarcer,  and  therefore  not,  as  there,  characteristic  of  the  meteoric  iron. 

Likewise,  only  in  isolation  and  upon  a  few  places  in  the  meteorite  are  to  be  found  peculiar  spindlelike  forma- 
tions, which  attain  a  length  of  2.5  mm.  and  a  thickness  in  the  middle  of  0.25  mm.  Something  similar  may  be  observed 
in  the  Cape  iron,  where  the  formations  are  larger  and  sometimes  sharp  at  the  one  end  only,  while  the  other  is  cut 
straight  off.  They  resemble  hemimorphic  prismatic  forms  terminated  at  one  end  by  a  base,  at  the  other  by.  a  pyramid. 
In  the  case  of  the  Cape  iron,  the  color  of  the  forms  in  reflected  light  suggests  iron  sulphide;  here  they  are  so  small  that 
only  a  conjecture  concerning  their  nature  can  be  expressed.  Many  of  the  lamellae  and  spindles  are  surrounded  with 
a  fine  light  etching  zone. 

All  these  inclusions  show  a  preference  for  the  amorphous  portion  of  the  meteorite.  In  the  granular  part,  graphite 
is  entirely  wanting;  schreibersite,  which  must  be  present  from  the  content  of  phosphorus  shown  in  the  analysis,  does 
not  occur  macroscopically,  and  troilite  occurs  only  in  isolation.  Most  of  the  nodules  of  graphite  and  troilite,  as  in  the 
case  of  Locust  Grove,  lie  in  proximity  to  the  original  crust  of  the  meteorite. 

Forsyth  belongs  to  those  meteorites  which,  in  consequence  of  their  content  of  chlorine,  rust  easily  and  abundantly. 
The  first  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  a  freshly  etched  section  (especially  of  the  granular  variety)  quickly  acquires 
specks  of  rust  from  lying  in  the  air,  the  last  is  inferred  from  the  abundant  coating  of  rust  on  specimens  submitted  by 
Stiirtz  and  from  a  comparison  of  the  given  weights.  According  to  de  Schweinitz,  the  block  weighed  originally  about 
22.5  kg.,  while  Sturtz  estimated  the  weight  after  the  exfoliation  of  rust-crust  at  20.300  kg.  Asde  Schweinitz  mentions 
only  a  thin  coating  of  rust,  it  must  have  formed  more  than  2  kg.  of  rust  within  a  comparatively  short  period  of  time. 

For  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  chemical  composition  of  the  iron,  pieces  of  the  granular  and  the  dense  por- 
tions, as  widely  separated  as  possible,  were  taken  and  submitted  to  exactly  the  same  method  of  analysis;  both  pieces 
were  free  from  visible  accessory  constituents.  The  test  of  the  granular  portion  for  manganese  and  chromium  gave  a 
negative  result,  and  hence,  in  the  case  of  the  amorphous  portion,  was  neglected. 

Analyses  (SjostrSm): 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu  C  8  P  Cl 

Granular 94. 18        5.  56        0.  60        0.  02        0.  04        0.  05        0. 19        0. 17        =100.  81 

Amorphous....  94. 03        5.55        0.53        0.02        0.02        0.03        0.23       trace       =100.41 

The  chemical  composition  of  both  varieties,  with  exception  of  the  content  of  chlorine,  is  as  good  as  identical; 
that  the  chlorine  is  less  in  the  dense  portion  than  in  the  granular,  leads  to  the  supposition  that  the  latter  rusts  very 
much  easier  than  the  former. 

From  the  above  data  are  obtained  the  following  mineralogical  composition:    Granular.    Amorphous. 

Nickel-iron  (kamacite) 98.  33          98.  42 

Phosphides 1.  23  1.  49 

Troilite 0. 14  0.  08 

Lawrencite 0. 30  0. 01 


100.  00        100.  00 

The  specific  gravity  of  a  section  of  the  granular  variety  was  determined  by  Leick  as  7.3357,  and  that  of  the  amor- 
phous variety  as  7.4954.  Since  these  values  are  unusually  low,  the  first  determination  was  repeated,  but  with  the 
same  result.  The  abnormal  specific  gravity  may  be  referred  to  the  porosity  of  the  mass,  and  in  fact  the  granular  sec- 
tion after  two  and  a  half  hours  developed  bubbles,  when  it  was  submerged  in  water  under  the  air  pump  to  remove  the 
adhering  atmospheric  air.  In  this  connection  it  must  be  remembered  that  some  time  previous  a  lower  specific  gravity 
than  had  been  hitherto  found  in  meteoric  iron,  was  obtained  for  Lick  Creek  on  which  a  few  porous  places  were 
observed  with  the  unaided  eye,  although  this  was  heavier  than  that  of  the  present  case. 

If  the  accessory  constituents  be  disregarded,  the  specific  gravity  of  the  nickel-iron  of  the  granular  variety  is  7.3872, 
that  of  the  dense  variety  is  7.5066;  in  reality,  the  values  should  be  somewhat  higher,  since  the  rust  coating  adhering 
to  the  small  quantity  of  the  section  could  not  be  brought  into  the  computation. 

Since  the  chemical  composition  of  the  two  varieties  is  essentially  the  same,  the  difference  in  specific  gravity,  as 
well  as  the  varying  resistance  to  the  etching  acid,  can  be  occasioned  only  by  the  divergence  in  structure. 
Three  determinations  of  the  chlorine  in  the  rust  coating  were  made  as  follows: 

After  boiling  with  water 3.  55  per  cent. 

After  treatment  with  cold,  dilute  nitric  acid 3.  48  per  cent. 

After  heating  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid 4.  99  per  cent. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  203 

The  large  amount  of  chlorine  in  the  rust  coating  (4.99  per  cent),  in  comparison  with  the  small  amount  in  unaltered 
nickel-iron  (0.17  per  cent),  is  explainable  as  a  result  of  diffusion,  and  the  strength  of  the  same  is  governed  by  the 
greater  or  less  porosity  of  the  nickel-iron.  That  the  latter,  in  the  case  of  Forsyth,  is  particularly  strong  would  be 
inferred  on  account  of  the  conspicuously  low  specific  gravity. 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  two  varieties  of  structure:  Since  the  chemical  composition  of  both  varieties  is  the  same, 
the  manner  of  the  cooling  of  the  iron  can  alone  be  assumed  as  the  cause  of  the  structural  differences;  accordingly,  the 
granular  structure  must  have  been  the  central,  slower  cooled  portion  of  the  meteorite,  the  dense  or  amorphous  portion 
the  peripheral  mass.  If  this  is  actually  the  case,  the  very  irregular  border  running  along  with  the  present  exterior 
surface  would  indicate  that  the  meteorite  originally  had  a  very  different  form,  and  that  a  flaking  off  had  taken  place, 
which  separated  the  densely  constituted  portion  on  the  one  end  of  the  block.  This  would  also  explain  why  the  acces- 
sory masses  of  troilite  and  graphite  lie  preferably  in  the  dense  portion,  since  they  usually  predominate  in  the 
peripheral  portion  of  iron  meteorites.  Moreover,  the  form  as  indicated  by  the  figure  submitted  by  de  Schweinitz 
does  not  militate  against  the  assumption  that  a  splitting  off  of  portions  of  the  mass  took  place. 

The  specific  magnetism  of  a  granular  portion  was  determined  by  Leick  as  0.21;  of  a  compact  portion  as  0.57,  and 
of  a  partly  granular,  partly  compact  piece  as  0.17  absolute  units  per  gram.  The  permanent  magnetism  of  all  three 
pieces  was  very  weak. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1896:  de  SCHWEDJTTZ.    A  meteorite  from  Forsyth  County,  North  Carolina.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  1, 

p.  208. 

2.  1897:  COHEN.    Das  Meteoreisen  von  Forsyth  County,  Georgia.    Sitzber.  Berlin  Akad.,  1897,  pp.  386-396. 

3.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  74-79. 


FORT  DUNCAN. 

Maverick  County,  Texas. 

Latitude  28°  35'  N.,  longitude  100°  24'  W. 

Normal  hexahedrite  (H).  of  Brezina. 

Under  the  name  of  Fort  Duncan  Brezina  and  Cohen  group  the  following: 

1.  Sanchez  (Sancha)  estate,  Coahuila,  Mexico.    (Also  called  Saltillo,  Couch,  Cauch,  or 

Gouch.)    Iron,  found  1850,  weight  114.33  kgs.  (231.5  Ibs.). 

2.  Smithsonian  iron  ("locality  unknown"  in  many  catalogues).    Described  1881,  weight 

3,638  gr.  (8  Ibs.). 

3.  Fort  Duncan,  Maverick  County,  Texas.    Found  1882;  described  1886;  weight  43.5  kgs. 

(96  Iba.). 

Here  also,  according  to  Brezina,  a  small  specimen  of  the  Vienna  collection  which  Jackson  sent 
under  the  designation:  "Taos.  New  Mexico,  Sierra  Blanca,  N.  Santa  F£,  144  km.  south  of 
the  Gila  River." 

The  history  and  characters  of  these  meteorites  are  summarized  by  Cohen  "  as  follows : 

Sanchez  Estate. — According  to  the  data  from  Lieutenant  Couch  the  mass  at  Saltillo  was  used  as  an  anvil,  but  origi- 
nated from  Hacienda  Sanchez  (Sanchez  Estate\  50  to  60  miles  from  Santa  Rosa  in  the  north  of  Coahuila,  where  several 
other  iron  masses  of  considerable  dimensions  have  been  found.  When  the  mass  reached  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
it  weighed  114.25  kgs.  (252  Ibs.),  although  Smith2  concluded  from  the  presence  of  plane  boundary  surfaces  that  it  was 
originally  heavier.  According  to  the  illustration  furnished  by  Smith  its  form  is  cylindrical  with  projecting  points, 
saucerlike  pittings  seeming  to  be  wanting.  The  exterior  shows  only  slight  traces  of  chlorine.  The  iron  is  malleable 
and  not  hard  to  cut  and  gives  an  etching  surface  similar  to  that  of  Braunau.  After  treatment  with  hydrochloric  acid 
finely  divided  schreibersite  remains  behind  in  brightly  glistening  flakes.  Other  minor  constituents  were  not  observed. 

According  to  Fletcher,13  Genth's  analysis  !  of  a  specimen,  for  which  New  Mexico  was  erroneously  given  as  the 
locality,  belongs  to  the  same  iron  (Sanchez  Estate).  Rose  *  observed  on  this  supposed  New  Mexico  iron  etching  lines 
and  rhabdite. 

Burkart 4  left  it  uncertain  whether  Sanchez  belonged  to  Coahuila,  but  considered  it  probable.  Brezina  18  iden- 
tified it  with  Fort  Duncan  and  cited  the  abundance  of  rhabdite,  which  on  the  one  hand  is  evenly  distributed  through 
the  entire  mass,  on  the  other  hand  in  especially  large  examples  is  crowded  together  in  long  parallel  layers,  surrounded 
by  a  common  etching  area. 

Fletcher  I3  thinks  that  the  mass  may  have  been  brought  to  Saltillo  by  way  of  Santa  Rosa  to  be  used  as  an  anvil, 
and  that  the  Hacienda  Sanchez  lies  north  from  Santa  Rosa  where  the  Bonanza  iron  was  found.  If  Coahuila  and  Fort 
Duncan,  including  Sanchez  Estate,  are  considered  different  irons  Fletcher's  view  would  naturally  be  incorrect.  Hunt- 
ington  9  determined  the  specific  gravity  of  five  different  pieces  and  obtained  values  from  7.631  to  7.925,  which  led  him 
to  conclude  that  the  material  was  not  uniform.  Further,  according  to  him,  Sanchez  as  well  as  Duncan,  in  contrast  to 
Coahuila.  show  complete  cubic  cleavage  and  large  cleavage  planes  are  distinguished  by  lack  of  striations  and  by  a  scaly 
appearance  such  as  is  characteristic  of  many  alloys.  A  small  section  which  I  received  from  the  Gregory  collection  under 
the  name  of  Saltillo  shows  abundant  etching  lines,  regular  distribution  of  rhabdite,  and  marked  resistance  to  acid. 


204  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Analysis  by  O.  Btirger  gave  the  following: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu  Cr  P  S 

94.62        4.79        0.60        0.04         trace        0.18        trace    =100.22 

The  Smithsonian  iron  was  described  by  Shepard5  in  1881  as  an  iron  of  an  unknown  locality  in  the  old  Smithsonian 
Museum  at  Washington.  He  observed  on  an  etched  surface  a  uniformly  oriented  sheen  and  concluded,  therefore,  that 
the  mass  was  an  individual.  A  concealed  banding  and  the  appearance  of  compact  shining  flecks  gave  the  iron  a  peculiar 
structure.  There  was  no  formation  of  iron  chloride.  His  son  gave  the  following  analysis  (specific  gravity,  7.589): 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  Schreibersite 

92.92        6.07        0.54        trace  0.56  =100.09 

Brezina  ls  united  the  Smithsonian  iron,  on  account  of  its  resistance  to  acids  and  its  richness  in  rhabdite,  with  Fort 
Duncan.  He  also  mentioned  upon  it  well-marked  etching  pits  and  very  fine  Neumann  lines,  some  systems  of  which 
were  continuous,  others  pinnately  developed  on  long  striae  parallel  to  one  another. 

Fort  Duncan  was  first  mentioned  in  1886  simultaneously  by  Hidden  7  and  Brezina.8  According  to  Hidden  7  the 
mass  weighing  43.5  kgs.  was  found  by  Cusick  on  an  old  river  terrace  on  the  Rio  Grande  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort 
Duncan.  It  had  the  form  of  a  flattened  ellipsoid  and  was  covered  with  a  thin,  generally  dull,  somewhat  blistered  crust. 
One  face  showed  large  depressions  and  small  indentations.  On  moderate  etching  two  systems  of  lines  appeared  which 
could  be  referred  to  twinning  lamellae.  On  stronger  etching  these  disappeared,  and  lines  consisting  of  minute  schrei- 
bersite  lamellae,  arranged  according  to  different  directions  but  comparable  in  appearance  to  quartz  in  pegmatite, 
appeared.  For  recognition  of  this  structure  magnification  was  necessary.  To  the  naked  eye  the  etched  surface 
appeared  weakly  spotted.  Hidden  noted  an  abundance  of  troilite  and  schreibersite  in  his  preliminary  note,  but  in 
his  later  description,  mentions  only  two  short  fissures  filled  with  graphite  and  a  small  nodule  of  troilite.  He  consid- 
ered Fort  Duncan  similar  to  Auburn,  Hex  River,  and  Lick  Creek,  but  different  from  Coahuila  and  Sanchez  Estate. 
He  gave  the  following  incomplete  analysis  by  Mackintosh: 

Fe  Ni+Co  P 

94.90  4.87  0.23    =100        Specific  gravity=7. 522 

Brezina  8  determined  Fort  Duncan  to  be  a  hexahedrite,  noted  its  unusual  resistance  to  acids,  its  richness  in 
rhabdite  greater  than  that  of  any  other  iron,  its  similarity  with  Sanchez  Estate,  and  a  scarcity  of  troilite.  In  1895  he ls 
mentioned  in  Fort  Duncan  Reichenbach  lamellae  8  cm.  in  length  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  the  Neumann  lines 
were  lacking.  He  also  noted  hemispherical  pits  on  the  surface,  due  to  the  melting  out  of  troilite,  and  bent  edges  on 
the  point  of  impact  of  the  mass. 

I  have  noted  above,  under  Sanchez  Estate,  that  Huntington9  at  first  considered  Fort  Duncan,  Sanchez  Estate,  and 
the  Butcher  irons,  Coahuila,  as  belonging  together,  but  later  n  he  separated  the  first  two  from  the  last. 

Meunier  10  noted  the  similarity  of  Fort  Duncan  to  Braunau,  likewise  an  abundance  of  troilite,  some  of  which  was 
surrounded  by  graphite  containing  bands  of  daubreelite  and  showing  polygonal  boundaries.  He  separated  Fort  Duncan 
from  Coahuila;  the  former  he  placed  in  the  group  of  Braunite,  but  the  latter  he  regarded  as  forming  a  single  group, 
Coahuilite,  which  is  distinguished  by  difficult  solubility  in  acid.  Brezina  made  an  exactly  opposite  observation. 
Meunier  10>  16  furnished  two  incomplete  analyses  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni         Residue 

92.02        6.10           1.80        =99.92  Specific  gravity =7. 699 

91.90        7.03            =98.93  Specific  gravity =7. 72 

In  1889  I  published  an  analysis  12as  follows: 

Fe          Ni           Co           P  Residue 

92.58        6.66        0.73        0.28  0.01        =100.26 

As  I  was  later  in  doubt  of  the  correctness  of  this  analysis  I  made  a  further  new  investigation,  and  the  following 
new  analysis  by  Hildebrand  resulted  (specific  gravity,  7.8437): 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  Cr  P  S        Residue 

94.65        4.82        1.07        0.04        0.04        0.23        0.32          0.02         =101.19 

Linck  M  found  the  sheen  oriented  according  to  at  least  five  different  planes  of  112  and  concluded  that  the  brilliancy 
of  the  orientation  was  dependent  on  the  breadth  and  abundance  of  the  twinning  lamellae.  When  he  later  recognized 
that  etching  pits  also  contributed  to  the  oriented  sheen  he  did  not  mention  Fort  Duncan  especially  but  must  have 
intended  to  modify  his  view  in  general. 

According  to  the  above  investigations  Sanchez  Estate,  Saltillo,  and  Fort  Duncan  masses  have  in  common  an 
unusual  resistance  to  etching  with  nitric  acid  and  to  solution  by  hydrochloric  acid.  Most  iron  meteorites  dissolve  in 
very  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  (lHCl+20aq.),  but  a  piece  of  Sanchez  Estate  weighing  35  grs.  lay  8  days  in  such  a  solution 
unchanged,  and  even  an  acid  twice  as  concentrated  as  this  acted  upon  it  very  slowly.  Fort  Duncan  will  not  receive  a 
complete  polish,  large  portions  remaining  rough.  In  these  places  under  a  lens  can  be  distinguished  closely  crowded 
minute  needlelike  or  short  linelike  depressions  which  run  parallel  to  one  another.  These  seem  to  originate  in  small 
rhabdites,  which  on  account  of  their  brittleness  break  out  under  polishing.  In  the  same  way  as  found  by  Brezina  for 
Sanchez  and  the  Smithsonian  iron  Fort  Duncan  shows  numerous  very  fine  and  very  long  etching  lines  first  plainly 
distinguished  under  the  lens.  Occasionally  they  are  crowded  together  in  great  number;  in  other  places  they  lie  isolated. 
Shorter  etching  lines  are  not  lacking  but  are  much  rarer  than  in  other  hexahedrites  and  are  only  recognizable  by  careful 
study  of  an  etched  surface.  Besides  the  small  rhabdites  which  are  often  first  made  known  by  the  above-mentioned 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  205 

depressions  larger  ones  are  present  which  reach  the  length  of  a  millimeter  and  are  arranged  in  zones  0.5  to  1  cm.  distant 
from  each  other,  within  which  they  are  quite  regularly  arranged  in  their  longest  direction.  These  are  surrounded  by  a 
common  dull  zone  in  which  only  the  finest  etching  lines  can  be  recognized.  The  other  needles  are  apparently  arranged 
regularly,  but  it  can  not  be  determined  whether  they  lie  parallel  to  the  three  directions  of  the  cube  or  not.  On  account 
of  the  great  number  of  fine  rhabdites  and  the  depressions  referable  to  these  it  is  difficult  to  determine  how  much  the 
etching  pits  have  to  do  with  the  lively,  oriented  sheen.  Fort  Duncan  seems  to  be  poor  in  larger  accessory  constituents. 
Both  Sanchez  Estate  and  Fort  Duncan  acquire  strong  permanent  magnetism  and  possess  quite  strong  cohesive  force. 
After  strong  heating  and  slow  cooling  a  piece  of  Fort  Duncan  acts  like  soft  iron,  while  rapid  cooling  after  heating  to  a 
bright  red  is  without  effect.  Leick's  "  determination  of  the  specific  magnetism  of  Fort  Duncan  on  a  triangular  piece 
is  .27  and  on  Sanchez  Estate  .69  units  per  gram.  Among  the  constituents  isolated  by  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  from 
Sanchez  Estate  were  single  rhabdites  0.25  to  0.66  mm.  thick  and  1.33  mm.  long  which  were  suitable  for  crystallographic 
study.  There  were  also  granules  of  chromite  and  silicates.  The  majority  of  the  rhabdites  consist  of  very  fine  needles 
which  are  somewhat  larger  in  cross  section  than  those  of  Coahuila.  They  are  generally  from  0.05  to  0.02  mm.  in  width. 
Thin  plates  of  schreibersite  occur  in  small  numbers  also.  Daubreelite  could  not  be  found  in  a  piece  weighing  35  grams. 
Analysis  of  the  rhabdite  of  Sanchez  Estate  gave:18 

Fe  Ni  Co  P          Residue 

55.01        28.63        0.60        15.24  0.71        =100.19 

The  composition  of  Sanchez  Estate  calculated  from  the  isolated  constituents  is  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P          Residue 

92.25        6.96        0.53        0.01        0.23  0.02        =100 

Since  no  complete  analysis  has  been  made  of  Sanchez  Estate  it  is  not  certain  whether  it  possesses  a  so  much  higher 
content  of  nickel  and  cobalt  than  Fort  Duncan  or  Saltillo,  as  the  above  analyses  would  indicate,  or  whether  the  analysis 
is  incorrect. 

The  mineralogical  composition  of  the  three  irons  calculated  from  analyses  is  as  follows: 

Nickel-iron.    Rhabdite.       Troilite.     Daubreelite.    Chromite. 

Sanchez  Estate 98.49  1.49  ....  ....  0.02       =100 

Fort  Duncan 97.66  1.48  0.73  0.11  0.02       =100 

Saltillo 98.83  1.17  ....  ....  ....        =100 

According  to  the  above  observations  Fort  Duncan  is  distinguished  by  a  considerably  smaller  number  of  short 
etching  lines,  the  appearance  of  large  rhabdites  distributed  in  layers,  scarcity  of  accessory  constituents,  resistance  to 
acids,  and  perhaps  by  lower  content  in  nickel  and  cobalt. 

These  meteorites  do  not  seem  to  have  been  much  distributed.  According  to  Clarke's 
Catalogue,  105  kgs.  of  Sancha  Estate  is  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  although  Tassin's  Cata- 
logue does  not  list  it.  Brezina's  Catalogue  of  1895  lists  12  kgs.  of  Fort  Duncan. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1854:  GENTH.    On  a  new  meteorite  from  New  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  239-240. 

2.  1855:  SMITH.    Memoir  on  meteorites. — A  description  of  five  new  meteoric  irons,  with  some  theoretical  considera- 

tions on  the  origin  of  meteorites  based  on  their  physical  and  chemical  characters.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  2d 
ser.,  vol.  19,  pp.  160-161. 

3.  1863:  ROSE.    Berlin  Sammlung,  p.  49. 

4.  1870:  BURKART.    Ueber  die  Fund orte  mexicanischer  Meteoriten.    NeuesJahrb.  Min.,  pp.  673-682  and  690. 

5.  1881:  SHEPARD.    On  a  new  meteoric  iron,  of  unknown  locality,  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  22,  p.  119. 

6.  1885:  HIDDEN.    Preliminary  note  on  an  iron  meteorite  from  Maverick  County,  Texas.    Trans.  New  York  Acad. 

Sci.,  vol.  5,  p.  231. 

7.  1886:  HIDDEN.    A  new  meteorite  iron  from  Texas.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  304-306. 

8.  1886:  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  II.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  2  (Not.),  pp.  25-26. 

9.  1887:  HUNTDJGTON.    On  the  Coahuila  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  33,  pp.  115-118. 

10.  1887:  MEUNIER.    Examen  mineralogique  du  fer  me'te'orique  de  Fort  Duncan  (Texas).    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome 

104,  pp.  872-873. 

11.  1889:  HUNTINGTON.    The  crystalline  structure  of  the  Coahuila  irons.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  24, 

pp.  30-35. 

12.  1889:  COHEN.    Sao  luliao.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1889,  vol.  1,  pp.  227-228. 

13.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  99,  103-119, 174-175. 

14.  1892:  LINCK.    Ueber  die  Zwillingsbildung  und  den  orientirten  Schimmer  am  gediegen  Eisen.    Zeitschr.  fur 

Krystallogr.,  Bd.  20,  p.  215. 

15.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me"te"oriques,  pp.  14-15  ,17,  19,  and  21-22. 

16.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoresien-Studien  III.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  9,  pp.  102-107. 

17.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Idem,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82-86  and  89. 

18.  1895:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  290-291. 

19.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  188-195. 


206  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

FORT  PIERRE. 

Stanley  County,  South  Dakota. 

Here  also  Nebraska. 

Latitude  44°  21'  N.,  longitude  100°  2(K  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1856?;  sent  to  St.  Louis  1857;  mentioned  1858;  described  1860. 

Weight,  16  kgs.  (35  Ibs.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  is  found  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Academy  of  Science 
of  St.  Louis.1  Chouteau  is  there  said  to  have  presented  to  the  Academy  a  mass  of  meteoric 
iron  of  35  pounds  weight  found  in  Nebraska  Territory  about  20  miles  from  Fort  Pierre.  A 
further  account  was  given  later  by  Holmes  2  as  follows : 

This  mass  of  iron  was  brought  down  from  Fort  Pierre  to  St.  Louis  by  the  American  Fur  Company's  steamer  in 
charge  of  Mr.  C.  P.  Chouteau,  in  1857,  and  by  him  presented  to  the  Academy,  in  the  spring  of  1858.  It  was  said  to 
have  been  found  in  Nebraska  Territory,  at  a  point  about  20  miles  from  Fort  Pierre,  which  is  situated  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Missouri  River,  in  latitude  44°  19'  N.,  longitude  100°  26'  W.,  nearly.  The  weight  of  it  when  found  was  35 
pounds;  when  presented  to  the  Academy,  it  weighed  30.5  pounds,  a  piece  having  been  previously  cut  off  as  a  speci- 
men. Since  that  time,  two  other  specimens,  weighing  together  about  3.5  pounds,  had  been  cut  off  at  the  same  end 
and  presented  by  the  Academy,  the  one  to  Prof.  C.  TJ.  Shepard,  of  New  Haven,  and  the  other  to  the  Imperial  Min- 
eralogical  Museum  of  Vienna. 

In  form  and  shape  it  was  irregular,  somewhat  flattened,  with  rounded  corners  and  obtuse  edges.  On  three  sides 
the  surface  was  covered  with  irregular  depressions  or  indentations.  One  of  these  sides  is  a  concave  surface  filled  with 
these  indentations,  or  wavy  depressions.  The  color  of  the  outside  was  brownish  black;  the  inside  (cut  or  fracture) 
had  the  light  gray  metallic  color  of  iron;  and  the  cut  surface  showed  flaws  in  the  mass.  The  outside  color  was  merely 
superficial,  and  there  had  been  but  a  slight  degree  of  oxidation  of  the  surface.  Prof.  C.  U.  Shepard,  who  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  examining  it,  thought  it  could  not  have  been  upon  our  earth  more  than  four  or  five  years.  The  iron  was  soft 
under  the  cutting  tool,  and  the  workmen  engaged  upon  it,  as  well  as  Mr.  Albert  Dwelle,  foreman  of  the  Fulton  Foun- 
dry, whose  attention  had  been  called  to  it,  at  the  time,  had  been  well  satisfied  that  they  observed  a  distinct  smell  of 
something  like  camphor  in  the  process  of  cutting. 

The  length  was  11  inches,  breadth  4.6  inches;  thickness  at  one  end  6  inches,  at  the  other,  3  inches,  tapering 
suddenly  to  an  obtuse  edge. 

Analysis  by  H.  A.  Prout  gave  the  following: 

Fe  Ni          Mg          Ca  S 

942.88        71.85        6.50        3.50  trace    =1024.73 

Prout  also  states  that  the  nickel  is  entirely  free  from  traces  of  cobalt,  chromium,  manganese,  or  other  elements 
sometimes  found  in  these  masses. 

Shepard,3  under  the  title  of  the  Nebraska  iron,  gave  an  account  as  follows : 

This  mass  was  found  near  the  Missouri  River,  between  Council  Bluffs  and  Fort  Union.  It  originally  weighed 
about  35  pounds,  but  is  reduced  to  29.  Its  shape  was  an  oblong,  compressed  oval,  not  unlike  that  of  the  Chesterville, 
South  Carolina,  iron  mass,  which  has  been  compared  by  me  to  a  thick,  blunt  edged  fresh  water  clam  ( Vnio). 

Its  surface  is  as  black  and  smooth  as  that  of  the  Braunau  iron,  from  which,  however,  it  differs  in  being  more  even 
and  smooth,  though  not  destitute  of  the  usual  indentations  belonging  to  meteorites,  but  these  are  by  no  means  uni- 
form in  their  occurrence  over  the  entire  surface.  The  crust  is  everywhere  extremely  thin,  amounting  to  scarcely 
more  than  a  mere  varnish;  and,  what  is  very  remarkable,  is  often  insufficient  to  hide  the  Widmannstatten  figures. 

The  lines  are  not  equally  displayed  throughout,  and  indeed  generally  require  a  single  lens  in  order  to  be  dis- 
tinctly seen.  Nor  have  they  the  same  beautiful  regularity  as  when  obtained  by  etching  upon  a  polished  surface 
from  the  interior.  They  are,  moreover,  curiously  knotted,  so  as  to  resemble  under  the  microscope  the  blunted  teeth 
of  a  fine  saw  blade.  The  configuration  upon  the  etched  plates  of  this  iron  resemble  that  of  the  Texas  mass,  though 
the  bars  are  much  more  rectilinear,  and  in  this  respect  approach  nearer  to  the  African  irons  from  Namaqua  Land  and 
Orange  River.  The  fullest  regularity  of  internal  structure  does  not  prevail,  however,  until  some  depth  from  the  outer 
surface  or  crust  is  reached . 

This  iron  is  entirely  free  from  earthy,  plumbaginous,  or  pyritic  matter.  The  character  of  the  surface  renders  it 
certain  that  this  mass  must  be  of  very  recent  fall. 

Its  specific  gravity  is  7.735. 

Haidinger6  gave  the  following  account  of  the  piece  which  he  received: 

I  received  a  piece  weighing  1  pound  and  had  it  cut  through  the  largest  diameter  and  both  faces  polished.  One  of 
the  remaining  pieces,  2J  inches  long,  2  inches  wide  and  10  lines  thick,  is  bounded  upon  one  side  by  this  section  surface, 
upon  the  other  is  mostly  bounded  by  the  natural  surface,  which  is  fairly  even  between  the  rounded  edges,  and  has 
only  very  shallow  pittings. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  207 

This  piece  also  has  the  peculiar  dark-brown  crust  of  meteoric  iron  in  small  portions,  -while  upon  the  prominent 
parts  it  has  long  been  rubbed  or  cracked  off. 

On  both  sections  the  finer  threads  of  white  metals  can  be  seen,  showing  the  structure  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures. 

Fortunately  the  section  running  most  distinctly  according  to  the  form  lies  almost  exactly  parallel  to  the  plane  of 
an  octahedron. 

The  bands  intersecting  one  another  at  angles  of  120°  and  60°,  according  to  Partsch,  run  in  perfect  parallelism 
over  the  entire  etched  surface,  having  a  width  of  about  one-half  line  with  triangular  and  rhomboid  interspaces  between 
the  inclosing  films  of  schreibereite.  They  manifest  quite  unmistakably  an  enduring  crystalline  activity  through  a 
period  for  which  we  have  as  yet  no  measure.  Neither  the  cleavage  nor  the  laminated  structure  parallel  to  the  cubic 
faces  is  seen  as  in  the  Hauptmansdorf  iron,  nor  the  crystal  damask  sheen,  as  in  the  Bohumilitz  iron,  comes  to  view  here, 
but  the  true  Widmannstatten  figures ,  as  seen  in  the  Elbogen,  Agram,  and  Durango  irons,  very  similar  also  to  the  structure 
of  the  great  mass  of  iron  of  1,635  pounds  weight  from  Red  River  (Louisiana  or  Texas).  The  zigzag  lines  which  appear 
in  the  figure  are  disruptions  of  the  crystalline  mass,  parallel  to  the  octahedrons. 

The  specific  gravity  at  12°  (C?)  was  7.362  in  the  case  of  the  larger  fragments.  It  would  probably  be  higher  in 
case  of  the  smaller  fragments,  since  the  cracks  present  (on  the  exterior)  indicate  possible  separations  in  the  interior. 

Madelung  B  made  the  following  analysis : 

Fe  Xi  Co  P  Insoluble 

90.764        7.607        0.889         trace  0.053        =99.313 

G=7.741. 

Brezina  *  in  1885  stated: 

The  laminap  measure  0.8  mm.  in  width  and  are  finely  flecked. 
Meunier  9  states: 

Etching  produces  a  perfectly  normal  etching  design  where  the  three  elements  of  the  caillite  appear  with  their 
characteristics  most  perfectly  denned. 

Brezina10  described  sections  in  the  Vienna  collection  as  follows: 

A  section  lengthwise  almost  through  the  entire  mass  of  a  specimen  in  the  Vienna  Museum  shows  a  zone  of  alteration 
0.5-3  mm.  wide  along  the  natural  exterior  and  is  entirely  covered  with  a  system  of  octahedral  cracks,  which  follow  the 
course  of  the  laminae,  in  consequence  of  which  frequent  zigzags  from  one  lamina  to  another  occur  along  the  principal 
laminae,  giving  the  appearance  of  the  ramifications  of  lightning  flashes.  Another  piece  shows  pressure  figures  2-3  cm. 
in  size  and  the  slightly  altered  fusion  crust  with  elongated  outcroppings  of  troilite  with  daubreeilite  bands.  On  a  third 
slice  the  zone  of  alteration,  which  measures  in  this  case  1-1.5  mm.  in  width  is  not  glistening  as  usual,  but  shows  a  different 
orientation  of  luster  without  other  change.  The  laminae  are  of  the  same  dull  appearance  as  the  fields,  which  are  mostly 
filled  with  repetitions  of  the  lamina;. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed.     The  largest  piece  (10  pounds)  is  in  the  museum  of  the  Academy 
of  Science  of  St.  Louis. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1858:  "Choteau  presented  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron,  35  pounds  weight,  found  in  Nebraska  Territory,  about  20  miles 

from  Fort  Pierre."    Trans.  St.  Louis  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  1,  1857-1860,  p.  307. 

2.  1860:  HOLMES.    Trans.  St.  Louis  Acad.  ScL,  vol.  1,  pp.  711-712,  pi.  21.    (Illustration  of  entire  mass,  and  analysis 

by  Prout.) 

3.  1860:  SHEPARD.    Notices  of  several  American  meteorites. — I:  Nebraska  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  eer.,  vol. 

30,  pp.  204-205. 

4.  1860:  HAIDINGER.    Einige  neuere  Nachrichten  fiber  Meteoriten,  namentlich  die  von  Bokkeveld,  New  Concord, 

Trenzano,  die  Meteoreisen  von  Nebrasca,  von  Brazos,  von  Oregon.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  41,  p.  571. 

5.  1860:  HAIDINGER.    Notiz  fiber  das  Meteoreisen  von  Nebraska.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd  .42,  pp.  744-746.    (Illus- 

tration of  etching,  and  analysis  by  Prout.) 

6.  1862:  MADELUNG.    Ueber  das  Yorkommen  des  gediegenen  Arsens  in  der  Naturnebst  denAnalysen  einigerneueren 

Meteoriten. — Das  Meteoreisen  von  Nebraska.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  No.  ?,  pp.  39-40. 

7.  1861-1865;  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  15,  pp.  110,  124,  and  128;  No.  16,  p.  261;  No.  17,  pp.  266  and  272;  No.  18, 

p.  487;  No.  19,  p.  154;  and  No.  25,  p.  437. 

8.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  213,  214,  and  234. 

9.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fers  m&eoriques,  pp.  52  and  56. 
10.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  277. 


208  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

FRANCEVILLE. 

El  Paso  County,  Colorado. 

Latitude  38°  48'  N.,  longitude  104°  35'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1890;  described  1902.  ^ 

Weight,  18.3  kgs.  (41.33  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Preston.1     The  following  is  an  abstract  of  his  account: 

This  iron  was  found  by  Mr.  David  Anderson,  about  1890,  on  Government  land  in  El  Paso  County,  Colorado,  1.5 
miles  southwest  of  the  home  ranch  of  Skinner  and  Ashley,  which  is  east  of  Franceville.  In  Mr.  Anderson's  own 
words,  "It  was  totally  above  ground,  and  I  found  no  signs  of  any  other.  When  I  found  the  meteorite,  I  simply 
pushed  it  with  my  foot,  but  I  found  I  could  not  move  it.  The  following  day  I  went  back  with  a  wagon  and  got  it  to 
the  ranch.  I  do  not  think  at  the  time  the  land  was  entered  by  anyone;  it  was  not  near  to  any  road." 

The  meteorite,  from  the  time  at  which  it  was  found  until  purchased  by  Professor  Cragin,  of  Colorado  College,  was 
kept  in  the  home  of  Mrs.  Anderson,  in  Colorado  Springs,  half  forgotten,  and  when  Professor  Cragin  called  to  see  it, 
was  finally  found  beneath  an  old  lounge. 

The  weight  of  the  iron  is  41  pounds  6.5  ounces,  or  18.3  kg. 

In  form  it  is  a  decidedly  flattened  rhombic  pyramid,  with  a  somewhat  sharp  ridge  extending  around  the  center 
of  the  mass  on  the  four  rhombic  sides.  The  dimensions  of  the  mass  in  these  directions  are  21  by  23  cm.  On  one  side 
of  this  central  axis  the  pyramid  projects  6  cm.,  on  the  opposite  side  5.5  cm. 

Two  small  corners  of  the  mass  have  been  broken  off  and  have  the  appearance  of  very  old  breaks,  as  the  surfaces 
are  entirely  oxidized.  These  surfaces  show  a  markedly  octahedral  cleavage. 

The  decidedly  octahedral  form  of  this  iron  seems  unquestionably  due  to  its  separation  along  natural  cleavage 
planes  from  a  much  larger  mass.  But  it  is  surprising  that  the  form  should  not  have  been  much  more  distorted  by  the 
erosion  due  to  friction  in  passing  through  the  atmosphere. 

The  whole  iron  is  more  or  less  mottled,  ranging  in  color  from  a  reddish  brown  to  a  brownish  black,  and  is  entirely 
covered  with  pittings  on  all  sides.  Those  on  the  upper  side  are  much  more  distinct,  owing  to  their  size  and  depth, 
than  elsewhere. 

Upon  slicing  the  mass,  but  one  troilite  nodule  of  any  size  was  found.  This  occurred  on  one  end  piece  and  the 
adjoining  slice,  and  was  14  mm.  in  diameter,  with  two  small  patches  of  nickeliferous  iron  in  its  center. 

The  slices  show  more  or  less  of  fractures  extending  across  their  surfaces  along  the  natural  cleavage  faces,  the  edges 
of  the  kamacite  plates,  and  in  some  instances  the  rhombic  forms  produced  by  the  Widmannstatten  figures  are  strongly 
outlined  by  these  fissures.  The  figures  are  readily  brought  out  by  etching  and  are  particularly  sharp  and  clear  and  of 
large  size. 

The  kamacite  plates  average  from  1  to  1.5  mm.  in  diameter,  with  an  occasional  one  of  2  mm.  They  are  unusual, 
from  the  fact  that  they  extend  in  an  unbroken  line  in  many  instances  from  90  to  120  mm.  in  length.  The  taenite 
occurs  in  minute  films  between  the  kamacite  plates. 

The  plessite  patches  are  comparatively  small  for  an  iron  of  such  coarse  crystallization.  Some  of  these  patches 
show  no  structure  when  etched,  except  a  slightly  pitted  surface,  while  others  are  prominently  made  up  of  alternate 
layers  of  kamacite  and  tsenite,  producing  the  sharply  defined  Laphamite  lines. 

Schreibersite  is  not  visible  on  the  etched  surfaces  megascopically,  nor  even  surrounding  the  troilite  nodules,  as 
is  usually  the  case. 

Analysis  by  J.  M.  Davison: 

Kamacite  and  tsenite 99. 1601  . 

Combined  carbon,  not  determined.  JSo 

Schreibersite 0.  8371 

Graphite  and  silicates  (trace) 0.  003  [insoluble  in  HC1. 

Platinum  (from  23.9  grams) trace] 


100. 
Composition  of  kamacite  and  tsenite: 

Fe 91.  92 

Ni 8.13 


100. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1902:  PRESTON.    Franceville  meteorite.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  75-78.     (With  cuts  showing 
exterior  appearance  of  iron  and  etching  figures.) 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  209 

FRANKFORT. 
Franklin  County,  Alabama. 

Here  also  Francfort,  Franckfort,  and  Franklin  County. 
Latitude  34°  SO'  N.,  longitude  87°  50"  W. 
Stone.    Howardite  (Ho)  of  Brezina. 
Fell  3  p.  m.,' December  5,  1868;  described  1869. 
Weight,  615  gr.  (1.35  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Brush,1  his  account  being  chiefly  as  follows: 

Mr.  Benjamin  Pybas,  of  Tuscumbia,  Alabama,  who  took  great  pains  in  collecting  all  the  facts  connected  with  the 
fall,  states: 

"The  meteorite  fell  December  5,  1868,  4  miles  south  of  Frankfort,  the  county  town  of  Franklin  County,  Alabama. 
The  country  around  Frankfort  is  broken  and  hilly,  being  the  termination  of  the  western  branch  of  the  Cumberland 
Mountains.  Frankfort  is  16  miles  southeast  of  Tuscumbia. 

"Mr.  James  W.  Hooper  witnessed  the  fall,  and  describes  it  as  follows:  'About  3  p.  m.,  the  afternoon  being  cloudy 
and  cold,  we  heard  a  strange,  harsh,  roaring  noise  up  in  the  air.  Three  distinct  reports  were  heard;  at  first  these  were 
supposed  to  be  cannon,  but  the  noise  immediately  changed  into  a  series  of  bursting  sounds,  like  a  great  fire  blazing 
and  crackling  through  the  air.  It  appeared  to  pass  from  the  north  toward  the  south.  Immediately  after  the  first 
sound  or  roaring  had  passed  over,  another  was  heard  coming  from  the  same  direction;  like  the  whizzing  of  a  bomb- 
shell as  it  cuts  through  the  air,  making  a  loud  humming  noise.  I  gazed  intently  in  the  direction  of  the  noise  and 
found  that  something  was  coming  downward  at  a  rapid  rate.  I  looked,  with  my  hand  up,  standing  in  a  dodging 
position,  for  fear  of  its  striking  me,  until  I  saw  it  strike  some  willow  saplings  about  70  or  80  yards  from  where  I  was 
and  fall  thence  to  the  ground.  Upon  going  to  the  spot,  I  found  a  strange  looking  rock,  nearly  buried  in  the  ground 
and  still  warm.' 

•'Major  Slass,  editor  of  "The  Alabamian  and  Times'  in  this  place,  has  taken  considerable  trouble  to  collect  all 
the  information  he  could  on  the  subject.  He  says  'that  the  noise  was  heard  for  several  miles  round  before  the  final 
explosion.  It  burst,  apparently,  over  the  heads  of  twenty  men,  who  were  at  work  felling  wood  1.25  miles  from  Mr. 
Hooper's  house.  One  piece  appeared  to  go  southeast,  another  southwest,  and  the  third  northwest.  There  were  after- 
wards heard  reports  resembling  the  bursting  of  shells.  One  piece  was  heard  to  fall  some  distance  from  Mr.  Hooper's, 
making  a  loud  crashing  noise  and  frightening  a  lot  of  hogs  near  by.' 

"The  reports  resembling  artillery  were  plainly  heard  for  20  or  25  miles  east  and  west  of  Frankfort  and  from  15  to 
20  north.  I  have  no  information  as  to  the  south.  Mr.  Hooper  deserves  much  credit  for  noting  the  particulars  of  the 
fall  and  for  sending  the  meteorite  for  analysis  and  description.  He  refused  with  scorn  money  offers  that  must  have 
been  tempting  to  a  person  of  limited  income,  preferring  the  advancement  of  science  to  dollars  and  cents. 

"In  a  personal  interview  he  told  me  that  he  was  sitting  by  a  fire  with  his  family  when  he  heard  the  first  noise. 
He  instantly  arose  and  walked  40  or  50  yards  from  the  house  before  the  meteorite  fell.  His  sister,  Miss  Hooper,  living 
near,  called  to  her  brother  to  'run  quickly,  the  house  is  on  fire — don't  you  hear  it?'  Mr.  Hooper  thinks  it  was  three 
or  four  minutes  from  the  first  noise  until  its  fall." 

The  stone  weighed  615  gr.  at  the  time  it  was  secured;  and  its  weight  entire  could  not  have  been  more  than  650  gr. 
It  is  oblong  in  form,  with  rectangular  sides.  The  crust  was  entire,  except  for  a  small  comer,  although  the  whole  mass 
seemed  to  have  a  fresh  fracture  running  through  it.  The  coating  has  a  very  brilliant  luster,  as  bright  as  if  newly  var- 
nished, strongly  resembling  that  of  the  Stannern,  Petersburg,  Tennessee,  and  Bishopville  stones.  It  seems  to  have 
been  in  a  condition  of  viscid  fusion,  as  shown  by  the  ridges  on  the  edges.  The  crust  was  so  thin  that  the  olivine  could 
be  distinguished  through  it  in  places. 

Seen  with  the  naked  eye,  the  fractured  surface  shows  a  pseudoporphyritic  structure,  having  a  gray  ground  with 
black,  green,  white,  and  dark  gray  spots  upon  it. 
Analysis  by  G.  J.  Brush  and  Win.  G.  Mister: 

Oxygen. 

Silica 51.33        26.37 

Alumina 8.05          3.75 

Ferrous  oxide 13.  70          3. 04 

Chromic  oxide 0. 42 

Magnesia 17. 59          7.  04 

Lime 7.03          2.06 

Soda 0. 45  .11 

Potash 0.22  .03 

Sulphur 0.23 

Nickeliferous  iron .  .  trace 


12.28 


99.02 

Specific  gravity,  3.31. 
716°— 15 14 


210  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

From  this  composition  it  would  appear  that  the  mass  is  probably  made  up  of  uni-  and  bi-silicates,  and  contains  an 
olivine,  a  pyroxenic  mineral,  and  a  feldspar,  besides  chromite,  troilite,  and  a  very  small  amount  of  nickeliferous  iron. 

It  seems  to  belong  to  the  class  of  meteorites  that  Prof.  G.  Rose  calls  Howardite,  and  which  he  describes  as  being 
granular  mixtures  of  olivine,  with  a  white  silicate  (anorthite?)  and  a  small  amount  of  chromite  and  nickeliferous  iron. 
Thisclass,  according  to  Rose,  includes  the  stones  from  Luotolaks,  Bialystok,  Massing,  Nobleborough,  and  Manegaum. 

Meunier 2  classes  Frankfort  as  a  howardite,  although  he  states  that  Rammelsberg  classes  it 
as  an  eukrite  on  account  of  lack  of  olivine.  Meunier,  however,  states  that  some  specimens 
show  olivine  plainly  and  that  all  the  other  characters  are  those  of  the  howardites. 

The  stone  is  distributed,  the  Yale  and  Harvard  collections  possessing  the  largest  pieces 
(Yale  255  gr.,  Harvard  127  gr.). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1869:  BRUSH.    Contributions  from  the  Sheffield  Laboratory  of  Yale  College,  No.  21.    On  the  meteoric  stone  which 

fell  December  5,  1868,  in  Franklin  County,  Alabama.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  48,  pp.  240-244. 

2.  1884:  MBUNIEB.    Me'te'orites,  pp.  286  and  291. 


Franklin  County,  see  Frankfort. 

Frederick  County,  see  Emmittsburg. 

Fulton  County,  see  Rochester. 

Gargantillo,  see  Tomatlan. 
Garret  County,  see  Lonaconing. 

Gettysburg,  see  Mount  Joy. 

Gilpin  County,  see  Russell  Gulch. 

Gibbs  meteorite,  see  Red  River. 


FRANKFORT. 

Franklin  County,  Kentucky. 

Latitude  38°  8'  N.,  longitude  80°  40'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Thundite  (type  19)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1866;  described  1870. 

Weight,  11  kga.  (241bs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Smith,1  as  follows: 

The  Franklin  County  meteoric  iron  was  first  brought  to  my  attention  in  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Frankfort,  Kentucky. 
It  was  carried  there  to  be  tested  in  regard  to  its  quality  as  iron;  being  supposed  by  its  discoverer  to  indicate  an  iron 
mine.  Mr.  Nelson  Alley  became  possessed  of  it,  and  kindly  presented  it  to  me. 

It  came  from  a  hill  8  miles  southwest  of  Frankfort,  latitude  38°  14'  N.,  longitude  80°  40/  W.  from  Greenwich,  and 
was  discovered  in  1866.  It  passed  into  my  possession  in  1867,  and  was  then  described  by  me,  but  the  manuscript 
was  lost  after  its  leaving  my  hands,  and  the  original  notes  were  misplaced;  the  notes  have  been  recently  discovered, 
and  the  iron  again  analyzed. 

Its  form  is  somewhat  globular,  with  a  highly  crystalline  structure.  Its  weight  was  24  pounds;  and  this  appears 
to  have  been  its  original  weight,  only  a  few  flakes  having  become  detached  by  the  rusting  through  of  the  fissures. 
Specific  gravity,  7.692.  Its  composition  when  perfectly  freed  from  rust  and  earth  is — 

Iron 90.  58 

Nickel 8.  53 

Cobalt 36 

Copper,  minute  quantity. 

Phosphorus 05 

99.52 
having,  as  will  be  seen,  the  usual  composition  of  meteoric  irons. 

Brezina3  included  Frankfort  in  the  octahedrites  with  medium  lamellae,  and  gives  the 
width  of  the  lamellae  as  0.1  mm. 

Huntington3  describes  a  specimen  of  the  meteorite  in  the  Harvard  collection  weighing  7.260 
gr.,  which  shows  an  octahedral  cleavage  form.  He  states  that  a  large  part  of  the  surface  is 
covered  with  a  crust  and  regards  the  "crystal"  as  a  "fragment  of  an  iron  meteorite  broken  up 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  211 

after  entering  the  atmosphere,  but  while  still  moving  rapidly  enough  to  produce  a  melted  crust 
over  the  surface  of  fracture."  In  his  later  catalogue,  Huntington 4  gives  a  sketch  of  this 
mass.  The  description  and  weight  hardly  agree  with  Smith's  account. 

Meunier5  lists  what  is  probably  meant  to  be  this  iron  as  Frankfort,  Franklin  County, 
Alabama,  1854.     He  states  that  the  figures  are  remarkably  well  defined  and  also  says: 

The  tsenite  is  in  very  narrow  plates  between  tubercular  bands  of  kamacite.  The  plessite  is  in  extended  areas  of 
relatively  dark  shade  and  incloses  little  spots  of  a  silver-white  metal  which  has  not  been  isolated.  The  museum  speci- 
men shows  a  large  nodule  of  pyrhotite  remarkable  for  its  high  degree  of  crystallization  and  the  extreme  tenuity  of  its 
graphitic  coat. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  largest  piece  being  in  the  Harvard  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1870:  SMITH.    Description  and  analysis  of  the  Franklin  County  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol. 

49,  p.  331. 

2.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  211,  212,  and  234. 

3.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  p.  286. 

4.  1887:  HUNTINGTON.    Catalogue  of  all  recorded  meteorites.    Proc.  American  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  23,  p.  86. 

5.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fere  me't^oriques,  p.  61. 


GLOR1ETA. 

Glorieta  Mountain,  near  Canoncito,  Santa  Fe  County,  New  Mexico. 
Here  also  Albuquerque  and  Canoncito,  but  not  Canyon  City  or  Trinity  County. 
Latitude  35°  34'  N.,  longitude  105°  45'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 
Found  and  noticed  1884;  described  1885. 

Weight  about  146  kgs.  (320  Ibs.).     Sixteen  individuals,  of  which  the  three  largest  weighed 
67.52  kgs. 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Kunz1  as  follows: 

This  mass  was  found  by  Mr.  Charles  Sponsler,  a  prospector,  on  some  unclaimed  land  on  Glorieta  Mountain  about 
half  a  mile  from  a  house  in  the~woods  1  mile  northeast  of  Canoncito,  Santa  Fe  County,  New  Mexico,  in  May  (?),  1884. 
The  mass  was  lying  on  a  rock,  upon  which  it  had  fallen,  in  three  fragments,  and  judging  from  the  few  marks  of  weather- 
ing had  not  been  long  exposed.  The  exact  date  of  discovery  not  determined. 

The  weight  of  the  entire  mass  is  317  pounds  (143.76  kg.).  Perhaps  1  kg.  had  been  chipped  off,  so  that  the  original 
weight  may  have  been  about  145  kg.  The  dimensions  of  the  original  mass  were  approximately  25  by  10  by  15  inches 
(65  by  25  by  37  cm. ).  It  is  quite  unusual  to  find  BO  large  and  compact  a  mass  of  iron  so  completely  broken  asunder,  and 
in  this  respect  the  fall  is  unique.  The  fractures  are  very  clean  considering  the  size  of  the  fragments,  although  the  edges 
are  somewhat  irregular.  No.  1  is  filled  with  elongated  hollows,  proving  that  it  evidently  was  disturbed,  and  the  twist- 
ings  in  No.  2  at  the  point  of  impact  would  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the  falling  body  was  partly  semiplastic;  but  Pro- 
fessor Thurston  compares  the  fracture  to  the  effect  of  a  sudden  heavy  blow  on  cold  iron  as  may  be  seen  in  an  iron  target 
used  for  heavy  gun  practice. 

No.  1  weighs  148.5  pounds.  About  one-third  of  the  whole  surface  shows  the  disjunctive  very  plainly,  as  also  the 
exact  point  where  this  began.  This  mass  measures  39  by  30  by  22  cm.  One  part  has  a  peculiar  bubbled  pasty  appear- 
ance as  if  the  mass  had  been  cooled  in  water  at  this  point.  Some  of  the  pittings  are  5  cm.  across  and  quite  deep  and  well 
marked.  An  etched  surface  of  this  fragment  shows  the  Widmannstatten  figures. 

No.  2  weighs  115  pounds  (52.38  kg.)  and  measures  41  by  24  by  16  cm.  About  one-third  of  the  surface  of  this 
piece  shows  the  remarkable  rupture,  the  remainder  being  covered  with  the  pittings.  On  one  corner  there  is  a  portion 
10  by  6  inches  which  is  evidently  the  spot  where  the  mass  struck  the  rock.  Here  the  pittings  are  flattened  and  the 
whole  mass  distorted  and  curled  over,  giving  it  a  radiated  or  fanlike  appearance. 

No.  3  weighs  53.5  pounds  (24.263  kg.),  and  measures  30  by  21.25  by  15  cm.  Over  five-sixths  of  the  entire  surface  is 
pitted,  some  of  the  depressions  being  5  cm.  across  and  nearly  2  cm.  deep.  The  place  of  rupture  is  plain  and  the  iron 
here  is  coarsely  fibrous,  possibly  because  it  was  farther  from  the  point  of  impact.  There  is  also  a  fissure  10  cm. deep 
and  nearly  1  cm.  wide  opposite  the  broken  face.  In  this  fissure  are  fragments  of  two  chisels  which  were  broken  in  the 
attempt  to  pry  off  this  piece  and  which  may  have  enlarged  the  opening. 

This  iron  is  one  of  the  Holosiderites  of  Daubr6e,  and  comes  under  the  general  group  of  Cailite  of  Meunier;  it  is 
related  to  the  irons  of  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  Whitfield  County,  Georgia,  and  Washington  County,  Wisconsin.  The 
iron  is  of  the  characteristic  octahedral  structure,  and  the  Widmannstatten  figures  are  made  up  of  kamacite  (Balkeneisen 
or  beam-iron),  i.  e.,  iron  with  little  nickel,  enveloped  in  taenite  (Bandeisen),  rich  in  nickel  and  plessite  (Fulleisen). 
On  a  single  section  one  field  of  dark  plessite  measured  17  by  8  mm. ,  the  kamacite  from  0.5  to  0.2  mm.  in  breadth.  The 
tenite  was  abundant  and  brilliant. 


212  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Analysis  of  No.  3  by  J.  B.  Mackintosh: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P 

87.93        11.15        0.33        0.36    -99.77 

Specific  gravity  of  No.  2  about  7.66+. 

Troilite  was  observed  on  the  crust  of  No.  1,  also  traces  of  olivine  and  perhaps  schreibersite. 

Later  Kunz  3  gave  an  account  of  the  discovery  of  additional  masses  and  further  notes  upon 
them  as  follows: 

During  the  month  of  August,  1885,  Mr.  J.  H.  Bullock  thoroughly  examined  and  dug  over  the  ground,  working  about 
six  weeks  steadily,  and  was  rewarded  by  finding  three  more  masses  of  the  Glorieta  meteorite  (Nos.  4,  5,  and  6).  In  the 
meantime  a  Mexican  had  also  found  a  small  piece  (making  seven  fragments  thus  far  obtained),  but  it  disappeared  before 
Mr.  Bullock  could  secure  it.  Mr.  Bullock  states  that  the  pieces  found  by  Mr.  Sponsler  were  discovered  while  he  was 
prospecting  during  the  month  of  August,  1884,  on  the  ranch  of  Mrs.  Roival  near  Canoncito,  Santa  Fe  County,  New 
Mexico,  5  miles  from  the  summit  of  Glorieta  Mountain. 

No.  4  weighs  1.204  kg.  (2.65  pounds).  One-third  of  the  surface  shows  the  disruption  as  in  No.  2,  the  other  parts 
being  unaffected  and  showing  the  crust  surface.  The  broken  surface  is  partially  drawn  out  toward  the  part  that  was 
torn  off  from  it,  and  one  edge  shows  a  fracture  suggesting  cleavage.  The  mass  is  50  mm.  high,  125  mm.  long,  and  50  mm. 
wide,  or  about  2  by  5  by  2  inches.  One  of  the  pittings  which  has  been  increased  in  size  by  the  disruption  measures  60 
mm.  in  length,  25  mm.  in  width,  and  15  mm.  in  breadth. 

No.  5  weighs  1.126  kg.  (2.48  pounds),  measures  100  mm.  in  length,  75  mm.  in  width,  and  48  mm.  in  height,  about 
4  by  3  by  2  inches.  Five-sixths  of  the  entire  surface  bears  the  marks  of  violent  disruption;  the  mass  was  undoubtedly 
broken  from  the  upper  corner  between  Nos.  1  and  3.  A  raised  octahedral  structure,  resembling  a  coarse  network,  is 
revealed  on  two-thirds  of  its  surface  and  the  pitted  side  shows  evidence  of  having  received  a  part  of  the  blow. 

No.  6  weighs  1.05  kg.  and  measures  125  mm.  in  length,  82  mm.  in  width,  and  45  mm.  in  thickness  at  the  thickest 
part.  It  is  quite  flat,  the  fracture  having  left  a  surface  so  flat  as  to  be  suggestive  of  a  cleavage.  Altogether  this  mass 
closely  resembles  No.  4. 

The  148.5-pound  piece  (No.  1)  was  found  only  8  feet  from  the  115-pound  (No.  2)  and  the  53.5-pound  (No.  3)  pieces, 
while  the  small  pieces  picked  up  by  Bullock  and  the  Mexican  were  45  or  50  feet  from  the  large  mass,  being  hurled 
farther  on  account  of  their  lightness.  The  fact  that  the  pieces  lay  so  near  together  proves  conclusively  that  the  meteorite 
did  not  burst  in  mid-air.  The  pieces  were  all  embedded  in  the  vegetable  mold  which  covered  the  rock  at  that  place, 
the  largest  piece  to  the  depth  of  10  inches. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  the  large  mass  (No.  1)  has  been  cut  into  slices.  The  iron  is  seen  to  be  very  homogeneous  through- 
out with  the  exception  of  an  occasional  space  measuring  1  mm.  to  4  mm.  across.  One  of  these  spaces  near  the  center 
of  the  mass  was  evidently  formed  by  the  shock  of  disruption.  In  a  few  instances  this -explanation  is  verified  by  the 
curving  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  showing  that  nearly  every  part  of  the  thick  mass  was  twisted  and  wrenched  when 
it  burst  asunder  with  such  tremendous  force.  The  ruptured  surface  on  Nos.  1  and  3  shows  large  patches  of  troilite.  In 
cutting  No.  1  large  streaks  of  this  mineral  and  also  some  schreibersite  were  observed.  The  largest  of  these  lines  of 
troilite  was  10  cm.  long  and  4  mm.  wide.  Two  of  the  streaks,  10  cm.  apart,  ran  parallel  to  each  other  in  peculiar  crescent- 
like  formations.  Olivine  was  observed  at  the  upper  end  of  No.  1,  a  surface  of  about  10  cm.  square  being  completely 
filled  with  it.  The  color  in  some  instances  was  a  rich  brownish  yellow,  homogeneous  throughout,  and  as  compact  as  in 
the  "  Pallas  iron. ' '  The  largest  grains  observed  measured  from  8  mm.  to  14  mm.  Some  of  these  pieces  yielded  perfect 
transparent  gems  (peridots)  over  4  mm.  in  width. 

The  discovery  of  a  seventh  mass  regarded  as  silver  bullion  and  sent  from  Albuquerque  was 
described,  as  well  as  the  mass  itself,  by  Eakins 2  as  follows: 

A  seventh  mass,  found  near  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico,  is  referred  to  this  fall.  It  was  mistaken  for  silver  by  the 
finder.  Originally  of  triangular  shape,  it  measures  120  by  80-100  by  45  mm.  Before  cutting  it  weighed  2.5kg.  When 
found  it  was  covered  with  a  thin  oxidation  coating.  The  iron  composing  this  meteorite  is  exceedingly  tough  and  free 
from  cavities.  The  etched  surface  shows  very  well-defined  Widmannstatten  figures. 

Analysis: 

Fe  Ni          Co  Cu  Zn  C  Mn  P  S  Si 

88.76        9.86       0.51        0.034        0.030        Undt.         trace        0.182        0.012        0.044    =99.432 
Composition : 

Nickeliferous  iron 98. 224 

Troilite 033 

Schreibersite 1. 175 


99. 432 
Cohen  and  Weinschenk 8  studied  several  features  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Of  Glorieta  Mountain  three  pieces  were  investigated;  two  from  the  Greifswald  collection,  the  third  from  the 
Vienna  collection.  The  Vienna  material  was  slowly  soluble  in  dilute  HC1,  that  from  Greifswald  was  hardly  attacked, 
doubly  concentrated  acid  being  necessary  to  affect  it,  and  this  at  first  only  weakly,  but  after  some  time  more  uniformly. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  213 

For  the  solution  of  a  piece  weighing  17  gr.  over  9  weeks  were  neceasary .  These  differences  of  behavior  could  be  ascribed 
not  to  chemical  or  structural  distinctions,  but  to  crystallographic  orientation  of  the  sections,  causing  in  one  case  more 
taenite  and  in  the  other  case  more  kamacite  to  appear  at  the  surface.  The  kamacite  on  treatment  by  acid  became  black, 
and  the  acid  worked  especially  rapidly  on  the  swathing  kamacite,  which  inclosed  a  great  schreibersite  crystal  of  which 
a  piece  could  be  separated  in  sufficient  quantity  for  a  chemical  investigation.  The  plessite  was  also  soon  attacked, 
so  that  the  combs  became  prominent  after  short  treatment  with  the  acid. 

I  II  III 

17.641  gr.  44.528  gr.  82.36  gr. 

WithlHCl+lOaq.  WithlHCl+lOaq.  With  1  HCl+20aq. 

gr-                %  gr-               %  gr.                 % 

Solution  of  nickel-iron 16.2971          92.38  40.5929        91.16  68.6063         83.30 

Taenite 0.8711    .       4.94  2.8506         6.40  3.5851           4.35 

Schreibersite '. 0.4728           2.68  1.0845         2.44  6.4808           7.87 

Swathing  kamacite i 3.4711           4.22 

Rust 0.1537           0.18 

Carbon  substance 0.0630  0.08 


17.6410        100.00  44.528        100.00  82.3600        100.00 

Numbers  I  and  II  left  no  marked  carbonaceous  residue,  and  as  fhia  was  small  in  quantity  in  number  III  also  it  was 
evident  that  Glorieta  Mountain  is  relatively  poor  in  carbon.  The  carbonaceous  substance  from  number  III  after  heating 
and  treatment  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  sodium  hydrate  left  only  two  to  three  angular,  colorless,  doubly  refracting 
grains.  The  schreibersite  in  number  III,  composed  of  5.5  gr.  of  large  crystals  which  were  aggregated  together,  was 
easily  dissolved  from  the  surrounding  nickel-iron.  Both  lota  of  schreibersite  were  alike  in  physical  properties.  The 
lack  of  jagged  pieces  indicated  that  the  taenite  lamellae  lay  close  together,  and  hence  longer  treatment  with  acid  was 
required  to  separate  them. 

Txnite. — Especially  characteristic  of  the  taenite  from  Glorieta  Mountain  is  the  union  of  the  foliae  in  bundles.  After 
the  thin  intermediate  kamacite  plates  were  completely  dissolved  out  a  skeleton  remained  about  4  mm.  thick  and  1.33 
cm.  long.  The  kamacite  represented,  therefore,  only  a  very  small  surface  of  attack,  and  it  was  difficult,  as  in  all  the 
other  irons  investigated  by  us,  to  obtain  pure  taenite.  Even  when  the  bundles  seemed  completely  separated  and  small 
leaves  of  about  0.15  mm.  thickness  isolated  it  was  evident  that  many  thin  lamellae  lay  packed  together.  Through  the 
uneven,  thin  wavy  surface  the  usual  luster  could  be  observed,  also  elasticity  and  color. 

The  analyses  of  the  material  dissolved  hi  acid  gave  the  figures  under  I.  while  in  la  the  schreibersite  corresponding 
to  the  phosphorus  is  calculated : 

I  la 

Substance  taken 0.2563 

Fe 63.22  63.04 

Ni 35. 56  35. 53 

Co 1. 39  1. 43 

P 0.56  

Cu 0.00  

C..  Trace. 


100.73  100.00 

Schreibersite. — For  chemical  investigation,  the  above-mentioned  large  crystals  were  chosen,  the  physical  proper- 
ties evidently  being  somewhat  different  from  those  of  Toluca.  They  are  brittle  and  almost  without  exception  fall 
apart  on  standing.  The  characters  resemble  those  of  bodies  with  strong  tension,  such  as  diamonds  and  bologna  tears. 
Any  unaltered  crystals  were,  therefore,  not  to  be  had.  Where  crystal  faces  appear  they  show  little  glancing  facets, 
like  those  of  Toluca.  Cleavage  in  three  perpendicular  directions  is  exhibited,  with  conchoidal  fracture.  One  cleav- 
age is  like  that  of  galena;  the  other  two  seem  to  be  equal  and  somewhat  less  perfect  than  the  first.  The  surface  of  the 
crystals  often  seems  finely  striated  and  not  so  smooth  as  Toluca.  Color,  tin-white  to  gray,  luster  like  to  coal,  streak 
gray. 

The  analysis  gave : 

Substance  taken 0.4086 

P 15.49        :  30. 96=0. 5003  =0.5003 

Fe..  .  63.36       : 55. 88=1. 1339] 


19  63    1  }= 1.4899 

123    1:58.60=0.3560[ 


99.71 

Fe  :  Xi  (Co)  :  P=2. 2664  :  0.7116  : 1 
Fe+Xi  (Co)  :  P=2.9780  : 1 

Although  the  physical  properties  differ  somewhat  from  the  large  schreibersite  from  Toluca,  the  chemical  com- 
position is  so  similar  as  to  indicate  two  analyses  of  one  and  the  same  substance. 


214  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Swathing  kamacite. — The  natural  surface  of  the  plate  1.7  to  2.3  mm.  thick  showed,  especially  on  the  boundary 
toward  the  schreibersite,  conchoidal  depressions.  One  recognizes  in  the  latter  the  impressions  of  the  rounded  faces  of 
the  large  schreibersite  crystals  which  are  thus  doubtless  older.  The  swathing  kamacite  has  the  hardness  of  steel,  is 
very  tough,  tin-white  grading  to  silver-white,  and  easily  soluble  in  hydrochloric  acid.  In  contrast  to  the  schreiber- 
site  and  tsenite  it  does  not  oxidize  quickly.  This  is  remarkable  since  the  nickel-poor  compounds  usually  oxidize 
more  easily  than  the  nickel-rich.  Under  I  follows  the  result  of  the  analysis;  under  la  the  composition  after  removal 
of  the  schreibersite  and  calculation  to  100. 

I  la 

Fe 93. 77          92. 62 

Ni 6. 66  6. 55 

Co 0. 84  0. 83 

P 0.02        

C Trace 

Cu..  0.00 


101.29        100.00 

The  composition  is  thus  like  that  of  the  normal  kamacite  and  further  analyses  are  needed  before  one  can  decide 
whether  the  swathing  kamacite  contains  a  somewhat  higher  content  of  nickel  and  cobalt. 

Meunier 9  remarks  as  follows  regarding  the  troilite  of  the  meteorite: 

The  pyrrhotine  sometimes  occurs  in  a  peculiar  manner,  filling  the  angular  spaces  left  by  the  apparent  cracking 
of  the  mass,  which  left  open  spaces  as  receptacles  for  the  sulphurous  emanations. 

^Brezina  "  gave  the  following  account: 

This  iron  is,  like  Butsura,  an  example  of  a  meteorite  which  burst  before  reaching  the  earth  and  suffered  partial 
fusion  after  separation  of  the  pieces.  Of  the  nine  hitherto  known  individuals  of  this  fall,  of  67.4,  51.7,  24.3,  1.2,  1.1, 
1.0,  and  2.5  kg.  weight,  also  two  small  individuals  of  unknown  weight,  there  are  in  our  collection  four  complete  and 
three  complete  sections  obtained  at  one  time.  All  are  highly  oriented;  the  three  larger  ones  have  remains  of  the  fusion 
crust  in  many  places,  and  always  only  on  the  same  side,  which,  from  the  rounded  appearance  of  the  surface  elements, 
gives  evidence  of  being  the  primary  face,  while  the  side  characterized  by  its  hackly  fracture  as  the  recent,  second- 
ary face,  presents  no  fusion  crust.  .This  condition  is  distinctly  noticeable  on  the  second  largest  specimen  of  the  fall 
(51.7  kg.).  Upon  the  side  having  the  primary  surface,  which  also  bears  the  apex  of  the  total  mass,  the  streaks  spread 
out  like  disheveled  hair,  and  this  is  true  not  only  of  the  fusion  crust  but  also  of  the  underlying  iron  particles,  running 
over  the  side  margins  in  puffy  ridges.  Kunz  supposed  that  this  phenomenon  was  caused  by  the  forcing  of  the  meteorite 
through  the  sand  in  its  fall.  The  three  small  individuals  of  1.0  to  1.2  kg.  weight  have  a  highly  oriented  form,  while  on 
each  is  to  be  distinguished  a  convex  face  covering  almost  half  the  exterior  of  pronounced  primary  character,  with  very 
flattened  forms  and  a  row  of  secondary  facets  of  a  hackly,  slightly  fused  fracture.  These  three  individuals  had  lain  in 
a  loamy  soil  strongly  charged  with  iron  and  still  bore  much  of  this  material  upon  them.  The  latest,  just  recently  dis- 
covered piece,  is  much  rusted  and  has  the  form  of  a  splinter  of  iron  30  cm.  long  by  8  cm.  in  thickness,  which,  like  all 
other  individuals  of  this  fall,  has  upon  one  side  a  primary  surface  and  upon  the  other  a  more  or  less  secondary  surface. 
Very  unique  formations  may  be  seen  on  the  section  of  the  seventh  find  of  this  fall;  it  is  a  triangular  plate  of  109  gr. 
weight.  Of  the  three  small  facets  one  is  concave  and  possesses  a  pronounced  primary  character,  considerably  flat- 
tened and  with  remains  of  the  fusion  crust;  the  other  two  facets  are,  with  the  exception  of  the  portions  adjacent  to 
the  concave  face,  decidedly  secondary,  hackly,  and  withal  slightly  convex.  Along  the  primary  surface  portion  may 
be  seen  a  zone  of  alteration  1.2  mm.  wide,  while  the  secondary  face  for  the  most  part  is  bordered  with  bands  of  envel- 
oping kamacite,  which  in  the  Glorieta  iron  usually  incloses  the  strongly  developed  octahedral  schreibersite  plates. 
The  Widmannstatten  figures  show  an  extensive,  extremely  regular  bending  of  the  whole  mass,  which  reaches  a  total 
amount  of  65°.  As  a  result,  the  ends  of  the  primary  faces  are  bent  inward  (concave),  hence  the  secondary  faces 
are  bent  outward.  The  texture  of  the  Glorieta  iron,  as  shown  by  the  etched  surface,  is  a  very  mixed  one,  because 
of  the  alternation  of  coarse  and  fine  structure.  The  bands  are  mostly  very  long,  up  to  12  and  15  mm.,  more  or  less 
notched,  straight,  or  bent  with  the  entire  iron,  behind  the  dominant  areas  mostly  inconspicuous;  teenite  normally 
developed;  fields  predominating,  mostly  filled  with  repetitions  of  the  longer  bordering  bands,  sometimes  comb-like 
with  both  such  border  bands  or  with  dark-gray  plessite,  or  finally  with  two  or  more  such  fillings.  The  kamacite  is 
very  resistant  to  acids,  and  is  coarsely  flecked.  Numerous  schreibersite  laminae,  often  as  much  as  10  cm.  long,  some- 
times show  crystalline  borders  and  are  enveloped  in  kamacite  bands  2  mm.  broad,  which  also  inclose  accompanying 
troilite  nodules.  The  rupture  of  the  piece  has  occurred  for  the  most  part  along  such  laminse  of  schreibersite.  The 
border  kamacite  clinging  to  the  edges  of  a  piece  then  often  appears  like  a  zone  of  alteration.  On  a  small  end  piece  of 
the  largest  mass  the  entire  natural  surface  is  lumpy  like  kneaded  dough  and  a  zone  1.5  to  3  mm.  thick,  resembling 
border  kamacite,  runs  around  the  section  surface.  Grains  of  cohenite  seldom  occur  in  the  kamacite.  Glorieta  has 
many  points  of  similarity  in  structure  with  Joe  Wright.  Here  also  belongs,  apparently,  the  Canon  City  meteorite, 
published  by  Shepard. 

In  this  last  opinion  Brezina  is  in  error,  as  was  shown  by  Ward  (see  Canyon  City). 
Cohen-12  made  determinations  of  the  magnetism  and  specific  gravity  of  the  meteorite. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  215 

Brezina  "  gives  two  cuts  of  an  oriented  individual  weighing  492  gr.     The  form  is  much 
elongated.  • 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Vienna  possessing  60,778  gr.,  Paris  21,740  gr. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1885:- KUNZ.    On  three  masses  of  meteoric  iron  from  Glorieta  Mountain  near  Canoncito,  Santa  Fe  County,  New 

Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  8er.,  vol.  30,  pp.  235-238. 

2.  1885:  EAKINS.    Meteoric  iron  from  New  Mexico.    Proc.  Colorado  Sci.  Soc.,  vol.  2,  1885,  p.  14. 

3.  1886:  KUNZ.    Further  notes  on  the  meteoric  iron  from  Glorieta  Mountain,  New  Mexico.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d 

ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  311-313.    (With  3  plates  and  analysis  by  Eakins.) 

4.  1886:  BREZIXA.    Neue  Meteoriten  I.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  1,  p.  13,  and  Bd.  2,  pp.  25-26. 

5.  1887:  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  Ilia.    Verhandl.    K.  K.  Geol.  Reichsanst.,  1887,  p.  288. 

6.  1891:  COHEN  and  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  131, 

132,  155-158  (analysis),  162,  164,  165. 

7.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  II.    Idem,  Bd.  7,  pp.  143-145  (analysis),  158,  159,  160,  161. 

8.  1893:  BREZINA.    TJeber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nurnberg),  p.  164. 

9.  1893:  MECNIEH.    Revision  des  fers  me't&>riques,  pp.  52  and  59. 

10.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  pp.  101,  108,  116,  124,  129,  and  194. 

11.  1895:  BREZTNA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  280-282. 

12.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82,  85,  86,  90,  91,  92, 

and  93. 

13.  1897:  WCLFIKG.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  127-128. 

14.  1905:  BREZIXA.    Oesterreichs  Illustrirte  Zeitung,  Heft  34,  pp.  842-843. 


GRAND  RAPIDS. 

Kent  County,  Michigan. 

Here  also  Walker  township.  , 

Latitude  42°  58'  N.,  longitude  85°  41'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1883;  described  1884. 

Weight,  51.5  kgs.  (114  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  by  I.  R.  Eastman  *  as  follows: 

While  staying  over  Sunday  in  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  in  September,  1883,  I  saw  in  a  local  newspaper 
a  reference  to  a  strange,  heavy  metallic  mass  which  was  to  be  seen  in  the  store  of  Mr.  C.  G.  Pulcher.  Early  Monday 
morning  I  found  the  store  and  immediately  recognized  the  meteoric  character  of  the  mass. 

It  was  roughly  pear-shaped,  14  inches  long,  and  9.6  inches  in  diameter  at  the  thickest  part,  and  weighed  114  pounds. 
It  was  discovered  about  May  15, 1883,  by  Michael  Clancy,  a  contractor,  while  making  an  excavation  for  building  pur- 
poses on  land  belonging  to  the  Catholic  Church  in  Grand  Rapids.  It  was  found  about  3  feet  below  the  natural  level  of  the 
ground  and  wedged  between  two  huge  bowlders,  and  was  removed  with  considerable  difficult}'.  The  finder  feeling 
certain  that  he  had  secured  a  valuable  prize  kept  his  secret  for  some  weeks  and  expended  much  time  and  labor  with 
hammer  and  cold  chisel  in  the  attempt  to  cut  off  the  smaller  end.  He  succeeded,  however,  only  in  mutilating  the 
unusually  fine  specimen  by  cutting  a  groove  about  three-sixteenths  of  an  inch  deep  quite  around  the  mass  and  6  inches 
from  the  smaller  end. 

Mr.  Pulcher  could  not  then  be  induced  to  part  with  the  mass,  but  I  finally  secured  a  few  grains  in  weight  from  the 
bur  left  by  the  chisel,  from  which  Mr.  F.  W.  Taylor  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  made  a  preliminary  analysis  of  a 
specimen  weighing  24  grains  with  the  following  result: 

Fe  Xi  Co          Insoluble  residue 

94.543        3.815        0.3S6  0.118  =98.872 

The  fragment  was  somewhat  oxidized,  which  accounts  in  part  for  the  shortage.  The  entire  specimen  is  now  in  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  for  examination  and  analysis. 

Riggs  2  reported  a  further  analysis  as  follows : 

In  a  recent  number  of  this  journal  I.  R.  Eastman  describes  a  meteorite  found  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan.  A 
preliminary  analysis  was  made  at  the  time,  but  of  a  very  inadequate  amount  of  the  oxidized  material,  taken  from  the 
surface.  Since  then  the  meteorite  has  come  into  the  keeping  of  the  U.S.  National  Museum  and  a  more  complete  analysis 
gives  the  following  results: 

Fe  Ni  Cu          Mg  P  S          C(combined)       Graphite 

88.71        10.69        0.07        0.02        0.26        0.03  0.06  0.07        =99.91 


216  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

It  is  a  mass  of  great  apparent  homogeneity,  weighing  originally  about  50  kg.  One  of  the  sections,  however,  on 
being  polished  discloses  a  nodule  about  1  cm.  in  diameter,  like  troiiite  in  appearance,  which  remains  to  be  investigated. 
A  polished  surface  of  the  meteorite  etched  with  nitric  acid  developed  very  handsome  Widmannstatten  figures,  some- 
what like  those  on  the  iron  from  Robertson  County,  Tennessee. 

Meunier s  described  the  iron  as  a  heterogeneous  one  showing  many  black  particles. 
Brezina 4  described  the  Vienna  specimen  as  follows : 

This  mass  shows  the  most  marked  grouping  of  the  lamellae  into  bundles  of  any  iron  yet  observed.  Bands  0.3  mm. 
wide,  long  and  straight,  somewhat  puffy,  kamacite  medium  fine,  somewhat  lightly  hatched  and  grained;  tenite 
normally  developed;  fields  now  abundant,  and  now  inconsiderable,  filled  with  gray,  half  blended,  fine  repeating 
lamellae,  occasionally  giving  the  appearance  of  staining  or  spotting.  Reichenbach  lamellae  are  abundant  and  surrounded 
by  borders  of  kamacite.  On  one  piece  a  globule  of  troilite  12  mm.  in  size  waa  noticed,  with  a  border  of  kamacite  1  mm. 
in  thickness  which  showed  a  tongue  of  iron  projecting  into  the  interior  of  the  troilite  to  a  depth  of  2  mm.  There  is  also 
a  zone  of  alteration  along  the  natural  surface  0.2  to  0.5  mm.  wide,  which  runs  quite  even  on  the  inside  despite  the 
wavy  character  of  the  outer  surface. 

Cohen  6  essentially  repeats  the  characteristics  given  by  Brezina  as  follows: 

The  bands  are  long,  straight,  somewhat  puffy,  usually  bunched  and  then  strongly,  the  taenite  borders  are  not  very 
prominent,  the  fields  are  well  developed  and  distinctly  marked  off  from  the  lamellae.  The  kamacite,  slightly  granular 
in  places,  shows  many  sharp  etching  lines  and  appears  under  very  strong  magnification  to  be  exceptionally  finely 
punctate,  apparently  in  consequence  of  tiny,  closely  and  evenly  distributed  etching  pits.  It  also  exhibits  a  strong 
oriented  luster.  The  smaller  fields  consist  of  compact  very  dark  plessite  with  tiny  glistening  scales.  In  the  more 
extended  fields  the  latter  are  larger  (0.005  mm.  in  diameter  with  limits  of  0.003  and  0.01  mm.)  and  while  they  are  BO 
arranged  that  the  stripes  which  intersect  one  another  appear  now  darker  and  now  brighter  it  appears  under  the  glass  as 
though  such  fields  were  composed  of  bands;  under  stronger  magnification  it  becomes  apparent  that  this  is  not  the  case, 
since  the  stripes  are  in  no  way  distinguishable  from  one  another.  These  are  probably  Brezina's  "gray,  half  shaded, 
fine  repeating  lamellae."  Occasionally  there  occurs  in  such  a  field  a  complete  lamella  about  0.04  mm.  thick,  isolated 
in  such  a  way  that  a  union  with  the  large  bands  and  their  tsenite  envelope  is  at  least  not  perceptible,  or  else  the  field  is 
traversed  by  a  bundle  of  such  lamellae  whose  taenite  envelope  then,  however,  differs  from  the  principal  tsenite. 

Grand  Rapids  belongs  to  the  few  meteorites  which  take  on  no  permanent  magnetism.  Leick  determined  the 
specific  gravity  at  7.8862  and  the  specific  magnetism  at  6.12  absolute  units  per  gram. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1884:  EASTMAN.    A  new  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  28,  pp.  299-300.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1885:  RIGGS.    The  Grand  Rapids  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  30,  p.  312.    (Analysis.) 

3.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m<jt6oriques,  p.  76. 

4.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  270. 

5.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10.  pp.  83.  84,  85,  and  90. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  III,  pp.  368-370. 


Green  County.     See  Babbs  Mill. 


GREENBRIER  COUNTY. 

Summit  of  Alleghany  Mountains,  3  miles  west  of  White  Sulphur  Springs,  West  Virginia. 

Here  also  Alleghany  Mountains  and  White  Sulphur  Springs. 

Latitude  37°  49'  N.,  longitude  80°  26'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina. 

Found  about  1880;  mentioned  1885  or  earlier  in  a  London  catalogue;  described  1887. 

Weight  about  5  kgs.  (11  Ibs.). 

The  meteorite  has  been  chiefly  described  by  Fletcher,2  as  follows : 

A  single  fragment  of  iron  having  an  estimated  weight  of  11  pounds  was  found  about  the  year  1840,  on  or  near  the 
top  of  Alleghany  Mountains,  3  miles  north  of  White  Sulphur  Springs,  Greenbrier  County,  not  far  from  the  eastern  border 
of  West  Virginia  (latitude  37°  51'  N.,  longitude  80°  20'  W.).  The  finder,  and  his  official  agent,  thinking  it  a  rich 
piece  of  iron  ore,  searched  unsuccessfully  for  a  vein.  The  specimen  itself  was  taken  to  a  country  blacksmith,  heated, 
and  cut  with  a  cold  chisel,  and  pieces  distributed  as  specimens  of  iron  ore.  Some  time  afterwards  two  of  them, 
weighing  63  and  31  ounces,  were  given  by  the  agent  to  Mr.  Matthew  A.  Miller,  C.  E.,  of  Richmond,  Virginia.  Con- 
vinced of  their  meteoric  origin,  he  immediately  tried  to  recover  the  pieces  already  distributed,  but  after  traveling 
several  hundred  miles,  he  was  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  irrevocably  lost.  From  Mr.  Miller  the  two 
pieces  were  acquired  for  the  British  Museum. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  217 

In  shape  they  are  irregular;  each  of  them  presents  clear  evidence  of  being  fragmentary,  the  surface  being  partly 
smooth  and  pitted  and  partly  jagged,  the  latter  showing  in  a  remarkably  distinct  way  edges,  faces,  and  crevices  which 
belong  to  an  octahedral  structure.  Specific  gravity,  7.869. 

The  polished  surface  is  immediately  active  in  the  presence  of  a  solution  of  copper  sulphate.  The  iron  is  extremely 
soft  and  is  easily  cut  into  slices  with  the  saw.  On  the  polished  faces  of  these  slices  no  stony  minerals  are  visible,  but 
there  are  seen  sections  of  a  few  rounded  cavities,  of  which  the  contents  have  a  grayish-black  color  and  a  metallic  luster. 
This  material  is  principally  composed  of  finely  divided  iron  which  has  perhaps  been  worked  into  the  cavities  during 
the  sawing  of  the  specimen  and  the  subsequent  leveling  of  the  surface.  The  rest  is  graphitic  carbon,  which  may 
have  been  sufficient  to  fill  the  cavities  when  the  specimen  was  intact.  No  chromite  was  found  in  the  cavities. 

During  the  polishing  of  one  of  the  sections  a  part  of  its  surface  was  bent  inwards  and  an  empty  cavity  with  plane 
faces  was  discovered.  The  quadrilateral  bit  (?)  of  the  cavity  is  6  by  3  mm.;  three  of  the  edges  of  the  section  of  the 
cavity  were  seen  to  be  parallel  to  structure  lines  visible  on  the  polished  surface  even  before  etching;  the  sides  of  this 
cavity  were  rusty.  Similar  cavities  are  found  in  the  iron  of  Rancho  de  la  Pila,  Durango,  Mexico. 

The  polished  and  etched  surface  yields  very  distinct  Widmannstatten  figures.  On  a  section  not  very  much  in- 
clined to  an  octahedral  face  the  beams  of  kamacite  vary  from  0.8  to  1.2  mm.  in  width.  They  have  straight  edges,  are 
arranged  in  groups,  and  are  sometimes  continuous  for  a  length  of  17  mm.  They  are  separated  by  very  thin  layers  of 
taenite.  Plessite  is  plentiful,  but  is  very  homogeneous  in  structure  and  not  very  different  in  appearance  from  the 
kamacite.  There  is  no  oriented  sheen,  such  as  is  presented  by  the  etched  surfaces  of  many  meteoric  irons.  The 
etching  figures  and  the  composition  of  this  iron  resemble  those  of  Staunton,  Virginia. 

Chromite  in  the  form  of  a  fine  powder,  small  fragments,  a  thin  elongated  plate,  and  a  single  crystal  of  very  fragile 
character  were  found  in  the  insoluble  residue  of  the  analysis: 

Fe  Xi  Co  Cu  P  S  Residue 

91.59        7.11        0.60         trace         0.08         trace  0.12    =99.50 

The  above  percentage  composition  is  approximately  that  of  the  Trenton,  Rio  Juncal,  Seneca  River,  and  Staunton 

irons. 

• 

As  stated  by  Fletcher,  the  known  pieces  of  this  iron  are  chieflv  in  the  British  Museum 
(2,236  gr.). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1885:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  257. 

2.  1887:  FLETCHER.    On  a  meteoric  iron  (containing  crystallized  chromite)  found  about  the  year  1880  in  Greenbrier 

County,  West  Virginia.,  U.  S.  A.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  7,  pp.  183-186. 

3.  1895:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  286. 


Guernsey  County.     See  New  Concord. 


GDILFORD  COUNTY. 

North  Carolina. 

Latitude  36°  4'  N.,  longitude  79°  48'  W.  (approximate). 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 

Described  1822. 

Known  weight  200  gr.  (7  ounces). 

This  mass  was  first  described  by  Shepard  2  as  having  been  obtained  from  Professor  Olm- 
sted,  of  Xorth  Carolina.  It  was  one  of  two  pieces  of  iron,  the  larger  of  which  was  briefly 
described  in  the  catalogue  of  Olmsted's  collection.1  The  locality  of  the  smaller  piece  Professor 
Olmsted  stated  to  be  "Guildford"  County,  10  or  15  miles  distant  from  the  locality  of  the  larger 
specimen  which  was  found  in  Randolph  County.  The  individual  from  whom  Professor  Olmsted 
obtained  it  told  him  that  it  had  been  detached  from  a  large  mass  weighing  28  pounds,  some  of 
which  had  been  worked  by  a  blacksmith  into  horseshoe  nails.  The  piece  preserved  is  described 
by  Shepard  as  weighing  7  ounces  and  as  being  a  distinct  crystal  in  the  form  of  an  octahedron. 
The  axis  of  the  crystal,  he  says,  measures  3  inches,  and  the  structure  is  distinctly  foliated,  the 
laminae  being  pretty  uniformly  one-twentieth  of  an  inch  in  thickness. 

Later,  Shepard s  made  an  analysis  of  the  iron — specific  gravity,  7.67  (Rumler) — with 
results  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni  FeS 

92.750        3.145        0.750     =96.645 


218  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Brezina  M  groups  Guilford  County  with  Toluca,  and  describes  it  as  having  small,  slightly 
puffy  lamellae,  0.5  mm.  wide. 

The  small  quantity  of  the  iron  known  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1822:  OLMSTED.    Descriptive  catalogue  of  rocks  and  minerals  collected  in  North  Carolina,  and  forwarded  to  the 

American  Geological  Society. — 59:  Native  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  5,  p.  262. 

2.  1830:  SHEPARD.    On  crystallized  native  terrestrial  iron,  ferrosilicate  of  manganese,  and  various  other  American 

minerals. — I:  Crystallized  native  terrestrial  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  140-142. 

3.  1841:  SHEPARD.    On  native  and  meteoric  iron. — Meteoric  iron  from  Guilford  County,  North  Carolina.    Amer. 

Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  40,  pp.  369-370.    (Analysis.) 

4.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Meteoriten,  p.  114. 

5.  1847:  SHEPARD.    Report  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  4,  p.  79. 

6.  1852:  CLARK.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  No.  56:  Randolph  County,  pp.  74-75. 

7.  1854:  VON  BOGUSLAWSKI.    Zehnter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Ergz.-Bd.  4,  pp.  403,  404, 

and  409. 

8.  1859:  BUCHNEE.    Feuermeteore,  pp.  133  and  136. 

9.  1859:  HARRIS.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  No.  ?,  p.  109. 

10.  1858-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  7,  p.  551;  No.  9,  pp.  162,  174,  and  181;  No.  10,  p.  359;  No.  15,  pp.  110  and 

124;  No.  16,  p.  261;  No.  17,-  p.  266;  and  No.  21,  p.  589. 

11.  1863:  BUCHNER.    Meteoriten,  p.  167. 

12.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  26,  27,  65,  and  153. 

13.  1867:  GOEBEL,  Kritische  Uebersicht.    Melanges  Phys.  Chim.,  tires  du  Bull.  Phys.-Math.  Acad.  Imp.  Sci.  St.- 

Petersbourg,  Bd.  7,  p.  325. 

14.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  210-211  and  233. 


Hacienda  de  Bocas,  see  Bocas. 
Hacienda  Concepcion,  see  Adargas. 
Hamblen  County,  see  Morristown. 

Hamilton  County,  see  Carlton. 


HAMMOND. 

St.  Croix  County,  Wisconsin. 

Here  also  Saint  Croix  County. 

Latitude  44°  58'  N.,  longitude  92°  38'  W. 

Iron.    Hammond  group  of  octahedrites  (Oh),  of  Brezina. 

Found  1884;  described  1887. 

Weight,  24  kgs.  (53  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Fisher,1  with  a  note  by  Kunz,  and  was  as  follows: 

The  mass  of  meteoric  iron  described  in  this  paper  was  ploughed  up  three  years  ago  (1884)  in  a  cornfield  on  the 
farm  of  Mrs.  Jenette  Rattary,  in  Hammond  Township,  St.  Croix  County,  Wisconsin.  (The  exact  description  of  the 
40  acres  is:  N.  £  SW.  J  Sec.  31,  T.  29  — .,  R.  17  W.) 

It  attracted  attention  from  its  weight  and  silvery  luster  where  freshly  abraded,  and  was  supposed  to  contain  silver, 
but  its  real  nature  was  not  suspected,  and  it  lay  about  the  farmyard  until  last  winter.  At  that  time,  during  the  excite- 
ment about  iron  ores  in  that  neighborhood,  a  speculator  chanced  to  see  it  and  he  at  once  paid  $50  for  an  option  on  the 
40  acres  to  prospect  for  iron  ore.  The  mass  was  sent  to  me  for  analysis,  and  on  its  being  reported  to  be  a  meteorite 
was  reclaimed  by  the  owner,  and  it  was  not  until  I  visited  the  region  in  May  last  that  the  facts  of  its  discovery  were 
ascertained. 

It  was  struck  by  the  plow  near  the  surface  of  the  ground  in  a  field  that  had  been  cultivated  for  corn  for  several 
successive  years,  and  the  fanner  was  quite  certain  that  it  could  not  have  been  there  the  year  before,  and  its  fresh 
appearance  noted  later,  testifies  to  the  probability  of  its  having  recently  fallen.  It  is  quite  remarkable  that  it  kept 
so  bright  during  the  three  years  it  lay  in  the  fanner's  yard.  No  similar  pieces  have  been  seen,  nor  does  this  show  signs 
of  fracture. 

The  mass  has  been  considerably  disfigured  by  attempts  to  chisel  off  pieces  at  different  points,  and  one  piece  was 
detached  and  forged  into  a  spike,  but  this  I  did  not  see.  When  it  reached  me,  it  weighed  53  pounds  (24  kg.).  It  is 
of  irregular  shape,  as  shown  in  an  accompanying  cut,  engraved  from  a  photograph  I  had  taken  when  it  first  reached  me. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  219 

Its  dimensions  are  8  by  8  inches  across  the  face  and  7  inches  through,  in  the  thicker  part,  but  with  an  average 
thickness  of  4  to  5  inches.  The  back  side,  as  the  view  is  taken,  is  nearly  flat  and  pretty  uniformly  covered  with  cir- 
cular pittings.  On  this  side,  it  presents  the  ordinay  appearance  of  most  masses  of  meteoric  iron,  the  surface  crust 
having  entirely  disappeared.  It  seems  probable  that  it  lay  with  this  surface  in  contact  with  the  ground  during  the 
three  years  after  it  was  dug  up,  and  the  crust  disappeared  by  the  ordinary  process  of  weathering.  The  front  ride  is 
less  regular  in  shape  and  shows  several  large  depressions.  This  surface  is  largely  covered  with  the  fused  crust,  which 
is  heaped  up  in  ridges  and  shows  all  the  perfections  of  the  lines  of  flow  characteristic  of  irons  which  have  been  picked 
up  immediately  after  their  fall;  the  only  change  being  a  partial  oxidation  of  this  film  so  that  it  appears  in  places  brown 
instead  of  black.  This  character  of  the  St.  Croix  meteorite,  independent  of  the  confirmatory  evidence  afforded  by  the 
circumstances  of  its  history,  would  make  it  probable  that  its  fall  did  not  precede  by  many  months  the  date  of  its 
discovery. 

A  careful  analysis  of  the  iron  was  made  by  the  writer  and  his  assistant,  Mr.  Charles  G.  Allmendinger,  with  the 
following  results: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  S  C  Cu  Sn 

89. 78        7. 655        1. 325        0. 512        0. 562          traces         traces         traces    =99. 834. 

Specific  gravity:  First,  7.601;  second  (on  two  different  pieces),  7.703. 

It  contained  nodules  of  troilite,  three  appearing  in  one  section,  from  3  mm.  to  12  mm.  in  diameter.  No  other 
inclosures  were  detected  by  me. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  George  F.  Kunz  for  sections  cut  from  the  mass  and  polished  for  etching,  and  I  leave  to  him  the 
description  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  etc.  The  meteorite  now  forms  a  part  of  the  collection  of  Yale  University 
at  New  Haven. 

NOTE  BT  MB.  GEORGE  F.  Kmz. 

When  dilute  nitric  acid  is  applied  to  the  St.  Croix  County  iron,  the  Widmannstatten  figures  quickly  appear,  but 
unlike  the  Glorieta  and  Staunton  meteorites,  it  could  not  be  etched  to  any  depth,  because  on  long  continued  appli- 
cation of  the  acid,  the  entire  surface  of  the  iron  rapidly  dissolves  away,  leaving  only  projecting  points  of  Uenite. 
Hence  it  was  found  impossible,  as  had  been  at  first  intended,  to  reproduce  the  figures  directly  from  an  electrotype 
taken  from  the  iron.  The  figures  are  cubical  rather  than  octahedral  in  arrangement  and  more  closely  approach  tie 
Jewellite  group  of  Meunier,  particularly  the  Dickson  County  iron.  In  form  the  entire  arrangement  resembles  the 
Schwetzite,  Werchne-Udinsk,  Siberia  group,  but  the  figures  are  about  one-third  their  diameter.  It  also  resemble, 
somewhat  the  Trenton,  Wisconsin,  iron,  but  stift  differs  from  all  of  those.  Troilite  is  present  in  nodules  5  to  10  mm. 
in  diameter  and  also  filling  the  irregular  fissures  some  50  mm.  long  and  1  to  3  mm.  wide. 

In  1893,  Brezina  *  made  of  Hammond  a  subspecies  of  octahedrite,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  Hammondite,  and  which  "instead  of  the  teenite  border  around  the  kamacite  lamellae, 
has  fine  granular  particles  of  a  plainly  carbonaceous  substance  which  turns  black  by  etching, 
arranged  in  curvilinear  plates."  In  1895,  he  described3  the  structure  more  in  detail  as  follows: 

Lamellae  long,  somewhat  irregularly  oriented.  0.35  mm.  wide,  bunched  and  much  bent,  much  less  prominent  than 
the  fields.  Band  iron  (if  one  can  speak  of  such  here)  bright  gray,  slightly  dotted  and  bordered  with  dustlike  granules, 
apparently  belonging  to  a  carbon  compound,  which  turn  dark  gray  by  etching  and  which  are  arranged  in  rows.  The 
fields  are  filled  with  half  shaded  combs  or  with  an  iron  which  is  more  dotted  and  therefore  darker  in  color  than  the  kama 
cite.  In  several  places  isolated  swathing  kamacite  is  found,  2.4  cm.  long  and  1  mm.  broad,  surrounded  with  a  dust, 
like  sheath  consisting  of  brightly  glistening  grains  of  schreibersite  in  combination  with  troilite-schreiberrite  concre- 
tions 1  cm.  in  size.  The  bands  bear  many  granular  inclusions  resembling  cohenite.  Along  the  natural  surface  there 
is  an  alteration  zone  from  1  to  2  mm.  in  width. 

Klein  5  described  the  meteorite  thus : 

It  shows  pretty  streak  inclusions  in  pipe-form.  The  iron  is  intersected  with  bands  of  dull  and  compact  iron, 
which  contain  glistening  iron  with  cohenite  inclusions.  This  dull  variety  of  iron  radiates  from  an  inclusion  in  a  six- 
fold form,  and  each  branch  contains  in  its  center  a  dark  layer  (cohenite).  surrounded  and  penetrated  with  bright  iron. 

Cohen  4-7  described  the  structure  as  follows : 

Observed  with  the  naked  eye  an  etched  section  shows  great  similarity  to  an  octahedrite.  Small,  elongated  par- 
ticles of  light  gray,  glistening  nickel-iron,  which  intersect  one  another  nearly  at  right  angles  and  resemble  band  iron, 
are  found.  A  duller,  somewhat  darker  nickel-iron  fills  up  the  gaps  and  appears,  therefore,  similar  to  the  plesrite. 
Small  dark-gray  seams  which  surround  the  latter  (nickel-iron?)  may  upon  cursory  examination  be  regarded  as  the 
representative  of  taenite,  from  which,  however,  it  is  sharply  distinguished  by  the  fact  that  it  envelopes  not  the  band- 
like,  but  the  fieldlike  portions.  Dark-gray,  rounded,  short,  staff-shaped,  or  elongated  particles  of  exactly  the  same 
appearance  as  that  of  the  above  seams  occur  also  inside  the  light-gray  nickel-iron,  dividing  the  latter  into  small  strips. 

By  closer  examination  under  strong  magnification,  or,  still  better,  in  reflected  light  under  the  microscope,  it 
appears  that  the  nickel-iron  as  a  whole  is  composed  of  grains,  which  in  the  brighter  parts  are  somewhat  coarser  than  in 
the  darker,  and  that  the  above  distinguished  parts  are  in  nowise  separated  from  one  another  as  in  the  case  of  the 
"  Trias  "  in  octahedrites. 


220  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

In  the  lighter  lamellselike  particles  the  irregular,  jagged  grains  are  about  0.02  to  0.04  mm.  in  size ;  in  the  darker,  dull , 
plessitelike  portions  they  are  only  one-fourth  as  large,  and  in  the  fine,  dark-gray  seams  they  are  still  finer,  so  that 
here  the  individual  grains  are  not  distinctly  marked  from  one  another.  Where  this  is  the  case,  it  is  distinctly 
apparent  that  each  grain  is  surrounded  with  a  dull,  black,  somewhat  sunken  zone  0.005  mm.  wide,  which  apparently 
consists  of  nickel-iron  more  readily  attacked  by  acid.  The  same  forms  a  fine,  black  network,  whose  now  coarser, 
now  finer  meshes  are  filled  with  light  nickel-iron.  Since  the  threads  are  all  of  approximately  the  same  breadth,  they 
come  out  the  more  prominently  the  smaller  the  meshes  are,  and  therefore  the  parts  of  finer  structure  appear  darker 
than  those  of  coarser  structure.  In  the  latter,  the  grains  are  large  enough  to  show  that  they  all  have  a  uniform  reflec- 
tion and  that  by  weak  etching  they  acquire  a  smooth  surface,  and  by  stronger  etching  they  acquire  an  uneven  and 
therefore  less  lustrous  surface.  The  dark  network  may,  from  its  appearance,  be  composed  of  nickel-iron  richer  in  car- 
bon than  that  of  the  grains;  however,  it  can  scarcely  be  an  iron  carbide  of  the  composition  of  cohenite,  since  the 
analysis  gave  a  carbon  content  of  only  0.06  per  cent. 

Since  the  structure  is  not  composed  of  lamellae  of  different  composition,  we  can  not  speak  of  a  normal  octahedrite. 
But  it  is,  nevertheless,  very  apparent  that  the  faintly  defined  edges  of  the  particles,  which  are  distinguished  by  color 
and  size,  are  actually,  as  Brezina  conjectured,  oriented  according  to  the  octahedral  surfaces.  In  a  specimen  which  I 
examined,  having  two  sides  perpendicular  to  one  another,  every  portion  intersects  its  fellow  nearly  at  right  angles,  and 
then  the  ensuing  figure  resembles  that  of  an  octahedrite  sectioned  parallel  to  a  hexahedral  face;  in  other  places,  however, 
they  seem  to  be  oriented  irregularly  to  one  another.  As  in  the  case  of  Cacaria  the  structure  may  be  best  described  as  an 
individually  streaked  one. 

Schreibersite  is  abundant  and  occurs  in  various  forms,  but  is  more  abundant  in  the  more  coarsely  constructed 
portions.  Here  one  meets  with  small  scales  or  grains  up  to  0,25  mm.  in  size,  which  are  occasionally  arranged  in  straight 
lines.  Large,  irregular  individuals  are  fewer  in  number;  in  the  case  of  the  longer  forms  they  arrange  themselves  in  aggre- 
gations of  from  1.5  to  2  cm.  in  length  so  that  the  crystals  remain  perpendicular  to  a  more  or  less  bent  axis.  Such  a 
feather-shaped  formation  I  have  nowhere  else  observed  in  meteoric  iron.  The  schreibersite  is  without  exception 
surrounded  by  a  broad,  dark,  very  fine-grained  envelope  which  appears  to  be  identical  with  the  above-mentioned  dark 
border  of  the  fieldlike  particles.  In  this  border  there  is,  in  connection  with  the  larger  individuals  and  the  aggregations 
in  their  totality,  a  broad  zone  of  somewhat  coarser  grain  and  therefore  of  lighter  color  than  the  rest  of  the  nickel  iron, 
since  the  size  of  the  grains  is  from  0.  05  to  0. 15  mm.  The  tolerably  frequent  elongated,  irregularly  bounded  cavities 
are  due  to  the  weathering  out  of  feather-shaped  aggregations  of  schreibersite  such  as  may  often  be  seen  in  the  still 
remaining  residue.  Brezina's  observation  of  troilite  intermingled  \pth  schreibersite  I  was  unable  to  verify. 

Hammond  appears  still  to  possess  the  original  fusion  crust,  although  it  is  almost  completely  altered  to  iron  hydroxide. 
That  no  considerable  portion  of  the  nickel  iron  has  scaled  off  is  indicated  by  the  presenc,e  of  the  1.5  to  2.5  mm.  wide 
alteration  zone  which  shows  up  distinctly  immediately  upon  weak  etching.  It  compares  in  color  and  grain  with  the 
dark  streaks. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  two  section  surfaces  on  the  same  piece  at  right  angles  to  each  other  each  take  a  different  polish. 
One  becomes  quite  even  and  of  a  uniformly  bright  luster;  the  other  uneven,  on  account  of  numerous  small  pitting?,  so 
that  it  appears  as  if  covered  with  pin  pricks.  Their  origin  can  not  be  determined  with  certainty,  but  I  think  that  they 
are  due  to  the  breaking  out  of  small  particles  of  schreibersite  in  the  process  of  polishing.  If  this  is  the  case  it  would 
indicate  a  definite  orientation  of  the  schreibersite  particles. 

Analysis  by  Fahrenhorst: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Or  C  P  S  Cl 

91.62        7.34        1.01        0.04        0.01        0.06        0.52        0.01        0.01    =100.62 

Composition : 

Nickel-iron 96.  59 

Schreibersite 3.  36 

Daubreelite 0.  03 

Lawrencite 0.  02 

The  variable  and  always  low  specific  gravity  (7.288-7.506)  can  be  accounted  for  only  by  the  supposition  that  there 
were  cavities  in  the  interior  of  the  piece. 

The  meteorite  is  almost  wholly  (23,640  grams)  preserved  in  the  Yale  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1887:  FISHER  and  KUNZ.     Description  of  an  iron  meteorite  from  St.  Croix  County,  Wisconsin.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  34,  pp.  381-383.     (Illustration  of  the  iron,  an  etching,  and  an  analysis.) 

2.  1893:  BREZINA.    TJeber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nurnberg),  p.  166. 

3.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  289. 

4.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien  XI.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  15,  pp.  355-359. 

5.  1904:  KLEIN.    Berlin  Sammlung.    Sitzber.  Berlin  Akad.,  p.  151. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  406-410. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  221 

HARRISON  COUNTY. 
Indiana. 

Latitude  38°  2<X  N.,  longitude  86°  W  W. 

Stone.    Howarditic  chondrite  (Cho)  of  Brezina;  Montrejite  (type  38,  subtype  1)  of  Meunier. 
Fell  4  p.  m.  March  28,  1859;  described  1859. 
Four  stones  whose  total  weight  was  700  grams  (1.5  Ibs.). 

This  fall  has  been  almost  wholly  described  by  Smith  *  as  follows: 

Having  become  acquainted  with  a  remarkable  phenomenon  accompanied  with  a  fall  of  stones  that  occurred  in 
Harrison  County,  Indiana,  I  immediately  made  inquiries  concerning  it,  expecting  to  visit  the  neighborhood  on  an 
early  occasion;  but  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  learn  of  some  admirable  observations  made  by  Mr.  E.  S.  Crosier,  and  in 
fact  so  complete  were  his  examinations  that  I  clearly  saw  no  additional  information  could  be  elicited  by  my  resorting 
to  the  spot.  Mr.  Crosier  obtained  for  me  the  various  stones  that  had  been  found,  and  also  put  himself  to  much  trouble 
to  obtain  the  information  desired.  The  stones  fell  on  Monday,  March  28,  1859,  and  Mr.  Crosier  visited  the  place  on 
the  Saturday  following;  in  the  meantime  the  following  stones  were  discovered: 

,     1,  weighing    19     ounces,  discovered  by  Goldsmith. 

2,  "  4. 5  ounces,  "  Crawford. 

3,  "          420     grains,  "  Lamb. 

4,  "          167     grains,  "  Mrs.  Kelly. 
The  following  are  the  facts  elicited  by  inquiry  on  the  spot: 

The  time  at  which  this  fall  occurred  (4  p.  m.)  rendered  it  readily  observable.  The  area  of  observation  was  about 
4  miles  square,  and  wherever  persons  were  about  in  that  area  the  stones  were  heard  hissing  in  the  air  and  then  striking 
on  the  ground  or  among  the  trees. 

Hardly  a  single  person  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  occurrence  saw  any  flash  or  blaze,  as  was  noticed  by  all  who 
heard  the  report  from  a  distance. 

Three  or  four  loud  reports  like  the  bursting  of  bomb  shells  were  the  first  intimations  of  anything  unusual.  A  number 
of  smaller  reports  followed,  resembling  the  bursting  of  stones  in  a  limekiln.  The  stones  were  seen  to  fall  after  the  first 
four  loud  explosions.  Those  who  happened  to  be  in  the  woods  or  near  them  heard  the  stones  distinctly  striking  among 
the  trees.  In  some  places  the  noise  of  the  falling  stones  in  the  woods  alarmed  the  cattle  and  horses  in  the  vicinity  so 
that  they  fled  in  terror.  A  peculiar  hissing  noise  during  the  fall  of  the  stones  was  clearly  heard  for  miles  around.  A 
very  intelligent  lady  described  it  as  very  much  like  the  sound  produced  by  pouring  water  upon  hot  stones.  The  air 
seemed  as  if  all  at  once  it  had  become  filled  with  thousands  of  hissing  serpents. 

Mr.  Crawford  and  his  wife  were  standing  in  their  yard  at  the  time  and  hearing  a  loud  hissing  sound  overhead,  on 
looking  up  a  stone  (No.  2)  was  seen  to  fall  just  before  them,  burying  itself  4  inches  in  the  ground.  They  dug  it  up 
immediately  but  it  did  not  possess  any  warmth;  it  had  a  sulphurous  smell.  Another,  which  they  did  not  find,  fell  near 
them,  when  they  thought  it  prudent  to  retire  to  the  house. 

Two  sons  of  John  Lamb  were  in  the  barnyard  attending  to  their  horses  when  their  attention  was  called  to  a  loud 
hissing  noise  above,  and  immediately  a  stone  (No.  3)  fell  just  at  their  feet,  penetrating  the  hard  tramped  earth  some  3 
or  4  inches,  and  they  state  that  it  was  warm  when  taken  from  the  ground.  Another  fell  in  a  peach  tree  near  by  but 
the  ground  being  newly  plowed  they  were  unable  to  find  it.  The  largest  stone  (No.  1)  was  not  obtained  until  the 
following  day,  being  dug  up  beside  a  horse  track  on  the  streets  of  Buena  Vista,  Indiana.  It  had  penetrated  the  hard 
gravel  to  the  depth  of  4  or  5  inches.  It  had  a  strong  smell  of  sulphur.  The  last  (No.  4)  was  dug  up  by  Mrs.  Kelly 
the  following  day  in  her  yard. 

These  four  aerolites,  owing  to  their  being  buried  deeply  in  the  ground,  are  all  that  have  been  found.  None  have 
been  found  or  were  heard  to  fall  over  a  greater  area  than  4  miles  square.  Noe.  1,  2,  and  3  and  a  fragment  of  No.  4  were 
placed  in  my  hands  for  examination. 

Nos.  1,  2,  and  4  were  cuboidal  in  shape,  while  No.  3  was  considerably  elongated;  they  are  all  covered  by  a  very 
black  vitrified  surface,  equally  intense  on  even'  one  and  on  every  part  of  each  one,  and  when  broken  showed  the  usual 
gray  color  of  stony  meteorites  interspersed  with  bright  metallic  particles.  The  mean  specific  gravity  is  3.465;  when 
broken  up  and  examined  under  a  glass  four  substances  are  distinguishable:  Metallic  particles,  dark  glassy  mineral, 
dark  dull  mineral,  white  mineral  matter.  Examined  as  a  whole  the  following  elements  were  found  in  it:  Iron,  nickel, 
cobalt,  copper,  phosphorus,  sulphur,  silicon,  calicon,  aluminum,  magnesium,  manganese,  sodium,  potassium,  and 
oxygen.  By  the  action  of  the  magnet  it  was  separated  into  nickeliferous  iron,  4.91,  and  earthy  minerals,  95.09.  The 
earthy  minerals,  acted  on  by  warm  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  thrown  on  a  filter  and  thoroughly  washed,  then  treated 
with  dilute  caustic  potash  to  dissolve  any  silica  of  the  decomposed  portion  that  was  not  dissolved  by  the  acid,  gave: 
Soluble  portion,  62.49;  insoluble  portion,  37.51. 

The  metallic  portion  separated  from  the  earthy  part  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P  S 

86.781        13.241        0.342        0.036        0.026        0.022    =100.44 


222  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  earthy  portion  freed  from  metal  gave: 

Silica 47.06 

Oxyd  iron 26. 05 

Magnesia 27.  61 

Alumina 2. 35 

Lime 0. 81 

Soda 0.42 

Potash 0.68 

Protoxide  of  manganese Trace. 

Composition: 

Nickeliferous  iron 4. 989 

Schreibersite 009 

Magnetic  pyrites 001 

Chrysolite 61.000 

Pyroxene  and  albite 34.  000 

Only  300  grams  of  the  stones  are  accounted  for  in  collections,  of,  which  Harvard  has  85 
grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1859:  SMITH.    Account  of  several  meteoric  stones  which  fell  in  Harrison  County,  Indiana,  March  28,  1859.    Amer. 
Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  28,  pp.  409-411.     (Analysis.) 


Hartford.    See  Marion. 

Hastings  County.    See  Madoc. 

Haviland.     See  Brenham. 


HAYDEN  CREEK. 

Lemhi  County,  Idaho. 

Latitude  44°  56'  N.,  longitude  113°  407  W.  (Berwerth);  latitude  45°  O7  N.,  longitude  113°  45'  W. 

(Ward). 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1895;  described  1900. 
Weight,  270  grams  (9.5  oz.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Hidden 1  as  follows: 

The  mass  of  coarsely  crystallized  iron  here  described  was  first  brought  to  my  notice  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Parfet,  of  Sal- 
mon City,  Idaho.  In  a  letter  dated  October  3,  1895,  he  described  its  discovery  as  follows:  "The  piece  of  supposed 
meteoric  iron,  when  first  found,  was  just  twice  the  size  of  the  part  I  send  you.  It  was  kidney-shaped,  and  in  that 
condition  would  have  been  much  more  valuable  (interesting),  but  the  prospector  who  found  it  in  the  bottom  of  a 
12-foot  shaft  on  Hayden  Creek,  Lemhi  County,  Idaho,  just  above  the  United  States  agency  ground,  while  prospecting 
for  placer  gold,  wondered  what  he  had  found  and  went  to  work  on  it  with  a  4-pound  hammer.  This  he  kept  up  at  odd 
times  for  weeks  'while  in  camp,  and  the  first  time  he  came  down  to  the  Agency  shop,  he  laid  it  upon  the  lap  of  the 
anvil  and  with  a  14-pound  hammer  succeeded  in  bending  it  in  one  way,  then  turned  it  over  and  bent  it  the  other  way; 
this  he  kept  up  until  he  broke  it  in  two.  Finding  it  was  not  a  nugget  of  gold,  he  had  no  further  use  for  it,  and  I  got 
it  from  him  for  a  trifle.  *  *  *  At  the  time  it  was  broken,  the  metal  showed  at  the  point  of  fracture  to  be  almost 
silver  white  and  was  quite  pretty,  but  time  has  oxidized  it  considerably,  and  it  has  lost  its  luster." 

The  above  account  sets  forth  the  history  of  the  smaller  half  of  this  meteorite.  Since  I  recognized  it  at  sight  as 
true  meteoric  iron,  and  it  was  realized  that  half  of  it  was  missing  and  probably  in  unappreciative  hands,  I  at  once 
began  an  inquiry  for  the  missing  part.  After  many  months'  search,  it  was  traced  to  the  mineral  cabinet  of  Mr.  Don 
McGuire,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah;  and  was,  after  much  correspondence,  secured  by  the  writer.  It  is  now  intact,  and 
has  not  as  yet  been  analyzed  or  very  critically  studied.  Its  weight  is  about  9.5  ounces,  and  it  gives  evidence  of  being 
rich  in  ferrous  chloride  (lawrenceite). 

The  length  of  the  mass,  with  the  two  pieces  placed  together  as  closely  as  possible,  is  78  mm.  Its  greatest  width 
is  33  mm.  and  its  greatest  thickness  20  mm.  It  weighs  270  grams  as  a  whole. 

No  other  member  of  this  "fall"  has  as  yet  been  found,  though  the  miners  working  in  the  neighborhood  of  its  dis- 
covery have  for  several  years  been  on  the  lookout  for  them  in  all  the  gravel  workings. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed:  Chicago,  51  grams;  Ward,  42  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

L  1900:  HIDDEN.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  9,  pp.  367-368.     (Cut  of  etched  surface.) 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  223 

HENDERSONVILLE. 

Henderson  County,  North  Carolina. 
Latitude  35°  197  N.,  longitude  82°  28'  W. 
Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1901;  described  1904. 
Weight,  6  kgs.  (13  Ibe.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Glenn  *  as  follows: 

In  the  spring  of  1903,  Dr.  W.  H.  Jarman,  of  Nashville,  added  to  the  Jarman  collection  in  geology  at  Vanderbilt 
University  a  stony  meteorite  which  had  been  presented  to  him  by  Capt.  C.  F.  Toms,  of  Henderson ville,  North  Caro- 
lina, who  gives  the  following  facts,  which  contain  all  the  information  obtainable  as  to  the  time,  place,  and  circum- 
stances of  the  fall  or  find. 

"About  the  year  1876,  when  I  was  quite  a  boy,  a  meteor  passed  over  this  town  from  east  to  west.  My  father 
describes  it  as  being  as  large  as  a  'wash  pot,'  and  it  appeared  to  break  into  three  pieces  near  the  spot  where  this  piece 
came  from.  It  was  very  bright,  lighting  up  the  whole  country  and  exploded  with  a  great  roar  like  a  cannon.  In 
1901,  Wm.  Corn,  a  citizen  living  near  the  place,  about  3  miles  northwest  of  Henderson  ville,  brought  this  piece  to  us, 
and  we  recognized  what  it  was.  He  found  it  in  what  is  known  as  the  country  home  for  the  aged  and  infirm,  prob- 
ably on  the  land  belonging  to  it." 

The  meteorite  as  received  at  Vanderbilt  University  weighed  11  pounds  and  6  ounces.  The  original  weight,  how- 
ever, had  been  perhaps  2  pounds  greater  than  this,  as  two  pieces  had  been  broken  off.  From  one  comer  a  large 
piece  was  missing,  and  from  another  a  small  flake  had  been  removed.  Concerning  these  pieces,  Capt.  Toms  says, 
"The  pieces  broken  off  were  used  to  make  an  assay  (which  has  been  lost),  and  therefore  can  not  be  had." 

The  shape  of  the  mass  was  somewhat  cubical,  though  one  face  of  the  quasi  cube  was  considerably  modified  by  an 
irregular  portion  projecting  above  it.  The  exact  shape  of  this  projecting  portion  can  not  now  be  ascertained,  as  from 
it  had  been  taken  the  larger  of  the  two  fragments  already  referred  to.  When  resting  on  a  face  that  may  very  con- 
veniently be  regarded  as  the  base,  it  stands  6J  inches  high,  is  5}  inches  wide  and  5.5  inches  thick.  Its  extreme  diag- 
onal length  is  8  inches.  The  edges  are  all  either  gently  or  acutely  rounded.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  surface  is 
smooth  and  nearly  flat,  while  the  rest  of  the  surface  is  covered  with  irregular,  shallow  pittings  or  undulations. 

The  underlying  surface  color  is  almost  black,  but  it  is  generally  obscured  by  rust-colored  areas  due  to  weathering. 
On  broken  surfaces  it  is  seen  that  weathering  has  produced  a  rust-colored  layer  a  thirty -second  to  a  sixteenth  of  an  inch 
thick  over  most  of  the  surface.  While  there  are  no  cracks  in  the  mass,  yet  the  interior  shows  that  weathering  influences 
have  made  themselves  felt,  to  some  extent  at  least,  through  probably  the  entire  mass.  Freshly  broken  surfaces  show 
a  very  dark  gray  mass  with  many  minute  rust-colored  specks  and  numerous  small  masses  of  metallic  luster  and  either 
a  gray  or  a  light  pyritic  yellow  color. 

A  piece  weighing  1.5  pounds  was  removed  and  retained,  and  the  rest  of  the  mass  was  given  in  exchange  to  the 
United  States  National  Museum,  and  Prof.  G.  P.  Merrill  will  doubtless  soon  publish  a  description  of  the  mineralogical 
and  other  characters  of  the  stone.  The  fall  is  new  and  adds  one  more  to  the  already  considerable  list  of  meteorites 
known  from  North  Carolina. 

Merrill's  *  account  was  as  follows: 

All  the  information  available  concerning  the  fall,  the  finding,  and  general  appearance  of  the  stone  here  described 
was  given  by  Prof.  L.  C.  Glenn  more  than  two  years  ago,  with  the  expectation  at  that  time  that  the  paper  here  given 
would  shortly  follow.  Through  various  causes  the  matter  has  been  delayed  until  the  present. 

According  to  Professor  Glenn,  the  stone  undoubtedly  fell  in  or  about  1876,  but  none  of  it  was  found  until  1901. 
The  mass,  as  received  by  him,  weighed  11  pounds  and  6  ounces  (5.17  kg.),  but  the  original  weight  was  considered  as 
probably  some  2  pounds  greater,  two  pieces  having  been  broken  off  and  used  in  making  an  assay.  The  total  weight 
of  the  original  was,  then,  probably  not  far  from  6  kg.  The  shape  of  the  mass  is  shown  in  a  plate,  being  the  stone 
as  received  by  Professor  Glenn.  Resting  on  its  base,  the  stone  is  very  nearly  cubical,  the  dimensions  being  15.5 
by  15  by  14  cm.  It  is  firm  and  hard,  without  cracks,  notwithstanding  its  long  exposure,  though  considerably  rusted 
throughout  the  interior. 

In  structure  the  stone  is  kugel  chondritic  and  under  the  microscope  presents,  so  far  as  observed,  no  very  unusual 
features.  Two  pyroxenes,  enstatite  and  a  monoclinic  form,  and  olivine  make  up  the  silicate  portion,  with  the  usual 
sulphides  and  metallic  portion.  The  general  microstructure  of  the  stone  is  shown  in  a  plate.  The  "kugels"  of  radi- 
ating and  cryptocrystalline  enstatites  are  of  a  gray  color  and  sharply  differentiated  from  the  groundmass,  though  usually 
breaking  with  it.  Chondri  of  the  ordinary  porphyritic  enstatite  and  olivine  type  are  common,  also  of  the  grate  and 
barred  type  of  the  latter  mineral.  The  groundmaes  consists  of  an  aggregate  of  olivines,  enstatites,  and  augites,  with 
the  customary  sprinkling  of  metallic  iron.  No  true  glass  was  observed.  As  usual,  the  monoclinic  pyroxene  is  of  much 
the  same  general  appearance  as  the  enstatite,  but  readily  distinguished  therefrom  by  its  inclined  though  low  angle 
(18°-25°)  of  extinction.  The  structure  as  a  whole  is  much  confused,  a  feature  common  to  stones  of  this  class. 

The  most  interesting  feature  is  the  presence  of  occasional  small  areas  like  that  shown  in  a  plate.  This,  under  a 
low  power,  has  all  the  appearance  of  a  fragment  of  clastic  rock  composed  of  rounded  and  irregular  particles,  all  of 
the  same  mineralogical  nature  (in  this  case  olivine),  embedded  in  a  cement  seemingly  irresolvable  but  showing 
polarizing  points.  Under  as  high  a  power  as  the  thickness  of  the  section  warrants  using  this  interstitial  material 
is  seen  to  polarize  faintly  and  to  have  a  granular  to  fibrous  structure.  In  some  instances  indistinct  finger-like 
prolongations  extend  out  from  the  borders  of  the  granules  into  the  interstices.  The  structure  is  not  at  all  that  of 


224  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

minerals  crystallizing  freely  from  a  molten  magma,  but  is  suggestive  of  a  partial  recrystallization  of  fine  detrital 
material,  as  seen  in  sundry  metamorphic  schists.  The  same  feature  is  shown  in  the  fine  interstitial  portions  of  another 
figure  of  the  same  plate.  It  is  practically  impossible  to  cut  sections  thin  enough  to  enable  one  to  write  as  definitely 
as  desirable,  but  the  structure  in  both  these  cases  is  strongly  suggestive  of  that  seen  in  the  meteorite  of  Keraouve, 
France,  and  which  F.  Rinne,  following  Tschermak,  regards  as  due  to  a  mechanical  trituration  and  resintering  from  a 
subsequent  elevation  of  temperature. 

The  chemical  composition  of  the  stone,  as  worked  out  by  Mr.  Tassin,  is  as  follows: 

The  portion  taken  for  analysis  was  badly  oxidized.  It  was  therefore  kept  for  sometime  at  a  temperature  below 
red  heat  in  an  atmosphere  of  hydrogen. 

The  nickel  iron  was  determined  in  a  portion  of  the  mass  weighing  2.100  grams.  This  was  pulverized  and  treated 
with  a  solution  of  mercuric  ammonium  chloride  (12  grams  of  the  double  salt,  HgCl2.2NH4C1.2H2O,  to  the  liter)  in  an 
atmosphere  of  hydrogen.  The  native  metals  thus  separated  were  in  the  following  proportions: 

Found  (per  cent).        Calculated  to  100. 

Fe 2.37  91.51 

Ni 0.21  8.11 

Co 0.01  0.38 

The  sulphur  was  determined  in  a  1.01-gram  sample  after  fusion  with  sodium  carbonate  and  potassium  nitrite. 
The  amount  found  was  1.61  per  cent,  which  corresponds  to  4.43  per  cent  of  troilite.  The  phosphorus  iras  determined 
in  d  1.5235-gram  sample,  and  0.012  per  cent  was  found,  which  corresponds  to  0.08  per  cent  of  schreibersite. 

The  separation  of  the  silicates  was  effected  in  a  2.63-gram  fragment  by  treating  the  finely  pulverized  mass  with 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  specific  gravity  1.06,  on  the  water  bath  for  two  hours,  repeating  this  operation  twice,  fol- 
lowed by  boiling  the  moist  residue  of  undecomposed  silicate  with  a  solution  of  sodium  carbonate,  since  the  major  part 
of  the  silica  of  the  soluble  silicate  will  be  here  found. 
The  analysis  of  the  soluble  silicate  gave: 

.    Found  (per  cent).          Calculated  to  100. 

SiO2 15.66  38.34 

FeO 9.44  23.10 

A1203 0.20  0.49 

Cr203 0.03  0.07 

CaO 0.15  0.36 

MgO 15.38  37.46 

3L  86  100.  00 

The  insoluble  silicates,  analysis  below,  were  decomposed  by  fusion  with  sodium  carbonate.  The  alkalies  were 
determined  in  a  separate  portion. 

Found  (per  cent).         Calculated  to  100. 

SiO2 30.40  56.01 

FeO 4.89  9.01 

ALj03 2.00  3.68 

Cr303 0.20  0.37 

CaO L98  3.65 

MgO 13.24  2439 

KjO 0.10  0.18 

Na20 0.  96  L  77 

Chromite 0.51  0.94 


54.  28  100.  00 

The  general  composition  of  the  meteorite  may  be  arrived  at  by  combining  the  results  of  the  several  determinations 
thus: 

Fe 2.37 

Ni a  21 

Co 0.01 

S L61 

P a  012 

Si02 46.  06 

FeO •. 14.33 

ALA 2.  20- 

Cr203 a  23 

CaO 2. 13 

MgO 28.62 

a  10 

0.  96 

Residue  (chromite) 0.  51 

99.352 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  225 

From  these  several  analyses  it  is  possible  to  arrive  at  the  following  approximation  of  the  relative  quantities  of  the 
different  constituents: 

Nickel  iron 2. 59 

Troilite 4.43 

Schreibersite 08 

Chromite 80 

Olivine 40.48 

Pyroxenes 5L  62 

100.00 

In  the  above  the  amount  of  the  nickel  iron  is  given  as  directly  determined.  The  sulphide  and  phosphide  of  iron 
are  calculated  from  the  amount  of  sulphur  and  phosphorus  found;  the  chromite  is  similarly  calculated.  The  soluble 
silicate  is  regarded  as  divine;  the  insoluble  silicate  as  being  largely  enstatite,  with  some  augite. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  U.  S  National  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1904:  GLENN.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  p.  215. 

2.  1907:  MERRILL.    Notes  on  the  composition  and  structure  of  the  Hendersonville,  North  Carolina,  meteorite.    Proc. 

U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  vol.  32,  pp.  79-82.    (Two  plates;  analysis  by  Tassin.) 


Henry  County,  1889.    See  Hopper. 
Henry  County,  1857.    See  Locust  Grove. 


HEREDIA. 

San  Jos6,  Costa  Rica,  Central  America. 

Latitude  10°  2/  N.,  longitude  84°  W. 

Stone.    Brecciated  spherical  chondrite  (Ccb)  of  Brezina;  Canellite  (type  48)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  at  night,  April  1,  1857;  described  1859. 

Weight:  Several  stones  of  which  one  weighed  1  kg.    Assignable  weight,  707  grams  (1.5  Ibe.). 

The  original  description  of  this  meteorite,  presumably  by  Domeyko,*  the  present  writer 
has  been  unable  to  consult.  The  following  account  was  given  by  Buchner:8 

Several  stones  of  considerable  size  resulted  from  this  fall,  which  was  preceded  by  a  swiftly  moving  fireball  and  a 
loud  detonation. 

The  stone  is  covered  with  a  thin  black  crust,  which  ia  not  distinguishable  from  the  inner  substance  which  is  gray 
and  appears  to  contain  much  graphite  in  flat,-  thin  flakes.  It  is  very  compact  and  contains  shining  globules  of  metallic 
iron. 

Analysis  (Domeyko): 

A.  The  magnetic  portion  (26.1  per  cent): 

Fe         NI 
94. 2        5. 7        =99. 

B.  Nonmagnetic  portion  (73.9  per  cent): 

SiO,       AljO,        FeO         NaO         KO         CaO       MgO 

Soluble 33.6        30.9        0.1        35. 1  (with  some  Ni  and  MnO)=  99. 7 

Insoluble 56.7         3.5          14.5          2.3          0.1          3.2        19. 6  (with  0.13  chromite)        =100. 03 

Minera logical  composition: 

Nickel  iron 26. 1 

Olivine 38. 1 

Oligoclase 6.4 

Augite 29.4 

To  which  add  magnetic  pyrites  and  a  phosphide,  with  chromite,  not  over  0.002  of  the  whole. 

Brezina  5  remarks  that  the  Tubingen  piece  resembles  Cgb  and  is  very  rusty. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Gottingen  having  the  largest  piece  (422  grams). 
716°— 15 15 


226  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1859:  HARRIS.    Dissert.  GSttingen,  pp.  99-100.    (As  established  in  Costa  Rica,  August  1,  1858.) 

2.  1859:  DOMEYKO.    Annales  Univ.  Chile,  1859,  p.  325. 

3.  1863:  BUCHNER.  Meteoriten,  pp.  93-94. 

4.  1858-1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  6,  p.  455;  No.  9,  pp.  162,  171,  180;  No.  11,  pp.  294  and  301;  No.  12,  p.  454; 

No.  24,  p.  228;  and  No.  25,  pp.  422,  427,  431,  and  608. 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  190  and  233. 

6.  1895:  BKEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  257. 


Highland  County.    See  Pricetown. 


HOLLANDS  STORE. 

Chattooga  County,  Georgia. 

Here  also  Chatooga  County. 

Latitude  34°  22'  N.,  longitude  85°  26'  W. 

Iron.    Brecciated  hexahedrite  (Hb)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1887;  described  1887. 

Weight,  12.5  kgs.  (27  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Kunz  1  as  follows : 

This  mass  of  meteoric  iron  was  found  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Fox,  about  March  27, 1887,  on  his  farm  in  Hollands  Store,  Chat- 
tooga County,  Georgia.  In  all  27  pounds  (12.5  kg.)  were  found,  but  the  mass  fell  into  the  hands  of  parties  from  Alabama 
who  were  interested  in  developing  iron  mines,  and  was  broken  in  pieces,  three  of  which,  weighing  9, 1.5,  and  0.5  pounds 
respectively,  came  into  my  possession,  while  the  balance  were  worked  into  nails,  horseshoes,  and  other  forms  by  the 
local  blacksmiths.  It  is  one  of  the  "Hexaedrische  Eisen"  of  Brezina,  with  twinning  laminae  No.  60,  and  one  of  the 
Caillite  group  of  Meunier.  The  specific  gravity  as  obtained  by  me  is  7.615. 

The  smaller  of  the  Whitfield  County  masses  was  found  20  miles  northeast,  and  the  larger  mass  14  miles  northeast,  of 
Dalton,  while  this  was  found  30  miles  southwest  of  Dalton.  The  fracture  is  in  part  granular,  resembling  in  this  respect 
the  Seelasgen  iron.  But  the  cleavage  is  in  some  parts  very  marked,  and  the  two  cleavage  angles  measured  were  120°. 
In  breaking  up  the  iron  four  cleavage  planes  were  obtained,  one  of  the  surfaces  being  2  cm.  squaie  and  two  others  3  cm. 
square  each,  which  were  very  smooth  and  bright.  On  etching  with  weak  nitric  acid  the  iron  turned  dark  and  markings 
became  visible  that  had  all  the  appearance  of  scratches  due  to  imperfect  polishing.  In  fact  they  were  at  first  mistaken 
for  scratches,  and  the  iron  was  twice  repolished.  In  this  respect,  and  in  its  hardness  it  very  closely  resembles  the  Butcher 
irons.  They  are  the  Neumann  figures,  a  result  of  a  twinning  of  the  cube  described  by  Tschermak.  The  iron  was  then 
treated  with  strong  nitric  acid  and  evenly  dissolved  away,  with  the  exception  of  the  eating  out  of  one  of  the  layers 
parallel  with  the  cleavage  face  and  undoubtedly  the  same  with  it.  It  has  included  round  masses  of  troilite  distributed 
quite  plentifully  through  it,  from  3  to  8  mm.  in  diameter,  and  on  polishing  down  the  side  of  the  iron  these  were  found 
BO  much  altered  as  to  be  scarcely  distinguished  as  such,  rather  resembling  compact  limonite.  Lawrencite,  chloride 
of  iron,  is  very  plentiful  in  this  iron  and  collected  in  large  drops  on  the  surface  and  rolled  off  into  the  tray  containing 
the  specimen. 

The  following  analyses  were  kindly  furnished  by  Mr.  J.  Edward  Whitfield,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey: 


Fe.  .              .... 

1               2 

....  94.  67        94.66 

3 
94.60 

Ni  

4.97 

Co.        .  .           

.21 

P  

.207 

99.  987 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  largest  piece  received  is  7.801. 
There  is  a  very  slight  trace  of  S  and  C  but  hardly  enough  to  determine. 

This  iron  does  not  bear  the  slightest  resemblance  to  either  of  the  Whitfield  County,  Georgia,  irons,  and  is  a  white 
iron,  whereas  the  Walker  County,  Alabama,  iron  has  a  bluish  cast  and  was  found  over  100  miles  due  east. 

Huntington 2  included  Hollands  Store  with  Sancha  Estate,  Fort  Duncan,  and  Scotts- 
ville  as  one  fall. 

Fletcher  s  remarked  that  the  character  of  fracture  upon  which  Huntington  based  this  view 
is  insufficient  for  such  a  conclusion. 

Meunier 4  described  the  iron,  as  very  compact,  and  stated  that  the  presence  of  nickel  is 
doubtful,  and  that  it  shows  no  figures  on  etching. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  227 

• 

Brezina  5  classed  the  iron  as  a  brecciated  hexahedrite  and  described  it  as  follows: 

The  surface  is  smoothed  off  by  weathering,  yet  the  interior  is  still  fresh.  The  grains  vary  in  size  from  extreme 
fineness  to  10  cm.  in  diameter.  The  individual  grains  under  the  glass,  besides  unitary  Neumann  lines  running  through 
them,  frequently  show  a  fine  granular  composition.  The  double  structure  recurs  also  on  a  large  scale,  since  blades 
of  rhabdite  arranged  in  planes  run  undistorted  through  all  the  grains.  On  account  of  the  interior  binding  together 
of  jagged,  interlocking  grains,  the  whole  iron  makes  the  impression  of  an  immense  kamacite  lamella.  In  one  part  of 
the  iron  occur  grains  of  magnetite  of  the  size  of  mustard  seeds  or  hazelnuts. 

Cohen  8  described  the  structure  and  gave  an  analysis  as  follows: 

The  structure  varies  BO  that  on  one  end  of  the  mass  there  is  a  fine-grained  aggregate;  then  come  large,  isolated 
grains,  and  finally  unitary  hexahedrites  inlaid  with  small  isolated  grains.  The  smaller  grains  are  as  a  rule  rounded, 
irregular,  and  of  varied  form;  every  part  shows  the  same  oriented  luster.  The  Neumann  lines  and  pittinga  are  very 
distinct.  Under  the  microscope,'  many  grains  show  a  fine  network  of  hair-like  cracks,  which  must  be  regarded  as  a 
sort  of  fracture  phenomenon,  since  the  luster  remains  peculiar.  In  others  are  found  tiny  dark  inclusions;  it  is  this, 
doubtless,  which  constitutes  the  granular  character  mentioned  by  Brezina.  Besides  fine  rhabdites  there  are  also  a 
few  large  schreibersites  surrounded  with  a  small  smooth  etched  zone. 

Analysis  (Zaubitzer): 

Fe           Ni          Co          Cu          Or           S            P            C       Residue 
93.06        5.35        1.00        0.23        0.08        0.31        0.08        =100.11' 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  Vienna  collection  possessing  the  largest  quantity,  2,157 
grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1887:  KUNZ.    On  some  American  meteorites. — 2:  The  Chattooga  County,  Georgia,  meteorite.    Amer.  Jburn.  Sci., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  34,  pp.  471-472.    (Illustrations;  analysis  by  Whitfield.) 

2.  1889:  HUNTINGTON.    Proc.  American  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  24,  p.  34. 

3.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral  Mag.,  vol.  9,  p.  106. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Envision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  p.  76. 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  292-293. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  III,  pp.  239-240. 


HOMESTEAD. 

Iowa  County,  Iowa. 

Here  also  Amana,  Iowa  County,  Marengo,  Sherlock,  and  West  Liberty. 

Latitude  41°  45'  N.,  longitude  91°  53'  W. 

Stone.    Brecciated  gray  chondrite  (Cgb),  of  Brezina;  Limerickite  (type  38,  subtype  2),  of 

Meunier. 

Fell  10.15  p.  m.,  February  12, 1875;  described  1875. 
Weight,  210  kgs.  (460  Ibs.). 

The  first  scientific  mention  of  this  great  meteoric  fall  seems  to  have  been  in  the  American 
Journal  of  Science  for  May,  1875,1  where  it  is  stated  that  a  meteor  fell  in  Iowa  on  the  night  of 
February  12,  with  loud  detonations.  The  principal  portion  of  the  fragments  from  the  stone 
are  stated  to  have  been  secured  for  the  Iowa  State  University  by  Professor  Leonard.  A  pre- 
liminary examination  of  the  gases  of  the  meteorite  by  Professor  Wright 2  was  reported  in  the 
next  (June)  issue  of  the  Journal  as  follows: 

By  the  courtesy  of  President  Thacher,  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  the  writer  has  received  some  fragments 
of  this  meteorite,  an  examination  of  which  has  yielded  some  very  interesting  results.  The  meteorite  is  of  the  stony 
kind,  containing  numerous  small  grains  of  metallic  iron,  and  not  greatly  differing  in  appearance  from  others  of  its 
class. 

A  quantity  of  the  iron,  having  been  separated,  was  found  to  contain  several  times  its  volume  of  gaseous  sub- 
stances, much  of  which  it  yielded  on  a  very  moderate  elevation  of  temperature.  The  spectroscope  plainly  indicated 
the  predominance  of  carbon  compounds,  and  an  analysis  showed  that  very  nearly  one-half  of  the  gas  was  made  up  of 
the  two  oxides  of  that  element,  the  approximate  percentages  being  CO2,  35;  CO,  14;  the  two  together,  49  per  cent. 
The  residue  consisted  largely  of  hydrogen,  but  the  exact  proportion  was  not  determined.  These  relations  show  a 
marked  difference  between  the  iron  and  the  stony  meteorites  as  to  their  gaseous  contents,  as  in  the  former  the  hydrogen 
is  most  abundant,  while  in  the  latter  the  oxides  of  carbon  are  the  characteristic  constituents. 

The  spectrum  of  the  gases  at  a  few  millimeters  pressure  gave  the  carbon  bands  very  brilliantly,  the  hydrogen 
lines  being  comparatively  weak  and  inconspicuous,  though  at  a  very  low  pressure  they  become  relatively  stronger. 
The  brightest  carbon  bands  were  the  three  in  the  green  and  blue,  the  red  one  being  much  feebler.  Now  these  are 
precisely  the  ones  most  conspicuous  in  the  spectra  of  some  of  the  comets,  and  this  fact  is  a  remarkable  confirmation  of 
the  received  theorv  as  to  the  meteoric  character  of  these  bodies. 


228  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

In  the  next  (July,  1895)  number  of  the  Journal  a  further  account  of  the  examination  was 
given  by  Wright,3  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  fell,  on  the  date  above  mentioned,  in  Iowa  County,  in  the  State  of  Iowa.  By  the  agency  of  Prof. 
N.  R.  Leonard,  of  the  Iowa  State  University,  a  large  amount  of  the  meteoric  mass  was  collected,  and  from  him,  by 
the  courtesy  of  President  Thacher  of  the  same  institution,  a  number  of  fragments  were  received  by  the  writer  for  an 
examination,  of  which  a  brief  notice  waa  published  in  the  preceding  number  of  this  journal.  A  description  of  the 
meteorite,  and  of  the  circumstances  which  attended  its  fall,  by  Professor  Leonard,  will  be  given  in  the  next  number 
of  the  journal. 

The  meteorite  is  of  the  stony  kind,  not  greatly  differing  in  its  general  appearance  from  others  of  the  same  class. 
Numerous  small  grains  of  metallic  iron  and  of  the  magnetic  sulphide  of  iron,  or  troilite,  are  scattered  through  the  mass, 
the  iron  grains  ranging  in  size  from  the  finest  particles,  like  mere  powder,  to  those  of  the  size  of  a  fig  seed,  with 
occasionally  one  as  large  as  a  grape  seed. 

Among  the  fragments  received  there  are  some  which  show  distinct  evidences  of  a  sort  of  lamination  or  imperfect 
stratification,  the  portions  at  which  the  surfaces  separated  being  smoothed  down,  as  if  by  pressure  or  friction.  Sev- 
eral minute  veins  are  visible,  which  appear  to  be  filled  with  material  of  somewhat  different  constitution.  Their  rela- 
tion to  the  general  mass  can  not  be  distinctly  made  out,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  indicate  anything  more  than 
that  cracks  formed  in  the  mass  while  cooling,  and  that  the  fissures  thus  formed  were  filled  up  again,  perhaps  by  the 
still  fluid  matter  from  the  interior.  They  seem  to  indicate  that  the  mass  of  which  the  meteorite  probably  once  formed 
a  part  was  of  great  size. 

The  recent  investigations  of  Professors  Newton,  Schiaparelli,  Oppolzer,  and  others,  in  respect  to  some  of  the  great 
meteoric  streams,  have  resulted,  on  the  one  hand,  in  establishing  the  identity  of  their  orbits  with  those  of  certain  well- 
known  comets,  and  on  the  other,  in  showing  that  the  bodies  belonging  to  these  streams  are  probably  of  the  same  nature 
as  the  sporadic  or  occasional  meteorites.  It  seemed  probable,  therefore,  that  an  examination  of  the  gases  yielded  by 
a  freshly  fallen  meteorite  would  be  likely  to  furnish  important  information  respecting  the  tails  of  comets,  and  these 
anticipations  were  found  to  be  not  unwarranted  by  the  results. 

The  examination  was  made  in  the  manner  described  in  a  previous  article,  and  with  the  same  apparatus.  The 
first  trial,  which  was  made  with  a  quantity  of  iron  extracted  from  the  meteoric  mass,  showed  that  the  gaseous  contents 
differed  in  a  marked  degree  from  those  obtained  from  iron  meteorites  hitherto  examined,  inasmuch  as  they  contained 
a  very  large  percentage  of  carbon  dioxide,  with  a  smaller  proportion  of  carbonic  oxide,  and  a  large  residue  of  hydrogen, 
the  two  oxides  of  carbon  making  about  one-half  of  the  gaseous  mixture.  The  percentages  obtained  in  the  preliminary 
trial  were:  C02,  35;  CO,  14;  or  49  per  cent  of  carbon  compounds,  the  hydrogen  not  having  been  estimated.  This 
was  merely  a  rude  approximation,  and  the  amount  of  CO  is  overestimated,  at^the  expense  of  the  CO2.  These  results 
were  obtained  with  the  particles  of  iron  separated  from  the  powdered  stone  with  a  magnet.  The  residue,  however, 
contained  a  considerable  amount  of  iron  particles  too  small  to  enable  them  to  lift  the  bits  of  the  stony  matrix  in  which 
they  were  inclosed.  As  this  was  found  to  introduce  irregularities  in  the  determinations,  the  portions  of  meteorite 
employed  in  the  experiments  to  be  described  were  finely  pulverized  in  a  diamond  mortar,  and  the  whole  immediately 
placed  in  the  glass  tube  to  be  attached  to  the  Sprengel  pump,  the  iron  not  being  separated  from  the  rest.  Larger  vol- 
umes of  the  gases  were  extracted  than  in  the  first  trial,  and  the  relative  proportions  of  the  different  constituents  care- 
fully determined  by  analysis. 

Powder  formed  from  about  4  cc.  of  the  solid  meteorite  was  placed  in  the  tube  upon  the  pump,  and  the  air  very 
thoroughly  exhausted.  It  was  soon  found  that  the  relative  amounts  of  the  different  constituents  driven  off  by  heating 
the  tutfe  varied  with  the  temperature,  and  the  experiments  were  so  conducted  that  the  portions  separated  at  different 
temperatures  could  be  examined  separately. 

On  applying  the  heat  of  the  hand  to  the  tube  for  a  short  time,  a  small  amount  of  gas  was  liberated,  too  small  for 
anything  more  than  a  rude  qualitative  test  as  to  its  composition,  which  showed  the  presence  of  carbon  dioxide  and  some 
hydrogen.  The  tube  and  its  contents  were  then  brought  to  the  temperature  of  boiling  water  by  surrounding  it  with 
a  wider  glass  tube,  through  which  steam  was  passed  for  several  hours.  Gas  was  given  off  in  considerable  quantity, 
and  enough  was  collected  for  an  analysis.  This  was  found  to  contain  95.46  per  cent  of  carbon  dioxide  and  4.54  per 
cent  of  hydrogen,  the  carbonic  oxide,  if  present,  being  in  too  small  amount  for  estimation  with  certainty.  A  moderate 
heat  was  now  applied  for  a  short  time  with  a  small  Bunsen  flame,  raising  the  temperature  to  200°  or  250°.  This  sepa- 
rated a  still  greater  quantity  of  the  gases,  in  the  following  proportions:  C02,  92.32;  CO,  1.82;  H,  5.86.  A  stronger 
heat  was  then  applied  for  nearly  an  hour,  the  temperature,  however,  being  kept  below  that  of  redness.  About  3  cc. 
of  gas  were  given  off,  which  was  found  to  consist  of  CO2,  42.27;  CO,  5.11;  H,  48.06;  N,  4.56.  The  tube  with  its  con- 
tents was  now  brought  to  a  low  red  heat,  which  was  maintained  for  half  an  hour  or  so,  the  effect  being  to  liberate  nearly 
the  same  volume  of  gas  as  before,  containing  C02,  35.82;  CO,  0.49;  H,  58.51;  N,  5.18.  Finally,  it  was  brought  to  a 
full  red  hea't,  which  caused  the  evolution  of  much  more  gas,  yielding,  on  analysis:  C02,  5.56;  CO,  0.00;  H,  87.53;  N, 
6.91.  The  whole  amount  of  gas  given  off  was  about  two  and  one-half  times  the  volume  of  the  solid  portion  of  the 
meteorite  employed,  but  this  was  not  the  whole,  for  the  heat  was  discontinued  before  its  evolution  had  entirely  ceased. 
If  referred  to  the  iron  alone,  it  would  be  about  twenty  tunes  its  volume. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  229 

The  following  table  gives  the  relative  proportions  of  the  gases  obtained  at  different  temperatures,  the  nitrogen 
being  determined  as  a  residue: 


At  100°    At  250°    Below  red  heat 

At  Tow  red  heat 

At  full  red  heat 

CO2.... 

95.46 

92.32 

42.27 

35.82 

5.56 

CO.... 

0.00? 

L82 

5.11 

0.49 

0.00 

H  

4.54 

5  86 

48.06 

58.51 

87  53 

N  

0.00 

0.00 

4.56 

5.18 

6.91 

100  00      100. 00  100. 00  100. 00  100. 00 

No  hydrocarbon  compounds  of  the  olefiant  series,  capable  of  absorption  by  fuming  sulphuric  acid,  were  found, 
nor  any  marsh  gas,  sulphurous  oxide,  hydrogen  sulphide,  or  chlorine.  A  small  amount  of  water  vapor  was  driven  off 
by  the  heat,  but  not  more  than  the  ordinary  quantum  of  hygroscopic  moisture  which  such  a  substance  would  absorb 
from  the  air. 

It  will  thus  be  readily  seen  that  the  iron  and  the  stony  meteorites  show  a  marked  distinction  as  to  the  gases  which 
they  contain.  For,  while  hydrogen  is  the  principal  gas  of  the  irons,  in  the  Lenarto  specimen  amounting  to  85.68  per 
cent;  in  those  of  the  stony  kind,  if  this  one  may  be  taken  as  representative  of  the  class,  the  characteristic  gas  is  carbon 
dioxide,  and  this,  with  a  small  proportion  of  carbonic  oxide,  makes  up  more  than  nine-tenths  of  the  gas  given  off  at 
the  temperature  of  boiling  water,  and  about  half  of  that  evolved  at  a  low  red  heat. 

The  spectrum  of  the  gases  consisted  of  the  hydrogen  and  carbon  spectra  together,  resembling  in  a  general  way 
that  of  the  gases  from  iron  meteorites,  but  differing  from  them  in  the  greater  relative  intensity  of  the  parts  due  to  car- 
bon compounds.  At  a  few  millimeters'  pressure,  indeed,  the  hydrogen  spectrum  was  almost  overpowered  by  them. 
The  three  middle  carbon  bands,  those  in  the  yellow  and  green  were  very  bright,  that  in  the  green  being  most  intense  of 
all.  In  the  broad  part  of  the  tube  these  constituted  nearly  the  whole  of  the  spectrum  visible,  the  green  hydrogen 
line  being  scarcely  discernible,  and  the  others  not  at  all.  These  are  precisely  the  three  bands  observed  in  the  spec- 
trum of  some  of  the  comets,  and  they  have  the  same  relative  order  of  intensity.  *  *  * 

Irish 4  made  a  thorough  and  careful  study  of  the  course  of  the  meteor  and  the  phenomena 
of  its  fall.    A  part  of  his  account  follows: 

From  the  first  the  light  of  the  meteor  could  hardly  be  tolerated  by  the  naked  eye  turned  full  upon  it.  Several 
observers  who  were  facing  south  at  the  first  flash  say  that  upon  looking  full  at  the  meteor  it  appeared  to  them  round, 
and  almost  motionless  in  the  air,  and  as  bright  as  the  sun.  Its  light  was  not  steady,  but  sparkled  and  quivered  like  the 
exaggerated  twinklings  of  a  large  fixed  star,  with  now  and  then  a  vivid  flash.  To  these  observers,  all  of  whom  stood 
near  the  meteor's  line  of  flight,  its  size  seemed  gradually  to  increase,  also  its  motion,  until  it  reached  a  point  almost 
overhead,  or  in  a  direction  to  the  east  or  west  of  the  zenith,  when  it  seemed  to  start  suddenly  and  dart  away  on  its 
course  with  lightninglike  rapidity. 

The  observers  who  stood  near  to  the  line  of  the  meteor's  flight  were  quite  overcome  with  fear,  as  it  seemed  to 
come  down  upon  them  with  a  rapid  increase  of  size  and  brilliancy,  many  of  them  wishing  for  a  place  of  safety,  but 
not  having  time  to  seek  one.  In  this  fright  animals  took  part,  horses  shying,  rearing,  and  plunging  to  get  away,  and 
dogs  retreating  and  barking  with  signs  of  fear.  The  meteor  gave  out  marked  flashes  in  its  course,  one  more  noticeable 
than  the  rest,  when  it  had  completed  about  two-thirds  of  its  visible  flight.  All  observers  who  stood  within  12  miles 
of  the  meteor's  path  say  that  from  the  time  they  first  saw  it,  to  its  end,  the  meteor  threw  down  "coals"  and  "  sparks." 

Thin  clouds  of  smoke  or  vapor  followed  in  the  track  of  the  meteor  and  seemed  to  overtake  it  at  times  and  then 
were  lost.  These  clouds  or  masses  of  smoke  gave  evidence  of  a  rush  of  air  with  great  velocity  into  the  space  behind 
the  meteoric  mass.  The  vapor  would  seem  to  burst  out  from  the  body  of  the  meteor  like  puffs  of  steam  from  the  funnel 
of  a  locomotive  or  smoke  from  a  cannon's  mouth,  and  then  as  suddenly  be  drawn  into  the  space  behind  it.  The 
light  of  the  meteor's  train  was  principally  white,  edged  with  yellowish  green  throughout  the  greater  part  of  its  length, 
but  near  to  the  body  of  the  meteor  the  light  had  a  strong  red  tinge.  The  length  of  the  train  was  variously  estimated 
but  was  probably  about  9°,  or  from  7  to  12  miles,  as  seen  from  Iowa  City.  The  light  about  the  head  of  the  meteor  at 
the  forward  part  of  it  was  a  bright,  deep  red,  with  flashes  of  green,  yellow,  and  other  prismatic  colors.  The  deep  red 
blended  with  and  shaded  off  into  the  colors  of  the  train  at  the  part  following;  but  the  whole  head  was  inclosed  in  a 
pear-shaped  mass  of  vivid  white  light  next  to  the  body  of  the  meteor,  and  the  red  light  fringed  the  white  light  on  the 
edges  of  the  figure  and  blended  with  it  on  the  side  presented  to  the  eye. 

From  three  to  five  minutes  after  the  meteor  had  flashed  out  of  sight,  observers  near  the  south  end  of  its  path  heard 
an  intensely  loud  and  crashing  explosion,  that  seemed  to  come  from  the  point  in  the  sky  where  they  first  saw  it. 

This  deafening  explosion  was  mingled  with,  and  followed  by,  a  rushing,  rumbling,  and  crashing  sound  that  seemed 
to  follow  up  the  meteor's  path,  and  at  intervals,  as  it  rolled  away  northward,  was  varied  by  the  sounds  of  distinct 
explosions,  the  volume  of  which  was  much  greater  than  the  general  roar  and  rattle  of  the  continuous  sounds.  This 
commotion  of  sounds  grew  fainter  as  it  continued,  until  it  died  away  in  three  to  five  explosions  much  fainter  than  the 
rest. 

From  one  and  a  half  to  two  minutes  after  the  dazzling,  terrifying,  and  swiftly  moving  mass  of  light  had  extinguished 
itself  in  five  sharp  flashes,  five  quickly  recurring  reports  were  heard.  The  volume  of  sound  was  so  great  that  the 
reverberations  seemed  to  shake  the  earth  to  its  foundations,  buildings  quaked  and  rattled,  and  the  furniture  that  they 


230  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

contained  jarred  about  as  if  shaken  by  an  earthquake;  in  fact,  many  believed  that  an  earthquake  was  in  progress. 
Quickly  succeeding,  and  in  fact  blended  with  the  explosions,  came  hollow  bellowings  and  rattling  sounds,  mingled 
with  a  clang  and  clash  and  roar  that  rolled  slowly-  southward  as  if  a  tornado  of  fearful  power  was  retreating  upon  the 
meteor's  path. 

In  September,  1875,  an  account  was  published  by  Hinrichs  5  as  follows: 

On  the  evening  of  Friday,  February  12,  1875,  at  20  minutes  past  10  o'clock,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  meteors  of 
modern  times  illumined  the  entire  State  of  Iowa  and  adjacent  parts  of  the  States  of  Missouri,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and 
Minnesota.  The  southeastern  portion  of  Iowa  was  bright  as  day,  while  the  great  meteor,  in  descending  to  the  earth, 
passed  from  Appanoose  County  to  Iowa  County.  The  meteor,  in  rapidly  moving  through  the  atmosphere,  produced 
a  great  variety  of  sounds — rolling,  rumbling,  and  detonations  of  fearful  intensity— which,  in  a  large  part  of  Iowa  County, 
shook  the  houses  as  if  moved  by  an  earthquake. 

But  three  days  after  the  great  phenomenon  a  meteoric  stone  weighing  7  pounds  was  found  by  Miss  Sarah  Sherlock 
while  on  her  way  from  school,  precisely  where  observers  had  seen  a  ' '  glowing  coal "  descend  to  the  earth.  In  April  and 
May,  while  the  farmers  were  cultivating  the  land,  about  400  pounds  of  meteoric  stones  were  gathered  on  the  meteorite 
field  of  Iowa  County.  Quite  recently  two  lajge  meteorites  have  been  found,  aggregating  120  pounds.  But  these  500 
pounds  of  meteoric  stones  are  apparently  only  a  portion  of  a  smaller  fragment  of  the  entire  meteoric  body,  so  that  the 
whole  mass  falling  to  the  earth,  as  the  great  Iowa  meteor  of  February  12, 1875,  must  have  weighed  about  5,000  pounds. 
Even  what  has  been  gathered  thus  far  permits  us  to  rank  this  meteor  among  the  best  observed  and  richest  in  meteorites 
on  record. 

********* 

The  great  Iowa  meteor  consisted  of  an  elongated,  pear-shaped  mass  of  the  most  dazzling  whiteness.  The  bulk  of 
this  mass  was  about  2,000  feet  long  and  400  feet  in  diameter;  the  narrow  white  trail  was  about  4,000  feet  long  and  40 
feet  in  diameter.  This  body  was  posteriorly  enveloped  by  a  much  less  brilliant  trail,  shading  from  orange  inside  to 
greenish  outside,  and  extending  about  9  miles  along  the  described  path  of  the  meteor.  Persons  in  the  track  of  the  meteor 
saw  a  brilliant  circular  disk  of  white  light  surrounded  by  an  orange  to  greenish  halo,  the  dim  light  of  which  was  con- 
stantly traversed  by  narrow  bands  of  brilliant  white,  running  from  the  central  disk  in  irregularly  curved  lines  toward 
the  circumference.  As  this  body,  increasing  in  brilliancy  and  apparent  magnitude,  was  rapidly  approaching,  both 
men  and  animals  were  overcome  with  fear. 

The  meteor,  when  by  striking  the  atmosphere  of  the  earth  it  became  visible ,  was  at  an  altitude  of  150  miles  vertically 
above  the  little  village  of  Pleasantville,  about  midway  between  Kirksville  and  Milan,  in  northern  Missouri.  Descend- 
ing at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees  toward  the  earth's  surface,  it  moved  a  little  east  of  north,  gradually  deviating  more  and 
more  toward  the  east  so  as  to  describe  a  curve,  the  concavity  of  which  was  turned  eastward.  This  track  of  the  meteor 
passed  a  couple  of  miles  east  of  Centerville  and  Moravia  in  Appanoose  County,  Iowa;  almost  directly  over  Eddyville  on 
the  Des  Moines  River;  crossed  almost  diagonally  the  northeastern  (Prairie)  township  of  Keokuk  County;  passed  1.5  miles 
east  of  Marengo  in  Iowa  County;  and  finally  exploded  over  a  point  3  miles  southwest  of  the  little  station  of  Norway  on 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  over  the  boundary  line  of  Benton  and  Iowa  Counties,  at  an  altitude  of  about  10 
miles.  The  total  length  of  the  orbit  is  210  miles,  through  which  the  meteor  passed  in  about  10  seconds,  or  at  the  rate  of 
21  miles  per  second. 

As  the  meteor  crossed  Prairie  Township  it  was  seen  to  divide  into  two  unequal  parts,  a  small  eastern  portion  con- 
tinuing its  motion  northeastward,  but  soon  losing  its  brilliancy,  and  a  seven  to  fourteen  times  greater  western  portion 
which  remained  intensely  brilliant  until  its  final  explosion.  It  was  the  smaller  portion  of  the  meteor  which  produced 
the  shower  of  meteorites  in  Iowa  and  Amana  Townships  of  Iowa  County;  hence  it  is  highly  probable  that  several  thousand 
pounds  of  meteorites,  some  in  pieces  of  over  a  hundred  pounds,  will  yet  be  found  east  and  north  of  the  final  explosion 
of  the  main  portion  of  the  meteor ;  that  is,  in  Florence  Township  of  Benton  County,  in  Fairfax  Township  of  Linn  County, 
and  in  Lenox  Township  of  Iowa  County.  In  fact  observers  saw  "  large  glowing  coals,"  as  they  described  them,  fall  in 
this  region  where  Linn,  Benton,  and  Iowa  Counties  meet. 

While  dividing  the  meteor  produced  two  tremendous  detonations,  and  after  the  main  body  had  crossed  the  railroad 
at  Marengo  it  produced  three  terrific  detonations,  which  shook  the  buildings  for  miles  around  so  as  to  produce  the 
impression  of  an  earthquake. 

Besides  these  detonations  the  meteor  was  accompanied  with  a  variety  of  other  sounds,  heard  over  a  circular  area  of 
150  miles  in  diameter.  To  those  farthest  away  from  the  orbit  it  sounded  as  if  their  chimneys  were  on  fire,  and 
astonishingly  large  number  of  persons  missed  the  sight  of  the  meteor  because  they  hurried  to  their  stoves  and  flues  to 
check  the  apparent  fire.  Those  nearer  the  track  heard  a  prolonged  rumbling  and  rolling  sound  like  that  produced  by 
a  train  passing  over  a  long,  high  trestle-bridge.  Others  still  nearer  the  final  explosion  hurried  upstairs,  thinking  the 
plastering  had  fallen  on  the  heads  of  their  children  sleeping  in  the  upper  story.  Many  in  this  same  region  heard  the 
clank  and  clatter  of  heavy,  hard  bodies  striking  against  each  other  or  against  the  hard  ground. 

The  meteorites  thus  far  found  occur  in  an  elliptical  area  stretching  from  Amana  von  der  Hohe,  in  Amana  township, 
to  Boltonville,  in  Iowa  township,  a  distance  of  8  miles.  The  minor  axis  of  this  ellipse  measures  about  3  miles.  The 
entire  meteorite  field  of  Iowa  County  thus  far  covers,  therefore,  an  area  of  18  square  miles.  In  the  northwest  the  largest 
pieces  are  found;  toward  the  southeast  the  meteorites  become  gradually  smaller.  This  agrees  with  their  derivation 
from  the  minor  portion  of  the  meteor.  As  the  entire  drift  was  eastward,  the  resistance  of  the  air  would,  to  some  extent, 
produce  precisely  this  distribution  of  the  meteorites,  according  to  size. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


231 


The  principal  village  near  the  meteorite  region  is  Homestead,  a  station  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railroad  about  20  miles  west  of  Iowa  City.  This  little  station  became  the  headquarters  of  the  "meteor-brokers";  for 
$2  a  pound  had  been  offered  for  all  these  stones.  Enormous  profits  were  made,  creating  a  "meteor  excitement"  in  the 
region. 

Mineralogy  pertaining  to  my  chair  of  physical  science  in  the  Iowa  State  University,  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  furnish  the 
mineralogical  cabinets  with  good  specimens  of  the  meteorites  which  fell  in  my  neighborhood.  I  have,  through  the 
personal  and  financial  assistance  of  the  Hon.  John  P.  Irish,  of  Iowa-City,  brought  together  three  collections,  the  first 
two  of  which  have  been  photographed.  A  subjoined  cut  is  a  copy  of  the  photograph  of  the  first  collection.  It  shows 
the  general  form  of  each  of  the  specimens,  numbered  in  the  order  of  their  weight.  The  photographs  themselves,  in 
one-fifth  natural  size,  are  very  excellent,  permitting  even  a  close  study  of  the  granulations  and  surface.  The  cut 
mentioned  gives  the  specimens  in  one-seventh  of  their  natural  size. 

The  following  catalogue  gives  the  specimens  of  my  collections  in  the  order  of  their  weight.    The  numbers  corre- 
spond with  those  on  a  map  of  Iowa  township.    No.  0  on  the  map  indicates  the  "Sherlock  stone,"  the  one  first  found: 


Collection. 
I    II    III 

Weight. 
Lbs.  oz. 

m 

..     21 

21 

00 

m 

..     20 

12 

4 

1 

.  . 

10 

4 

2 

.  .            .  * 

8 

5 

3 

•  • 

8 

0 

, 

10     .. 

7 

13 

• 

11     .. 

.  7 

3 

m 

12     .. 

6 

10 

4 

.  .           .  . 

6 

5 

— 

13      .. 

5 

14 

r, 

.  .            .  . 

5 

3 

m 

14      .. 

5 

7 

6 

.  .            .  . 

5 

0 

— 

15     .. 

4 

11 

7 

-  .           .  . 

4 

8 

8 

•  •           *  * 

4 

0 

» 

16     .. 

3 

6 

0 

.  . 

2 

3 

m 

17      .. 

1 

7 

» 

18      .. 

1 

4 

m 

19 

1 

4 

Weight 

in  grams. 

9,500 

5,761 

4,650 

3,793 

3,620 

3,562 

3,268 

3,013 

2,856 

2,663 

2,634 

2,464 

2,274 

2,142 

2,040 

1,819 

1.545 

997 

669 

567 

560 


Presented  to  the  mineralogical 
museum  of — 


Paris. 
London. 


St.  Petersburg. 

Vienna. 

Brussels 

Copenhagen 

Haarlem 

Berlin 

Paris 

Christiania 

Stockholm 

Munich 

Lausanne 


West  Point,  New  York 


Total. 


133    00 


60,500 


But  a  few  days  ago  (on  June  30)  I  received  a  dispatch  from  the  meteorite  headquarters  that  quite  a  large  specimen 
had  been  found.  Since,  an  additional,  somewhat  smaller  stone  has  been  found  on  the  same  section  of  land,  namely, 
on  section  30  of  the  township  directly  north  of  Iowa  township,  or  about  2  miles  north  of  the  spot  A  in  section  6  of  the 
map,  but  a  little  south  of  the  society  village  called  Amana  von  der  Hohe.  I  have  visited  this  place  and  been  kindly 
permitted  to  examine  these  truly  beautiful  specimens.  The  larger  meteorite  forms  an  irregular,  rounded  rhomb,  15 
inches  diagonal  and  8  inches  thick;  it  weighs  75  pounds,  or  33.6  kg.,  and  is  completely  covered  with  a  black  crust — i.e., 
a  complete  stone.  The  smaller  meteorite  forms  an  irregular  rhomboid,  the  diagonals  of  which  are  16  and  10  inches, 
while  it  is  12  inches  thick;  it  weighs  48.5  pounds,  or  21.1  kg.  One  of  its  sides  has  but  a  secondary  crust,  so  thatanother 
piece  of  perhaps  20  pounds  must  be  found  in  the  neighborhood.  The  smallest  complete  stone  is  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  William  Moerschel;  it  is  a  lenticular  stone,  weighing  2  ounces  only.  The  largest  stone  found  weighs,  therefore,  624 
times  as  much  as  the  smaller. 

The  two  admirable  specimens  just  described  belong  to  the  largest  meteoric  stones  on  record.  The  Amana  Society 
has  confided  these  two  remarkable  specimens  to  me  for  study.  They  appear  to  have  formed  but  one  stone  when  the 
meteor  first  struck  our  atmosphere. 

The  number  of  meteorites  thus  far  found  in  Iowa  County  is  about  100;  the  total  weight  is  over  500  pounds, 
or  225  kg.  The  Iowa  County  meteorites  are  all  alike,  bounded  by  irregular  plane  surfaces,  indicating  the  usual  frag- 
mentary nature  of  meteorites.  They  are  all  covered  with  a  black  crust,  formed  during  the  cosmical  part  of  their  motion 
through  the  earth's  atmosphere.  This  crust  is  not  due  to  fusion,  but  simply  to  the  heating  of  the  outer  layer  of  the 
stone  to  a  red  heat,  as  has  been  proved  by  Meunier.  Indeed,  the  gray  mass  of  these  meteorites  turns  very  readily  black 
by  exposure  to  a  red  heat.  The  surface  of  these  meteorites  shows  all  the  ordinary  impressions  of  meteoric  stones;  the 
finger  marks,  granulations,  ripples  simulating  the  flow  of  fused  matter,  etc.  The  anterior  side  is,  as  commonly,  deeper 
black  than  the  posterior  side;  the  latter  has  the  smaller  finger  marks. 

These  meteorites  are  exceedingly  tough,  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  break  them  up;  this  is  due  to  the  iron  grains  being 
partly  connected  by  fibers  and  folia.  Still,  the  nickeliferous  iron  is  present  in  detached  masses  or  occurs  sporadically 
in  the  stone.  Hence  these  meteorites  belong  to  the  great  class  of  "Sporadosideres"  of  Daubr6e.  In  this  class  Daubree 


232  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

distinguishes  three  species — those  containing  much,  little,  or  but  very  little  iron,  BO  that  it  can  only  be  recognized  by  a 
magnifier  or  a  microscope;  these  species  he  designates  as  "Poly-,"  "Oligo-,"  and  "Krypto-Sporadosideres."  Accord- 
ingly the  Iowa  County  meteorites  are  "Oligo-Sporadosideres." 

The  following  table  gives  the  result  of  my  analyses  of  the  average  composition  of  the  Iowa  County  meteorites: 

Nonmetallic —                         Iron.  Nickel.  Sulphur.  Ferrous  oxide.  Magnesia.  Lime.       Silica. 

Troilite 1.1            ...  0.7                   (1.5)                   ....               =    1.8 

Hyalosiderite ...  '  ...                    15.2                   17.5  0.6  19.6  =52.9 

Hypersthene ...  ...                     8.8                     9.7  2.2  24.2  =44.9 

Loss,  traces ...  ...                    ...           =      .4 

Sum 1.1  ...•  .7  24.0  27.2  2.8          43.8     =100.0 

Magnetic — 
Nickeliferous  iron 6.6  0.9  ...  ...  =7.5 


Total 7.7  .9  .7  24.0  27.2  2.8          43.8     =107.5 

The  Iowa  County  meteorites  are  "Oligo-Sporadosideres;"  that  is,  meteoric  stones  containing  but  little  plainly 
visible  metallic  iron  in  detached  grains.  They  contain  7  per  cent  by  weight  of  metallic  iron.  Specific  gravity,  3.57. 

The  fracture  is  very  rough  and  uneven,  showing  the  lustrous  metallic  iron  and  lighter  gray  chondri  (the  chondrites 
of  G.  Rose).  The  grains  of  lighter  color  contain  less  of  iron  silicate,  but  are  otherwise  composed  of  the  same  minerals, 
namely,  olivine  (soluble  in  HC1)  and  pyroxenes  (insoluble  in  HC1)  besides  some  troilite. 

fTroilite 1.  8\_ 

Nonmagnetic    Olivine 52.  9/Soluble 

(Pyroxene 44.  9  Insoluble    =44.  9 

Magnetic Nickeliferous  iron 7.5 

A  trace  of  manganese  remains  with  the  ferrous  oxide;  also  a  small  amount  of  alumina.  The  trace  of  sodium  is 
sufficient  to  give  a  brilliant  line  in  the  spectroscope;  the  lithium  line,  while  quite  distinct,  is  not  brilliant. 

A  detailed  account  of  the  meteor  was  given  in  November  of  the  same  year  by  Leonard,1 
as  follows : 

On  the  evening  of  February  12,  1875,  at  about  half  past  10  o'clock,  a  very  large  meteor  was  seen  passing  from 
southwest  to  northeast  over  northern  Missouri  and  southern  Iowa,  and  coming  to  the  earth  in  a  shower  of  stones  a  few 
miles  east  of  Marengo,  Iowa  County,  Iowa.  At  this  hour  the  sky  seems  to  have  been  quite  clear  over  the  greater  part 
of  the  States  named,  though  light  clouds  and  a  sort  of  haze  are  spoken  of  by  observers  in  the  counties  adjoining  the 
place  where  the  stones  fell,  so  that  the  meteor  was  seen  throughout  a  region  extending  at  least  400  miles  in  length 
from  southwest  to  northeast  and  250  miles  in  breadth.  In  their  descriptions  of  the  course  it  pursued  the  accounts  of 
observers  varied  with  their  positions  relative  to  the  place  where  it  fell.  Those  east  of  this  region  thought  the  course 
to  be  toward  the  west  or  northwest,  those  north  described  it  as  moving  toward  the  south  or  the  southeast,  and  in  a  few 
cases  the  statements  of  the  different  observers  in  the  same  town  are  contradictory  as  to  the  direction  of  its  motion. 

The  brilliancy  of  its  light  and  the  concussion  which  accompanied  its  fall  were  such  as  to  attract  very  general 
notice  considering  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  and  the  observations  herewith  presented  will  be  found  to  determine  the 
path  it  pursued  with  a  fair  degree  of  accuracy.  At  Keokuk,  Iowa,  it  is  described  as:  "  Oblong  in  figure,  with  a  train 
ten  to  twelve  times  the  length  of  the  body,  giving  an  intensely  brilliant  light,  of  crystalline  whiteness  at  the  center, 
fire-red  on  the  border,  and  throwing  out  red  sparks  and  purplish  jets  of  Same;  train  less  luminous  than  the  body; 
exploded  like  a  rocket.  Opinions  were  divided  as  to  whether  any  detonation  accompanied  the  explosion."  These 
observations  were  collected  by  L.  C.  Ingersoll,  M.  D.,  from  a  number  of  persons  in  Keokuk  who  witnessed  the  flight. 

At  Washington,  Iowa,  Rev.  E.  B.  Taggart,  in  a  letter  to  the  Free  Press  of  that  city,  describes  it  as  of  a  "horse- 
shoe shape,  greatly  elongated.  The  outer  edge  very  bright,  then  a  narrow  dark  space,  with  a  core  of  intense  bril- 
liancy, so  vivid  as  to  blind  the  eyes  for  a  moment.  It  had  not  a  comet-like  train,  but  a  sort  of  following  jacket  of  flame. 
Detonations  heard  so  violent  as  to  shake  the  earth,  and  to  jar  the  windows  like  the  shock  of  an  earthquake." 

At  Iowa  Agricultural  College,  Professor  Macomber  says:  "In  form  it  was  like  an  immense  rocket  with  streamers 
flowing  from  the  hinder  part,  the  front  being  smooth  and  curved  like  a  saber.  Its  color  was  at  first  brilliant  white, 
illuminating  the  sky  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  then  fading  gradually  into  yellow,  then  a  deep  rich  orange,  almost  scarlet, 
when  it  burst." 

At  Sigourney,  almost  directly  under  the  path  of  the  meteor,  Mr.  J.  A.  Donnell,  writing  to  the  Sigourney  News, 
speaks  of  it  as  "a globe  of  fire  with  pale  lines  of  light  radiating  from  it.  The  light  of  the  globe  very  vivid.  It  appeared 
to  be  falling  toward  the  earth  from  about  10°  west  of  the  zenith."  He  says  he  could  see  it  dropping  through  a  suc- 
cession of  clouds  until  it  came  inside  the  dome  above  him,  where  it  apparently  stood  still  for  a  moment  and  then 
passed  over  toward  the  northeast.  The  detonation  was  compared  to  the  discharge  of  a  40-gun  battery  which  he  had 
heard  in  the  army. 

At  Amana,  about  5  miles  northeast  of  the  middle  region  where  the  meteor  fell,  Mr.  F.  Christen  saya  that  "Its 
light  was  at  first  dazzling  white,  then  changed  to  red.  Threw  distinct  shadows  of  objects  on  the  street.  Fragments 
seemed  to  separate,  not  with  violence,  but  simply  as  if  falling  apart;  the  separation  was  speedily  followed  by  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  meteor." 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  233 

Mr.  G.  Holm,  of  Marengo,  gives  an  account  similar  to  the  last,  and  in  addition,  says  that  the  descending  path  was 
wave-like  and  a  not  a  uniform  curve.  Mr.  Frank  McClintock,  of  West  Union,  says  that  "at  about  the  middle  of  its 
course  it  appeared  to  give  a  slight  dart  or  bound  toward  the  east."  Probably  the  same  wave-like  motion  spoken  of 
by  Mr.  Holm,  when  viewed  from  a  station  not  far  removed  from  the  direction  in  which  the  meteor  was  moving. 

At  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  Professor  Mansfield  states  that  some  of  the  observers  thought  that  the  meteor  attained  its 
ma-rimiim  brightness  when  about  due  west  of  that  place.  Some  of  the  students  who  were  familiar  with  the  color  of  the 
flames  of  different  substances  with  which  they  had  experimented  in  the  chemical  laboratory  called  out  at  the  time 
that  the  color  of  the  meteor  showed  iron  and  copper. 

In  computing  the  path  pursued  by  the  meteor,  I  have  relied  almost  entirely  upon  observations  which  could  be 
verified  afterwards  by  reason  of  its  having  passed  near  to  or  behind  some  recognized  point  on  a  building  or  object 
whose  altitude  and  bearing  from  the  station  of  the  observer  have  been  ascertained  by  instrumental  measurement, 
as  follows  (the  location  of  the  observer  is  indicated  by  the  section,  township,  and  range  numbers): 

1.  At  Amana  (northwest  corner  of  26-81-9).    Mr.  F.  Christen  first  saw  the  meteor  when  stt  an  altitude  of  10  or  11 
degrees  and  at  a  bearing  of  S.  19°  W.    Soon  after  he  saw  it  passing  near  the  top  of  a  chimney,  whose  bearing  and  alti- 
tude were,  respectively,  S.  26°  W.  and  17.5°,  and  finally  saw  it  separate  and  disappear  at  an  altitude  of  29°  bearing 
S.  65°  W. 

2.  At  Mount  Pleasant  (4-71-6)  there  is  not  a  perfect  agreement  as  to  the  altitude  of  the  meteor  when  due  west  of 
that  place .    Some  thought  that  it  passed  very  near  the  moon ,  others  thought  that  it  passed  above  it,  and  one  at  least  gives 
its  altitude  as  less  than  that  of  the  moon.    One  observer  spoke  of  seeing  it  when  at  a  bearing  of  about  S.  14°  W. 

3.  At  Albia,  Monroe  County  (15-72-17),  Mr.  Pascal  T.  Lambert  saw  it  when  due  east  at  an  altitude  of  40  to  45 
degrees,  and  pointed  out  the  place  of  its  disappearance,  which  was  found  to  have  a  bearing  of  N.  41°  307  E..  or  almost 
exactly  in  the  direction  of  South  Amana,  in  which  vicinity  it  fell. 

4.  Mr.  E.  H.  Warrall,  of  the  United  States  Corps  of  Engineers,  at  Keokuk,  Iowa  (24-65-5),  gave  its  altitude,  when 
at  a  bearing  of  about  N.  60°  W.,  at  between  10  and  12  degrees.    Another  gave  the  altitude  near  the  same  place  at  10° 
307.    Both  observers  saw  the  meteor  disappear  behind  a  church  steeple. 

5.  Rev.  E.  B.  Taggart,  of  Washington,  Iowa  (17-75-7),  thought  it  passed  10  or  15  degrees  west  of  the  moon. 

6.  Prof.  J.  K.  Macomber,  of  the  Iowa  State  Agricultural  College  (4-83-24),  first  saw  the  meteor  when  at  an  alti- 
tude of  7  or  7.5  degrees  and  bearing  S.  55°  E.    This  observation  is  almost  exactly  accordant  with  one  taken  inde- 
pendently at  the  same  place  by  a  student  who  was  engaged  at  the  time  in  taking  meteorological  observations. 

7.  Mr.  J.  A.  Donnell,  of  Sigourney  (2-75-12),  thought  that  the  meteor  passed  about  110°  west  of  the  zenith  of  his 
place;  no  means  of  verifying  his  observations,  and  no  measures  taken. 

8.  Mr.  Ream,  telegraph  operator  at  Oskaloosa  (13-75-17),  gave  the  zenith  distance  of  the  meteor  when  due  east 
as  about  35°.    No  measures  taken. 

9.  C.  D.Leggett,E8q.,ofFairneld(25-72-10),estimateditezenithdistancewhennorthwestof  himat25°.    *    *    * 
(From  these  observations  the  course  of  the  meteor  can  be  approximately  indicated  by  a  line  drawn  through  Agency 

City  and  South  Amana,  Iowa,  at  a  bearing  of  about  X.  18°  E.)    *    *    * 

The  product  of  this  meteoric  fall  was  a  large  number  of  irregularly  shaped  stones,  varying  in  weight  from  a  few 
ounces  up  to  74  pounds,  and  aggregating,  so  far  as  found,  500  pounds.  The  largest  specimens  were  found  at  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  area  covered,  those  at  the  southern  end  being  all  small.  A  part  of  this  area  is  timbered  and  low  lying, 
so  that  larger  pieces  hidden  by  forest  or  water  may  yet  be  found. 

These  meteoric  stones  are  many  of  them  entirely  covered  with  ordinary  black  coating,  and  they  all  present  the 
"pitted"  appearance  common  to  such  bodies.  In  several  instances  there  is  plain  evidence  of  a  fracture  having 
taken  place  while  the  stone  was  as  yet  some  distance  from  the  earth.  These  surfaces  of  fracture  are  for  the  most  part 
covered  with  a  secondary  coating  which  sometimes  appears  to  have  been  partially  formed  by  the  pouring  over  of  the 
melted  surface  matter  from  other  parts.  In  some  cases,  however,  the  overflow  is  only  traceable  to  a  short  distance 
from  the  edge  of  the  fracture,  and  the  remainder  is  merely  discolored  as  if  by  smoke. 

The  want  of  homogeneity  in  the  structure  of  the  aerolites  is  shown  in  several  cases  by  a  sort  of  beaded  circlet  sur- 
rounding the  stone.  These  circlets  are  composed  of  molten  drops  of  iron  and  seem  to  lie  nearly  in  a  plane,  and  where 
this  plane  has  been  broken  off  by  the  fall  it  may  be  traced  over  the  fresh  surface  by  the  presence  of  unusually  large 
particles  of  nickeliferous  iron. 

For  the  following  chemical  analysis  of  a  fragment  of  the  meteorite  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Smith: 
The  Iowa  County  meteorite  is  of  the  more  common  variety,  with  a  dull  black  coating,  and  having  a  rather  light-gray 
color  in  the  interior.  It  has  numerous  particles  of  nickeliferous  iron  disseminated  through  it,  also  particles  of  troilite. 
The  specimen  analyzed  had  a  vein  running  through  it  which  was  much  richer  in  iron  than  the  mass  to  which  it  belonged. 
This  meteorite  has  a  hardness  rather  above  the  average  of  its  class.  I  have  found  it  to  be  composed  of — 

Stony  matter 81. 64 

Troilite 5. 82 

Nickeliferous  iron 12. 54 

Of  the  stony  part  there  was — 

Soluble  in  acid 54. 15 

Insoluble. .  .  45.85 


234  MEMOIKS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Separate  analyses  of  these  gave: 

SiO2         FeO         MgO       NajO       K  and  Li        A12O3 
Soluble..:.  35.61        27.20        33.45        1.45  trace  0.71    =98.40 

Insoluble..  55.02        27.41        13.12        1.01  trace  0.84    =98.42 

This  plainly  shows  that  the  principal  constituent  of  the  soluble  portion  is  an  olivine  rich  in  oxide  of  iron,  approach- 
ing hyalosiderite  in  composition,  and  that  the  insoluble  part  ia  pyroxene.  The  nickeliferous  iron  contained,  besides 
traces  of  phosphorus,  sulphur,  and  copper — 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P  S 

89.04        10.34        0.58          trace          trace          trace      =99.96 

From  an  examination  of  an  entire  stone  sent  me  after  the  completion  of  the  above  analysis,  I  have  found  the  spe- 
cific gravity  to  be  3.57. — Louisville,  Kentucky,  April  15,  1875,  J.  Lawrence  Smith. 

The  first  stone  from  the  meteor  that  was  found  was  discovered  lying  on  the  snow  on  the  afternoon  of  February  15, 
and  was  adherent  to  snow  and  ice  underneath.  As  the  weather  had  been  very  cold  from  the  time  of  the  meteor-fall  to 
the  time  of  finding  this  fragment,  it  must  have  been  warm  enough  when  it  fell  to  slightly  melt  the  underlying  snow,  to 
which  it  was  afterwards  frozen. 

I  visited  the  spot  shortly  afterwards  and  found  that  it  had  first  struck  the  ground  more  than  30  feet  to  the  southwest 
of  the  place  where  it  was  found,  making  a  slight  indentation  and  bounding  thence  to  the  place  where  it  finally  came  to 
rest.  It  was  a  fragment  and  showed  a  secondary  coating  of  rather  more  than  average  thickness. 

The  other  meteoric  stones  were  not  found  until  after  the  melting  of  the  snow  in  the  latter  part  of  March.  It  is  doubt- 
less, owing  to  the  frozen  condition  of  the  ground  and  the  low  angle  of  descent,  that  only  a  few  of  the  larger  pieces  made 
any  indentation  in  the  earth,  and  we  may  therefore  suppose  that  a  much  larger  proportion  of  this  meteor-fall  has  been 
secured  than  is  usual. 

The  velocity  with  which  the  meteor  moved  can  not  be  satisfactorily  stated.  According  to  the  data  just  given 
the  maximum  would  be  about  10  miles  per  second,  the  minimum  3  miles.  The  most  probable  value  for  the  last  60 
or  70  miles  of  its  course  is  from  6  to  7  miles  per  second  according  to  the  estimate  of  Mr.  Christie,  of  Amana,  who  happened 
to  be  walking  rapidly  at  the  time  the  meteor  appeared  and  continued  for  a  distance  of  fourteen  paces,  when,  having 
passed  the  corner  of  a  building  that  threatened  to  obstruct  his  view,  he  stopped,  and  watching  the  meteor  until  it  dis- 
appeared, and  gave  hia  estimate  of  the  whole  time  at  10  or  12  seconds;  and  as  he  saw  it  through  60  or  70  miles  of  its 
path  the  resulting  velocity  would  be  as  given  above. 

Gximbel 8  described  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

On  February  12,  1875,  according  to  the  statement  of  J.  Lawrence  Smith,  in  the  State  of  Iowa,  North  America, 
about  10.30  p.  m.,  there  fell  from  a  slightly  cloudy  sky,  with  a  loud  report,  a  widely  visible  meteor,  which  left  a  large 
number  of  stones.  Smith  estimated  that  not  far  from  150  kg.  of  stones  were  collected,  of  which  25  kg.  came  into  the 
possession  of  Professor  Hinrichs.  To  his  kindness  the  Academy  (Munich)  owes  a  splendid  specimen  of  not  far  from 
1,500  grams  weight,  which  afforded  the  opportunity  for  the  following  more  accurate  description  of  the  constitution  of 
this  exceedingly  noteworthy  meteoric  stone. 

The  Iowa  meteorite  belongs  to  the  very  common  class  of  stones  ordinarily  designated  as  chondrites,  or,  according  to 
Daubree,  to  the  subdivision  of  Sporadosiderites  and  in  the  group  of  Oligosiderites,  classified  as  Professor  Hinrichs,  in 
the  note  accompanying  a  specimen  of  this  stone  sent  to  the  Paris  Academy,  had  already  rightly  noted  and  as  Daubree 
himself  approved. 

The  somewhat  sharp-edged,  acute-angled,  irregularly  tetrahedral  stone  is  covered  with  a  black  fusion  crust,  is  of  a 
light  grayish-white  color  in  the  interior,  and  is  supplied  with  numerous  small  black  lumps  and  grains  of  meteoric  iron 
and  iron  sulphide,  and  occasional  small  specks  of  rust.  The  stone  is  quite  hard  and  can  not  be  pulverized  with  the 
hand.  It  resembles  in  general  character  the  meteoric  stone  of  Pultusk,  since  like  this,  neglecting  the  meteoric  iron 
and  iron  sulphide,  it  consists  of  a  whitish  and  yellowish  groundmass  in  which  isolated  olivine  grains  with  a  glassy  luster 
appear,  as  well  as  sometimes  darker,  sometimes  brighter,  and  occasionally  opaque  globules.  Daubree  compared  it  to 
the  meteoric  stone  of  Vouille  (May  13,  1831),  and  with  that  of  Aumale  in  Algiers  (August  25, 1865).  By  this  fall  the 
number  of  chondrites,  already  greatly  predominating  over  all  other  sorts  of  meteoric  stones,  was  again  increased  by  one 
and  the  impression  of  the  unitary  origin  of  all  these  fragments  from  one  former  whole,  which  Meunier  recently  so 
strongly  emphasized,  was  materially  strengthened. 

The  exterior,  sharp-edged,  and  angular  form  of  the  stones  of  this  fall,  which  is  but  slightly  obscured  by  the  thin 
superficial  fusion  crust,  points  unmistakably  to  broken  fragments  of  a  larger  mass  of  stone,  which  was  caused  by  the 
shattering  of  an  already  fully  prepared  compact  substance.  That  this  dismemberment  took  place  during  the  passage 
through  the  earth's  atmosphere,  is  indicated  by  Smith's  observation,  who  stated  that  many  of  the  stones  which  fell 
looked  as  if  they  were  freshly  broken,  and  that  the  broken  surfaces  showed  the  beginning  of  fusion.  There  is,  moreover, 
no  rounding  off,  no  flattening  out  or  streaking,  or  twisting  like  a  rope,  such  as  a  softer,  more  pliable  body  furnishes  in 
moving  upon  a  cosmic  pathway  or  again  such  as  it  must  receive  in  its  flight  from  a  volcanic  eruption,  like  the  papilli 
and  volcanic  bombs.  The  inner  rough-grained  constitution,  moreover,  shows  no  trace  of  glassy  or  lavalike  particles 
which  can  not  be  made  to  correspond  with  a  fusion  of  the  mass  by  fusion-flame,  and  precludes  all  thought  of  a  product 
of  eruption  after  the  manner  of  our  volcanoes.  The  outward  form  and  inner  constitution  of  this  sort  of  meteorite  speaks 
accordingly,  from  the  petrographic  standpoint,  against  the  supposition  that  these  meteoric  stones  were  cast  out  of  the 
earth  as  the  product  of  a  powerful  volcanic  eruption.  It  is  equally  improbable  that  they  originated  from  swarms  of 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  235 

shooting  stars,  principally  because  the  time  of  the  fall  of  the  meteorite,  so  far  as  observation  reaches,  did  not  coincide 
with  the  time  upon  which  the  majority  of  the  appearances  of  the  shooting  stars  appear.  Moreover,  upon  this  suppo- 
sition the  great  similarity  in  the  composition  of  the  meteoric  stones  could  scarcely  be  explained.  It  becomes  increas- 
ingly probable,  therefore,  that  we  have  to  do  with  fragments  of  celestial  bodies,  which  originated  from  a  shattering, 
either  by  collision  or  by  disruption  from  some  inner  cause,  whereby  the  momentum  gained  preponderance  over  the 
original  gravitation  and  the  fragments,  having  come  into  the  range  of  the  earth 's  attraction,  must  fall  upon  it.  Whether 
they  are  portions  of  an  asteroidal  body,  or,  as  Meunier  will  have  it,  of  a  second  earth  satellite,  remains  for  astronomical 
discussion  to  decide,  which  is  foreign  to  our  subject  here. 

Crust. — The  meteorite  in  question  is  covered  all  over,  except  for  a  small  artificial  abrasion,  with  a  black,  slightly 
wrinkled  crust  about  0.05  mm.  in  thickness  and  with  a  dull  luster.  This  glassy  coating  is  fissured  and  may  be  easily 
loosened  from  the  mass,  portions  of  the  latter  being,  however,  usually  removed  with  it.  There  are  to  be  seen  in  the 
interior  of  the  stone  in  question  no  veins  of  matter  like  the  crust,  or  smooth  surfaces  like  those  which  are  to  be  found  so 
plentifully  in,  for  example,  the  stones  of  Pultusk. 

This  crust,  upon  closer  examination,  consists  of  a  scarcely  transparent  glassy  substance  which  shows  single  refraction 
and  occasionally  incloses  bubbles  and  pores,  although  not  in  so  marked  a  manner  as  in  the  crust  material  of  the  Pultusk 
stone.  The  crust  is  not  spread  out  over  the  surface  of  the  stone  in  an  entirely  uniform  manner;  in  some  places  meteoric 
iron  particles  appear  with  a  metallic  luster  upon  mild  rubbing,  in  other  places  it  is  extremely  t.hin  and  of  a  somewhat 
brighter  color,  or  again  thicker  and  more  shiny.  As  shown  by  thin  sections,  the  thin-crusted  places  correspond  to  the 
intrusion  of  olivine  grains  into  the  region  of  the  crust,  while  where  iron  sulphide  protrudes  a  thicker  fusion  crust  is  found . 

On  account  of  the  depth  of  the  coloring  it  is  very  hard  to  obtain  the  crust  in  transparent  thin  sections.  This  may 
be  attained  more  readily  by  crushing  small  scales  between  two  thin  plates  of  glass.  It  shows  then  a  deep  bottle-green  to 
brownish  red  color  and  behaves  in  polarized  light  like  an  amorphous  glass.  This  characteristic  confirms  the  conjecture 
that  the  crust  was  formed  by  the  flight  of  the  mass  through  the  earth's  atmosphere,  producing  a  true  fusion  crust.  For 
comparison,  small  scales  from  the  interior  of  the  stone  were  melted  before  the  blow  pipe,  only  in  very  thin  fragments  and 
the  molten  mass  showed  exactly  the  characteristics  of  the  fusion  crust,  the  same  color,  and  the  same  bubbles.  The  stone 
behaved  peculiarly  when,  without  melting,  it  was  subjected  for  a  considerable  time  to  a  strong  red  heat.  It  took  on 
thereby  a  dark  brownish  black  color,  and  showed,  upon  cutting  it  open,  isolated  particles,  which  appeared  as  if  melted. 
1 1  is  these  borders  of  the  pyrites  which  in  fact  suffered  fusion .  From  thin  sections  of  these  heated  particles,  it  is  apparent 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  stone  took  on  a  deep  brown  color  from  heating,  which,  as  I  have  elsewhere  showed,  yields  a 
very  good  indication  of  olivine.  The  black  borders  of  the  particles  of  pyrites  are  almost  opaque,  of  a  deep  brown  color, 
and  refract  the  light  singly,  exactly  like  the  fusion  crust.  This  dark  color  which  the  stone  takes  on  by  heating,  a  color 
which,  on  the  natural  stone  itself,  is  never  found  deep  under  the  fusion  crust,  indicates  that  the  fusion  heat  confined 
its  operation  to  an  extremely  thin  layer  of  the  exterior  surface  without  subjecting  the  deeper  portions  of  the  stone  to  a 
higher  temperature.  In  contrast  with  this  phenomenon  the  veining  of  many  meteoric  stones  of  other  localities  is  very 
noteworthy.  In  the  case  of  the  Pultusk  stone,  material  from  which  was  at  my  disposal,  I  found  that  these  veinlets  also 
consisted  of  an  amorphous  glassy  substance.  Of  a  similar  sort  seem  to  be  the  black,  almost  opaque  specks  which,  in 
many  meteoric  stones,  appear  scattered  through  the  entire  mass  and  apparently  furnish  the  borders  around  the  more 
easily  fusible  ingredients;  for  example,  pyrites. 

I  do  not  think,  however,  that  the  above-mentioned  fine  veinlets  are  molten  material  which  has  penetrated  from  the 
crust  into  the  interior  of  the  stone,  but  that  at  such  places  the  stone  was  cleft  or  cracked,  and  that  in  these  cracks, 
accessible  to  the  atmosphere,  the  same  fusion  process  by  friction  took  place,  just  as  upon  the  surface  itself. 

Stony  mass.— The  tolerably  hard  body  of  this  stone,  which  can  not  be  crumbled  between  the  fingers,  consists  of  a 
conglomerate  of  fragmentary  particles,  which  are  compacted  together  without  any  matrix,  since  neither  a  glassy  nor 
other  pronounced  binding  substance  is  to  be  seen  between  the  individual  grains.  Small  slivers  of  minerals  with 
entirely  irregular  outlines  are  found  in  great  numbers  in  the  mass  of  the  stone,  as  if  they  came  from  broken  crystals  or 
crystalline  masses.  Only  very  seldom— in  thin  sections — are  pieces  to  be  seen,  which,  being  bounded  by  comparatively 
straight  lines,  may  pass  for  small  crystals  or  as  ordinary  cleavage  products.  Associated  with  the  above  are  angular 
granules,  which  by  their  glassy  luster  and  their  color  are  quite  readily  determined  as  olivine,  whitish  particles  of  an 
opaque  substance,  small  granules  of  bluish  gray  meteoric  iron  with  a  metallic  luster,  tombac  yellow,  much  perforated 
lumps  of  iron  sulphide  whose  fine  grains  sometimes  form  inclosed  masses  and  ultimately  even  small  rounded,  now  dark, 
now  bright  colored  globules  which  give  to  the  stone  the  character  of  Rose's  chondrite.  Dust-like  particles,  extremely 
fine  and  without  metallic  luster,  are  also  found  scattered  or  massed  in  small  groups  which  are  related  to  chrome  iron,  or  a 
carbonaceous  substance,  since  they  offer  resistance  to  every  action  of  acid. 

One  of  the  most  notable  phenomena  in  the  case  of  nearly  all  constituents  of  a  metallic  character,  is  that  the 
individual  fragments  are  penetrated  by  a  surprising  number  of  very  fine  to  extremely  fine  cracks.  In  the  case  of 
many  of  the  constituents  there  appears  a  certain  regularity  in  the  direction  of  these  endless  rifts,  arising  from  a  par- 
allel direction  of  the  cracks,  which  presumably  bears  a  relation  to  the  cleavage  plane  of  the  mineral  in  question.  But 
at  the  same  time,  other  cracks  occur,  besides  those  more  regularly  arranged,  which  cross  the  latter  at  right  angles  or 
diagonally,  and  produce  a  perfect  network  of  cracks,  so  that  even  otherwise  bright  mineral  particles  are  dimmed 
thereby.  They  must  be  regarded  as  an  indication  of  shattering  produced  by  concussion,  pressure,  or  sudden  change 
of  temperature. 

By  reason  of  this  cracked  character  of  most  of  the  constituents,  the  deeper  ulterior  character  is  often  so  obscured 
that  it  is  rarely  possible  to  make  out,  in  the  larger  individual  fragments,  the  apparently  prominent  bubbles,  which, 


236  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BO  far  as  my  observations  go,  are  void  of  fluid  content.  Extremely  fine,  dust-like  ingredients  abound  in  the  other- 
wise bright  mineral  particles,  although  true  microliths  seem  to  be  wanting. 

As  to  the  mineralogical  nature  of  the  individual  compounds,  a  large  number  of  them  are  not  related  to  pure  min- 
erals, but  consist  of  stony  fragments  compacted  together  with  several  minerals,  or  a  more  or  less  regular  conglomeration 
of  different  minerals. 

Olivine  undoubtedly  takes  the  first  place  among  the  pure  mineral  particles.  Not  alone  the  outer  aspect,  the  color, 
and  the  peculiar  luster  of  the  larger  grains  and  crystal  fragments,  indicate  olivine,  but  this  determination  is  sup- 
ported also  in  the  decomposability  of  these  fragments  by  hydrochloric  acid,  by  the  brown  color  produced  by  heating, 
and  by  the  variegated  play  of  colors  upon  the  thin  section  in  polarized  light.  Most  of  the  fine-grained  split  particles 
consist  of  olivine,  likewise  many  of  the  crystalline  particles  with  regular  boundaries  and  many  even  of  the  spherical 
concretions.  But  even  in  the  dust-like  interstitial  matter,  which  seems  to  bind  together  the  larger  fragments,  the 
olivine  particles  are  noticeable,  as  is  proved  by  the  brown  color  produced  by  heating.  Most  notable  is  the  olivine 
substance  in  many  globules  with  feather-like  markings,  combined  with  a  white,  feather-striped  substance,  in  lamellar 
concretions,  as  it  occurs  in  the  radiated  fibrous  globules.  The  small  olivine  scales  come  out  very  distinctly  after 
heating,  by  their  dark  brown  color.  That  they  consist  of  an  olivine  substance  is  proved  by  treating  with  hydrochloric 
acid,  whereby  they  are  decomposed,  while  most  of  the  interstitial  lamellse  remain  unchanged. 

Feldspathic  constituents  can  not  be  indicated  with  certainty,  although  individual  colorless  needlets  in  polarized 
light,  show  the  peculiar  yellow  and  blue  colors  so  characteristic  of  feldspar,  as  they  were  observed  with  great  distinct- 
ness in  large  quantity  in  the  meteoric  stones  of  1'Aigle  (fall  of  April  26,  1803),  which  contained  numerous  stony  frag- 
ments interlarded  with  feldspar  needles.  Likewise,  the  chemical  analysis  proves  that  at  all  events  feldspathic  par- 
ticles are  present  in  the  composition  in  a  very  subordinate  manner. 

Tolerably  fine  powder  treated  for  a  considerable  time  with  warm  hydrochloric  acid  dissolves  a  large  part  of  the 
stony  mass — olivine  part — with  separation  of  colloidal  silicic  acid.  In  the  residue,  freed  from  silica  by  heating  in 
alkali,  may  be  seen  very  numerous,  often  colorless  parallel-striped  fragments,  besides  a  turbid,  powder-like  remnant, 
which  mostly  comes  from  disintegrated  globules.  Likewise  the  fine,  black  granules,  which  occur  here  and  there  in 
groups  remain  undissolved,  while  the  olivine,  meteoric  iron,  and  iron  sulphide  dissolve.  The  more  or  less  trans- 
lucent portions,  which  remain  undissolved,  have  a  double  fracture  and  show  beautiful  colors  in  polarized  light.  If 
this  remnant  be  treated  still  further  with  hydrofluoric  acid,  it  dissolves  completely,  except  the  fine  black  granules 
which  pertain  to  chrome  iron  or  carbon.  Since  in  the  dissolution  of  the  stony  mass  by  means  of  anhydrous  barytes, 
it  gives  a  chrome  content,  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  black  granules  are  chrome  iron.  Indeed,  I  frequently 
observed,  upon  heating  the  powdered  stone,  a  sporadic  glimmering  as  of  carbon  particles,  but  I  was  uncertain  whether 
this  did  not  come  from  dust  particles  which  did  not  originally  belong  to  the  stone,  but  were  only  foreign  bodies, 
mechanically  added.  If  the  experiment  be  changed,  so  that  sections  of  the  stone  just  thin  enough  to  be  quite  trans- 
parent are  first  heated  in  hydrochloric  acid,  the  sections  still  maintain  their  cohesion.  Placed  upon  a  glass  plate  and 
carefully  treated  with  caustic  potash  in  order  to  remove  the  free  muriatic  acid,  the  preparation  presents  a  porous  appear- 
ance, the  olivine,  meteoric  iron,  and  iron  sulphide  having  disappeared,  while  the  white  metal  and  most  of  the  globules 
remain  unaltered.  If  the  preparation  so  obtained  be  examined  in  Canada  balsam  with  a  cover  glass  to  protect  it,  it 
falls  to  pieces  under  the  slight  jar  caused  by  putting  on  the  cover  glass,  and  the  mass  appears  as  isolated  heaps  of  the 
•white  mineral,  in  separate  flakes  and  round  globules  which  often  appear  quite  free.  Moreover,  small,  light  garnet- 
red  bodies  in  quite  regular  5  to  6  sided  forms  make  their  appearance,  very  sparingly,  in  the  thin  section.  They 
resemble  garnets,  but  are  found  to  possess  double  refraction.  Color  also  suggests  nosean,  but  the  optical  character 
does  not  agree  with  this  mineral. 

Concerning  the  nature  of  the  mineral  particles  undissolved  by  the  hydrochloric  acid,  which  probably  belong  to 
the  augite  group,  only  chemical  analysis  can  give  any  information.  But  here  also  much  uncertainty  exists  on  account 
of  the  presence  of  numerous  globules  likewise  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid  (disregarding  the  olivine  grains)  which 
are  neither  identical  with  the  white  mineral,  nor  exactly  analogous  to  a  pure  mineral.  Many  of  these  globules  approx- 
imate, in  their  physical  characteristics,  the  white  mineral,  but  yet  show  a  peculiar  sort  of  fissuring.  Others  plainlv 
consist  of  lamellse  of  various  compound  minerals,  and  still  others  are  slightly  transparent  and  white  powdery-grained, 
and  frequently  show  a  concentric  structure  with  darker  and  brighter  zones.  Often,  also,  they  have  a  crust-like,  dark 
envelope  or  a  partly  dark  or  partly  bright  center.  Black  dust-like  granules,  which  occur  in  the  above  chondri  are  for 
the  most  part  concentrically  arranged.  Yet  these  chondri  are  not  amorphous,  since  their  refraction  in  polarized  light 
is  distinctly  colored.  The  most  notable  of  these  chondri  are  those  which  appear  with  very  fine  radial  markings,  fine- 
grained, slightly  transparent,  and  of  whitish  color.  The  radial  markings  are  eccentric  and  do  not  correspond  in  any 
way  with  the  outer  form  of  the  chondri.  Several  systems  of  marking  frequently  occur  side  by  side  in  the  same 
chondri.  In  polarized  light,  despite  the  slight  transparency,  the  colors  appear  in  fascicles,  which  is  slightly  sug- 
gestive of  the  well-known  phenomenon  in  connection  with  many  variolites.  The  lamellar  combination  of  olivine- 
like  strips  with  a  similar  fibrous,  white  substance,  has  been  described  above. 

Concerning  the  origin  of  this  most  notable  ingredient  of  meteoric  stones,  Daubree  conjectured  that  it  was  formed 
by  solidification  during  a  rotary  flight  through  gases,  while  Tschermak  favors  the  view  that  it  was  produced  by  the 
rounding  of  previously  solidified  fragments  through  prolonged  agitation  as  would  take  place  in  a  volcanic  explosion, 
as  described  by  Gleichenberg  and  others  in  the  case  of  similar  round  globules  in  trachyte  tufas.  This  latter  conjecture 
explains  the  peculiarity  noted  in  many  chondri  that  then-  inner  fibrous  structure  has  no  connection  with  the  outer 
spherical  form.  Even  in  the  case  of  the  chondri  with  distinctly  concentric  structure,  this  manner  of  origin  may  be 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  237 

maintained,  if  we  assume,  as  is  very  probable,  that  the  concentric  stripes  and  markings  are  to  be  regarded  as  merely 
secondary  phenomena,  sequences  of  mechanical  and  chemical  alteration,  which  the  rounded  lump  underwent  after 
the  rounding. 

Iron  sulphide  plays  an  important  part  in  the  composition  of  the  Iowa  stone.  It  seems  to  be  distributed  in  small 
irregular  patches  as  if  forced  in  between  the  other  ingredients.  By  treating  the  pulverized  stone  with  hydrochloric 
acid,  hydrogen  sulphide  is  developed,  without  the  separation  of  sulphur.  This  iron  sulphide  may  therefore  be  regarded 
as  troilite.  The  meteoric  iron  grains  of  the  stony  mass  appear  to  be  abundantly  compacted  in  jagged,  angular  lumps, 
frequently  running  out  into  fine  points  which  cling  as  closely  to  the  nonmetallic  portions  as  if  the  iron  was  first  sepa- 
rated by  reduction  on  the  place  where  it  originated  (?).  This  meteoric  iron  contains  nickel  and  some  sulphur,  is  very 
malleable,  as  it  can  be  readily  hammered  out  into  thin  leaves;  is  active,  as  proved  by  the  fact  that  when  a  shaving 
is  immersed  in  blue  vitriol,  the  iron  surface  is  quickly  coated  with  a  copper  deposit.  Whether  Widmannstatten  figures 
appear  upon  etching  can  not  be  determined  definitely  on  account  of  the  smaUnees  of  the  iron  grains.  Yet  darker 
and  brighter  specks  do  appear. 

That  the  stone  contains  water,  requires  no  proof  beforehand,  since  this  is  demonstrated  already  by  the  presence 
of  rust  specks,  hydroxide  of  iron. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone  in  the  interior  is  3.75;  that  of  the  crust  portion  3.55  (at  20°  C.). 

I  had  at  my  disposal  for  the  chemical  analysis  of  this  meteorite  something  over  1.5  grams  of  material.  From  the 
finely  pulverized  portion  the  meteoric  iron  was  first  carefully  abstracted  with  the  magnet,  and  this  was  then  freed  as 
carefully  as  possible  by  repeated  treatment  from  all  adhering  stony  matter  and  examined  by  itself.  One  portion 
served  for  the  determination  of  the  sulphur,  the  remainder  was  first  treated  with  boiling  hydrochloric  acid,  the  por- 
tion dissolved  in  this  way  and  likewise  the  undiasolved  portion  isolated  by  means  of  barium  hydrate,  and  further 
analyzed.  The  analysis  gave  the  following  results. 

The  stone  consisted  of: 

Meteoric  iron 12.32 

Troilite 5.25 

Soluble  in  hydrochloric  acid 48. 11 

Insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid 34. 32 

100.00 
The  nickel-iron  contained — besides  traces  of  copper  and  sulphur,  the  latter  evidently  from  adhering  troilite: 

Iron 83.381 

Nickel  (containing  some  cobalt  with  sulphur  and  >  Approximating  FejNi. 

phosphorus) 16. 62  J 

100.00 
The  soluble  portion  (without  reckoning  the  meteoric  iron  and  iron  sulphide)  contained: 

Oxygen. 

Silicicacid 38.38        19.76 

Iron  protoxide 28.58         6.33 

Manganese  protoxide 0.53         0.1219.51 

Magnesia 31.49        12.59 

Alumina 1. 01         0. 47 

Lime  alkalies,  water [Trace. 

99.99 
The  insoluble  portion  contained: 

Oxygen. 

Silica 53. 96  28. 74 

Alumina 2.01  0.94 

Iron  protoxide 25. 18  5. 57 

Magnesia 8.91         3.5610.29 

Lime 4.04         1.16, 

Manganese  protoxide Trace.  

Chrome  oxide 1.42         1.16 

Soda 2.39  0.59k 

Potash 1.67  0.29r' 

As  to  the  meteoric  iron  and  pure  iron  sulphide,  it  requires  no  further  place  here. 

In  the  portion  soluble  in  hydrochloric  acid  there  was  an  oxygen  proportion  of  the  base  and  the  acid  of  nearly  1: 1, 
and  it  also  requires  no  further  demonstration  to  show  that  t.hia  portion  is  certainly  derived  from  an  olivine  rich  in  iron 
protoxide.  The  explanation  of  the  insoluble  residue  is  much  more  difficult,  as  its  constituents  and  oxygen  propor- 
tion agree  with  no  definite  mineral.  This  agrees  perfectly  with  the  optical  analysis  according  to  which,  after  the 
removal  of  the  soluble  portion,  it  contained,  besides  the  spherical  chondri  in  various  characters,  a  bright  mineral,  much 
cracked,  and  small  black  granules.  That  the  latter  consisted  of  chrome  iron  is,  according  to  the  results  of  the  analysis, 


29.68 


238  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

no  more  to  be  doubted.  The  bright  fissured  mineral  evidently  belongs  to  the  augite  group.  The  high  percentage  of 
iron  protoxide  is  very  unusual,  even  when  we  allow  for  a  corresponding  portion  as  united  with  chromium  oxide  to  form 
chromite.  On  the  other  hand,  the  small  amount  of  magnesia  and  lime  is  noticeable,  in  contrast.  The  high  percent- 
age of  alkali  appears  to  have  more  bearing  upon  the  composition  of  the  chondri  and  to  point  to  a  feldspathic  consti- 
tution. If,  as  appears  probable,  the  alumina  belongs  to  the  compound  with  the  corresponding  quantity  of  silicic 
acid,  a  corresponding  composition  of  an  augite  rich  in  iron  appears,  such  as  occurs  in  the  eukrites;  for  example,  that 
of  Juvinas.  The  exact  nature  of  this  augitic  compound  always  seems  hard  to  ascertain.  Although  the  analysis  of  the 
Iowa  meteorite  which  J.  L.  Smith  contributed  does  not  agree  exactly  with  the  foregoing,  still  even  in  this  there  is  an 
unusually  high  percentage  of  iron  protoxide  in  the  insoluble  portion. 

The  chondri  have  found  no  more  consideration,  since  they  can  not,  without  further  investigation,  be  regarded  as 
as  composed  of  augite. 

Among  chondri  thus  far  analyzed,  only  that  of  Tadjera  has  a  similar  composition,  although  poorer  in  silica  and 
rich  in  lime. 

If  the  data  of  all  the  investigations  of  this  meteorite  be  combined,  they  give  rise  to  the  following  conclusions: 

1.  The  stony  matter  consists  of  irregular  splinters  of  olivine  and  an  augitic  substance,  which  appears  to  be  derived 
from  one  disintegrated  stone.    There  also  appears  to  be  a  feldspathic  substance  present  in  small  quantities.    Finely 
pulverized  particles  of  this  mineral  apparently  furnish  the  cementing  medium. 

2.  The  roundish  chondri  compose,  besides  the  mineral  particles  alluded  to,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  sub- 
stance of  the  stone.    Sometimes  they  are  connected  with  the  olivines,  and  sometimes  they  present  lamellar  inter- 
growths  of  minerals,  or  consist  of  radiated  fibrous  masses.    A  portion  of  them  seem  to  consist  of  a  feldspathic  substance. 
Their  form  is  due  to  mechanical  abrasion. 

3.  The  meteoric-iron  grains  are  so  situated  between  the  mineral  splinters  and  the  chondri  that  they  appear  to  have 
originated  by  reduction  subsequent  to  the  formation  of  the  stone. 

4.  There  are  no  glass  or  lavalike  constituents  (the  fusion  crust  excepted)  in  the  stone.    This  is  not  a  rock  crystal- 
lized out  of  a  fused  mass,  but  a  clastic  one  whose  constituents  do  not  have  the  character  of  a  volcanic  ash. 

Wright 9>  10  repeated  his  previous  observations  on  the  gases  of  the  meteorite,  but  reached  no 
especially  new  conclusions. 

Wadsworth  ll  gave  an  optical  study  of  the  meteorite,  as  follows : 

The  specimen  of  this  meteorite  in  the  Harvard  College  cabinet  presents  a  fine-grained  groundmass,  sprinkled 
with  pyrrhotite  and  iron.  On  the  polished  section  it  shows  a  well-marked  chondritic  structure. 

Specimens  of  this  meteorite  were  purchased  for  the  Whitney  lithological  collection  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology  from  Ward  and  Howell,  Rochester,  New  York,  and  sections  made.  The  sections  are  colored  gray,  with  patches 
of  brownish-yellow  staining  from  the  iron.  The  gray  groundmass  contains  irregular  detached  bits  of  metallic  iron, 
about  which  the  stain  extends.  The  groundmass  is  composed  of  crystals  and  grains  of  olivine,  enstatite,  pyrrhotite, 
iron,  and  base.  The  section  shows  the  usual  chondritic  structure,  in  which  granules  of  olivine  and  enstatite  are 
cemented  by  the  base  to  form  the  chondri.  I  can  find  no  evidence  either  in  this  or  in  any  other  meteorite  that  I  have 
seen  that  they  are  fragmented  in  character,  but  rather  evidence  that  the  structure  usually  observed  is  the  result  of 
rapid  cooling  upon  a  liquid  magma  of  this  constitution.  *  *  * 

The  base  in  this  peridotite  varies  from  a  light  to  a  dark  ash-gray,  and  is  fibrous  granular  in  its  structure.  The 
darker  shades  are  generally  associated  with  the  olivine  and  the  lighter  with  the  enstatite.  Various  gradations  are  seen 
between  that  state  of  the  base  which  does  not  affect  polarized  light  and  that  which  shows  feeble  coloration— properly 
not  a  base.  These  gradations  are  owing  to  the  differentiation  in  it  of  more  or  less  granules  of  olivine  or  enstatite,  caus- 
ing the  depolarization  of  the  light.  The  feeble  polarization  appears  to  be  owing  to  a  differentiation  of  the  base  so  as 
to  leave  but  minute  portions  of  it  in  the  original  state,  although  the  differences  between  the  two  states  is  not  notice- 
able in  common  light.  The  tendency  of  these  granules  is  to  unite  into  a  homogeneous  crystal,  the  base  disappearing 
more  and  more,  according  to  the  conditions  attending  the  solidification  of  the  mass.  Furthermore,  as  in  other  rocks, 
eo  in  this,  the  base  should  be  expected  to  be  one  of  the  first  materials,  after  the  iron,  to  suffer  alteration.  The  writer 
supposes  this  base  to  be  that  which  other  writers  have  described  as  the  matrix  of  fine  dust,  formed  by  the  comminu- 
tion of  the  meteoric  material;  flocculent,  opaque,  white  mineral;  also  as  feldspathic  material,  etc. 

A  series  of  grains  and  crystals  of  olivine,  arranged  in  spherical  form  and  cemented  by  the  fibrous-granular  base, 
forms  the  olivine  chondri.  I  do  not  regard  these  as  rounded  forms  owing  their  form  to  mechanical  action,  for  no 
abrupt  line  separates  them  from  the  surrounding  material,  as  is  the  case  where  detached  fragments  are  inclosed  in  a 
matrix.  In  the  same  way  the  granules  themselves  show  that  they  are  products  of  crystallization,  and  not  broken 
fragments  held  in  the  matrix;  everything  points  to  crystallization  in  a  more  or  less  rapidly  cooling  body.  In  some 
instances  it  is  indeed  true  that  an  abrupt  termination  exists  to  some  of  the  forms,  but  these  appear  to  be  fragments  of 
base,  sometimes  partly  differentiated,  caught  in  the  liquid  mass,  instead  of  mechanical  forms  torn  from  some  pre- 
viously existing  rock. 

This  meteorite  has  also  been  described  by  Lasaulx,  who  states  that  it  shows  an  evident  brecciated  structure,  with 
olivine  grains  and  rounded  enstatite  masses,  in  a  fine-grained  groundmass,  containing  grains  and  fragments  of  crystals, 
as  well  as  iron  and  pyrrhotite.  Plagioclase  is  said  to  be  present,  and  the  base  is  described  as  a  gray,  fine-grained, 
aggregate,  cementing  mass,  resembling  the  granular  microfelsitic  groundmass  of  many  porphyries. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  239 

Tschermak  12  illustrated  some  of  the  chondri  of  the  meteorite. 

Brezina  "  in  1885  classified  the  meteorite  as  a  brecciated  gray  chondrite  and  described  the 
Vienna  specimens  as  follows : 

Of  Homestead  the  cabinet  possesses  a  dark  green  complete,  breccialike  stone  of  810  grams,  the  same  of  which  the 
Bonn  Museum  received  a  piece  in  exchange  and  of  which  T-aaaulx  published  a  series  of  microscopical  investigations. 

Judging  from  the  fracture  and  overlooking  the  hardness  of  this  stone  one  would  take  it  for  a  serpentine.  The 
section  exhibits  the  richness  of  the  stone  in  grains  of  iron,  which  are  so  abundant  in  places  that  the  stone  takes  on  the 
appearance  of  a  fine-grained  mesosiderite.  A  large  slice  in  the  collection  of  Braun  is  half  dark  gray,  the  other  half 
bright  gray,  and  the  two  colors  gradually  shade  into  each  other.  A  piece  in  the  Vienna  Museum  (obtained  by  exchange 
from  Otto)  shows  a  dull,  medium  dark  gray  color,  while  another  in  the  same  collection,  received  from  Hinrichs,  shows  a 
bright  gray.  So  long  as  nothing  definite  is  known  concerning  the  frequency  of  the  occurrence  of  this  change,  it  seems 
most  appropriate  to  place  the  stone  among  the  brecciated  variety.  The  first  mentioned  dark  green  piece  is  also  distin- 
guished by  the  absence  of  a  proper  crust,  although  the  original  surface  is  unmistakable  on  account  of  the  pronounced 
pitting  and  lustrous  appearance  of  the  exterior  in  comparison  with  the  interior. 

In  1895  "  he  described  another  individual  as  follows: 

A  nearly  complete  individual  of  this  fall  (in  the  Vienna  Museum)  of  1,070  grams  weight  shows  a  very  pronounced 
orientation;  the  elongated  front  face  having,  around  the  apex,  a  denudation  1  cm.  in  size  showing  a  rusted  ground  mass 
beneath,  has  a  black  crust,  pittings,  and  marked  lines  of  flow  upon  the  crust.  The  opposite  rear  side,  inclined  at  an 
angle  of  about  50°  to  the  front  side,  has  a  dull,  finely  granular,  sometimes  finely  porous,  thick  crust  with  white  crust 
lumps  near  one  edge.  A  second  rear  side,  inclined  at  an  angle  of  some  70°  to  the  front  side,  has  a  coarse,  hackly,  bark- 
like  crust ,  which  shows  lines  of  flow  running  over  the  edge  on  the  side  toward  the  front  face.  In  the  opposite  direction 
it  becomes  swollen  and  shining.  A  third  side,  or  rear  face,  inclined  at  an  angle  of  about  60°  to  the  front  face,  shows 
only  on  the  side  toward  the  front  face,  as  also  a  little  on  the  side  toward  the  two  rear  faces,  a  very  loose,  porous,  barklike 
crust,  which  is  abruptly  broken  off  toward  the  inside  and  is  only  represented  on  the  inner  portion  of  this  face  by  numerous 
bubbles,  while  the  greater  part  of  the  face  is  only  very  slightly  glazed.  A  fourth  side  face,  at  right  angles  to  the  front 
side,  appears  to  be  a  terrestrial,  or  at  least  an  entirely  unfused,  fresh  fracture.  A  fifth  side,  or  forward  face,  inclined 
at  an  angle  of  120°  to  the  front  side,  shows  an  armor  face  and  considerable  rusting.  A  flat  slice  of  this  mass  shows,  in 
addition  to  both  roundish  and  angular  chondri  of  white  and  gray  colors,  a  metallic  vein  1  to  1.5  mm.  thick,  apparently 
noncoherent,  which  is  also  visible  through  the  crust. 

Hinrichs 1S  pu bushed  in  1905  a  pamphlet  describing,  to  some  extent,  the  distribution  of  the 
stones  among  collectors  and  museums,  and  urging  the  adoption  of  the  name  Amana  instead  of 
that  of  Homestead. 

The  meteorite  is  widely  distributed,  both  in  the  form  of  sections  and  individuals.  Yale  has 
35  kgs.;  Harvard,  17kgs.;  FieldMuseum,  12  kgs.:  and  the  University  of  Iowa,  several  individuals. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1875: .    Fall  of  a  meteor  in  Iowa.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  9,  p.  407. 

2.  1875:   WRIGHT.    Preliminary  note  on  an  examination  of  gases  from  the  meteorite  of  February  12,  1875.    Idem, 

pp.  459-160. 

3.  1875:  WRIGHT.    Examination  of  gases  from  the  meteorite  of  February  12, 1875.     Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol. 

10,  pp.  44-49  and  206-207. 

4.  1875:  IRISH.    An  account  of  the  detonating  meteor  of  February  12, 1875.    Printed  at  the  Daily  Press  Job  Printing 

Office,  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  1875,  4°,  pp.  16,  with  figure. 

5.  1875:  HINRICHS.    Surune  chute  de  meteorites  tombe'es  dans  1'Etatd'Iowa.    Comptee  Rendus,  Tome  80,  p.  1175. 

6.  1875:  SMITH.    Rapport  sur  la  chute  de  deux  pierres  me'te'oriques  dans  les  Etata-Unis. — Meteorite  du  Gomte'd'Iowa. 

Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  80,  pp.  1451-1453.    (Analysis.) 

7.  1875:  LEONARD.    Iowa  County  meteor  and  its  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  10,  pp.  357-363. 

8.  1875:  GUMBEL.    Ueber  die  Beschaffenheit  der  Steinmeteoriten  vom  Fall  am  12  Februar,  1875,  in  der  Grafschaft 

Iowa,  N.-A.    Sitzber.  MOnchen  Akad.  Bd.  5,  pp.  313-330. 

9.  1876:  WRIGHT.    On  the  gases  contained  in  meteorites.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  pp.  259  and  260. 

10.  1876:  WRIGHT.    On  the  gases  contained  in  meteorites.    Idem,  vol.  12,  pp.  169  and  170. 

11.  1884:  WADSWOBTH.    Studies,  p.  86. 

12.  1883-1885:  TSCHERMAK.    Photographien,  pis.  7  and  10,  pp.  12,  13,  and  14. 

13.  1885:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  155,  165,  168,  182,  183-184,  and  233. 

14.  1895:  BREZTNA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  251-252. 

15.  1905:  HIXRICHS.    The  Amana  meteorites.     Published  in  St.  Louie,  pp.  103,  pis.  16. 


240  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Honduras.    See  Rosario. 


HOPEWELL  MOUNDS. 

Ross  County,  Ohio. 

Iron.  Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Prehistoric;  described  1902. 

Weight,  130  grama  (5  ounces). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Farrington  *  as  follows : 

Among  the  objects  obtained  from  the  Hopewell  Mounds  of  Ohio,  and  now  in  the  anthropological  collections  of  the 
Field  Museum  are  a  number  made  of  iron .  These  include  a  part  of  a  head  and  ear  ornament,  some  celts,  a  number  of 
beade,  and  lastly  a  small  unwTOUght  mass  weighing  about  130  grams  (5  ounces).  Dr.  G.  A.  Dorsey,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  calling  my  attention  to  them,  informs  me  that  they  were  all  found  associated  with  a  single  human  skeleton 
near  an  altar  of  one  of  the  mounds.  They  were  considerably  oxidized,  so  that  the  original  metal  is  in  most  cases  obliter- 
ated, but  the  unwrought  mass  above  mentioned  was  found  to  be  oxidized  only  on  the  surface.  A  qualitative  analysis 
of  some  filings  from  this  mass  showed  the  presence  of  nickel,  and  indicated,  as  might  be  expected  since  no  other  source 
of  iron  probably  lay  open  to  the  Mound  Builders,  that  the  objects  were  made  of  meteoric  iron.  Upon  removing  the 
rust  from  one  surface  and  submitting  the  area  so  exposed  to  the  etching  action  of  nitric  acid,  the  meteoric  nature  of  the 
iron  was  proved  beyond  question  by  the  appearance  of  Widmanstatten  figures.  The  nature  of  these  figures  is  shown 
by  figures  where  the  structure  of  bands  of  kamacite  separated  by  thin  ribbons  of  tsenite  can  be  plainly  discerned.  The 
width  and  continuity  of  the  kamacite  bands  varies  considerably.  Some  are  at  least  1  mm.  in  width  and  from  these 
they  grade  down  to  not  over  twice  the  width  of  the  corresponding  taenite  ribbon.  While  many  are  continuous  in  a 
general  way  for  a  length  of  from  10  to  20  mm.  the  taenite  runs  through  them  all  in  a  series  of  anastomosing  branches,  and 
in  places  gives  the  impression  of  a  network  in  which  grains  of  kamacite  are  embedded.  The  contour  of  the  figures  is  for 
the  most  part  curved  and  wavy,  especially  near  the  borders  of  the  section.  The  most  reasonable  explanation  for  this 
seems  to  be  the  treatment  probably  given  the  mass  by  the  ancient  workmen.  If  heated  until  it  became  somewhat 
plastic  and  then  hammered,  just  such  curving  of  the  plates  might  be  produced.  Owing  to  the  distortion  of  the  figures 
it  is  impossible  to  positively  classify  the  iron.  Apparently  it  is  an  octahedral  iron  having  lamellae  of  medium  width. 
While  two  alloys,  kamacite  and  taenite,  are  plainly  discernible,  no  troilite  or  schreibersite  can  be  seen,  although  the 
presence  of  the  two  latter  is  indicated  by  the  percentages  of  sulphur  and  phosphorus  found  on  analysis.  At  one  end  of 
the  mass  are  three  large  irregular  pores  such  as  might  have  been  produced  by  the  falling  out  of  crystals  of  chrysolite 
or  other  stony  matter.  There  is  no  other  evidence,  however,  that  such  stony  matter  was  at  one  time  present  and  the 
cavities  may  have  been  produced  in  a  purely  mechanical  way.  This  seems  rather  the  more  probable  from  the  fact 
that  the  rest  of  the  mass  is  quite  compact.  The  iron  is  rather  soft,  cutting  easily  with  a  hack-saw,  and  malleable.  It  is 
active  to  copper  sulphate. 

For  purposes  of  quantitative  analysis  a  small  piece  was  sawed  from  one  end  of  the  mass  and  cleaned  from  rust  by 
filing  and  scraping.  The  analysis,  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols,  and  using  the  methods  adopted  for  the  Los  Reyes 
meteorite,  gave  the  following  results: 

Amount  of  substance  taken,  2,166.3  grams. 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  Mn  Sn  S  P 

95.20        4.64        0.404        0.035       Trace.      Trace.       0.13        0.07    =100.48 

The  other  meteorites  known  to  have  been  found  in  Indian  mounds  of  this  country  are  those  of  Oktibbeha  County, 
Mississippi,  and  the  Turner  Mounds,  Ohio.  In  the  Oktibbeha  County  iron  the  quantity  of  nickel  reaches  59.7  per  cent, 
and  this  sufficiently  distinguishes  it  from  any  other  known  meteorite.  The  Turner  Mound  meteorites  include  masses 
from  two  different  mounds,  which  were  analyzed  by  Kinnicutt  with  the  following  results: 

From  Mound  No.  3.  From  Mound  No.  4. 
1             2 

Fe 86.66      88.37  89.00 

Ni 12.67      10.90  10.65 

Co 0.33        0.44  0.45 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Kunz  concluded  from  a  comparison  of  the  Turner  Mounds  meteorites  with  those  of 
Kiowa  County,  Kansas,  that  on  account  of  the  marked  similarity  in  constitution  and  structure  they  belonged  to  the 
same  fall.  The  Hopewell  Mounds  are  only  about  75  miles  distant  from  the  Turner  Mounds  in  an  easterly  direction, 
and  it  might  be  expected  that  the  same  meteoric  iron  would  have  been  used  for  the  construction  of  the  objects  found 
in  these  mounds.  The  results  of  the  analysis  above  given  do  not,  however,  permit  this  conclusion,  the  differences  in 
the  percentages  being  greater  than  are  known  to  occur  among  the  individuals  of  a  single  fall.  Comparison  of  etching 
figures  is  out  of  the  question  on  account  of  the  distortion  of  those  of  the  Hopewell  Mounds  specimen,  but  the  lack  of 
any  content  of  chrysolite  such  as  characterizes  the  Turner  Mounds  masses  is  a  further  point  of  difference.  It  seems 
impossible  at  present,  therefore,  to  connect  the  Hopewell  Mounds  mass  with  any  known  meteorite,  and  the  specimen 
will  therefore  be  designated  as  the  Hopewell  Mounds  meteorite. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  241 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1902:  FARRINOTON.    Meteorite  Studies  I.    Pubs.  Field  Columbian  Museum,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  1,  pp.  3KMJ14.    (With 
two  plates  showing  etching  figures.) 

HOPPER. 

Henry  County,  Virginia. 

Here  alto  Henry  County. 

Latitude  36°  54'  N.,  longitude  76°  5'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1889;  described  1890. 

Weight,  1.92  kgs.  (4  Ibe.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Venable  l  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  found  by  Nathaniel  Murphy  in  Henry  County,  Virginia,  about  4  miles  from  the  Pitteylvania  County 
line,  and  0.5  mile  north  of  the  dividing  line  between  North  Carolina  and  Virginia,  near  to  Smith  River.  Murphy  found 
the  stone  in  a  plowed  field  in  the  latter  part  of  the  spring  of  1889.  He  gave  it  to  Col.  J.  Turner  Morehead,  of  Leaks- 
ville,  North  Carolina.  Together  with  Colonel  Morehead  he  searched  over  the  farm,  but  could  find  nothing  similar  to 
his  piece.  Colonel  Morehead  sent  the  mass  to  Dr.  H.  B.  Battle,  of  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  It  weighed  1.7  kg.,  and 
the  detached  pieces,  mainly  crust,  weighed  0.22  kg.  This  crust  broke  off  along  certain  lines  by  a  kind  of  cleavage,  and 
the  main  mass  is  permeated  with  cracks,  not  irregular  and  zigzag,  but  distinct  and  regular.  This  cleavage  is  in  two 
directions.  The  laminae  vary  in  thickness,  but  many  are  about  0.5  mm.  The  color  of  the  surface  is  dark  bluish-black, 
mixed  with  much  red  rust  coming  from  the  lawrenceite.  Parts  of  the  soil  apparently  still  cling  to  the  mass.  It  measured 
60  by  70  by  75  mm.  in  its  greatest  dimensions.  Here  and  there  spots  were  to  be  seen  with  bright  silvery  sheen.  It 
contains  a  good  deal  of  ferric  chloride  and  crumbles  rapidly.  Coarse  Widmannstatten  figures  appear  on  the  polished 
surface  without  etching. 

The  analysis  gave: 

Fe  Ce        SiO,         P  Co  Ni 

90.54        0.35        0.04        0.13        0.94        7.70    =99.70 

Farrington 2  suggested  the  name  of  Hopper  for  the  meteorite  because  of  the  nearness  of  its 
place  of  find  to  that  town.    This  suggestion  has  been  adopted  by  later  cataloguers. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  VENABLE.    Two  new  meteoric  irons. — 2:  From  Henry  County,  Virginia.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol. 

40,  pp.  162-163.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1903:  FABRINGTON.    Catalogue  of  the  collection  of  meteorites.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  2,  p. 

100. 


Howard  County.    See  Kokomo. 


HUEJUQUILLA. 

Under  this  title  various  Mexican  iron  meteorites  have  been  included  at  different  times, 
especially  those  of  the  State  of  Chihuahua.  Wiilfing  includes  the  following:  Chupaderos, 
Adargas-,  Morito,  Rio  Florido,  Sierra  Blanca,  and  Tule.  The  first  three  may  be  found  under 
their  corresponding  names  in  the  text  of  this  catalogue,  while  the  last  three  refer  to  irons  that 
have  apparently  been  lost. 

HUMBOLDT  IRON. 

Alexander  von  Humboldt  brought  to  Europe  in  1811  a  piece  of  meteoric  iron  which  he 
stated  to  have  been  taken  from  an  unusually  large  mass  of  iron,  15,000  to  20,000  kg.  in  weight, 
found  in  the  neighborhood  of  Durango.  The  large  mass  he  did  not  see  himself.  Pieces  of 
Humboldt's  piece  have  been  distributed  in  collections  under  the  name  of  the  Humboldt  iron, 
but  the  original  mass  from  which  they  came  has  never  been  identified. 

It  is  possible  that  this  larger  mass  was  Morito  or  one  of  the  Chupaderos  masses,  but  the 
origin  of  the  Humboldt  iron  is  so  uncertain  and  obscure  that  there  seems  no  desirable  end  to  be 
served  in  continuing  the  designation. 
716°— 15 16 


242  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

ILLINOIS  GULCH. 

Deer  Lodge  County,  Montana. 

Latitude  46°  30'  N.,  longitude  114°  45'  W. 

Iron.    Nickel-poor  ataxite,  Rafruti  group. 

Found  1897  (Ward),  1899  (Preston);  described  1900. 

Weight,  2,450  grams  (5.4  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Preston,1  as  follows : 

The  Illinois  Gulch  siderite  was  found  in  Illinois  Gulch,  Deer  Lodge  County,  Montana,  in  1899,  on  the  bedrock 
about  4  feet  below  the  surface,  by  J.  Parle  while  placer  mining. 

The  mass  was  somewhat  ham-shaped. 

Its  dimensions  are  63  by  104  by  105  mm.  in  its  greatest  diameters.  There  are  two  rather  large  typical  pittings, 
one  on  either  side,  with  numerous  quite  small  ones  and  three  sharp  angular  ridges  on  the  upper  or  necked  surface. 
But  little  genuine  crust  is  left,  the  bright  silvery  metallic  iron  being  visible  in  small  patches  through  the  oxidized 
surface,  over  a  portion  of  the  mass. 

On  certain  portions  of  the  mass,  particularly  in  the  deeper  pittings,  there  is  quite  a  thick  deposit  of  carbonate  of 
lime,  showing  that  it  had  lain  for  a  long  time  in  the  position  where  found. 

In  slicing  the  mass  into  five  sections,  the  protosulphide  of  iron,  troilite,  was  found  only  on  one  section,  and  on  this 
in  very  email  quantities;  the  largest  nodule  being  only  6  mm.  in  diameter,  with  numerous  small  fissures,  from  1  to  5 
mm.  in  length,  extending  in  various  directions  from  it,  that  are  filled  with  the  same  material. 

This  nodule  occurred  in  the  lower  center  of  the  section.  At  the  extreme  right,  within  5  mm.  of  the  edge  of  the 
section,  occurred  another  patch  of  small  fissures,  covering  an  area  of  about  8  mm.  in  diameter,  filled  with  troilite. 

On  etching  the  iron  no  distinct  figures  of  any  character  were  brought  out,  but  a  surface  of  a  dark  gray  groundmass 
was  left  filled  with  bright  silvery-white  flakes,  without  any  definite  form,  or  sharp  line  of  contact,  between  them  and 
the  dark  gray  groundmass. 

Over  the  surface  are  scattered  in  single  crystals,  occasionally  in  groups,  a  very  dark  steel  gray  crystallization, 
from  0.5  to  1  mm.  in  length  and  0.5  mm.  or  less  in  width,  that  are  probably  the  phosphide  of  iron  and  nickel,  rhabdite. 

The  character  of  the  etched  surface  of  this  iron  is  more  nearly,  lacking  the  supposed  rhabdite  crystals,  like  the 
Morradal,  Norway  siderite,  than  any  other  with  which  I  am  acquainted. 

This  mass  is  in  the  possession  of  Ward's  Natural  Science  Establishment,  and  when  received  by  them  weighed 
2,435  grams,  but  at  that  time  a  fragment  weighing  possibly  15  grams  had  been  chiseled  off  the  end  of  the  narrow  neck. 

An  analysis  of  this  siderite  by  Mariner  and  Hoskins,  of  Chicago,  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co  Si  P  C 

92.51        6.70       0.16          trace        0.62        0.01    =100.00 

Specific  gravity,  7.7. 

This  meteorite  will  be  designated  the  "Illinois  Gulch"  meteorite,  Deer  Lodge  County,  Montana. 

Ward  a  describes  a  section  in  his  collection  weighing  830  grams  as  follows: 

End  piece,  58  by  58  by  100  mm.  Face  polished,  back  exterior  of  mass.  Etched  face  shows  no  figures  but  a  series 
of  indistinct  bright  plates  associated  with  a  darker  colored  iron,  with  an  obscure  mark  of  contact  between  them. 
Over  this  surface  are  a  number  of  brighter  small  crystals  which  are  probably  rhabdite.  The  section  shows  two  troilites, 
one  6  mm.  in  largest  diameter,  with  numerous  small  fractures  or  fissures  extending  in  various  directions  from  it,  which 
are  likewise  filled  with  troilite. 

Cohen 8  reviewed  previous  notices  and  described  a  section  of  35  sq.  cm.,  as  follows: 

Illinois  Gulch  assumes  a  flecked  appearance  after  etching,  since  it  is  composed  of  irregular,  jagged,  generally 
isometric  grains  of  0.25  to  1.5  and  occasionally  even  3.5  mm.  often  quite  indistinctly  divided  off  from  one  another, . 
every  part  of  which  shows  at  the  same  time  a  brightly  glistening  reflection.  An  etched  surface  shows  great  resem- 
blance to  that  of  Forsyth ,  although  in  the  latter  case  the  size  of  the  grains  is  somewhat  smaller  and  more  uniform ,  and  their 
demarcation  more  distinct.  While  in  the  case  of  Forsyth,  under  the  microscope,  each  large  grain  is  distinctly  seen  to 
be  composed  of  smaller,  even,  well-defined  granules,  the  grains  in  Illinois  Gulch  appear  on  high  magnification  to  be 
covered  with  crowded,  uniformly  distributed  etching  pits  0.01  mm.  in  size  and  somewhat  elongated  and  of  quite 
irregular  form,  which  produce  the  luster,  and  under  the  microscope  impart  a  dappled  appearance  to  the  grains. 

With  a  low  magnifying  power  one  sees  only  a  few  small  granules  resembling  schreibersite;  with  a  higher  power 
spindle-shaped  inclusions  as  much  as  0.2  to  0.4  mm.  long  come  to  view,  which  perhaps  likewise  belong  to  schrei- 
bersite. Other  accessory  constituents  were  not  recognized,  and  according  to  the  description  of  Ward  they  seem  to 
occur  only  in  small  quantity. 

Analysis  by  Fahrenhorst: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu          Cr  S  P 

86.77        12.67        0.81        0.02        0.01          trace        0.08    =100.36 

Specific  gravity,  7.8329. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  243 

Mineralogical  composition : 

Nickel-iron 99. 48 

Schreibereite .52 


100.00 

The  analysis  by  Mariner  and  Hoskins,  contributed  by  Preston,  gave  such  an  entirely  different  result  that  it  could 
scarcely  be  the  same  meteoric  iron  that  was  analyzed. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Ward  possessing  830  grams,  and  the  British  Museum  637 
grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1900:  PBESTON.    Illinois  Gulch  meteorite.     Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  9,  pp.  201-202. 

2.  1900:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  pp.  87-88. 

3.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  XI.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  vol.  15,  pp.  351-353. 

4.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  III,  pp.  83-85. 


Independence.     See  Kenton  County. 
Independence  County.     See  Joe  Wright. 


INDIAN  VALLEY. 

Floyd  County,  Virginia. 

Here  also  Floyd  County,  Floyd  Mountain,  and  Radford  Furnace. 

Latitude  36°  5&  N.,  longitude  80°  30^  W. 

Iron.    Brecciated  hexahedrite  (Hb)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1887;  described  1891. 

Weight,  14.2  kgs.  (31  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Kunz  and  Weinschenk  *  in  1891,  as  follows: 

This  iron  meteorite  was  found  in  the  spring  of  1887  by  Mr.  John  Showalter  while  plowing  his  tobacco  patch  in 
Indian  Valley,  near  the  base  of  the  south  side  of  Floyd  Mountain  and  6  miles  southeast  of  Radford  Furnace,  Virginia. 
Search  in  the  near  vicinity  for  other  pieces  was  without  success.  This  meteorite  weighs  31  pounds  (14  kg.)  and  meas- 
ures 28  by  20  by  13  cm.  (11  by  8  by  5  inches).  The  surface  of  the  iron  is  very  much  corroded  and  is  entirely  covered 
with  a  rust  crust;  only  a  little  of  the  original  crust  is  visible.  On  the  exterior  are  deep  impressions  from  2  to  4  cm.  in 
diameter.  The  iron  has  a  crystalline  structure  and  evident  cubic  cleavage  on  account  of  which  pieces  readily  fall 
away. 

The  following  analysis  was  made  by  Mr.  L.  G.  Eakins,  in  the  laboratory  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P  S  Si 

93.59        5.56        0.53          trace        0.27        0.01          trace    =99.96 

The  same,  calculated  to  100,  after  removal  of  the  schreibersite  as  NiFejP,  and  of  the  troilite  as  FeS,  gives: 

Fe         XiCo 
94.31        5.69    =100. 

The  structure  of  this  iron  meteorite  possesses  a  superior  interest  since  it  is  a  mean  between  the  so-called  breccias 
(better  designated  as  granular  irons)  and  the  cubic  irons  consisting  of  one  crystal  individual.  On  even  an  unetched 
surface  can  be  seen  in  considerable  quantity  rodlike  crystals  1.5  by  5  mm.  in  dimension,  which  possess  the  proper- 
ties of  schreibersite— high  luster,  tin-white  color,  brittleness,  and  insolubility  in  solutions  of  copper  salts.  These 
appear  to  be  arranged  on  the  section  in  straight,  parallel  bands,  across  whose  direction  the  crystals  stand  parallel  among 
themselves.  On  an  etched  section  one  sees  that  these  directions  are  parallel  to  the  Neumann  lines,  which,  on  a  large 
portion  of  the  section,  are  formed  as  completely  as  in  Coahuila.  Occasional  spots,  larger  or  smaller,  however,  pos- 
sess a  purely  granular  structure.  The  appearance  is  quite  identical  with  that  of  the  iron  from  Chatooga  County  and 
not  very  different  from  that  obtained  by  etching  a  piece  of  cast  iron.  In  addition,  there  extend  over  the  whole  sec- 
tion characteristic,  not  definitely  oriented,  and  partly  bent  sheen  bands  such  as  we  have  never  as  yet  noted  on  any 
other  iron  meteorite.  It  may  also  be  observed  that  toward  the  interior  of  the  iron  the  granular,  and  toward  the 
exterior  the  unitary  portions  predominate. 

The  structure  of  this  iron  perhaps  allows  some  conclusions  to  be  drawn  regarding  the  origin  of  the  cubic  structure 
of  iron  meteorites.  It  seems  to  us  that  the  granular  portion  shows  the  original  structure  from  which  by  metamorphism 
the  other  has  been  formed.  The  result  of  the  analysis  shows  an  unusually  low  percentage  of  Ni+Co,  and  one  below 
the  normal  average  for  cubic  irons.  This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  granular  portions  contained  less  nickel  than 
the  crystallized.  The  former  then  did  not  possess  the  capability  of  crystallization  which  nickel-iron  composed  of 
kamacite,  tsenite,  etc.,  possesses.  Sufficient  material  is  not  at  hand  to  settle  this  question,  but  in  every  respect  the  iron 
of  Floyd  Mountain  seems  to  be  one  of  the  most  interesting  which  has  appeared  in  recent  years. 


244  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

An  abbreviated  form  of  the  above  account  was  published  by  the  same  authors  in  the  Ameri- 
can Journal  of  Science  the  next  year.2 

Brezina 3  raised  the  question  whether  this  meteorite  belonged  to  Hollands  Store. 

Berwerth 4  characterized  the  iron  as  "kamacite  (hexahedral  iron)  with  zones  of  octahedrally 
oriented  grains." 

Farrington  6  placed  it  among  the  hexahedrites,  since  he  did  not  consider  the  granular  par- 
ticles essential;  he  also  mentioned  two  small  troilite  nodules. 

Cohen 8  thought  with  regard  to  the  question  raised  by  Kunz  and  Weinschenk  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  peculiar  structure,  that  either  the  granular  portion  was  the  original  from  which,  by 
later  crystallization,  the  unitary  portions  arose,  or  that  a  low  content  of  nickel  in  the  granular 
portions  gave  low  crystallizing  power.  He  calls  attention  to  the  fact,  however,  that  the  content 
of  nickel,  instead  of  being  low,  corresponds  with  that  of  other  hexahedrites.  He  also  criticises 
Berwerth  s  classification  of  the  meteorite  as  not  agreeing  with  his  description.  If  Berwerth 
means,  he  states,  "that  the  zones  run  parallel  to  the  octahedral  surfaces  then  the  meteorite  would 
not  be  a  granular  hexahedrite,  to  which,  however,  it  was  referred  by  Berwerth." 

The  meteorite  is  more  than  half  (8,085  grams)  preserved  hi  the  Field  Museum  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1891:  KUNZ  and  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoritenstudien. — 2:  Floyd  Mountain,   Radford  Furnace,  Virginia.    Mineral 

und  Petrogr.  Mitth.,  Tschermak,  Bd.  12,  pp.  182-184. 

2.  1892:  KUNZ  and  WEINSCHENK.    On  two  meteoric  irons. — 1:  Indian  valley  township,  Floyd  County,  Virginia. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  43,  pp.  424-425. 

3.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  346. 

4.  1900:  BERWERTH.    Neue  Meteoriten.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  15  (Not),  p.  41. 

5.  1903:  FARRINGTON.    Catalogue  of  the  collection  of  Meteorites.     Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  2, 

pp.  100-101. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  237-239. 


Iowa  County.    See  Homestead. 
Irapuato.    See  La  Charca. 


IREDELL. 

Bosque  County,  Texas. 

Latitude  31°  53'  N.,  longitude  97°  52'  W. 

Iron.    Normal  hexahedrite  (H)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1898;  described  1899. 

Weight  about  1,500  grams  (3.3  Ibs.),  of  which  only  about  500  grams  (1.1  pounds)  were  preserved. 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  have  been  summarized  by  Cohen  2  as  follows : 

According  to  Foote,1  this  iron  was  found  in  1898  in  a  rut  7  inches  deep  in  an  old  road  on  the  Dudley  sheep  ranch, 
5  or  6  miles  southwest  of  Iredell  in  Bosque  County,  Texas.  It  had  originally  the  shape  of  a  large  mussell-shell  but  was 
broken  up  into  many  pieces,  and  among  other  things,  had  been  used  to  replace  knife  blades.  Scarcely  a  third  (500 
grams)  of  the  original  mass,  in  the  form  of  angular  fragments  with  rusty  exterior,  can  have  been  preserved;  it  shows  a 
slight  exudation  of  iron  chloride.  The  occasionally  prominent  cleavage  is  explained  as  dodecahedral.  The  bright 
tin-white  iron  is  soft  and  takes  a  fine  polish;  upon  etching  numerous  very  small  depressions  and  fine  bright  lines  appear 
which,  for  the  most  part,  cross  at  right  angles,  but  which  also  occasionally  run  diagonally.  Friable,  magnetic  schrei- 
bersite  is  plentiful  in  grains  and  plates  2  mm.  in  breadth. 

Analysis  (Wbitfield): 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  S 

93.75        5.51        0.52        0.20        0.06     =100.04 

A  small  piece  which  I  investigated  shows  a  generally  irregular  rust-covered  exterior,  besides  one  freshly-opened 
surface  which  is  generally  even  but  in  places  is  here  and  there  marked  off  en  ichelon,  so  that  the  cleavage  may  with 
reasonable  certainty  be  assumed  to  be  hexahedral.  Immediately  after  weak  etching  numerous  uniformly-distributed 
pittings  aa  much  as  0.01  mm.  in  size,  and  fine-line  systems  appear,  closely  resembling  the  etching  pits  and  Neumann 
lines  of  other  hexahedrites.  After  stronger  etching  each  pit  becomes  enlarged  and  between  them  occur  very  many 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.        .  245 

finer  points  which  I  regard  likewise  as  etching  pits;  the  etching  lines  do  not  appear  to  increase.  The  distinct  but  not 
very  lively  oriented  luster  increases  in  intensity  by  streaks  and  the  stripes  are  twisted,  owing  to  a  distortion  of  the 
structure  in  the  forcible  removal  of  the  piece.  Of  accessory  minerals  there  are  only  a  few  rods  and  grains  of  schreibersite 
to  be  mentioned. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1899:  FOOTE.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  8,  pp.  415-416. 

2.  1905:  COHKN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  225-226. 

IRON  CREEK. 

Province  of  Alberta,  Canada. 

Here  also  Battle  River,  Saskatchewan  River,  and  Victoria. 

Latitude  52°  N.,  longitude  112°  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Described  1872. 

Weight,  175  kgs.  (386  Ibs). 

The  first  published  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Butler  1  whose  account 
of  it  is  thus  reported  by  Flight:' 

In  1870  Captain  Butler  received  orders  from  Lieut.  Gov.  Archibald,  of  Manitoba,  to  proceed  on  a  mission  to  the 
Saskatchewan.  While  returning  from  the  far  west  he  passed,  on  December  25,  1871,  through  the  village  of  Victoria, 
which  lies  on  the  north  branch  of  the  river  about  midway  between  Fort  Edmonton  and  Fort  Pitt,  and  was  shown  in  the 
farmyard  of  the  mission  house  of  that  station  a  curious  block  of  metal  of  immense  weight.  It  was  rugged,  deeply 
indented,  and  polished  on  the  edges  by  wear  and  friction.  Longer  than  any  man  could  say,  it  had  lain  on  the 
summit  of  a  hill  out  on  the  southern  prairies.  It  had  been  a  medicine  stone  of  surpassing  virtue  among  the  Indians 
far  and  wide,  and  no  tribe  or  member  of  a  tribe  would  pass  in  the  neighborhood  without  visiting  this  great  medicine. 
It  was  said  to  be  increasing  yearly  in  weight.  Old  men  remember  to  have  heard  old  men  say  that  they  had  at  one  time 
lifted  it  easily  from  the  ground ;  now  no  single  man  can  carry  it.  Not  very  long  before  Captain  Butler  saw  this  meteorite 
it  had  been  removed  from  the  hill  upon  which  it  had  so  long  rested  and  been  brought  to  Victoria.  When  the  Indians 
found  that  it  had  been  taken  away  they  were  loud  in  the  expression  of  their  regret.  The  old  medicine  men  declared 
that  its  removal  would  bring  great  misfortune,  and  that  war,  disease,  and  dearth  of  buffalo  would  afflict  the  tribee  of 
the  Saskatchewan.  This  was  not  a  prophecy  made  after  the  outbreak  of  smallpox  which  was  devastating  the  dis- 
trict when  Captain  Butler  was  there,  for  in  a  magazine  published  by  the  Wesleyan  Society  of  Canada,  there  appears 
a  letter  from  the  missionary  announcing  the  predictions  of  the  medicine  men  a  year  before  Captain  Butler's  visit,  and 
concluding  with  an  expression  of  thankfulness  that  their  dismal  prognostications  had  not  been  realized.  A  few 
months  later,  however,  brought  on  all  three  evils  upon  the  Indians.  Never,  probably,  since  the  first  trader  had  trav- 
ersed their  land,  had  so  many  afflictions  of  war,  famine,  and  plague  fallen  upon  the  Crees  and  the  Blackfeet  as  during 
the  year  succeeding  the  removal  of  their  Manitou  stone  from  the  lone  hill  top  upon  which  the  skies  had  cast  it. 

Coleman  *  states  that  the  meteorite  was  brought  in  (presumably  to  Victoria)  in  1870  by 
Red  River  cart  by  Daniel  McDougall  at  the  instance  of  his  father,  Rev.  Geo.  McDougall. 
Coleman2  further  states: 

It  was  found  on  a  hill  near  Iron  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Battle  River,  at  a  point  about  150  miles  south  of  Victoria, 
on  the  North  Saskatchewan. 

This  meteorite  was  greatly  venerated  by  the  Indiana  who  made  offerings  to  it  of  beads,  trinkets,  or  knives  before 
setting  out  on  hunting  or  warlike  expeditions.  They  saw  in  the  markings  on  its  surface  the  rough  features  of  a  face, 
believed  that  the  ''stone "  attracted  lightning  and  that  it  had  grown  in  size  and  weight  since  they  first  saw  it. 

In  outline  it  is  irregularly  triangular  and  much  broader  than  it  is  thick.  Its  surface  shows  the  usual  rounded 
and  pitted  appearance.  It  consists  of  solid  metal,  with  scarcely  a  trace  of  stony  matter  and  only  a  slight  oxidation  of 
the  surface.  Specific  gravity:  7.784. 

Analvsis  (Coleman): 

Fe  Ni  Co 

91.33        8.83        0.49    =100.65 

Brezina  4  described  the  structure  as  follows: 

Victoria  has  a  very  regular  zone  of  alteration  3  mm.  broad,  even  under  the  0.5  to  1  mm.  thick  crust  of  the  rear  side. 
The  lamellae  are  long,  straight,  partially  grouped,  not  swollen;  the  kamacite  finely  hatched  and  spotted.  Taenite 
well  developed.  Fields  abundant,  resembling  the  kamacite,  but  with  finer  structure  or  with  tsenite  spots  instead  of 
combs. 

Farrington  5  described  the  form  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

A  cast  of  this  meteorite  recently  received  by  the  Field  Museum,  through  the  kindness  of  the  Geological  Survey 
of  Canada,  affords  an  opportunity  for  the  study  of  some  features  which  have  not  previously  received  description.  The 
meteorite  is  remarkable  for  its  orientation,  the  characters  of  front  and  rear  sides  being  shown  very  plainly.  In  per- 
fection of  form  in  this  respect  it  equals  the  Cabin  Creek  meteorite,  which  in  general  shape  it  resembles.  In  previous 
descriptions  of  this  meteorite  it  has  merely  been  stated  that  the  mass  was  "irregularly  triangular  and  much  broader 
than  thick,"  and  no  dimensions  have  been  given. 


246  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  form  of  the  Iron  Creek  meteorite,  as  seen  from  its  cast,  is  that  of  a  low  cone,  8.5  inches  (22  cm.)  high  and  22 
inches  (56  cm.)  in  diameter.  The  outline  of  the  base  of  the  cone  is  an  incomplete  circle,  an  approximately  straight 
contour  cutting  off  one  side  so  that  only  about  three-fourths  of  the  circle  is  present.  The  width  of  the  mass  in  this 
direction  is  17  inches  (43  cm.).  Were  the  circle  complete  the  apex  of  the  cone  would  occupy  a  position  near  its  center, 
but  with  the  mass  shaped  as  it  is,  the  apex  is  situated  close  to  the  straight  side.  At  one  point  where  the  straight  side 
joins  the  circular  outline  there  was  evidently  in  the  original  mass  a  prolongation  perhaps  a  few  inches  in  length, 
which,  having  formed  the  most  convenient  part  of  the  meteorite  for  removal,  has  been  sawed  off  for  purposes,  doubt- 
less, of  analysis  and  distribution.  While  the  form  of  the  meteorite  as  a  whole  is  conical,  it  is  also  arched,  the  base 
being  concave  and  the  sides  convex.  The  greatest  depth  of  the  concavity  of  the  base  is  about  1$  inches,  and  occurs 
opposite  the  apex.  This  general  concavity  is  also  subdivided  by  two  secondary  concave  areas,  one  about  7  inches 
(18  cm.),  the  other  about  10  inches  (25  cm.),  in  diameter.  These  are  again  subdivided  by  broad,  shallow  pits 
from  2  to  4  inches  in  diameter.  The  perimetral  edge  formed  by  the  meeting  of  the  sides  and  base  is  irregular 
in  contour  and  from- 1  to  2  inches  in  thickness.  The  broad,  shallow  pita  of  the  base,  which  by  their  form  char- 
acterize this  as  the  rear  side  of  the  meteorite,  are,  as  has  been  stated,  from  2  to  4  inches  (5  to  10  cm.)  in  diameter. 
Their  form  is  approximately  circular,  although  they  at  times 'tend  to  be  oval  or  polygonal.  The  ridges  between 
the  pits  are  low,  rounded,  and  merge  into  the  pits.  The  pits  of  the  convex  surface  of  the  meteorite  present  con- 
siderable contrast  to  these.  They  are  smaller,  rarely  exceeding  2  inches  (5  cm.)  in  diameter,  are  deeper  in  pro- 
portion to  their  diameters,  more  irregular  in  shape,  and  the  ridges  between  them  are  higher.  They  lack  uniformity 
of  shape  or  arrangement.  Some  are  long  and  narrow,  others  three-sided,  others  again  more  nearly  circular.  The  apex 
of  the  cone  appears  to  have  been  less  oxidized  than  the  rest  of  the  mass,  indicating  that  the  crust  had  sprayed  off  at 
this  point.  It  presents  a  smooth  surface  about  2  inches  (5  cm.)  in  diameter,  convex  except  for  a  small,  saucerlike 
depression  about  0.5  inch  (1  cm.)  in  diameter  in  its  center.  The  base  and  the  sides  of  the  cone  meet  in  a  sloping  edge, 
except  on  the  side  already  described  as  approximately  straight.  Here  a  broad,  flat  surface  is  presented,  perpendicular 
to  the  base  of  the  cone,  or  as  if  a  section  had  been  cut  through  the  cone  at  one  side  of  the  apex  and  removed.  The 
pittings  of  this  surface  resemble  furrows,  and  run,  in  general,  parallel  to  the  axis  of  the  cone.  Some,  however,  con- 
verge from  points  on  the  side  toward  the  central  point  of  the  base.  This  is  the  course  which  currents  of  air,  rushing 
from  the  front  side  backward  to  the  partial  vacuum  behind,  might  be  expected  to  take.  The  characters  above  described 
make  it  clear  that  the  convex  surface  with  its  deeper,  smaller  pits  was  the  front  side  of  the  meteorite  in  falling.  The 
characters  of  the  crust  can  not  be  determined  from  the  cast,  nor  are  minute  drift  phenomena,  if  any  occur,  to  be 
seen.  Brezina,  however,  states  that  the  rear  side  has  a  bark  crust  0.5  to  1  mm.  thick.  The  plate  accompanying  the 
present  paper  shows  the  characters  above  described.  The  adoption  by  the  writer  for  this  meteorite  of  the  name  Iron 
Creek,  instead  of  the  more  usual  one  of  Victoria,  is  on  account  of  information  received  from  Mr.  Johnston,  of  the  Geolog- 
ical Survey,  that  the  small  mission  station  of  Victoria,  from  which  the  meteorite  received  that  name,  is  150  miles  from 
the  locality  where  the  meteorite  was  found,  and  it  is  no  longer  known  by  that  name,  its  present  name  being  Papan. 
Iron  Creek  is  a  well-defined  stream  only  25  miles  in  length,  which  takes  its  name  from  the  fact  that  the  meteorite 
was  found  near  it.  Iron  Creek,  moreover,  is  the  English  translation  of  the  Indian  name  given  to  the  stream  before 
the  white  man  entered  the  country.  The  meteorite  was  known  to  the  Indians  and  held  in  great  veneration  by  them. 

The  meteorite  is  preserved  almost  entire  in  the  Victoria  College  at  Toronto. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1872:  BUTLER.    The  Great  Lone  Land.    London,  1872,  p.  304. 

2.  1887:  COLBMAN.    Proc.  Roy.  Soc.  Canada,. vol.  4,  sec.  3,  p.  97. 

3.  1887:  FLIGHT.    Meteorites,  pp.  53-54. 

4.  1895:  BHEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  279. 

5.  1907:  FARRINGTON.    Meteorite  studies  II.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  113-115. 

Ironhannock  Creek.     See  Tomhannock  Creek. 

Irwin  meteorite.     See  Tucson. 
Irwin-Ainsa  meteorite.     See  Tucson. 


IVANPAH. 

San  Bernardino  County,  California. 
Latitude  35°  28'  N.,  longitude  115°  31'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 
Found  and  described,  1880. 
Weight,  58.3  kgs.  (128  Iba.) 

This  meteorite  was  mainly  described  by  Shepard  *  as  follows: 

The  locality  of  this  find  is  situated  in  a  region  known  as  the  Colorado  Basin,  within  8  miles  of  Ivanpah,  200  miles 
northeast  of  San  Bernardino,  in  southern  California.  The  mass  was  discovered  in  1880  by  Mr.  Stephen  Goddard, 
while  crossing  what  is  there  called  a  "wash." 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  247 

It  is  oval  in  shape,  having  one  side  somewhat  flattened.  Its  surface  ia  entirely  covered  with  depressions  or  dents, 
"as  if  it  had  been  patted  all  over  with  pebbles"  or  clam  shells,  while  yet  soft  or  plastic.  The  size  and  shape  of  these 
concavities  are  various,  from  1  to  4  inches  across;  and  in  addition,  there  are  three  rounded  holes  an  inch  deep  as  if 
made  by  the  little  finger. 

It  measures  14  by  9  by  7  inches,  and  weighs  120  pounds.  The  iron  shows  a  highly  crystalline  and  homogeneous 
structure,  requiring  no  etching  to  bring  out  the  Widmannstatten  figures ;  indeed,  it  seems  probable  that  the  crystal- 
line structure  of  the  entire  mass  is  in  conformity  with  that  of  a  single  individual.  The  cleavages  are  octahedral,  and 
reveal  a  rather  coarse  lamination.  The  schreibersite  separating  these  thick  laminae  is  very  thin,  and  runs  in  per- 
fectly straight  lines,  dividing  the  polished  surfaces  off  into  rather  broad,  triangular,  and  oblique-angled  spaces,  whose 
areas  again  are  beautifully  covered  by  very  small  irregular  dots  and  characters,  themselves  distributed  in  parallel 
rows,  but  among  which  continuous  straight  lines  appear  to  be  wanting,  the  boundaries  of  the  larger,  triangular,  and 
quadrangular  spaces  only  consisting  of  rectilinear  lines.  There  would  therefore  seem  to  be  two  varieties  of  schreiber- 
site present;  one  in  flat  leaves,  the  other  in  wavy  semicylinders  or  prisms.  The  latter  may  be  the  rhabdite  of  Reich- 
enbach.  Both  kinds,  however,  are  equally  taken  into  solution  by  long  digestion  in  aqua  regia. 

Analysis: 

Fe  Ni  P          Graphite 

94.98        4.52        0.07  0.10     =99.67 

No  sulphur  was  present,  and  no  examination  for  metals,  often  present  in  small  quantities  in  meteoric  irons,  was 
made. 

In  Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States  2  for  1883-84  the  following  analysis  of  the  mass 
by  Gustave  Gehring  is  given : 

Fe  Ni  Co  Si  S  P  C  (in  combination)    Graphite 

94.456        4.869        0.261        0.041        0.004        0.002  0.115  0.067       =99.816 

Hardness,  3.75;    specific  gravity,  8.076. 

Analysis  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  O.  Kostler  and  described  by  Cohen  and  Wein- 
schenk,3  as  follows : 

Turnings  of  the  iron  from  the  Vienna  Museum  specimen  to  the  amount  of  67.29  gr.  were  dissolved  in  HC1  +  10  sq. 
Solution  was  easy  and  without  marked  evolution  of  H^S.  The  result  was  as  follows: 

Nickel-iron  in  solution 66. 2400  gr.          98. 44 

Magnetic  residue,  impure  tsenite 0. 7205  "  1. 07 

Nonmagnetic  residue 0.3295"  0.49 


67.2900  "         100.10 

The  magnetic  residue  was  not  a  pure  product.  The  absence  of  a  marked  quantity  of  schreibersite  may  be  due 
to  the  fact  that  being  brittle  it  fell  out  in  the  turning.  The  nonmagnetic  carbonaceous  residue  left  behind,  after  heat- 
ing and  treatment  with  HC1,  some  small,  colorless,  doubly  refracting  grains  and  spheroidal  particles  resembling  clif- 
tonite.  This  may  account  for  Shepard's  graphite.  Analysis  by  O.  Kostler  of  a  dilute  solution  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P 

91.12        6.92        1.73        0.00     =99.77 

Later,  Cohen  4  reported  an  analysis  by  Manteuff  el,  as  follows  : 

I  allowed  Manteufiel  to  make  a  new  analysis  of  Ivanpah,  as  the  earlier  one  by  Kostler  seemed  too  high  in  cobalt. 
Manteuffel's  analysis  (substance  taken,  0.7886  gr.)  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  Cu 

92.68        7.43        0.66        0.03        0.01     =100.81 

This  new  analysis  may  be  considered  correct.  If  one  takes  for  the  isolated  tsenite  (1.07  per  cent)  a  content  of 
Ni  +  Co  of  S6.96  per  cent,  the  following  composition  is  indicated: 


Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P 

91.18        7.63        0.66        0.01        0.03        0.49    =100 

The  content  of  schreibersite  can  not  be  determined  from  the  phosphorus  on  account  of  the  fact,  previously  men- 
tioned, that  filings  were  used  for  the  analysis. 

Brezina  5  gave  the  following  account  of  the  structure  of  the  iron  : 

Lamella  long,  straight,  distinctly  grouped,  slightly  puffy;  bands,  0.5  to  0.7  mm.  wide  partly.     Kamacite  slightly 
flecked,  granulated,  with  faintly  oriented  sheen.    Tsenite  fine  but  abundant.     Fields  very  abundant,  almost  entirely 


248  MEMOIRS  RATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

filled  with  combs,  comb  heads,  or  bands,  similar  to  kamacite  in  appearance.    Dark  fields  free  from  combs  seldom 
occur.    Troilite  concretions  occur  with  or  without  daubrSelite  bands. 

The  meteorite  is  preserved  almost  entire  in  the  Museum  of  the  State  Mining  Bureau  of 
California. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1880:  SHEPARD.    On  the  Ivanpah,  California,  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  19,  pp.  381-382. 

2.  1883-1884:  GEHRING.    Mineral  Kesources  of  the  United  States.    Washington,  p.  290. 

3.  1891:  COHEN  and  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhiflt.  Hofmua.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  131, 

145  (analysis),  160,  and  165. 

4.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  II.    Idem,  Bd.  7,  pp.  149-150. 

5.  1895:  BHEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  279-280. 


Ixtlahuaca.    See  Toluca. 


JACKSON  COUNTY. 

Tennessee. 

Latitude  36°  25'  N.;  longitude  85°  W  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 

Described  1846. 

Known  existing  weight  209  grams  (15  ozs.). 

Troost  *  described  this  iron  in  1846  from  a  piece  weighing  about  15  ounces,  received  from 
S.  Morgan  and  found  in  Jackson  County,  Tennessee.  Any  further  details  regarding  the  his- 
tory, size,  and  place  of  discovery  of  the  iron  are  unknown.  The  finder  supposed  it  to  be  silver, 
and  accordingly  kept  the  place  of  find  secret,. 

Troost  states  that  his  piece  was  an  accumulation  of  large  crystals,  some  of  an  octahedral, 
others  of  a  tetrahedral  form,  of  a  very  soft,  malleable  iron.  The  piece  was  accompanied  by 
crust  fragments  weighing  3|  ounces.  This  was  a  hydroxide  of  iron  of  brown  and  yellow  color, 
penetrated  occasionally  "with  metallic  iron  and  resembled,  he  states,  the  crust  of  the  Sevier 
County  iron.  The  iron  itself,  however,  he  states,  differs  from  the  latter. 

Brezina 2  states  that  the  iron  is  a  medium  octahedrite,  but  that  the  small  quantity  in  pos- 
session of  the  Vienna  collection  prevented  further  study.  Wulfing,3  probably  on  account  of 
Troost's  mention  of  the  similarity  in  crust,  inquires  whether  this  should  be  united  with  Cosby's 
Creek  (Troost's  Sevier  County),  but  the  classifications  differ  and  the  localities  are  widely 
separated. 

The  small  quantity  known  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1846:  TBOOST.    Description  of  three  varieties  of  meteoric  iron. — 2:  Meteoric  iron  from  Jackson  County,  Tennessee. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  2,  p.  357. 

2.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  211  and  234. 

3.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  163. 


Jalisco.     See  Tomatlan. 
Jamaica.    See  Lucky  Hill. 


JAMESTOWN. 

Stustman  County,  North  Dakota. 
Latitude  46°  56'  N.,  longitude  98°  W  W. 
Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1885;  described  1890. 
Weight,  4  kga.  (9  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Huntington  1  as  follows: 

This  meteoric  iron  was  found  in  November  or  December,  1885,  during  the  construction  of  the  James  River  Valley 
branch  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  about  15  or  20  miles  southeast  of  Jamestown,  Stutsman  County,  North 
Dakota. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  249 

It  was  found  by  one  of  the  workmen,  who  gave  it  to  Mr.  John  W.  Gilbert,  conductor  of  the  construction  train, 
explaining  that  he  had  taken  it  out  of  a  slanting  hole  within  5  feet  of  the  track.  It  is  now  impossible  to  find  the 
exact  locality,  since  the  road  was  laid  through  new  country,  away  from  wagon  roads  or  trails,  and  no  particular  atten- 
tion was  paid  to  the  matter  at  the  time. 

The  specimen  weighs  4,015  grams,  and  is  of  peculiar  shape  and  appearance.  Most  of  the  meteoric  irons  which 
have  been  collected  and  recorded  appear  to  be  angular  fragments  of  larger  original  masses;  but  this  one  appears  like 
a  thick  scale  or  splinter,  which  must  have  been  blown  off  from  the  spherical  surface  of  a  large  body,  since  the  entire 
specimen  is  curved.  Through  the  center  runs  quite  a  thick  zone  which  gradually  narrows  down  to  sharp  ridges  on 
all  sides,  these  edges  forming  a  continuous  curved  outline,  with  no  jagged  points  or  projections.  It  measures  26  cm. 
long,  13  to  3.7  cm.  wide,  and  1.8  cm.  thick.  The  exterior  shows  two  utterly  different  surfaces;  the  convex  side, 
which  must  have  formed  the  crust  of  the  original  mass,  appears  quite  smooth  except  for  a  succession  of  small  pittings, 
with  a  little  drop  of  chloride  of  iron  in  the  center  of  each,  making  it  rust  rapidly,  thus  causing  little  scales  to  flake  off 
and  thereby  possibly  producing  the  depressions.  On  the  other  hand,  the  concave  side  is  characterized  by  a  vesicular 
structure  not  unlike  certain  furnace  specimens,  some  of  the  cavities  being  2  cm.  across  and  nearly  as  deep.  These 
cavities  seem  to  be  distributed  with  more  or  less  regularity  in  three  parallel  zones  across  the  shorter  dimensions  of  the 
surface.  These  cavities  appear  to  have  no  connection  with  the  pittings  of  the  surface.  They  seem  to  suggest  an  evo- 
lution of  gas  from  the  material  in  the  process  of  cooling,  which  may  have  been  the  cause  of  the  splitting  off  of  the 
specimen  from  the  original  mass. 

Even  the  most  malleable  meteoric  irons  usually  exhibit  very  striking  peculiarities  of  cleavage  parallel  to  certain 
crystalline  faces,  large  cleavage  crystals  being  broken  out  from  even  such  very  compact  irons  as  Bates  County  and 
Coahuila.  Indeed,  the  cleavage  is  sometimes  relied  upon  as  a  means  of  distinguishing  different  meteoric  irons  when 
other  methods  fail.  But  the  fracture  of  this  specimen  exhibits  no  sign  of  cleavage.  In  fact  the  iron  is  so  malleable 
as  to  be  readily  rolled  out  into  thin  ribbons  in  the  cold.  Such  extreme  malleability  and  the  peculiar  fracture  separate 
this  iron  from  all  others. 

However,  etching  of  the  polished  surface  produces  typical  Widmannstatten  figures,  but  showing  plates  not  over 
1  mm.  thick,  closely  interlaced,  frequently  bent,  and  occasionally  intersected  by  linear  inclusions  of  troilite  2  or  3 
cm.  long.  The  figures  closely  resemble  those  of  Oldham  County,  and  are  not  unlike  those  of  Obernkirchen,  by  being 
so  closely  interlaced  as  to  appear  somewhat  confused  until  carefully  examined.  On  first  etching  the  iron  there  was  a 
blackening  of  the  surface,  as  in  the  case  of  steel,  which  gives,  for  the  moment,  prominence  to  the  figures;  the  super- 
ficial deposit  is  easily  rubbed  off,  when  the  surface  appears  bright  and  shining  but  the  figures  indistinct. 

A  preliminary  analysis  gave: 

Fe  Ni  P  Cu 

90.24        9.75        0.05        Trace.     =100.04 

Brezina  2  described  the  Vienna  section  as  follows : 

This  iron  is  noteworthy  on  account  of  its  extreme  softness,  as  well  as  for  the  zone  of  alteration  surrounding  the 
entire  mass,  which  extends  some  12  mm.  deep  on  the  wedge-shaped  border,  while  it  is  3  mm,  broad  on  the  convex 
front  side  and  completely  disappears  on  the  nearly  level  rear  side.  The  lamellae  are  0.2  mm.  in  width,  bands  bent 
and  bunched;  kamacite  very  finely  hatched;  fields  few  and  small  and  of  a  dark-gray  color. 

Cohen 3  described  the  structure  as  follows: 

The  fragment  described  by  Brezina  appears  to  have  come  from  the  thicker  portion  of  the  meteorite;  a  few  sec- 
tions which  I  had  occasion  to  investigate  more  accurately  and  which  were  apparently  portions  of  the  sharp  edge  were 
different  in  character. 

The  slightly  bunched,  nongranular  bands  were  of  very  uneven  length  and  of  conspicuously  irregular  form;  the 
taenite  ribbons  were  fine,  but,  especially  after  strong  etching,  distinctly  prominent;  the  fields  uniformly  small  and 
subordinated  to  the  bands.  The  extremely  dull  luster  of  the  etching  surface  and  the  resemblance  of  the  bands  and 
fields  are  very  characteristic  of  this  specimen;  now  the  one  and  now  the  other  appears  the  darker  of  these  two,  accord- 
ing to  the  lighting.  Even  under  the  microscope  both  appear  to  be  fine  grained  and  are  often  only  in  a  suitable  light 
distinguished  from  one  another  by  the  taenite  seams;  occasionally  they  are  distinguished  by  the  appearance  in  a  few 
fields  of  glistening  flakes  about  0.01  mm.  in  size.  Under  stronger  magnification  it  becomes  apparent  that  very  small 
fields,  filled  with  compact,  dark  plessite,  are  present  in  considerable  numbers. 

On  the  whole,  it  appears  that  the  specimen  which  I  examined  belonged  entirely  to  the  alteration  zone. 

Minor  constituents  are  very  scarce  in  these  examples  also.  I  did  not  find  any  schreibersite,  and  troilite  only  in 
small  crystals,  4  mm.  long  and  0.5  to  1  mm.  thick,  which  are  abruptly  truncated  at  one  end  by  a  face  and  pointed  at 
the  other,  in  consequence  of  which  they  appear  hemimorphous,  and  very  much  resemble  those  previously  described 
from  the  Cape  iron.  Sometimes  the  crystals  are  insterected  with  daubreelite  plates. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  British  Museum  possessing  1,627  grams;  Harvard,  1,570 
grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  HUNTINGTON.    A  new  meteoric  iron  from  Stutsman  County,  North  Dakota.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci., 

2d  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  229-232. 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  270. 

3.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  III,  p.  370-372. 


250  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

JENNIES  CREEK. 

Wayne  County,  West  Virginia. 

Here  also  Charleston,  Kanawha  County,  and  Old  Fork. 
Latitude  38°  2<X  N.,  longitude  82°  22'  W. 
Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1883;  described  1885. 

Weight:  Three  masses  of  23  pounds,  2  to  3  pounds,  and  535  grams,  respectively.    Known  existing  weight, 
1,100  grains  (2. 4  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  almost  wholly  described  by  Kunz,1  as  follows: 

During  the  early  part  of  April,  a  9-ounce  piece  of  mineral,  supposed  to  be  silver,  was  sent  to  Dr.  H.  G.  Torrey  for 
determination  by  Maj.  Delafield  Du  Bois,  of  Charleston,  West  Virginia.  Dr.  Torrey  found  it  on  examination  to  be  an 
iron  of  meteoric  origin,  and  kindly  loaned  it  to  me  for  description.  The  piece  delivered  to  me  was  supposed  to  be  all 
of  the  fall,  and  on  this  supposition  it  was  described  as  the  Charleston,  Kanawha  County,  West  Virginia,  meteorite,  in 
a  paper  read  at  the  Ann  Arbor  meeting  of  the  American  Association.  Through  the  kindness  of  Maj.  Du  Bois,  Mr.  J. 
F.  Hoard  and  Dr.  John  N.  Tilden,  who  went  to  considerable  trouble  in  ascertaining  it,  I  am  able  to  announce  the  true 
locality. 

Mr.  Hoard  writes  that  the  iron  was  found  on  land  belonging  to  Maston  Christian,  situated  on  the  "Old  Fork"  of 
Jennys  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  "Tug  Fork"  of  Big  Sandy  River  (Tug  Fork  being  the  boundary  line  between  West 
Virginia  and  Kentucky),  in  the  upper  end  of  Wayne  County.  The  pieces  were  all  found  in  the  creek  bed,  i.e.,  the  ravine 
or  gulch  through  which  the  creek  flows.  The  first  piece,  weighing  probably  2  or  3  pounds,  was  found  by  Christian's 
wife  sometime  earlier  than  the  spring  of  1883.  It  was  supposed  to  be  simply  a  rich  "kidney"  of  limonite,  and  was 
soon  lost  sight  of.  In  the  spring  of  1883,  however,  a  second  piece  was  found  by  Christian  himself  while  drifting  staves 
in  the  creek.  This  piece,  which  weighed  about  23  pounds,  created  considerable  excitement  and  speculation.  It  is 
even  stated  that  a  shrewd  speculator,  who  had  in  his  possession  a  lump  of  the  metal,  had  realized  largely  by  burying 
it  on  different  lands,  digging  it  up  again,  and  then  selling  the  pieces  of  property  successively  as  being  silver  bearing. 
The  rumor  was  current  that  the  vein  was  from  9  to  16  inches  thick.  It  was  broken  up  and  distributed  among  several 
parties  interested  in  the  find,  and  as  it  was  friable,  much  of  it  was  lost  in  this  manner.  About  the  first  of  December, 
1885,  a  third  fragment  was  picked  up  by  Mr.  Christian  in  a  pool  of  still  water,  only  15  or  20  feet  from  where  he  found 
the  other.  It  weighs  535  grams  (about  17  ounces),  is  all  broken  except  one  side  which  is  altered  to  limonite,  and  has 
no  visible  trace  of  unaltered  crust.  Its  measurements  are  88  mm.,  57  mm.,  and  46  mm.  The  total  amount  found  thus 
far  in  the  three  pieces  is  probably  26  or  27  pounds.  Both  of  these  latter  pieces  were  found  in  water  and  had  a  coating 
of  rust  or  earthy  matter  similar  to  that  found  on  "kidneys"  of  ore,  which  was  removed  easily  with  the  hands  or  by 
washing. 

The  iron  is  octahedral  and  made  up  of  crystalline  blocks  of  plessite  and  kamacite,  irregular  in  shape,  brittle,  hav- 
ing rounded  ends  and  cleaving  readily.  Between  these  are  also  thin,  springy,  and  flexible  folia  or  plates  of  schrei- 
bersite,  some  of  which  are  6  or  8  mm.  square.  The  latter  mineral  was  also  observed  in  two  other  small  pieces  sent  to 
me.  Troilite  was  also  observed  in  these.  The  original  weight  of  the  piece  loaned  me  for  description  was  275  grams; 
one  small  slice  of  34.5  grams  weight  had  been  removed  to  show  the  internal  structure,  so  that  the  larger  piece  now 
weighs  228.2  grams.  Three  cuts  show  the  exact  size  of  these  pieces,  and  the  markings  on  the  etched  surface  as  well 
as  the  octahedral  structure  on  the  exterior  of  the  iron  have  been  accurately  reproduced  by  photography  direct  from 
the  iron.  (Original  size  as  follows:  length,  66  mm,;  width,  40.5  mm.;  height,  33.5  mm.)  The  exact  date  of  the  fall 
of  this  iron  is  not  known,  and  the  surface  where  not  cracked  off  is  altered  to  limonite  to  a  depth  of  2  mm.  It  belongs 
to  the  "grobe  Lamellen"  of  the  new  classification  of  Dr.  A.  Brezina.  The  Sevier  County,  Tennessee,  and  the  Arva 
irons  nearest  approach  it  in  structure.  The  following  anrysis  was  kindly  made  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Mackintosh,  E.  M.,  of  the 
School  of  Mines,  New  York. 

Iron 91.  56 

Phosphorus 0. 13 

Nickel  and  cobalt  (by  difference) 8. 31 

100.00 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  figured  mass  is  7.344.  The  iron  does  not  show  any  Widmannstatten  figures,  the  crystal- 
line structure  being  really  brought  out  in  relief  by  the  schreibersite  between  the  crystalline  surfaces  of  the  iron. 

Since  this  iron  .was  broken  and  scattered  in  small  pieces,  we  may  expect  to  see  them  turn  up  as  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent falls,  but  the  coarsely  crystalline  structure,  and  the  broken  appearance  of  the  pieces  which  are  characteristic  of 
this  fall,  will  at  once  identify  them. 

The  late  Judge  M.  J.  Ferguson,  while  residing  at  Louisa,  Kentucky,  communicated  to  Mr.  S.  Floyd  Hoard  that 
one  summer  about  5  years  ago,  at  about  1  a.  m.,  he  witnessed  a  meteor  of  wonderful  brilliancy  falling  in  the  direction 
of  the  spot  where  these  fragments  have  since  been  found;  and  that  he  predicted  at  the  time  that  one  would  probably 
be  found  in  that  vicinity.  The  windows  facing  that  way  were  open,  and  the  curtains  drawn  back.  The  light  was  as 
brilliant  as  noonday,  and  of  sufficient  duration  for  him  to  step  to  the  window  and  see  the  meteorite  fall,  as  he  thought, 
a  short  distance  away,  and  surely  within  the  limits  of  Wayne  County. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  251 

There  is,  therefore,  a  strong  probability  that  the  pieces  now  being  described  are  fragments  of  the  identical  meteorite 
which  startled  Judge  Ferguson  on  that  night.  The  fact  that  these  masses  of  meteoric  iron  were  found  in  water, 
and  that  all  the  branches  of  the  creeks  in  this  county  are  subject  to  strong  floods  of  a  few  hours'  duration,  but  while 
they  last,  sufficient  to  float  logs,  may  account  for  the  finding  of  these  three  pieces  (evidently  fragments  of  one  piece  of 
of  very  friable  iron),  scattered  as  they  were,  and  also  for  the  oxidation  of  the  crust  of  the  iron,  which  might  have  re- 
mained intact  for  a  much  longer  period,  had  the  meteorite  buried  itself  in  the  earth.  Of  the  26  or  27  pounds  which 
were  found,  only  about  2  pounds  have  been  preserved.  I  am  under  obligations  to  Maj.  Delafield  Du  Bois,  S.  Floyd 
Hoard,  and  Dr.  John  N.  Tilden,  for  obtaining  information  and  material. 

Huntington :  expressed  the  opinion  that  this  meteorite  belonged  to  the  Cosby  Creek, 
Cocke  County,  fall.  Kunz 3  accepted  this  suggestion.  The  opinion  has  not  been  followed  by 
later  cataloguers,  however,  and  there  seems  little  reason  for  it. 

Brezina 5  has  the  following  mention  of  the  iron: 

Old  Fork  (of  Jennys  Creek)  is  an  iron  made  very  porous  by  weathering,  and  one  which  sometimes  falls  to  pieces 
in  a  sort  of  rubble  of  from  3  to  10  mm.  in  bulk.  The  structure  has  great  similarity  with  that  of  Cosby  Creek. 

The  small  quantity  of  the  meteorite  known  is  distributed,  Vienna  having  the  largest 
amount,  587  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1885:  KUNZ.    Proc.  American  Assoc.  Adv.  Sci.,  vol.  34, 1885,  p.  246. 

2.  1887:  HUNTING-TON.    On  the  CoahuUa  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  33,  p.  118. 

3.  1887:  KUNZ.     On  some  American  meteorites.    Idem,  vol.  34,  p.  475. 

4.  1894:  HUNTINGTON.    The  Smith ville  meteoric  iron.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  29,  p.  259.    (Chart.) 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  286. 


JEROME. 

Gove  County,  Kansas. 

Latitude  38°  47'  X.,  longitude  100°  14'  W. 

Stone.    Spherulitic  crystalline  chondrite  (Cck),  of  Brezina. 

Found  1894:  described  1898. 

Weight,  29.6  kgs.  (65.25  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  chiefly  by  Washington,2  as  follows: 

The  meteorite,  described  in  the  present  paper,  was  acquired  for  the  Yale  University  Collection  about  a  year  ago, 
through  the  generosity  of  members  of  the  class  of  1857.  Professor  Dana  entrusted  it  to  me  for  examination,  for  which 
kindness  I  desire  to  express  my  hearty  thanks. 

Little  is  known  of  the  circumstances  of  its  finding,  and  all  that  could  be  ascertained  was  published  by  Professor 
Dana  in  a  note  in  the  Yale  Alumni  Weekly  for  May  6,  1897,  from  which  I  quote  the  following: 

"It  was  found  April  10.  1894,  by  Mr.  H.  T.  Martin,  on  the  Smoky  Hill  River,  Gove  County,  Kansas,  about  15 
miles  east  of  Jerome.  Mr.  Martin  was  then  engaged  in  hunting  fossils,  and  his  attention  was  attracted  by  this  mass, 
whose  appearance  was  quite  foreign  to  the  rock  of  the  neighborhood.  It  proved  on  examination  to  be  a  meteorite,  of 
the  circumstances  of  whose  fall  nothing  has  been  learned.  The  same  State  has  furnished  a  number  of  other  meteorites 
at  points  considerably  distant  from  that  where  the  present  one  was  discovered,  and  it  is  possible  that  some  of  them 
may  prove  to  have  been  parts  of  the  same  original  meteor.  The  stone  has  been  placed  in  the  center  of  the  case 
devoted  to  meteorites  in  the  mineral  room  of  the  Peabody  Museum." 

As  the  Smoky  Hill  River  is  several  hundred  miles  long,  and  other  meteorites  may  be  found  in  the  extended  area 
of  Gove  County,  I  propose  for  this  mass  the  name  of  the  Jerome  Meteorite,  after  the  nearest  town. 

The  stone  consiBts  of  several  pieces,  the  largest  weighing  about  62  pounds  (30  kg.),  with  several  smaller  fragments, 
the  largest  of  which  weighs  2.5  pounds  and  collectively  3.25.  One  of  these  was  apparently  broken  off  at  the  time  of 
fall,  as  none  of  its  surfaces  are  those  of  a  fresh  fracture. 

The  main  mass  measures  some  12  inches  in  its  largest  diameter,  the  other  dimensions  being  between  9  and  10 
inches;  it  has  roughly  pointed  ends,  and  its  polyhedral  form  is  vaguely  suggestive  of  a  dodecahedron  drawn  out  in  the 
direction  of  its  vertical  axis.  One  end  is  quite  sharply  pointed,  while  the  other  is  blunter  and  irregular,  showing  some 
fresh  and  other  older  fracture  surfaces,  and  is  apparently  the  point  of  impact.  From  this  broken  surface  a  number  of 
fine  cracks  radiate  through  the  body  of  the  mass. 

The  mass  is  bounded  by  fairly  plane  surfaces,  some  being  quite  flat,  while  others  are  more  or  less  warped.  The 
angles  are  rounded.  A  few  shallow  pits  are  seen,  and  here  and  there  ovoidal  nodules,  which  project  slightly  above 
the  main  surface,  or  from  the  bottoms  of  shallow  depressions.  These  measure  several  centimeters  in  length,  with  a 
width  of  about  two-thirds  of  the  length. 

A  thin,  dark  brown  crust  covers  the  surface,  but  this  has  suffered  through  atmospheric  decomposition,  and  is  much 
corroded,  lacking  in  places,  and  often  dull  and  rusty.  No  signs  of  ridges  or  other  flow  phenomena  are  to  be  seen  on 


252  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

what  is  left  of  the  crust.  Small,  rough,  wart-like  processes  are  seen  generally  over  the  surface,  some  due  apparently 
to  the  projection  of  chondrules  through  weathering,  while  others  are  the  less  altered  fragments  of  crust. 

Parts  of  the  meteorite,  especially  near  the  point  of  impact,  and  the  fragment  (0.75  pound)  which  shows  no  fresh 
fracture  surfaces,  are  covered  with  a  fine,  yellowish  white  powdery  substance,  which  effervesces  but  slightly  in  acid, 
and  is  apparently  a  light  clayish  soil.  The  same  substance  is  found  in  the  cracks  previously  mentioned. 

The  fresh  fracture  is  uneven,  and  the  stone,  as  thus  seen,  is  fine-grained  and  compact.  The  general  color  is  dark 
rusty  brown,  which  under  the  lens  is  seen  to  be  a  mottled  brown  and  black.  Small,  glistening  streaks  of  nickel  iron 
are  scattered  through  it,  but  no  troilite  was  seen.  The  lens  also  reveals  translucent  grains  of  olivine  and  bronzite. 
Small  rounded  chondrules  are  also  seen  here  and  there,  but  are  not  very  numerous. 

It  is  very  evident  that  the  oxidation  of  the  iron  from  weathering  extends  far  into  the  mass,  though  possibly  a  sec- 
tion through  its  center  might  reveal  fresh  substance.  Of  the  stones  in  the  Yale  collection  it  resembles  most  that  from 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  is  also  much  like  the  decomposed  portions  of  the  Bluff,  Fayette  County,  Texas,  meteorite. 

Under  the  microscope  the  stone  is  seen  to  be  composed  of  quite  numerous  chondrules  of  bronzite  and  olivine,  with 
fragmental  crystals  of  olivine,  bronzite,  and  a  little  pyroxene,  in  a  rather  brecciated  groundmasa  of  the  same  minerals, 
together  with  some  interstitial  matter,  which  seems  to  be  glass.  Nickel  iron  is  present  in  the  form  of  small,  angular, 
irregular  masses.  Patches  and  veins  of  dark,  reddish-brown,  and  yellow  ferruginous  substance  are  present,  and  show 
that  considerable  atmospheric  decomposition  has  taken  place.  A  few  small  fragments  of  plagioclase  are  also  to  be 
seen,  but  no  troilite,  and  nothing  which  could  be  referred  with  certainty  to  maskelynite. 

On  the  whole,  I  am  inclined  to  class  this  stone  with  Brezina's  group  37,  "  krystallinisch  Chondrit,  breccienahnlich 
(ckb),'!  though  I  have  no  sections  of  either  of  his  two  examples  for  comparison.  It  will  be  remembered  that  it  resem- 
bles megascopically  the  less  fresh  parts  of  one  of  these,  the  Bluff  meteorite. 

The  chondrules  of  bronzite  run  up  to  nearly  2  mm.  in  diameter,  and  show,  in  most  cases,  circular  sections,  or 
nearly  so,  though  angular  and  fragmental  forms  are  seen.  They  present  the  usual  fibrous,  eccentrically  radiated 
structure. 

The  olivine  chondrules  are  somewhat  larger,  up  to  3  mm.,  and  show  greater  variety.  Many  are  monosomatic, 
with  parallel  plate  structure  and  border  as  figured  by  .Tschermak.  The  interstitial  matter  here  is  granular,  colorless, 
and  isotropic,  containing  small,  black,  opaque  particles.  It  is  possibly  a  glass,  as  in  the  cases  described  by  Tscher- 
mak, though  its  pronounced  granular  character  is  against  this  view,  and  points  rather  to  the  idea  that  it  is  maskely- 
nite. These  chondrules  are  usually  small  and  round. 

Porphyritic  olivine  chondrules  are  more  numerous,  as  well  as  the  largest  in  size,  and  are  occasionally  rounded , 
but  usually  irregular  in  outline.  They  consist  of  oblong  grains  and  crystals  (showing  traces  of  pinacoids  and  domes) 
of  colorless  olivine,  lying  pell-mell  in  a  gray  or  colorless,  finely  fibrous  groundmass.  This  is  formed  of  patches  of 
straight,  narrow  fibers  parallel  over  small  areas,  each  small  area  extinguishing  as  a  unit,  but  unlike  those  adjacent, 
where  the  fibers  run  in  another  direction.  It  was  supposed  at  first  that  these  thin,  colorless  rods  were  a  rather  basic 
plagioclase,  since  they  extinguish  at  various  angles  up  to  20°  with  their  long  axes,  and  their  polarization  colors  are 
grays  and  pale  yellows.  Close  examination  under  high  powers,  however,  revealed  the  fact  that  in  many  places  there  is 
no  break  in  continuity  between  the  fibers  and  distinct  adjacent  olivine  crystals,  and  that  in  these  cases  both  crystal  and 
fibers  extinguish  simultaneously.  They  must,  therefore,  be  referred  to  olivine,  and  the  apparent  oblique  extinction  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  fibers  project  obliquely  from  the  surface  of  the  olivine  crystal,  seemingly  in  the  direction  of  a 
domal  or  prismatic  plane.  That  they  are  rods  and  not  plates  (as  in  the  preceding  type  of  chondrules)  is  shown  by 
their  sections  in  certain  places,  where  they  present  the  appearance  of  small  rounded  grains.  Such  skeletal  develop- 
ment is  a  not  uncommon  feature  of  olivine,  as  is  well  known. 

Other  porphyritic  chondrules  are  seen  in  which  olivine  crystals  and  fragments  are  embedded  in  a  fine-grained 
mosaic  of  olivine  and  enstatite  grains.  One  peculiar  ovoidal  chondrule  was  observed,  composed  of  a  long,  seemingly 
corroded,  olivine  crystal,  surrounded  by  a  mosaic  of  small  grains  of  the  same  mineral.  There  were  a  few  monosomatic 
chondrules  of  olivine,  with  approximately  circular  outline,  but  curiously  and  irregularly  hollow,  the  interstices  be- 
tween the  separate  patches  of  olivine  being  filled  with  granular  bronzite.  Others  again  were  found  with  monoso- 
matic borders  and  portions  of  the  interior  of  bronzite,  containing  olivine  grains. 

The  crystals  and  fragments  of  bronzite  and  olivine  offer  no  features  of  special  interest.  They  are  colorless,  except 
where  stained  by  ferruginous  decomposition  products,  and  are  quite  fresh,  even  the  olivine  showing  no  traces  of  ser- 
pentinization.  Each  mutually  incloses  the  other,  so  that  they  were  apparently  crystallized  at  the  same  period.  Both 
include  small  angular  fragments  of  iron.  Only  a  few  crystals  and  fragments  which  could  be  definitely  referred  to 
pyroxene  were  observed.  In  one  case  two  pyroxene  fragments,  giving  oblique  extinction,  are  inclosed  in  a  patch  of 
bronzite.  A  few  grains  which  may  be  referred  to  plagioclase  were  found,  one  of  these  showing  traces  of  twinning 
lamellae.  . 

Grains  of  nickel  iron  are  quite  abundant.  They  are  all  small  and  angular  and  irregular  in  outline,  and  appar- 
ently generally  later  than  either  the  olivine  or  bronzite,  as  they  are  xenomorphic  toward  these  and  occupy  the  inter- 
stices between  them,  and  also  include  crystals  and  fragments  of  these  minerals.  At  the  same  time,  as  we  have  seen, 
small  particles  of  iron  are  included  in  these  minerals. 

The  iron  has  suffered  greatly  from  oxidation,  being  usually  surrounded  by  yellow,  or  deep  reddish-brown,  trans- 
lucent, doubly  refracting  matter.  This  is  probably  limonite,  since  it  answers  to  Pelikan's  description  of  1imfmif.fi 
under  the  microscope,  and  since  the  analysis  shows  that  there  is  no  silica,  above  that  necessary  for  the  olivine,  etc., 
to  form  a  ferrous  silicate,  as  it  was  suggested  to  be  by  Kunz  and  Weinschenk  in  the  case  of  the  Washington,  Kansas, 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


253 


meteorite.    This  ferruginous  substance  has  penetrated  all  the  crevices  of  the  mass,  being  found  in  the  interior  of  even 
the  largest  mineral  grains,  is  seen  in  patches  throughout  all  the  sections,  and  is  what  gives  the  brown  color  to  the  mass. 

A  careful  search  revealed  no  grains  of  troilite,  though  the  chemical  analysis  shows  that  about  5  per  cent  was  prob- 
ably present  originally.  It  has  possibly  been  entirely  decomposed. 

For  the  chemical  analysis  25.2  grams  were  taken,  of  as  fresh  material  as  was  available,  with  no  crust  attached. 
An  attempt  was  first  made  on  13  grams  to  separate  the  nickel-iron  by  means  of  an  electromagnet.  This  proved  to  be 
a  matter  of  great  difficulty,  on  account  of  the  very  dense  and  compact  texture,  and  after  two  days  had  been  spent  in 
successive  separations  under  alcohol,  and  after  analyses  of  the  products  had  been  partially  completed,  t.hia  method 
was  abandoned. 

Eggertz's  iodine  method  was  finally  employed  and  proved  fairly  satisfactory. 

The  results  of  the  several  analyses  are  given  below,  the  total  analysis  being  calculated  from  the  data  furnished  by 
the  others.  Part  of  the  Cr2O3  was  determined  as  chromite — this  being  assumed  to  have  the  simple  composition  FeCr2O4; 
the  rest  was  precipitated  as  PbCrO4.  H20  was  determined  as  such  in  the  total  meteorite  by  Penfield's  method,  and 
referred  to  the  soluble  portion.  S  and  P205  were  likewise  determined  in  the  total  meteorite.  The  separation  of  sol- 
uble and  insoluble  silicates  was  effected  in  the  residue  from  the  solution  of  the  nickel  iron  by  digestion  on  the  water 
bath  for  three  hours  with  dilute  HC1  (1  :  5),  and  subsequent  treatment  with  dilute  KHO  solution.  The  extra  oxygen 
of  the  soluble  portion,  the  total  iron  being  determined  as  FeO,  is  that  belonging  to  the  ferric  oxide  of  the  limonite. 
It  was  estimated  by  calculating  the  amounts  of  olivine,  augite,  and  diopside  present,  and  deducting  the  amount  of 
FeO  belonging  to  them  from  the  total  FeO. 

The  specific  gravity  was  found  to  be  3.466  at  15.5°  C.,  taken  with  the  balance,  on  a  mass  of  11  grams.  The  first 
approximate  composition  is: 

Nickel  iron '. 4. 25 

fTroilite 5. 16 

Soluble.  ..•(,.... 

I  Silicates 54. 47 

[Chromite...  0.87 

Insoluble. 40... 

(Silicates 35. 25 

100.00 
The  analysis  of  the  nickel  iron  yielded : 

Fe 89. 67 

Ni 10. 01 

Co 0. 32 

Cu undt. 

100.00 
The  analyses  of  the  soluble  and  insoluble  portions,  together  with  the  calculated  total  composition,  are  as  follows: 

Soluble  in  HC1.              Insoluble  In  HC1.  Total. 

Si02 21. 34  56. 44  33. 11 

TiO2 small  amount          small  amount 

Cr,O3 1.61  0.58 

AljO3 0.27  4.85  1.77 

FeO 41.38  9.16  27.97 

Fe : 3.81 

NiO 2.67  trace  1.77 

Ni 0.43 

CoO trace                       trace 

Co 0.01 

MnO trace  trace 

MgO 22.86  22.03  21.59 

CaO 0.46  2.87  1.31 

Na.jO undt.  1.79  0.65 

K.JO undt.  0. 77  0. 28 

H20 5.08                        3.03 

PA 0.62                        0.37 

S 3.15                        1.88 

ExtraO 2.88                        1.76 

100.71  99.52  100.32 

LessO=S 1.57  0.92 


99.14 


99.40 


It  is  evident  that  the  soluble  portion  is  made  up  largely  of  olivine,  with  troilite  and  limonite,  and  small  quantities 
of  pyroxene  and  oxide  of  nickel;  while  the  insoluble  is  chiefly  bronzite,  with  accessory  chromite,  feldspar,  and  augite. 


254  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Calculation  from  the  data  furnished  by  the  analyses  shows  that  the  mineralogical  composition  of  the  stone  is 

approximately: 

Nickel  iron 4. 3 

Troilite 5. 2 

Chromite 0. 9 

Schreibersite? 0. 8 

Olivine '. 30. 2 

Bronzite 23. 6 

Pyroxene 5. 0 

Oligoclase  ( AbjAnO 6. 6 

Orthoclase 1. 6 

Limonite 20. 2 

Nickel  oxide 1. 6 


100.0 

In  the  above,  all  the  phosphorus  is  assumed  to  exist  as  schreibersite,  soda  and  potash  to  belong  to  the  feldspars, 
and  the  NiO  to  be  the  product  of  the  oxidation  of  the  nickel  iron.  It  will  be  evident  that  if,  as  seems  certain  from 
the  microscopic  examination,  the  limonite  is  derived  entirely  from  the  metallic  iron,  the  amount  of  metallic  Fe 
originally  present  was  higher  by  some  12  per  cent,  and  the  nickel  higher  by  1.25  per  cent.  The  nickel  iron  present  in 
the  fresh  stone  would  then  have  amounted  to  about  17.50.  That  the  orthorhombic  pyroxene  is  bronzite  rather  than 
enstatite  is  shown  by  its  calculated  composition,  which  is — 

SiO2 56. 8 

MgO 32.  6 

FeO.. 10.6 


100.0 

The  pyroxene  is  largely  diopside,  with  less  than  10  per  cent  of  the  aluminous  augite  molecule.  The  plagioclase 
is  an  oligoclase  of  the  composition  AbjAn,.  The  orthoclase  molecule  probably  also  belongs  with  it,  in  which  case  it 
must  have  about  the  composition  AbjO^An,. 

On  the  whole  the  stone  seems  to  belong  to  a  rather  widespread  group,  and  does  not  differ  essentially  from  several 
that  have  been  recently  described  from  this  continent,  e.  g.,  the  Salt  Lake  City,  the  Bluff,  the  Beaver  Creek,  and  the 
Washington,  Kansas,  meteorites. 

Preston  s  suggested  that  this  stone  might  belong  to  the  same  fall  as  Long  Island  and 
Prairie  Dog  Creek,  but  Farrington  4  concluded  from  a  study  of  the  structure  that  it  was  prob- 
ably a  distinct  fall.  Berwerth  5  included  Jerome  under  Prairie  Dog  Creek.  Brezina  6  classed 
the  meteorite  as  a  spherulitic  crystalline  chondrite. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Yale  University  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1897:  DANA.    Yale  Alumni  Weekly,  May  6. 

2.  1898:  WASHINGTON.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  5,  pp.  447-454. 

3.  1900:  PRESTON.    Idem,  vol.  9,  p.  412. 

4.  1902:  FARRINGTON.    Meteorite  studies  I.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  1,  pp.  302-305. 

5.  1903:  BERWERTH.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  5. 

6.  1904:  BREZINA.     Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  p.  100. 


JEWELL  HILL. 

Madison  County,  North  Carolina. 

Here  also  Jewel  Hill. 

Latitude  35°  32'  N.,  longitude  82°  28'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of),  of  Brezina;  Jewellite  (type  9),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1854  and  1856;  described  1876. 

Weight,  two  masses  of  18  and  3J  kgs.  (40  and  7  Ibs.). 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  have  been  summarized  by  Cohen  14  as  follows : 

According  to  Venable,10  the  county  seat  of  Madison  County  was  formerly  called  "Jewell  Hill";  and  the  name 
was  later  changed  to  Duel  Hill.  Three  masses  were  said  to  have  been  found  there,  two  of  which  were  described 
briefly;  namely,  a  mass  weighing  3§  kg.,  found  in  1854  and  described  by  Smith,1  and  a  block  of  18  kg.  weight  found  in 
1856  of  which  787  grains  found  their  way  into  the  Amherst  College  collection.  Burton,  however,  described  in  1876 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  255 

a  11.5  kg.  iron  from  Duel  Hill  found  in  1873,  and  mentions  the  fact  that  about  1857  a  mass  weighing  18  kg.  was  dis- 
covered at  a  distance  of  1.5  km.,  which,  however,  was  lost.  Genth  and  Kerr  7  observe  that  the  piece  described  by 
Smith  (3f  kg.)  may  possibly  have  come  from  the  18  kg.  block  which  was  apparently  lost.  According  to  Professor 
Emerson,  and  from  a  photograph  furnished  by  him,  there  are  in  the  Amheret  collection  two  specimens  of  167.5  and 
1,134  gr.  which  both  belong  to  the  octahedrites  with  fine  lamellae.  Aa  there  are  now  more  than  3§  kg.  from  Jewell 
Hill  in  collections,  Burton's  statement  that  one  of  the  masses  was  lost  seems  to  be  an  error.  We  must  conclude, 
therefore,  that  specimens  from  three  masses  are  represented  in  collections,  two  of  which  (3f  kg.  and  18  kg.)  belong  to 
an  octahedrite  with  fine  lamellae  and  the  third  (11J  kg.)  shows  coarse  lamell «.  All  three  were  found  in  the  same  local- 
ity (formerly  Jewell  Hill,  now  Duel  Hill).  So  long  as  no  more  definite  information  as  to  the  place  of  discovery  is  to 
be  had,  and  it  is  not  proved  that  one  fall  can  yield  two  masses  of  such  entirely  different  structure,  it  seems  most  appro- 
priate in  order  not  to  cause  a  new  confusion,  to  retain  both  names;  that  is,  to  call  the  fine  octahedrite  Jewell  Hill,  the 
coarse  octahedrite  Duel  Hill. 

According  to  Smith,1  the  mass  here  indicated  as  Jewell  Hill  weighed  3J  kg.,  showed  a  few  pittings  upon  the  sur- 
face and  was  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  rust  which  continually  exuded  drops  of  iron  chloride.  Its  analysis  is  given 
below  under  I. 

Reichenbach  *  mentioned  bronze-colored  iron  sulphide;  Roee,s  very  fine  Widmannstatten  figures. 

Meunier  *  gave  Jewell  Hill  as  a  typical  example  of  plessite  which  is  here  mingled  only  with  taenite.  Later,"  he 
classed  it  together  with  La  Grange  and  Buckeberg  in  a  group.  "  Jewellite"  (composed  of  like  parts  of  taenite  and  pies- 
site);  the  very  fine  taenite  lamellae  of  which  intersect  each  other  quite  irregularly,  are  dull  in  the  interior,  shining  at 
the  edges,  and  frequently  form  very  characteristic  combs.  Schreibersite  occurs  in  small  particles;  troilite  is  wanting. 

Techermak  s  first  observed  the  Reichenbach  lamellae,  which  here  attain  a  thickness  of  only  0.15  mm  He  com- 
pared them  with  those  of  Dimae  and  noted  in  the  case  of  both  irons  that  the  lines  were  oriented  parallel  to  the  planes 
of  a  cube. 

Jewell  Hill  is  distinguished  from  Tazewell,  according  to  Sorby,  in  that  it  consists  of  three  elements,  one  of  which 
may  be  schreibersite  (taenite);  both  irons  agree  in  original  structure. 

The  bands  measure  0.17  mm.  in  width,  are  long  and  straight,  and  frequently  have  a  finely  jagged  border.  They  are 
very  little  swollen,  seldom  and  then  only  weakly  grouped,  and  entirely  free  from  granulation.  The  taenite  bands  are 
unusually  broad,  the  fields  not  very  large,  but  regular  and  prominent.  The  kamacite  is  throughout  spotted-striped 
and  occasionally  shows  also  line  systems  which  look  like  file  scratches.  If  it  is  actually  so,  each  band  must  be  an 
individual,  and  one  can  not  even  by  the  highest  possible  magnifying  power  detect  anything  that  would  indicate  a 
formation  composed  of  grains;  the  flakes  are  in  no  way  defined,  but  there  appears  now  a  fine  flaming  and  now  a  finely 
netted  structure,  as  if  there  were  tiny  inclusions  present.  With  stronger  etching  the  kamacite  becomes  duller  and 
approximates  the  appearance  of  the  plessite.  A  email  portion  of  the  fields  consists  of  dense,  almost  black  plessite; 
under  the  microscope,  however,  it  is  shown  nevertheless  that  they  contain  tiny  glistening  scales  evenly  distributed. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  fields  is  considerably  brighter  and,  even  under  the  magnifying  glass,  is  shimmering,  this  being 
occasioned  by  the  fact  that  the  highly  glazed  and  here  regularly  distributed  inclusions  are  larger  and  more  numerous 
than  usual.  They  consist  principally  of  bands  0.003  mm.  in  thickness,  in  the  form  of  rods,  hooks,  or  crooked  frag- 
ments, and  a  brighter  or  darker  groundmass  having  the  appearance  of  compact  plessite.  The  structure,  viewed  under 
a  magnifying  power  of  220  diameters,  resembles  the  micropegmatitic  intergrowth  of  feldspar  and  quartz  which  I 
have  more  fully  described  in  connection  with  the  Smiths  Mountain  meteorite,  where  the  inclusions  are  not  so  fine  as  here. 
Besides  this,  there  often  occur  in  considerable  number  glistening  disks  as  much  as  0.025  mm.  in  size,  which  appear  to 
be  older  than  the  micropegmatitic-like  groundmass.  These  areas  are  occasionally  intersected  wholly  or  partially  by 
small,  complete  lamellae,  which  are  branches  of  the  principal  lamellae  of  such  a  sort  that  the  taenite  seams  run  together 
but  not  the  bands.  The  quite  regular  distribution  of  the  lamellae,  which  are  seldom  and  then  only  slightly  grouped, 
as  well  as  the  predominance  of  the  fields  and  the  prominence  of  the  taenite,  cause  the  figures  to  be  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  regular  varieties  afforded  by  octahedral  irons. 

Reichenbach  lamellae  are  present  in  large  numbers,  as  many  as  30  having  been  counted  on  a  section  of  about  20 
sq.  cm.  They  are  almost  always  connected  and  are  distinguished  by  extreme  fineness.  In  the  plate  examined  by 
me  they  appeared,  under  200  diameters  enlargement,  as  mere  threads,  whose  thickness  scarcely  exceeds  0.01  mm. 
Tschermak  5  and  Brezina  "  give  much  larger  dimensions.  The  swathing  kamacite  has  an  uneven  border;  it  sometimes 
attains  the  width  of  the  bands,  while  in  other  places  it  is  so  constricted  as  to  be  discerned  only  under  the  microscope. 
The  small  and  somewhat  abundant  schreibersite  grains  lie  exclusively  in  the  bands  and  in  the  swathing  kamacite. 
According  to  Brezina,13  the  kamacite  in  the  2.5  mm.  alteration  zone  is  considerably  more  finely  flaked  than  in  the 
interior  of  the  iron. 

Analysis  by  Smith  (I);  by  Burger  (II): 

Fe  Xi  Co  Cu  Cr  P  S        Residue 

1 91.12        7.82        0.43        trace        0.08        =99.45 

II 88.78        9.90        0.81         0.02          trace        0.13        0.13          trace    =99.67 

Jewell  Hill  takes  on  fairly  strong  permanent  magnetism:  the  specific  magnetism  was  determined  by  Leick  as 
2.35  absolute  units  per  gram. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  but  having  been  much  confused  with  Duel  Hill  it  is  impos- 
sible to  determine  from  catalogues  how  much  of  Jewell  Hill  is  actually  in  collections.  Wuifing 
unites  the  two. 


256  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  I860:  SMITH.    Description  of  three  new  meteoric  irons,  from  Nelson  County,  Kentucky,  Marshall  County,  Ken- 

tucky, and  Madison  County,  North  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  30,  p.  240. 

2.  1862:  VON  KEICHENBACH.    No.  20,  p.  622. 

3.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  65  and  153. 

4.  1869:  MEUNIER.    Recherches.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  29,  34,  71,  and  72. 

5.  1872:  TSCHERMAK.    Bin  Meteoreisen  aus  der  Wiiste  Atacama.     Denkschr.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  31,  p.  194. 

6.  1885:  BEEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  209  and  233. 

7.  1885:  GENTH  and  KERR.    Minerals  of  North  Carolina,  Raleigh,  pp.  14-15. 

8.  1887:  SORBT.    On  the  microscopical  structure  of  iron  and  steel.    J.  I.  S.  I.,  I.,  p.  284 

9.  1887:  BREZINA  and  COHEN.    Photographien,  pi.  23. 

10.  1890:  VENABLE.    List  of  the  meteorites  of  North  Carolina,  pp.  44-45. 

11.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me't6oriques,  pp.  37  and  38  (illustration  of  an  etching). 

12.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  82. 

13.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  233  and  269. 

14.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  350-354. 


JOE  WRIGHT  MOUNTAIN. 

Independence  County,  Arkansas. 

Here  also  Batesville,  Elmo,  and  Independence  County. 

Latitude  35°  49'  N.,  longitude  91°  37'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1884;  described  1886. 

Weight,  42.5  kgs.  (94  Ibs). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Hidden  l  as  follows : 

This  meteor  was  found  about  the  last  of  June,  1884,  by  George  W.  Price,  on  what  is  known  as  the  Joe  Wright 
Mountain,  a  small  eminence  about  7  miles  east  of  Batesville,  Independence  County,  Arkansas.  The  soil  there  was 
cut  into  deep  gullies,  which  farther  down  the  mountain  side  converged  into  one,  at  which  point  this  meteorite  was 
found.  *  *  * 

The  weight  of  the  mass  was  94  pounds.  It  was  17  inches  long  and  8  inches  thick.  Its  surface  was  pitted  with 
ovoid  depressions  of  various  sizes,  lying  with  their  longer  axes  in  nearly  the  same  general  direction. 

The  exterior  was  almost  black  in  color  and  looked  blistered.  No  rust  or  alteration  from  oxidation  was  noticed  on 
any  part,  indicating  that  the  mass  had  not  lain  long  upon  the  earth.  *  *  *  A  large  hole  near  the  edge  measured 
five-eighths  of  an  inch  at  its  smallest  part,  was  1.75  inches  long,  and  was  cone-shaped  from  both  sides. 

Etching  showed  Widmannstatten  figures  well  developed.  Troilite  having  a  bronze  color  and  luster  occurs  as  thin 
seams  and  veins  on  the  polished  face  and  extends  far  into  the  mass.  Schreibersite  as  rather  large  bright  points  was 
also  noticed. 

Analysis  (Mackintosh) : 

Fe  P          Ni  and  Co  (by  difference) 

91.22        0.16  8.62  =100.00 

Other  elements  were  not  looked  for. 
Brezina2  remarked  regarding  the  form  of  the  mass  as  follows: 

An  unusual  interest  attaches  to  the  iron  from  Joe  Wright  Mountain  on  account  of  its  natural  perforation,  due  to 
its  great  richness  in  troilite. 

Joe  Wright  and  Glorieta  stand  in  a  certain  opposition,  as  they  illustrate  two  very  different  methods  of  the  rending 
of  meteoric  iron;  the  rending,  in  consequence  of  perforation,  widening  the  holes  until  they  form  a  ring,  and  finally 
bursting  the  ring,  of  which  method  Joe  Wright  shows  the  primary  stage;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  rending  in  con- 
sequence of  the  formation  of  fractures  of  which  the  Glorieta  iron  shows  the  final  stage. 

.     Cohen 3  gave  an  account  of  an  investigation  of  this  iron,  as  follows : 

About  32  grams  of  this  iron  were  investigated.  Etched  faces  show  hatched  kamacite,  distinct  tsenite  border,  and 
plessite  of  separate  formation.  One  part  contains  delicate  combs,  another  is  of  granular  structure,  and  then  either 
uniformly  dark  gray  or  rich  in  minute  shining  points.  Especially  characteristic  are  little  plates  above  1  mm.  in  thick- 
ness and  up  to  35  mm.  in  length,  which  seem  to  stand  perpendicularly  to  one  another  and  qualitatively  appear  to  be 
schreibersite. 

A  mass  analysis  yielded : 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  Residue 

91.67        7.53        0.99  trace  0.00         =100.19 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  257 

Solution  of  31  grains  in  dilute  HC1  gave: 

Dissolved  nickel-iron 95. 84 

Tsenite 1.74 

Angular  pieces 0. 12 

Schreiberaite 2. 12 

Rust  and  carbonaceous  substance 0. 18 


100.00 

The  schreibersite  is  normal  in  appearance,  tin  white  to  steel  gray,  cleavable  with  conchoidal  fracture.  The  taenite 
resembles  that  of  Glorieta  Mountain  in  that  the  folise  are  mostly  united  in  bundles  and  are  only  exceptionally  inter- 
rupted by  angular  pieces. 

Brezina's 4  description  is  as  follows : 

The  bands  are  noticeably  puffy,  much  grouped  and  crumpled ;  lamellae  0.6  mm.  in  width ;  kamacite  hatched,  some- 
times flecked;  taenite  well  developed;  fields  quite  numerous  and  large,  for  the  most  part  filled  with  very  fine  ridges, 
often  running  in  only  one  direction,  which,  in  a  diagonal  cross  section  gives  the  areas  a  granulated  appearance;  only 
the  smallest  fields  are  empty,  which  then  appear  very  dark.  Schreiberaite  is  very  abundant,  in  large  compact  plates 
parallel  to  the  kamacite  bands  of  equal  or  greater  breadth  with  the  latter,  also  as  granular-puffy  borders  around  the 
troilite  concretions.  Numerous  Reichenbach  lamellae  2  to  3  cm.  in  length  occur  which  are  conspicuously  irregular 
in  accordance  with  the  general  crumpling  of  the  figures.  These  are  often  accompanied  with  quite  compact  schreiber- 
site,  serving  as  a  nucleus  for  the  lamellae. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Vienna  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1886:  HIDDEN.    On  two  masses  of  meteoric  iron  of  unusual  interest. — 1.  The  Independence  County,  Arkansas, 

meteorite.     (Illustration  and  analysis  by  Mackintosh.)    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  31,  pp.  460-463. 

2.  1887:  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  Ilia.    Verhandl.  k.  k.  geol.  Reichsanst.,  1887,  p.  288. 

3.  1891:  COHEX  and  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.     Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  131, 

158-159  (analysis),  162,  164,  and  165. 

4.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  280. 

5.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  90. 


Kanawha.     See  Jennies  Creek. 

Kansada.     See  Ness  County. 

Johnson  County.    See  Cabin  Creek. 


JONESBORO. 

Washington  County,  Tennessee. 
Latitude  36°  16'  N.,  longitude  82°  30'  \V. 
Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1891;  mentioned  1892. 
Weight,  30  grama  (1  ounce). 

Nothing  seems  to  be  known  of  the  history  of  this  meteorite.  The  first  mention  of  it  seems 
to  have  been  in  a  price  list  published  by  Ward's  Natural  Science  Establishment  in  1892,1  in 
which  the  locality  was  given  and  the  weight  1  ounce.  The  whole  piece  seems  to  have  been 
acquired  by  the  Vienna  Museum  and  was  described  by  Brezina 2  as  follows : 

The  Jonesboro  iron  appears,  on  the  small  specimen  found  in  our  collection,  to  be  completely  bounded  by  octahedral 
weathered  surfaces;  lamellae  0.25  mm.  thick,  straight,  with  little  or  no  bunching;  kamacite  abundant  and  hatched 
lengthwise;  fields  abundant,  comparative  large,  filled  with  bright,  lustrous  plessite.  which  exhibits  a  very  fine  repe- 
tition of  the  band  system. 

Cohen  3  gave  a  further  account  of  the  structure  of  the  iron  as  follows : 

The  straight,  sometimes  slightly  bunched  lamellae  are  long,  not  puffy,  and  only  occasionally  slightly  granular. 
The  teenite  borders  are  not  very  prominent.  The  fields  are  tolerably  large  and  prominent.  A  characteristic  of  this 
iron  is  the  unusual  abundance  of  very  distinct  hatching  running  in  every  direction  in  the  kamacite;  many  bands 
appear  somewhat  speckled  apparently  because  of  the  compact  bunching  of  tiny  etching  pits.  The  fields  are  not,  as 
Brezina  thought,  a  repetition  of  the  band  system,  but  are  completely  filled  with  comparatively  bright,  fine-grained 
716°— 15 17 


258  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

plessite,  which  is  distinguished  from  the  usual  compact,  dark  variety  only  by  reason  of  the  somewhat  coarse  grain  and 
greater  abundance  of  glistening  scales  (or  grains?).  Under  stronger  magnification  the  latter  stand  out  distinctly  upon 
a  black,  dull  groundmass.  Brezina's  error  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  glistening  scales  are  sometimes  arranged 
in  rows.  Aside  from  a  few  small  schreibersite  grains  no  minor  constituents  were  observed. 

All  that  is  at  present  known  of  this  meteorite  (28  grams)  is  in  the  Vienna  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1892:  WARD.    Illustrated  Descriptive  Catalogue  (Rochester,  New  York),  p.  15. 

2.  1895:  BUEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  272. 

3.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  p.  388. 


KENDALL  COUNTY. 
Texas. 

Latitude  29°  39'  N.,  longitude  98°  25'  W. 
Iron.    Granular  hexahedrite,  Hk.    Brecciated  hexahedrite  (Hb),  of  Brezina;  Kendallite  (type 

23),  of  Meunier. 
Found  ?;  described  1887. 
Weight,  20f  kgs.  (45.9  Ibs.). 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  are  given  in  a  summary  by  Cohen  •  as  follows : 

Kendall  County  was  first  mentioned  by  Brezina  '  in  1887,  who  gave  its  weight  at  20|  kg.,  and  compared  the  iron 
provisionally  to  Zacatecas.  In  1893,  he  2  referred  it  to  his  breccialike  hexahedrites,  stating  that  the  size  of  the  indi- 
vidual distinctly  separated  grains  varied  from  a  few  millimeters  to  3  to  4  cm.  In  1895,  he  4  noted  the  presence  of  tro- 
ilite  grains,  mostly  angular  and  of  a  maximum  diameter  of  4  cm.,  which  were  penetrated  by  tongues  of  iron  or  a  gran- 
ular iron  band.  In  a  few  grains  of  iron  he  noted  peculiar  skeletons  produced  by  etching,  which  were  taken  for  troilite. 
Small  iron  grains  were  also  mentioned  as  occasionally  surrounding  a  large  one  in  the  form  of  a  wreath. 

According  to  Meunier,*  Kendall  County  is  distinguished  from  all  other  irons  by  its  fragmentary  and  heterogeneous 
structure.  A  few  fragments  give  by  etching,  he  states,  regular  figures,  but  most  of  them  show  only  a  sort  of  mohair 
sheen.  A  black,  carbonaceous  substance  occurs,  sometimes  in  granular  particles,  sometimes  as  a  matrix  of  the 
"  breccia. "  The  specific  gravity  varied  from  6.94  to  7.10. 

In  1895,  Moissan  V  examined  Kendall  County  for  diamond  and  graphite.  After  dissolving  with  dilute  hydro- 
chloric acid  and  treating  the  residue  with  aqua  regia  there  remained  a  black,  amorphous  substance,  mixed  with  numer- 
ous transparent  little  grains  which  disappeared  after  repeated  heating  with  sulphuric  acid  and  hydrofluoric  acid  at 
varying  temperatures.  The  remainder  appeared  as  amorphous  carbon,  which  was  with  difficulty  attacked  by  nitric 
acid  and  potassium  chlorate,  but  left  no  trace  of  carbonic  acid.  A  part  of  the  transparent  grains  were  regarded  as 
sapphire;  the  other  portion,  of  a  bottle-green  transparent  character,  was  not  definitely  determined. 

Cohen's  8  study  gave  the  following: 

After  etching,  the  nickel  iron  is  decomposed  into  grains  whose  diameter  varies  from  0.5  mm.  to  3  cm. ;  although  a 
measurement  of  1  cm.  is  the  exception.  Moreover,  different  portions  of  the  meteorite  vary  somewhat.  In  many  places, 
the  larger  part  of  the  cracks  dividing  the  grains  are  filled  with  an  intimate  mixture  of  schreibersite  with  a  graphitic 
substance,  occasionally  also  with  one  of  the  two  metals  alone.  A  close  examination  showed  that  not  graphite  but 
amorphous  carbon  was  present,  as  Moissan  had  already  proved.  By  dissolving  the  nickel  iron  in  dilute  hydrochloric 
acid  the  above  combination  is  left  in  thin  plates  1  sq.  cm.  in  size.  In  other  places  lumps  of  carbon-schreibersite  as 
much  as  3  cm.  in  size  occur  between  the  grains  of  nickel  iron,  which  run  into  the  former  in  the  shape  of  small,  elon- 
gated tongues.  After  weak  etching  most  of  the  grains  show  only  Neumann  lines,  while  a  smaller  portion  (and  indeed 
only  the  larger  grains)  takes  on  a  distinct,  uniform,  and  peculiarly  dull  luster.  It  is  produced  by  numerous  etching 
pits,  which  lie  so  closely  crowded  together  that  it  is  only  under  high  magnification  that  they  can  be  discerned  or  dis- 
tinguished from  one  another.  After  stronger  etching,  the  number  of  grains  with  etching  pits  is  increased.  Further, 
there  appears,  besides  the  sharply  defined  crevices  which  divide  the  grains,  and  within  the  former,  still  another 
system  of  irregular  cracks,  which  under  the  microscope  show  as  delicate  veins;  however,  they  do  not,  like  the  prin- 
cipal crevices,  each  define  an  individual,  and  may  be  a  kind  of  fracture  phenomenon.  Finally  there  are  a  few  grains 
which  are  rich  in  black,  dull  inclusions. 

In  other  portions  of  the  Kendall  County  iron  which  contain  much  less  secondary  material,  the  carbon-schreiber- 
site veins  between  the  grains  are  wanting.  Only  a  small  portion  of  the  latter  show  the  Neumann  etching  lines;  the 
greater  part  become  uneven  after  etching  and  show  under  the  microscope  numerous  black,  dull  inclusions  (above 
referred  to),  which  can  be  studied  more  exactly  here.  They  are  sometimes  grains,  sometimes  rods;  and  as  the  latter 
intersect  one  another  at  right  angles,  they  give  rise  to  a  knitted  appearance.  This  accordingly  may  be  that  forma- 
tion which  Brezina  called  "a  peculiar  skeleton"  structure,  and  which  he  regarded  as  of  only  occasional  occurrence. 
According  to  the  appearance  and  the  behavior  after  etching,  a  carbonaceous  substance  appears  to  be  present;  evidence 
to  the  same  effect  is  found  in  the  high  percentage  of  carbon  (1.62  per  cent),  although  a  specimen  was  used  for  analysis 
which  contained  no  visible  carbon. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  259 

Isolated  schreiberaite  of  greatly  differing  size  occurs  abundantly  in  the  nickel-iron;  especially  noteworthy  is  a 
crystal  from  a  small  mold  whose  kernel  of  nickel  iron  possesses  exactly  the  form  of  the  host.  Of  troilite  only  grains 
a  few  millimeters  in  size  were  observed,  which  lay  sometimes  in  the  nickel  iron,  sometimes  in  the  carbon.  Brezina 
may,  indeed,  have  taken  many  schreibersites  for  troilite,  a  mistake  easily  made  when  the  former  turns  yellow.  Black 
veins  of  eisenglas  run  from  the  original  surface  into  the  interior.  The  Kendall  County  iron  dissolves  very  easily  in 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  with  development  of  carburetted  hydrogen.  In  this  manner  the  following  minor  constit- 
uents were  isolated:  Amorphous  carbon,  black  veins,  schreibersite,  silicate  grains,  and  a  hitherto  unnoted  cristobalite- 
like  silica. 

The  latter  occurs  by  preference  or  exclusively  in  intimate  union  with  the  carbon  and  the  carbon-echreibersite 
concretions,  since  the  pieces  rich  in  the  latter  furnish  the  largest  share,  and  the  isolated  constituents  (carbon,  schrei- 
bersite, and  black  veins),  according  to  the  analysis,  give  a  mixture  of  silicic  acid  found  nowhere  else  in  meteoric  iron 
and  which  can  be  referred  to  no  mineral  as  yet  observed  in  meteoric  irons.  The  cristobalitelike  crystals  are  small, 
very  sharply  outlined,  colorless,  and  isometric.  Some  are  clear,  others  turbid.  On  strong  magnification  one  recog- 
nizes pointlike  inclusions  which  are  generally  pretty  uniformly  distributed,  though  at  times  aggregated  to  cause 
cloudiness.  As  a  rule  only  the  cube  is  present,  but  occasionally  the  octahedron  appears  in  part  subordinate,  in  part 
equal  with  the  cube.  Most  of  the  crystals  are  ideally  formed,  but  occasionally  prismatic  through  a  stronger  develop- 
ment of  four  faces  of  the  cube  in  one  zone. 

Somewhat  more  common,  but  still  rare,  are  cube  faces  indented  by  growth  along  the  edges.  Most  of  the  crystals 
are  0.03  to  0.04  mm.  in  size,  but  the  dimensions  rise  to  0.09  and  sink  to  0.01  mm.  The  following  properties  were  veri- 
fied: Completely  isotropic;  index  of  refraction  between  1.48  and  1.52;  specific  gravity,  2.3;  no  cleavage;  not  attacked 
by  concentrated  HC1  or  aqua  regia;  soluble  in  cold  hydrofluoric  acid;  unchanged  B.  B.  A  few  opaque  grains  (appar- 
ently chromite),  as  well  as  cloudy,  apparently  very  much  disintegrated  silicate  grains,  accompany  the  cristobalite- 
like silica.  Although  the  number  of  the  cristobalitelike  crystals  was  very  considerable,  it  was  not  possible,  on  account 
of  their  small  dimensions,  to  obtain  enough  material  for  an  analysis. 

The  amorphous  carbon  behaves,  under  treatment  with  potassium  chlorate  and  nitric  acid,  exactly  as  Moissan 
describes.  The  oxidation  proceeds  with  extreme  slowness,  but  it  develops  no  trace  of  carbonic  acid.  Without  closer 
investigation  the  carbon  would  be  taken  from  its  appearance  for  graphite,  and  this  graphitic  character  may  account 
for  the  resistance  to  strong  oxidizing  agents. 

The  dark  fragments  remaining  after  treatment  of  the  insoluble  residue  with  copper  ammonium  chloride,  and 
which — disregarding  the  schreibersite  inclusions — have  the  appearance  of  a  homogeneous  substance,  were  analyzed 
in  the  supposition  that  they  were  particles  of  eisenglas.  They  appeared,  however,  in  the  main  to  be  a  mixture  of  iron 
hydroxide  and  carbon  with  abundant  intermixture  of  cristobalitelike  silicic  acid. 

Kendall  County  takes  on  pretty  strong  permanent  magnetism  ; s  the  specific  magnetism  was  determined  by  Leick 
at  0.33  absolute  units  per  gram. 

Analyses: 

I.  Schreibersite;  Scheerer  and  Fahrenhorst.    la:  After  deducting  insoluble  residue. 

II.  Complete  analysis;  Fahrenhorst.    Ila:  Composition  of  the  nickel-iron  after  deducting  accessory  constituents. 

III.  Amorphous  carbon,  specific  gravity  2.24,  Fahrenhorst. 


Fe  . 

I 

61  08 

la 
61  78 

'  II 
92  65 

Ila 
94  02 

III 

1.23 

Ni...   . 

21.68 

21.93 

5.64 

5  23i 

Co  

...   .    0.37 

0.38 

0.78 

0.721 

0.61 

Cu... 

0.21 

0.21 

0  03 

0  03 

Cr  

0.01 

C  

1.62 

90  96 

H  

1  04 

P  

15.52 

15.70 

0.34 

S.  .  .     . 

0  03 

Cl  

0.01 

Insoluble  residue  

1.14 

SiO,.. 

6.59 

100.00        100.00        101.11         100.«0        100.43 
IV.    Fahrenhorst  gives  the  following  analysis  of  the  black  veins: 


...............  47.57 

XiO+CoO  ..........................................................  1.  29 

C  ...................................................................  29.50 

SiO2  ................................................................  7.  21 

HjO  ...............................................................  4.32 

Chromite  ............................................................  1.  17 

Schreibersite  ........................................................  6.  11 

91.77 


260  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

From  II  above  the  mineralogical  composition  appears  to  be: 

Nickel-iron , 96. 11 

Schreibersite 2. 19 

Carbon 1.  60 

Daubre'elite 0. 03 

Troilite 0. 05 

Lawrencite 0. 02 


100. 00 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  but  tlie  Vienna  collection  possesses  nearly  naif  the  amount, 
10,702  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1887:  BREZINA.    Neue  Meteoriten  III.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  2  (Not.),  p.  115. 

2.  1893:  BHEZINA.    Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nurnberg),  p.  166. 

3.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  67-68.     (Illustration  of  etching.) 

4.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.' 292. 

5.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  83. 

6.  1895:  MOISSAN.    Etude  de  quelque  meteorites.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  121,  p.  484. 

7.  1896:  MOISSAN.    Recherches  sur  lea  diffe'rentes  variete's  de  carbone.    A.  Ch.  P.,  7th  ser.,  vol.  8,  pp.  316-317. 

8.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien  XI.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien.  Bd.  15,  pp.  382-387. 

9.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  241-245. 


KENTON  COUNTY. 

Kentucky. 

Here  also  Independence. 

Latitude  39°  5'  N.,  longitude  84°  SO'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1889;  described  1S92. 

Weight,  163  kgs.  (359.5  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  has  been  chiefly  described  by  Preston,1   an  abstract  of  ^vhose  account 
follows: 

The  mass  was  found  by  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Cornelius,  about  the  middle  of  August,  1889,  while  cleaning  out  a  spring  on 
his  farm,  about  8  miles  from  Independence,  Kenton  County,  Kentucky.  It  was  buried  3  or  4  feet  below  the  normal 
surface  of  the  ground  and  interlocked  in  the  roots  of  an  ash  tree.  The  finder  allowed  the  mass  to  lie  by  the  spring 
until  August  of  the  following  year,  when  he  removed  it  to  his  woodshed,  where  it  remained  until  purchased  by  Ward's 
Natural  Science  Establishment,  of  Rochester,  New  York. 

The  mass  weighed  359.5  pounds  (163.0665  kg.)  and  measured  21  by  14  by  8  inches  (533  by  356  by  203  mm.).  In 
form  in  certain  directions  it  very  much  resembled  a  Nautilus.  It  had  numerous  but  mostly  shallow  pittings;  a  few 
deep  pittings  occurred,  however,  on  one  side.  It  was  entirely  devoid  of  crust. 

Analysis  by  Davison  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  C  S  P 

91.59        7.65        0.84  trace        0.12  trace  trace     =100.20 

The  possibility  of  the  fall  of  the  meteorite  having  taken  place  July  7, 1873,  is  suggested  from  observations  of  people 
in  the  vicinity,  but  this  does  not  seem  very  probable. 

Meunier 2  placed  the  iron  in  the  Caillite  group  and  described  the  structure  as  follows : 

Acids  develop  a  figure  in  which  kamacite  predominates  rather  more  than  in  the  type.  Tsenite  occurs  in  very 
thin  foliae  wanting  in  certain  p^rts.  Inclusions  of  black  matter  occur  here  and  there,  often  limited  by  the  angular 
contours  of  the  neighboring  alloy.  Masses  of  schreibersite  in  small  lamellae  are  irregularly  disseminated  through  the 
mass.  Troilite  appears  to  be  rare. 

Brezina  *  described  the  structure  as  follows : 

Independence  (Kenton  County)  is  distinguished  by  an  unusual  richness  in  small  rounded  troilite  crystals  which 
are  pretty  well  distributed  through  the  whole  mass.  The  bands  are  long  and  grouped,  often  weakly  bent  through  the 
whole  group;  fields  abundant  and  large,  mostly  filled  with  fine-grained  kamacite,  often  alternating  with  comb-like 
forms.  Tsenite  weakly  doveloped.  Kamacite  strongly  granular,  finely  pitted,  and  of  flaky  dull  appearance.  The 
whole  iron  is  somewhat  altered,  especially  near  the  surface.  Separation  occurs  at  times  along  the  taenite  plates. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  261 

Leick 5  found  that  plates  of  the  iron  were  capable  of  taking  and  retaining  magnetism  from 
an  electromagnet. 

Taenite  from  the  meteorite  was  described  by  Farrington  8  as  follows: 

One  of  the  sections  of  the  Kenton  County,  Kentucky,  meteorite  in  the  Field  Museum  collection  tends  to  decom- 
pose along  the  planes  of  structure  marked  by  the  Widmanstatten  figures.  The  result  of  this  decomposition  is  a  sepa- 
ration of  the  mass  into  fragments  bounded  by  octahedral  planes,  of  a  homogeneous  alloy  of  iron-gray  color  between 
which  lie  thin,  elastic  plates  of  a  tin-white  color.  The  first  alloy  is  undoubtedly  kamacite,  the  second  taenite.  In 
order  to  compare  this  taenite  with  that  known  from  other  meteorites,  some  study  of  it  was  made.  The  fragments  which 
it  was  possible  to  separate  rarely  exceeded  4  sq.  mm.  in  surface.  As  plates,  they  were  thin,  elastic,  and  magnetic. 
The  only  feature  noted  regarding  their  surface  was  that  it  is  often  marked  by  parallel  rows  of  minute  ridges  extending 
across  the  plate.  Corresponding  striations  usually  appear  on  the  adjacent  kamacite.  The  plates  are  soluble  in  copper 
ammonium  chloride,  and  fusible  with  difficulty  B.  B. 

In  separating  plates  for  analysis  care  was  taken  to  use  only  those  which  could  be  completely  isolated  and 
showed  no  rust.  This  proved  a  laborious  operation,  and  after  considerable  toil  the  amount  that  could  be  secured  for 
analysis  was  only  0.022  gram.  The  analysis  was  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols.  Iron  was  determined  by  titration  with 
an  n/100  potassium  bichromate  solution,  and  cobalt  and  nickel  isolated  by  means  of  two  ammonia  and  three  basic 
acetate  separations  and  then  precipitated  electrolytically. 

While  the  extremely  small  amount  used  for  analysis  makes  the  chances  of  error  larger  than  is  desirable,  it  is 
believed  that  fairly  accurate  results  were  attained. 

The  analysis  gave: 

Fe 80.3 

NiandCo..  .  19.6 


99.9 
The  iron  is  distributed,  the  Field  Museum  possessing  about  one-third. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1892:  PRESTON.    Preliminary  note  of  a  new  meteorite  from  Kenton  County,  Kentucky,  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d 

ser.,  vol.  44,  pp.  163-164.     (With  cut  of  meteorite.) 

2.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  pp.  52  and  60. 

3.  1893:  BHEZINA.    Ueber  neuree  Meteoriten  (Numberg),  p.  164. 

4.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  284. 

5.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV. 

6.  1902:  FARRINGTON.    Meteorite  Studies  I.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  Ser.,  vol.  1,  p.  314. 


Kiowa  County.     See  Brenham. 
Knoxville.    See  TazewelL 


KOKOMO. 

Howard  County,  Indiana. 
Here  also  Howard  County. 
Latitude  40°  3<X  N.,  longitude  86°  5'  W. 

Iron.    Cape  Iron  group  (Hca),  of  Brezina;  Octibbehite  (type  1),  of  Meunier;  granular  to  com- 
pact iron,  with  cubic  streaks  (Cohen). 
Found  1862;  described  1873. 
Weight.  4  kgs.  (Smith);  4  pounds  1.5  ounces  (Cox). 

The  first  description  of  this  meteorite  was  given  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,1  as 
follows: 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Indianapolis  Academy  of  Sciences,  November  20,  1872,  Prof.  E.  T.  Cox  presented  a  paper  on 
a  hitherto  undescribed  meteorite,  vrhich  was  found  in  the  year  1870,  in  digging  a  well  on  Mr.  Freeman's  farm,  7  miles 
southeast  of  Kokomo,  in  Howard  County,  Indiana,  by  Doctor  Saville,  who  now  lives  in  Sioux  City,  Iowa;  and  we  are 
indebted  to  him  for  its  preservation.  It  was  presented  to  Prof.  John  Collett  by  the  doctor  last  August,  when  he  visited 
Sioux  City,  and  it  has  been  loaned  to  Professor  Cox  for  examination  and  description. 

The  depth  at  which  it  was  found  in  the  well  could  not  be  satisfactorily  learned;  but  from  being  embedded  in 
plastic  clay,  which  lies  beneath  a  bed  of  peat,  the  probability  is  that,  in  falling,  it  met  with  no  very  great  resistance 
until  it  reached  this  clay.  It  is  a  flattened,  irregularly  shaped  mass,  rounded  on  one  side  and  concave  on  the  other; 
the  surface  is  darkened  and  covered  with  slight  indentations.  The  dimensions  are:  Greatest  length,  5  inches;  average 
width,  3.5  inches;  average  thickness,  1.7  inches;  its  weight  is  4  pounds  1.5  ounces,  avoirdupois.  A  Email  piece  has 


262  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

been  cut  from  one  edge,  and  it  is  said  that  the  smith  broke  two  chisels  in  the  operation.  The  fracture  is  granular,  like 
fine  steel,  and  the  cut  surface  has  a  silvery  appearance;  it  is  malleable  and  somewhat  harder  than  common  bar  iron, 
and,  like  the  latter,  it  may  be  wrought  into  all  manner  of  shapes.  This  meteorite  only  came  into  the  professor's  hands 
a  few  days  ago,  and,  owing  to  the  press  of  other  work,  he  is  able  at  this  time  to  give  nothing  more  than  the  result  of  a 
partial  chemical  analysis.  It  is  destitute  of  stony  matter,  and  the  principal  element  is  iron;  next  comes  nickel;  then, 
in  small  quantities,  cobalt,  tin,  carbon,  phosphorus,  and  probably  a  trace  of  sulphur.  Submitted  to  the  action  of 
acids,  the  Widmannstatten  figures  are  brought  out  in  great  perfection.  At  what  time  this  meteorite  fell  is  not  known, 
but  it  is  hoped  that  by  calling  the  attention  of  the  citizens  of  Howard  County  to  the  subject  we  may  receive  informa- 
tion regarding  its  history  which  will  still  further  add  to  its  scientific  value. 

About  a  year  later  an  account  was  published  by  Smith,2  as  follows: 

The  mass  of  meteoric  iron  described  below  possesses  peculiar  interest  from  the  fact  that  it  was  not  found  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  but  beneath  the  soil,  although  not  to  any  very  great  depth.  In  18G2,  a  farmer,  Mr.  E.  Freeman, 
while  excavating  a  ditch  in  Howard  County,  Indiana,  struck,  at  a  depth  of  nearly  2  feet,  a  hard  mass  that  attracted 
his  attention;  and  owing  to  its  unusual  weight  he  preserved  it.  The  earth  penetrated  consisted  of  stiff  clay  beneath 
4  inches  of  black  soil,  so  that  the  mass  was  embedded  in  the  clay.  This  clay  was  colored  by  oxide  of  iron  arising  from 
a  slight  decomposition  of  the  surface  of  the  meteorite,  the  iron  being  one  of  those  that  decompose  but  slightly  from 
atmospheric  agencies.  This  meteorite  was  lost  sight  of  for  a  number  of  years,  having  fallen  into  the  hands  of  those  not 
interested  in  matters  of  natural  history,  and  only  recently  was  sent  to  me  for  examination. 

The  form  of  the  meteorite  is  an  irregular  elongated  oval,  and  it  has  the  indentations  of  the  surface  found  on  most 
meteoric  irons.    Its  weight  is  4  kg.    The  alteration  at  the  surface  is  very  slight,  considering  the  length  of  time  it  must 
have  remained  beneath  the  soil,  and  fresh  cut  surfaces  retain  perfectly  their  brightness.    The  specific  gravity  is  7.821. 
The  composition  of  the  meteorite  is  as  follows: 

Iron 87.  02 

Nickel 12.  29 

Cobalt 05 

Phosphorus 02 

Copper trace 

99.98 

A  polished  surface,  when  treated  with  nitric  acid  or  bromine  water,  does  not  give  the  slightest  indication  of  Wid- 
mannstatten figures  so  characteristic  of  most  meteoric  irons. 

Smith's  account  will  be  seen  to  differ  from  that  of  Cox  in  several  important  particulars. 
These  include  the  year  of  find,  the  weight,  and  the  absence  of  Widmannstatten  figures. 

In  consequence  of  these  contradictory  statements,  Fletcher  leaves  the  year  of  discovery 
doubtful  ("1862  or  1870"),  and  Wiilfing  mentions  the  occurrence  of  two  pieces  of  4,000  and 
1,850  grams  weight,  respectively. 

Cohen8  remarks  that — 

Since,  according  to  Smith,  the  mass  remained  unnoticed  for  several  years,  it  is  probable  that  it  was  found  in  1862 
by  Freeman,  while  its  meteoric  nature  was  discovered  in  1870  by  Saville.  Further,  it  appears  from  the  agreement  of 
the  place  of  discovery  and  the  manner  of  the  same  to  consist  of  one  mass;  since  4  kg.,  the  weight  in  round  numbers, 
agrees  closely,  as  to  figures  with  the  4  pounds  1.5  ounces  given  by  Cox,  it  may  be  assumed  that  one  or  other  of  the 
two  authors  confused  pounds  and  kilograms. 

Meunier 3  supposed  that  the  content  of  nickel  had  been  placed  too  low  by  Smith,  and 
arbitrarily  assumed  that  it  approached  that  of  Octibbeha.  He  combined  Kokomo  and  Octib- 
beha  in  one  group  whose  representative  should  be  Octibbeha,  consisting  of  FeNi2  (with  61.71 
per  cent  Ni  +  Co).  He  gives  the  specific  gravity  as  6.79,  which  is  evidently  too  low  for  an  alloy 
so  rich  in  nickel,  and  can  be  explained  only  by  hollow  spaces,  which  must  be  so  numerous  that 
they  can  scarcely  escape  observation. 

Brezina  *  compared  Kokomo  with  Smithland  in  1885;  the  groundmass  has  the  same  velvety 
appearance,  but  materially  lighter  color.  In  1895,6  he  included  Kokomo  with  the  Cape  iron 
and  Iquique  in  a  division  of  hexahedrites  distinguished  by  etching  bands  and  oriented  sheen. 

Cohen 7,8  described  the  iron  as  follows: 

By  etching  the  iron  takes  on  a  varnishlike  luster  like  that  of  Morradal  and  Smithland,  but  differs  essentially  from 
the  latter  in  the  occurrence  of  uniform  parallel  etching  bands,  which  are  so  characteristic  of  the  Cape  Iron  and  Iquique. 
Two  groups  of  such  bands  were  observed,  one  of  which  consists  of  a  band  3.5  mm.  wide,  upon  which  at  a  distance  of 
about  0.5  mm.  upon  one  side  are  three  fine  bands  scarcely  0.25  mm.  wide,  while  on  the  other  side  only  one  equally 
small  band  is  present.  *  *  *  The  other  group  makes  a  band  2  mm.  wide,  which  splits  in  some  places  and  then 
unites  again.  The  finer  bands  also  occasionally  split  up.  These  stripes  are  darker  or  brighter  according  to  the  posi- 
tion of  the  plate  with  reference  to  the  light,  like  the  body  of  the  nickel  iron,  and  in  a  certain  position  the  reflection  of 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  263 

the  entire  surface  is  perfectly  uniform.  Under  a  moderately  strong  magnifying  power  Kokomo  appears  as  an  entirely 
homogeneous  mass,  with  the  exception  of  extraordinarily  small,  strongly  reflecting  points.  At  first,  by  the  employ- 
ment of  a  magnifying  power  of  about  200  diameters,  one  sees  a  succession  of  dark,  faint,  and  bright,  glistening  particles; 
since  one  can  not  distinguish  a  distinct  line  of  demarcation  between  one  and  another  of  them,  it  is  not  possible  to 
determine  definitely  whether  the  structure  is  granular  or  whether  the  appearance  is  due  to  etching  pits.  I  consider 
the  former  the  more  probable.  No  accessory  material  of  any  sort  is  noticeable. 

After  stronger  etching  the  surface  of  the  section  becomes  dull  and  finally  uneven,  owing  to  the  formation  of  small 
round  pits  closely  packed  together;  the  ascertainment  of  the  structure  is  not  thereby  furthered,  however.    Analysis 

by  Siostrom  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  P  S 

83.24        15.76        L07        0.01        0.08        trace    =100.16 
Specific  gravity  (Leick),  7.8606. 

Cohen  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  compact  iron  with  hexahedral  streaks,  placing  it  in  the 
same  group  with  the  Cape  iron,  etc. 

Only  655  grams  of  this  iron  are  recorded  in  collections.  Harvard  has  the  largest  amount, 
418  grams.  The  whereabouts  of  the  main  mass  seem  to  be  unknown. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1873:  Cox.    On  a  new  meteorite  found  in  Indiana.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  eer.,  vol.  5,  pp.  155-156. 

2.  1874:  Sierra.    On  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  of  Howard  County,  Indiana,  etc.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  voL  7,  pp. 

391-392.    (Analysis.) 

3.  1884:  METOIER.    Meteorites,  p.  101.    (Cut  of  etched  surface.) 

4.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  200,  201,  203,  219,  and  234. 

5.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fere  m^tebriques,  p.  6. 

6.  1895:  BREZDJA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  293. 

7.  1898:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  VIII.    A.  N.  H.  XIII,  pp.  150-153. 

8.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  149-152. 


Kossuth  County.    See  Forest  City. 


LA  CHARCA. 

Near  Irapuato,  State  of  Guanajuato,  Mexico. 

Here  also  Irapuato. 

Latitude  20°  53'  N.,  longitude  100°  55'  W. 

Stone.    Chondrite  (C)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  11.30  a.  m.,  June  11, 1878. 

Weight,  399  grams  (14  ozs.). 

Little  seems  to  be  known  regarding  this  meteorite.  It  is  merely  mentioned  by  Vom  Rath,1 
Brezina,2  and  Castillo.3  Under  the  name  of  Irapuato  Castillo  *  says  that  the  meteoric  stone  of 
Irapuato  fell  June  11,  1878,  between  11  a.  m.  and  noon.  Its  weight,  he  states,  was  399  grams. 
He  says  that  it  has  been  described  by  Prof.  S.  Navia  of  the  College  de  Guanajuato.  Vom  Rath  * 
states  that  the  same  college  possesses  the  whole  stone.  Xo  specimens  seem  to  have  reached 
other  collections. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1884:  VOM  RATH.    Verh.  naturh.  Ver.  Bonn  (Sitzber.)  Bd.  41,  p.  126. 

2.  18S5:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  260. 

3.  18S9:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  13. 


LA  GRANGE. 

Oldham  County,  Kentucky. 

Here  also  Oldham  County. 

Latitude  38°  25'  N.,  longitude  85°  30"  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Jewellite  (type  9)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1860;    described  1861. 

Weight,  51  kgs.  (112  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Smith,1'1  as  follows: 

The  announcement  of  the  discovery  of  this  iron  meteorite  was  made  in  a  note  in  the  American  Journal,  of  Science 
and  Arts.     It  was  discovered  in  the  month  of  October,  I860,  by  Mr.  William  Daring,  near  La  Grange,  in  Oldham  County, 


264  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Kentucky.  There  is  nothing  known  with  reference  to  the  time  of  its  fall.  It  came  into  my  possession  shortly  after 
its 'disco  very.  It  was  entire  and  weighed  112  pounds.  Its  extreme  dimensions  were:  Length  20,  breadth  10.75,  and 
thickness  6.5  inches;  its  shape  was  elongated  and  flattened.  Its  specific  gravity  is  7.89,  and  an  analysis  furnished: 

Fe  Ni          Co  Cu  P 

91.21        7.81        0.35        trace        0.04    =99.10 

Cohen  n  has  given  a  further  account  of  the  meteorite,  as  follows : 

Reichenbach  3  noted  bronze-colored  iron  sulphide  and  Eisenglas;  Rose,4  very  fine  Widmannstatten  figures. 

Meunier  6>6  regarded  La  Grange  as  a  characteristic  example  of  the  occurrence  of  plessite,  and  used  the  iron  accord- 
ing to  his  method  (heating  filings  on  a  glass  plate  and  noting  the  colors)  to  isolate  kamacite,  tsenite,  and  plessite.  The 
method  can  not,  however,  yield  a  serviceable  result  generally  regarding  the  intimate  structure  of  a  meteorite,  and  cer- 
tainly can  not  here  on  account  of  the  fineness  of  structure.  Later,9  he  stated  that  La  Grange  and  Jewell  Hill  consisted 
of  equal  portions  of  taenite  and  plessite  and  combined  both  together  with  Buckeberg  in  his  Jewellite  group. 

The  lamellae  are  long,  straight,  considerably  compacted,  and  about  0.15  mm.  broad.  A  peculiar  fibrous  appear- 
ance and  a  somewhat  silken,  oriented  luster  are  characteristic  of  the  kamacite.  This  luster  is  sometimes  explained 
by  the  fact  that  the  abundant  hatching  frequently  rune  parallel  to  the  bands  or  intersects  them  at  acute  angles;  but 
the  same  luster  shows  itself  where  this  is  not  the  case,  and  may  there  be  caused  by  a  large  number  of  closely  com- 
pacted etching  pits,  which,  however,  do  not  become  visible  except  under  considerable  magnification.  The  few  small 
fields  are  filled  with  dark  plessite,  which,  under  the  microscope,  appear  rich  in  tiny,  glistening,  uniformly  distributed 
spangles.  In  the  quite  numerous,  larger  areas  the  structure  of  the  iron  as  a  whole  is  repeated.  Since  the  lamellae  are 
but  slightly  smaller  here  than  the  principal  lamellae  and  the  taenite  scarcely  appears,  these  large  fields  do  not  show  up 
prominently,  and  the  etching  surface  has  an  unusually  peculiar  appearance. 

Minor  constituents  appear  to  be  scarce  and  of  small  size.  Schreibersite  was  observed  only  in  a  few  particles  2 
mm.  in  size.  In  a  specimen  in  the  Vienna  collection  the  troilite  is  distinguished  by  an  abundance  of  daubre'elite 
bands,  of  which  as  many  as  four  occur  in  one  crystal  of  0.75  mm.  in  thickness  and  6  mm.  in  length.  In  the  other 
sections  examined  daubre'elite  is  wanting  entirely,  so  that  its  distribution,  as  usual,  is  very  irregular.  Recently, 
Brezina  10  made  mention  of  Reichenbach  lamellae  with  bent  borders,  which  show  faulting.  In  the  neighborhood  of 
the  natural  surface  a  little  Eisenglas  occurs.  Meandering  cracks,  frequently  intersecting  the  lamellae,  spread  out 
quite  extensively  in  the  interior. 

Analysis  by  Burger: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  Cr  P  S 

91.92        7.61        0.62        0.01        0.02        0.03    .    0.02     =100.23 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  but  the  largest  quantity,  85  pounds,  is  in  the  Amherst 
collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1861:  SMITH.    Two  new  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  31,  p.  151. 

2.  1861:  SMITH.     Description  of  three  new  meteorites. — Idem,  pp.  265-266. 

3.  1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.     No.  20,  p.  622;  No.  21,  p.  588. 

4.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  65  and  153. 

5.  1869:  MEUNIER.     Recherches.     Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  29  and  35. 

6.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Me'te'orites,  p.  47. 

7.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  208-209  and  233. 

8.  1887:  BREZINA  and  COHEN.     Photographien,  pis.  20  and  21. 

9.  1893:  METJNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  37  and  38. 

10.  1904:  BREZINA.    The  arrangement  of  collections  of  meteorites.    Proc.  Amer.  Philos.  Soc.,  vol.  43,  No.  176,  p.  230. 

11.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  356-358. 


La  Grange,  1878.    See  Bluff. 


LANCASTER  COUNTY. 

Nebraska. 

Iron. 

Weight,  13  kgs.  (29  Ibs.). 

The  only  mention  of  this  meteorite  is  by  Barbour,1  who  speaks  simply  of  having  received 
such  a  meteorite. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1903:  BARBOUR.     Report  Nebraska  Geol.  Survey,  vol.  1,  p.  184. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  265 

Laramie  County.     See  Silver  Crown. 


LAURENS  COUNTY. 
South  Carolina. 

Here  also  Laurens  Court  House. 
Latitude  34°  3<X  N.,  longitude  82°  2'  W. 

Iron.     Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Carltonite  (tyj>e  22)  of  Meunier 
Found  1857;  described  1886. 
Weight,  2.220  grams  (4  Ibs.  11  ozs). 

The  principal  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Hidden,1  as  follows: 

This  undescribed  mass  of  meteoric  iron  was  found  in  1857  in  the  northwestern  comer  of  Laurens  County,  South 
Carolina,  and  was  deposited  soon  after  its  discovery  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Laurensville  Female  College,  at  Laurens 
Court  House,  South  Carolina.  It  remained  there  until  it  was  sent  to  the  Exposition  at  New  Orleans  in  1884  as  a  part 
of  the  South  Carolina  exhibit.  The  writer  is  indebted  to  K.  W.  Milner,  president  of  the  Laurensville  Female  College, 
for  the  above  information,  and  also  for  the  possession  of  the  meteorite. 

Its  weight  is  4  pounds,  11  ounces. 

The  perfection  of  the  Widmannstatten  lines,  as  shown  in  the  smoothed  surface,  is  unusual.  Their  fineness  marks 
the  mass  as  belonging  to  a  class  of  rare  meteorites. 

The  writer's  attention  was  directed  at  first  to  the  apparent  cuboidal  aspect  of  this  mass,  and  with  that  idea,  he 
had  the  panel  smoothed  out,  merely  to  prove  by  the  internal  structure  whether  or  not  this  shape  was  accidental. 

The  relation  of  the  etched  lines  to  the  profile  gives  evidence  that  in  part,  at  least,  the  outward  shape  is  due  to  a 
uniform  crystallization  of  the  mass.  The  perpendicular  lines  are  nearly  parallel  to  the  two  sides  (this  is  better  proved 
while  examining  the  mass  in  hand),  and  agrees  fairly  enough  with  the  top  and  bottom  sides  to  be  consistent  with  a 
cube.  The  back  of  the  mass  is  bluntly  pointed  (cone  shape)  toward  the  left  upper  side  and  covered  with  large 
depressions. 

Wishing  to  further  test  the  homogeneity  of  the  mass,  it  was  cut  through  at  the  base  of  the  cone-shaped  projection 
on  the  back  and  the  surface  (shown  in  a  figure)  developed.  Here  the  internal  structure  is  exhibited  even  more  beau- 
tifully than  in  the  smoothed  surface  and  the  angles  are  those  which  octahedral  crystallization  would  present  on  a  cubic 
face. 

All  over  the  mass  a  thin  formation  of  limonite  was  observed,  this  coating  being  much  thicker  over  the  cuboidal 
faces  than  on  the  rough  surfaces  at  the  back.  The  thickness  of  this  crust  is  well  shown  by  a  figure. 

The  dark  rhomboidal  spot  near  the  middle  of  the  section  was  found  to  consist  of  solid  ferrous-chloride  (lawrencite). 
Several  similar  spots  of  this  same  rare  species  were  noticed  on  the  same  face.  Their  deliquescence  first  attracted  atten- 
tion to  them.  The  presence  of  hydrogen  (occluded)  was  proved  by  simply  rubbing  the  smoothed  surfaces  with  pow- 
dered sulphur,  when  instantly  the  disagreeable  odor  of  hydrogen  sulphide  was  made  noticeable.  In  the  action  of 
nitric  acid  on  the  smoothed  surfaces  the  presence  of  carbon  was  also  proved  conclusively. 

A  few  words  as  to  what  seems  to  be  the  point  of  impact  when  this  mass  fell.  On  one  edge  a  nearly  straight  surface 
of  2  cm.  length  was  seen,  and  as  this  was  a  natural  flat  surface  I  smoothed  and  etched  it.  A  set  of  lines,  of  structure 
of  about  90°  angle,  was  at  once  noticeable,  as  well  as  an  increased  fineness  of  detail  as  compared  to  the  other  figures. 
That  this  face  is  the  place  of  impact  the  writer  has  no  doubt  after  comparing  its  surface  with  the  other  figures. 

A  careful  analysis  by  James  B.  Mackintosh  yielded: 

Iron 85.33 

Nickel ] 13.  34 

Cobalt 0.  87 

Phosphorus 0. 16 

Sulphur trace 

Carbon  (undetermined). 

99.70 

These  results  place  this  mass  among  the  few  that  are  exceedingly  rich  in  nickel  and  cobalt.  It  approaches  in 
this  regard  the  meteorites  of  Babb's  Mill  (Green  County,  Tennessee),  Ni  14.73  per  cent  (mean  of  three  analyses),  and 
that  of  Kokomo  (Howard  County,  Indiana),  Ni  12.29  per  cent.  Its  cobalt  percentage  is  probably  above  that  of  any 
other  on  record,  being  nearly  1  per  cent. 

Meunier*  referred  the  meteorite  to  his  group  carltonite  and  described  it  as  follows : 

Acids  give  a  very  remarkable  figure  with  the  kamacite  in  elongated,  straight  bands,  bordered  on  either  side  by  a 
lamella  of  taenite.  Associations  of  this  sort  are  often  grouped  in  the  form  of  bundles  which  intersect  in  the  angles  of 
the  octahedron.  The  spaces  are  filled  with  carltonite.  Neither  pyrrhotine  nor  schreibersite  are  present. 


266  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Brezina 5  described  the  structure  as  follows : 

Original  weight  of  mass,  2,150  grams.  Bands  long,  straight,  much  bunched,  0.17  to  0.27  mm.  in  width,  containing 
close  packed  ribs  of  porous  cohenite.  Granular  kamacite,  with  oriented  luster.  Tsenite  strongly  developed.  Fields 
large  and  irregular,  plessite  predominant,  dark  gray,  occasionally  showing  half  obscured  repeating  lamelte  in  the 
fields. 

Cohen  •  reviewed  previous  accounts  of  the  meteorite  and  described  its  structure  as  follows: 

According  to  Hidden  this  iron  was  covered  with  rust,  and  in  the  main  possessed  a  cubic  form  with  a  conical  pro- 
jection and  a  somewhat  convex  face  full  of  large  pittings.  There  was  a  flattening  on  one  surface,  and  since  the  Wid- 
mannstatten  figures  appeared  to  be  distorted  at  this  point,  Hidden  supposed  that  the  mass  struck  at  this  place. 
Although  the  lamellae  sometimes  according  to  their  position  are  said  to  show  relations  to  cubic  faces,  this  is  not  observ- 
able upon  the  figure  accompanying  the  article.  Upon  a  cubic  section  surface  the  lamellse  must  intersect  one  another 
at  right  angles.  In  the  middle  of  a  section  several  particles  of  solid  iron  chloride  were  observed;  in  the  cut  they  seem 
to  be  surrounded  with  swathing  kamacite,  which  would  indicate  that  it  was  an  original  constituent  present  before 
the  crystallization  of  the  kamacite,  if  it  were  not  observed  that  a  pseudomorphous  formation  occurred  here.  Hidden 
stated  that  by  rubbing  a  surface  with  sulphur  the  smell  of  hydrogen  sulphide  was  made  noticeable  and  he  attributed 
this  to  occluded  hydrogen.  This  could  not  be  true,  however,  since  sulphur  and  hydrogen  do  not  unite  except  at  a 
higher  temperature. 

Meunier  referred  Laurens  and  Carlton  to  a  separate  group,  "Carltonite,"  since  he  considered  the  plessite  an 
independent  alloy  of  nickel  (Carltonin),  which  played  the  part  of  plessite  in  other  octahedrites.  Carltonine  is  much 
more  difficult  to  oxidize,  finer-grained,  and  contains  no  combs.  He  further  emphasized  the  absence  of  iron  sulphide 
and  schreibersite  in  the  Laurens  iron. 

The  bands  vary  from  0.17  to  0.27  mm.  in  width  and  are  long,  straight,  often  grouped,  granular,  and  give  an  oriented 
luster.  They  often  contain  throughout  their  entire  length,  grains  and  elongated  crystals,  which  are  arranged  with 
larger  or  smaller  interstices  between,  and  do  not  seem  to  be  connected;  the  larger  these  grains,  the  broader  the  bands. 
Whether  this  substance  is  cohenite,  as  Brezina  recently  conjectured,  or  schreibersite,  requires  a  more  exact  investi- 
gation to  determine.  The  taenite  is  well  developed  and  is  sharply  distinguished  from  the  kamacite.  The  strongly 
predominating  fields  are  of  varying  dimensions,  free  from  combs  and  consist  of  dense,  dull,  dark  gray  plessite,  which 
is  sometimes  shimmering  and  sometimes  contains  central  skeletons.  The  grains  and  ribs  in  the  kamacite  are  appar- 
ently mingled  with  some  troilite,  which  also  occurs  in  a  few  small,  irregular  grains,  bordered  with  a  delicate  wreath 
of  schreibersite  grains  and  all  these  together  inclosed  in  swathing  kamacite. 

Laurens  has  an  alteration  zone  4.5  mm.  wide. 

The  iron  is  principally  (1,537  grams)  preserved  in  the  Vienna  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1886:  HIDDEN.    On  two  masses  of  meteoric  iron  of  unusual  interest. — 2.  The  cuboidal  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from 

Laurens  County,  South  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  31,  pp.  463-465  (Analysis  by  Mackintosh.) 

2.  1887:  BREZINA  and  COHEN.    Photographien,  pi.  24. 

3.  1893:  BREZINA.    Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Nurnberg),  p.  163.    , 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'tiSoriques,  pp.  65-66. 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  269. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  262-264. 


Lea  Iron.    See  Cleveland. 

Leavenworth  County.     See  Tonganoxie. 

Leland.     See  Forest  City. 


LEXINGTON  COUNTY. 

South  Carolina. 

Latitude  33°  58'  N.,  longitude  81°  7'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina;  Bendegite  (type  6),  of  Meunier. 

Found  and  mentioned,  1880;  described,  1881. 

Weight,  4.75  kgs.  (10.5  Ibs.). 


This  meteorite  was  chiefly  described  by  Shepard/  his  account  being  substantially  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  found  on  the  land  of  a  farmer  in  Lexington  County,  South  Carolina,  who  supposed  it  to  be  a  valu- 
able ore,  indicating  a  mine  on  his  property.  On  learning  its  true  character,  he  sold  it  to  Prof.  C.  U.  Shepard,  jr.,  of 
the  Medical  College  at  Charleston. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  267 

Its  weight,  as  first  found,  was  10.5  pounds.  Its  shape  was  that  of  a  cylinder  with  two  flattened  edges  and  somewhat 
compressed  at  the  ends;  on  the  whole,  approaching  moat  nearly  to  the  shape  of  8  very  transverse  bivalve.  Unlike 
many  of  the  iron  masses  found  in  the  soil,  the  surface  of  the  present  specimen  is  nearly  free  from  yellow  hydrated 
peroxide  of  iron,  being  mostly  enveloped  with  a  black  and  brittle  coating,  which,  though  containing  some  turgite,  is 
yet  mostly  formed  of  magnetite.  The  general  surface  is  smooth,  though  presenting  a  few  broad  but  shallow  depressions. 
A  series  of  amygdaloidal  masses  of  troilite,  the  largest  being  of  the  size  of  filberts,  traverses  the  body  near  the  end  which 
has  been  sliced,  and  where  they  were  so  abundant  as  to  constitute  for  a  considerable  space  nearly  one-third  of  the 
aggregate,  while  elsewhere  they  scarcely  come  into  view,  except  in  remote  amygdules.  Where  the  scaly  coating  of 
magnetite  is  thin  or  wholly  wanting  a  coarse  crystalline  structure  appears,  but  without  any  very  continuous  lamina- 
tion. The  slicing  is  not  difficult  unless  the  saw  encounters  troilite  or  magnetite,  the  latter  of  which,  associated  with 
traces  of  graphitoid,  envelops  the  former  and  also  exists  elsewhere  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  amygdules,  in  a 
coarse  network  of  veins.  The  existence  of  the  seams  occasionally  aids  in  the  separation  of  small  fragments  of  the  iron, 
between  whose  layers  it  seems  to  have  insinuated  itself  and  acted  as  a  rupturing  force.  This  circumstance  is  worthy 
of  notice  as  a  possible  cause  of  the  disintegration  and  detonation  of  meteorites  while  traversing  our  atmosphere. 

The  most  interesting  feature  by  far  of  the  Lexington  iron  is  that  of  its  remarkable  analogy  in  structure  and  com- 
position with  the  Bohumilitz  iron,  found  in  1829,  the  resemblance  of  their  etched  surfaces  being  so  strong  that  they 
might  very  easily  be  confounded.  They  are  the  only  two  irons  which  strikingly  give  the  moir6  me'tallique  luster.  The 
chief  difference  between  the  two  consists  in  the  thickness  of  the  crystalline  bars,  which  in  the  Lexington  iron  is  nearly 
double  that  of  the  other.  In  both  their  walls  are  alike',  broadly  undulatory  or  wavy;  and  the  included  spaces  are 
filled  with  closely  crowded  points  of  rhabdite  and  extremely  minute  lines  of  tsenite,  crossing  each  other  at  all  angles 
from  90°  to  150°.  In  passivity  it  far  surpasses  any  iron  hitherto  discovered.  Schreibersite  also  occurs  in  smal 
quantity  along  with  the  graphitoid  and  magnetite.  It  shows  no  signs  of  chemical  alteration  by  exposure  to  the  air, 
in  which  respect  also  it  agrees  with  the  Bohumilitz. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  entire  mass  was  7,  that  of  homogeneous  fragments  7.405.  Analysis  by  Prof.  C.  U.  Shep- 
ard,  jr.,  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Mn  Sn  P  Insoluble  residue 

92.416        6.077        0.927         trace        trace        trace  0.264          =99.684 

Meunier  *  described  the  iron  as  follows : 

The  unique  specimen  of  the  Lexington  iron  in  the  possession  of  the  Paris  Museum  is  very  small.  It  is  sufficient, 
however,  to  identify  this  fall  with  the  type  bendegite.  It  develops  etching  figures  entirely  characteristic  of  this  type. 

Brezina's  3  description  is  as  follows: 

The  bands  have  crumpled  edges  witn  interwoven  shreds  of  tsenite.  The  kamacite  is  deeply  hatched.  Oriented 
rhabdite  and  etching  pittings  are  abundant.  Fields  are  very  scarce  and  entirely  filled  with  ridges  resembling  the 
kamacite  in  appearance.  The  large,  elongated,  and  irregular  troilite  concretions  have  a  band  of  schreibersite  which 
penetrates  the  troilite. 

The  iron  is  somewhat  distributed,  the  Shepard  collection  in  Washington  possessing  the 
largest  amount  (3,992  grams). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1881:  SHEPARD.    On  the  meteoric  iron  of  Lexington  County,  South  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  21, 

pp.  117-119.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1893:  MEUXIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  pp.  25  and  27. 

3.  1895:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  286. 


LICK  CREEK. 

Davidson  County,  North  Carolina. 

Latitude  35°  40'  N.,  longitude  80°  16'  W. 

Iron.    Hexahedrite  (H);  Braunite  (type  3),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1879;  described  1880. 

Weight,  1.24  kgs.  (2.75  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Hidden  l  as  follows: 

On  July  19,  1879,  Mr.  Gray  W.  Harris,  while  out  prospecting  for  gold  on  his  land  near  Lick  Creek,  Davidson 
County,  Xorth  Carolina,  found  an  unusually  heavy  stone  of  the  size  of  a  large  pear,  which  he  at  first  mistook  for  a  speci- 
men of  iron  ore.  On  attempting  to  break  it  he  found  that  the  stone  would  not  break  but  was  covered  with  a  uni- 
formly thick  skin  or  crust,  which  scaled  off  under  repeated  blows  of  the  hammer. 

After  carefully  removing  all  he  could  of  this  crust,  there  remained  a  pear-shaped  mass  of  what  appeared  to  him 
to  be  a  pure  metal.  The  color  of  the  metal  developed  by  hammering  was  white,  and  this  led  him  to  conclude  that  it 
was  silver.  This  "nugget  of  silver,"  as  he  called  it,  soon  had  a  wide  notoriety  among  all  the  mining  camps  in  the 
vicinity. 


268  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Tliis  story,  substantially  as  above  related,  reached  me  at  Concord,  North  Carolina,  in  the  autumn  of  1879,  my 
informants  being  the  Messrs.  Richard  Eames,  jr.  and  sr.  They  had  seen  the  nugget  and  believed  it  to  be  iron,  per- 
haps native  iron;  they  had  noticed  that  the  nugget  had  what  Mr.  Eames,  jr.,  aptly  termed  "night  sweats."  Little 
beads  of  a  yellowish  fluid  would  gather  upon  its  surface  over  night,  which,  if  wiped  away,  would  form  again  in  the 
next  24  hours.  . 

This  last  addition  to  the  story  of  the  "silver  nugget"  convinced  me  that  the  mass  was  really  meteoric  iron.  After 
no  little  trouble  and  expense  it  was  finally  sent  to  Menlo  Park,  New  Jersey,  where  it  was  at  once  recognized  as 
meteoric  iron.  But  for  the  active  interest  taken  in  this  meteorite  by  the  Messrs.  Eames,  it  would  have  been  in  all 
probability  lost  to  science,  and  I  take  tliia  opportunity  to  express  my  indebtedness  to  them. 

Its  weight  when  received  herewaa  2. 75  pounds  (1.24  kg.).  Its  outward  color  is  dark  brown,  not  rusty,  and  some  little 
of  the  original  crust  yet  adheres  to  it.  Thecrustof  this  meteorite  is  of  unusual  importance  and  quite  unique.  Itaverages 
1  cm.  in  thickness  and  resembles  a  hard,  dark  slate,  shows  a  lamellar  structure,  and  readily  breaks  into  flakes.  Some 
cavities  in  this  crust  are  lined  with  mammillary  forms,  and  it  has  many  seams  with  a  vitreouslike  luster.  Last  month 
I  visited  the  spot  where  the  meteorite  was  found  and  collected  about  6  ounces  of  the  crust.  It  lay  there  exactly  as 
Mr.  Harris  had  broken  it  off.  I  had  no  fears  of  mistake  in  identifying  this  crust,  as  all  the  local  gravel  was  composed 
of  white  quartz  pebbles.  The  iron  has  been  analyzed  by  Dr.  J.  Lawrence  Smith  and  J.  B.  Mackintosh.  I  here  give 
the  average  of  four  closely  agreeing  analyses,  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  S  Cl  Cu  C 

93.00        5.74        0.52        0.36      traces    '     traces       traces       undt.     =99.62 

The  iron  does  not  show  the  customary  Widmannstatten  figures.  I  have  etched  all  the  exposed  surfaces  and 
obtained  no  well-defined  markings  on  a  large  scale,  but  I  have  found  that  the  etched  surfaces  show  crystalline  faces 
that  reflect  the  light  at  certain  angles,  giving  a  sort  of  sheen  much  like  moonstone  or  labradorite.  These  reflecting 
surfaces  are  in  parallel  sets. 

Meunier3  grouped  the  iron  as  braunite  and  noted  well-formed  rhabdites  which  easily  fall 
out  under  the  action  of  acid,  leaving  cavities  of  exactly  their  shape. 

Brezina  2  described  the  mass  as  of  shallow,  pitted  form  on  one  side  and  of  a  flat,  arched 
form  on  the  other.  He  goes  on  to  say: 

The  loose,  porous  character  of  the  iron  in  many  places  is  very  singular,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  individual 
portions  in  close  proximity  to  the  exterior  which  have,  been  altered  to  magnetite.  Manifestly  the  change  to  magne- 
tite would  take  place  most  readily  where  the  structure  of  the  iron  was  spongy.  Such  porous  iron  particles  rust  very 
rapidly,  becoming  lusterless  a  few  minutes  after  polishing. 

In  common  with  Coahuila,  Lick  Creek  shows  daubr^elite-bearing  inclusions  of  troilite;  and  as  there  the  daubr^e- 
lite  cuts  the  troilite  in  straight  lines,  so  that  here  also  it  must  be  supposed  that  it  is  arranged  in  plates  parallel  to 
(001).  Rhabdite  is  prominently  developed,  having  a  length  of  as  much  as  4  mm.  and  a  breadth  of  0.5  to  0.7  mm. 

In  1895,4  Brezina  noted  that  the  coating  of  rust  lying  parallel  to  the  exterior  surface  appar- 
ently originated  from  the  veinless  underside  and  that  the  much  veined  upper  side  strongly  resem- 
bled that  of  Canyon  Diablo.  According  to  Hidden's  picture  of  the  meteorite,  Cohen 8  thought 
this  comparison  unwarranted. 

Cohen  6  further  described  the  structure  of  the  iron  as  follows : 

Lick  Creek  etches  readily;  the  Neumann  lines  are  numerous,  fine,  and  uniformly  distributed,  as  is  usually  the 
case.  One  system  comes  out  more  prominently  here  than  the  rest  because  of  the  length  and  sharpness  of  the  lines, 
but  in  general  the  etching  lines  are  of  unusual  length  and  generally  attain  to  the  full  diameter,  so  that  they  cover  the 
etched  surface  like  a  tolerably  regular  network.  The  large  rhabdites  have  a  tendency  to  cluster  together  and  are 
regularly  arranged,  the  fine  needles  (0.25  mm.  long  by  0.015  to  0.025  mm.  thick)  being  present  in  considerable  num- 
bers quite  uniformly  distributed  and  parallel  to  one  another.  The  oriented  luster  is  weak.  The  characteristically 
porous,  easily  rusted  portions  occur  only  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  natural  surface,  and  here  the  etching  lines  and  the 
luster  are  wanting. 

Leick  5  determined  the  specific  gravity  at  7.5869.  The  low  figures  are  certainly  due  to  the  porous  character  of 
some  portions  and  accordingly  pieces  of  this  meteorite,  when  placed  under  the  air  pump,  develop  air  bubbles  much 
longer  than  do  other  irons.  Lick  Creek  takes  on  permanent  magnetism  distinctly  and  yields  a  specific  magnetism  of 
0.27  absolute  units  per  gram. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  (950  grams)  in  the  Vienna  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1880:  HIDDEN.    A  new  meteoric  iron  from  North  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  20,  pp.  324-326. 

(Illustrations  of  mass  and  crust.    Analysis  by  Mackintosh  and  Smith.) 

2.  1881:  BKEZINA.    Bericht  III.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  84  I,  pp.  280-281. 

3.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  15  and  17. 

4.  1895:  BEEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  291. 

5.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Natiirhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  83,  85,  88,  and  89. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  220-222. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  269 

Lime  Creek,  1832.    See  Walker  County. 
Lime  Creek.  1834.    See  Limestone  Creek. 


LIMESTONE  CREEK. 

Near  Claiborne,  Monroe  County,  Alabama. 

Here  also  Claiborne  (in  part),  Lime  Creek,  Morgan  County,  and  Walker  County  (in  part). 
Latitude  31°  32^  N.,  longitude  87°  307  W. 
Iron.    Ataxite,  Cristobal  group  (DC)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1834;  described  1S38. 

Weight  uncertain.    Original  mass  described  as  "of  irregular  triangular  shape  10  inches  long  by 
5  or  6  inches  in  thickness." 

This  meteorite  has  been  much  confused  with  that  of  Walker  County  and  with  a  pseudo- 
meteorite.  Without  doubt,  however,  it  is  a  distinct  meteorite  with  well-defined  characters, 
the  most  remarkable  of  which  is  its  high  content  of  nickel.  The  first  description  of  the  meteor- 
ite was  by  Jackson1  who  stated  that  it  came  from  Lime  Creek,  near  Claiborne,  Alabama.  The 
creek  in  the  vicinity  of  Claiborne  is,  however,  given  in  all  atlases  as  Limestone  Creek,  not  Lime 
Creek.  Shortly  after,  the  meteorite  of  Walker  County,  Alabama,  was  discovered  and  dis- 
tributed, and  as  neither  the  Lime  Creek  nor  Walker  County  meteorites  gave  etching  figures  of 
the  usual  octahedral  type,  one,  as  now  appears,  being  an  ataxite  and  the  other  a  hexahedrite, 
the  two  became  much  interchanged.  With  the  true  Walker  County  and  Lime  Creek  became 
also  mixed  a  pseudo-meteorite,  distributed,  as  Cohen 7  concludes,  by  Shepard.  While,  accord- 
ing to  present  usage,  the  name  Claiborne  would  be  the  appropriate  one  for  the  meteorite,  it 
seems  best,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  name  Claiborne  has  also  been  used  for  the  Tazewell 
meteorite  to  give  it  the  true  name  of  the  creek,  Limestone  Creek. 

The  description  given  by  Jackson  *  states  that  the  mass  was  found  on  the  surface  of  the 
earth  and  that  it  was  of  an  irregular  triangular  shape,  rounded  at  the  corners.  Its  dimensions 
are  given  as  10  inches  long  by  5  or  6  inches  in  thickness.  No  weight  is  given,  but  it  is  stated 
that  the  mass  was  too  heavy  for  one  man  to  carry  conveniently.  A  piece  weighing  28  ounces 
was  broken  off  with  a  sledge  hammer,  and  it  was  this  piece  which  was  sent  to  Jackson1  and  from 
which  his  description  was  made.  He  states : 

This  specimen  was  rounded  on  all  sides  excepting  on  that  where  it  was  fractured,  which  presents  a  rough,  hackly 
surface  with  projecting  bright  silvery  streaks  and  deep  greenish  and  brown  eroded  surfaces  from  which  an  exudation 
of  green  liquid  takes  place  on  exposing  the  specimen  to  moist  air.  The  rounded  surface  is  coated  with  a  thin  layer  of 
the  subchloride  of  iron  which  being  removed  the  mass  is  found  to  consist  of  metallic  matter  resembling  wrought  iron 
when  the  specimen  is  filed  bright.  On  attempting  to  break  off  a  fragment  the  mass  was  found  to  be  extremely  tough 
and  malleable,  so  as  to  require  the  aid  of  a  file  and  cutting  chisel. 

The  specific  gravities  obtained  on  these  separate  fragments  from  different  parts  of  the 
mass  were  5.750,  6.400,  and  6.500.  Two  analyses  were  made  by  Jackson  as  follows: 

1  2 

Specific  gravity 5.  75  6.  50 

Fe G5. 184  66.  560 

Ni 27.  708  24.  708 

Cr  and  Mn  (estimated) 3.240 

S 4.000 

Cl..  1.480 


92. 892        99. 988 

The  high  content  of  nickel  of  the  meteorite  was  thus  shown  by  Jackson  hi  his  first  analyses. 
In  1845  the  composition  of  the  iron  was  studied  by  Hayes,3  and  his  report  was  as  follows: 

An  oval  mass  weighing  about  8  ounces  completely  covered  by  a  thick  brown  coating  of  oxide  of  iron  from  atmos- 
pheric exposure  had  a  portion  of  its  surface  filed  bright.  This  was  then  etched  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  After 
washing  the  mass  in  pure,  warm  water  it  exhibited  the  appearance  of  inlaid  work  produced  by  the  arrangement  of 
delicate,  brilliant  folia,  or  was  dotted  by  minute  crystalline  portions  of  pyrites.  The  color  of  the  general  surface  was 
light  gray.  Under  a  lens  the  texture  resembled  that  of  ductile  iron  containing  innumerable  glittering  points,  of  unequal 
size.  It  could  be  polished,  but  under  the  file  or  with  cutting  instruments.  It  had  the  characters  of  cast  iron  and  would 


270  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

not  afford  shaving.  There  were  a  few  dots  of  an  earthy  mineral  or  rock,  having  a  magneaian  base,  closely  adhering 
to  fragments  of  pyrites. 

A  fragment  was  analyzed  by  Hayes  with  the  following  result: 

Fe  Ni          FeS2  Cl          Loss 

83.572        12.665        2.395        0.907        .461     =100 

It  is  thus  seen  that  Hayes'  analysis,  while  showing  a  high  content  of  nickel,  does  not  exhibit  the 
percentages  obtained  by  Jackson.  Hayes'  account  indicates  that  his  specimen  was  a  com- 
plete individual  and  not  a  fragment  from  the  original  specimen.  One  must  conclude,  there- 
fore, that  either  his  or  Jackson's  analysis  was  faulty  or  that  they  worked  on  different  meteorites. 

Partsch 2  examined  a  small  piece  of  the  meteorite  sent  him  by  Jackson  and  found  it  not 
attacked  by  dilute  nitric  acid.  After  strong  etching  with  concentrated  nitric  acid,  the  iron 
showed  neither  Widmanstatten  figures,  lines,  streaks,  or  bands.  A  polished  surface  showed 
but  little  luster,  was  grayish  black  in  color  and  exhibited  grains,  lines,  and  points  of  iron  sul- 
phide in  so  large  quantity  and  uniform  distribution  as  to  differ  from  any  iron  that  he  had  pre- 
viously examined. 

Meunier,4  in  1884,  united  the  iron  with  that  of  Tucson,  the  characters  of  the  group  being 
"compact,  taking  a  good  polish,  and  inclosing  very  small  stony  grains."  In  1893,5  he  changed 
the  classification  of  Lime  Creek  to  the  braunite  group  and  described  the  specimen  as  follows: 

In  the  Paris  Museum  there  is  a  specimen  of  this  iron  with  the  following  label,  in  Jackson's  own  handwriting: 
"Meteoric  iron  in  which  I  originally  discovered  chlorine  combined  with  nickel  and  iron,  in  1834."  The  metal  is  not 
very  compact,  filled  with  small  cavities  which  contain  a  black  substance.  A  few  bright  grains  resembling  schrei- 
bersite  may  be  seen  with  the  glass. 

Cohen 6  described  the  structure  of  the  iron  as  follows: 

The  iron  acquires,  upon  etching,  a  glossy  luster  such  as  is  characteristic  of  nickel-rich  ataxites  and  especially 
resembles  Morradal.  To  the  naked  eye  the  surface  appears  somewhat  speckled,  but  under  the  microscope  these  bound- 
aries disappear  entirely  and  the  appearance  is  that  of  a  homogeneous  compact  iron.  When  very  highly  magnified, 
dark  rods  and  points  about  0.001  mm.  in  cross  section  appear  in  great  numbers,  giving  the  appearance  of  a  netted  struc- 
ture of  extraordinary  fineness.  These  are,  however,  not  uniformly  distributed  and  disappear  on  some  regularly 
arranged  elongated  areas  0.01  mm.  in  breadth.  The  latter  appear  clear,  lending  a  hackly  appearance  to  the  surface, 
and  may  well  be  the  cause  of  the  previously  mentioned  speckled  appearance.  The  minute  size  of  the  inclusions  makes 
a  study  of  the  structure  and  description  of  it  difficult.  Besides  some  large  schreibersites  there  are  pretty  uniformly 
distributed  a  considerable  number  of  little  rods,  grains,  and  spindles,  all  surrounded  by  a  small,  dull  zone  face  of  dark 
grains.  These  would  seem  to  be  iron-nickel  phosphide  also.  They  sink  on  the  one  hand  to  microscopic  dimensions 
and  on  the  other  reach  at  times  a  length  of  0.75  mm.  To  their  falling  out  may  perhaps  be  ascribed  the  depressions 
seen  on  an  etched  surface. 

A  fragment  of  the  iron  weighing  0.3  gr.  was  analyzed  by  Dr.  Knauer,  with  the  following 
result:  I,  analysis;  la,  the  analysis  calculated  to  100  after  discarding  residue  and  iron-nickel 

phosphide: 

Fe             Ni  Co  P          Residue 

1 65.03  29.99  1.48  0.19            0.20     =96.89 

la 67.41  31.06  1.53         =100.00 

Tests  for  metals  of  the  hydrogen  sulphide  gave  no  result,  and  the  residue  gave  no  reaction 
for  chromium.  The  above  analysis  supports  Jackson's  results. 

As  Cohen  remarks,  most  of  the  specimens  labeled  "Lime  Creek"  in  collections  will  be 
found  to  be  Walker  County.  Such  as  are  truly  from  the  iron  described  by  Jackson  can  be 
known  by  their  lack  of  hexahedral  characters  and  by  their  high  content  of  nickel. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1S38:  JACKSON.    Chemical  analysis  of  meteoric  iron  from  Claiborne,  Clarke  County,  Alabama.    Amer.  Journ.Sci., 

1st  ser.,  vol.  34,  pp.  332-337. 

2.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Mete'oriten,  pp.  133-134. 

3.  1845:  JACKSON.    1.  Remarks  on  the  Alabama  meteoric  iron,  with  a  chemical  analysis  of  the  drops  of  green  liquid 

which  exude  from  it.  2.  Letter  from  Mr.  A.  A.  Hayes  on  the  same  subject,  with  remarks  on  the  origin  of  the 
chlorine  found  in  the  Alabama  iron,  and  a  description  of  new  methods  employed  in  the  analysis  of  meteoric  irons. 
Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  48,  pp.  145-156.  (Analysis  by  Hayes.) 

4.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Me'te'orites,  pp.  35,  94,  and  134. 

5.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  15  and  19. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  128-132. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  271 

Lincoln  County.    See  Petersburg. 
Linn  County.    See  Marion. 


LINVILLE.o 

Linville  Mountain,  Burke  County,  North  Carolina. 

Latitude  35°  48'  N.,  longitude  81°  55'  W. 

Iron.    Nickel-rich  ataxite,  Morradal  group  of  Cohen. 

Found  about  1882;  described  1888. 

Weight,  442  grama  (15.5  ounces). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Kunz,1  as  follows : 

A  mass  of  meteoric  iron  was  found  on  Linville  Mountain,  Burke  County,  North  Carolina,  about  the  year  1882.  It 
was  handed  to  a  country  blacksmith  in  the  vicinity,  who  sold  it  to  a  tourist  miner,  and  finally  it  came  into  my 
possession. 

The  meteorite  weighed  428  grams;  the  original  weight  being  442  grams  (15.5  ounces),  the  balance  having  been 
used  for  analysis  and  for  etching,  and  measured  65  by  35  by  38  mm.  One  side  is  rather  rough  and  the  other  is  pitted 
with  very  shallow  pittings.  Traces  of  a  black  crust  of  magnetic  oxide  of  iron  are  still  visible,  and  although  the  mass 
is  not  rusted,  yet  small  drops  of  chloride  of  iron  have  collected  in  the  deep  clefts,  and  in  one  of  them  was  found  a 
spider's  egg  case,  suggesting  either  that  the  iron  is  a  recent  fall  or  had  been  found  on  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

In  cutting  a  piece  from  the  lower  side,  the  blacksmith  destroyed  considerable  of  the  surface  as  well  as  the  crust, 
on  account  of  the  toughness  of  the  iron.  The  iron  admits  of  a  high  polish,  yielding  a  rich  nickel  color,  which,  under 
the  glass  and  by  reflected  light,  shows  an  apparent  network  of  two  distinct  bodies.  On  etching,  the  surface  of  the  iron  • 
merely  blackens  and  does  not  show  the  Widmannstatten  figures.  If  this  black  deposit  is  washed  off,  an  orientated 
sheen  appears.  Almost  the  entire  surface  has,  under  the  glass,  the  appearance  of  a  meshwork  of  which  the  irregularly 
rounded  centers  have  been  eaten  out.  At  a  few  places  on  both  sides  of  a  crack  is  a  small  piece  of  troilite  3  by  1.5  mm., 
through  which  are  scattered  small  patches  of  meteoric  iron  that  after  etching  exhibit  beautiful  octahedral  markings  so 
delicate  as  to  be  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  and  somewhat  like  those  of  the  Tazewell  meteorite,  though  not  more  than 
one-tenth  the  thickness. 

Analysis  by  J.  E.  Whitfield: 

Fe  Ni  Co  S  C  P 

84.56        14.95        0.33        0.12        trace        trace    =99.96 

Brezina,  in  1895,2  placed  the  meteorite  in  the  Chesterville  group  ajad  described  it  as  follows: 

The  etched  section  surface  shows  a  peculiar  constitution,  which  on  the  one  hand  resembles  the  iron  of  Victoria 
West,  by  reason  of  its  extraordinary  richness  in  schreibersite  granules,  flakes,  and  lumps;  and  on  the  other  hand, 
resembles  that  of  Shingle  Springs,  on  account  of  the  irregular  stratification.  While  the  principal  part  consists  of  a 
very  intimate  and  uniform  mingling  of  schreibersite  granules  with  a  darker,  structureless  groundmass,  larger  schrei- 
bersite individuals  are  found  in  connection  with  hollow  places,  which  consist  of  dark  iron  with  a  thin  coating  of 
schreibersite  and  are  broken  by  small  laminae  which  likewise  are  made  of  dark  iron  with  a  coating  of  schreibersite. 
The  placing  of  this  iron  in  the  Chesterville  group  is  by  no  means  perfectly  certain,  although  most  of  the  analogies  speak 
for  this  assumption. 

Cohen  3  described  the  iron  as  follows: 

A  piece  of  the  Linville  meteorite  weighing  about  200  grams,  with  a  section  surface  of  18.5  sq.  cm.,  representing 
nearly  one-half  of  the  entire  fall,  was  at  hand  for  examination.  The  outer  surface  consists  of  a  fusion  crust  of  varying 
thickness,  which  is  worn  off  where  it  is  particularly  thin.  In  one  place  a  cleftlike  depression  extends  from  the  sur- 
face toward  the  interior  to  a  depth  of  2J  cm.  On  other  portions  of  the  surface  there  are  deep,  very  irregularly  formed 
cavities  which  show  no  similarity  whatever  to  the  usual  saucerlike  depressions  or  finger  marks;  the  one  cavity  ends 
with  a  canal  1  cm.  long  and  1  mm.  wide,  in  the  interior  of  the  piece.  The  formation  of  these  hollows  may  be  occa- 
sioned by  the  melting  out  of  schreibersite;  since  isolated  holes  occur  upon  the  section  surface  which  show,  by  their 
form  or  the  remaining  of  the  material,  that  they  were  originally  filled  with  schreibersite.  The  larger  individuals 
remaining  of  the  latter  attain  a  length  of  10  and  a  width  of  1.5  mm.;  it  occurs  also  in  tiny  spangles  and  rhabditelike 
needles.  Iron  sulphide  is  not  noticeable;  what  Kunz  described  as  troilite  may  be  yellowish,  tarnished  schreibersite. 

The  principal  part  of  the  nickel-iron  takes  on  by  etching  a  similar,  although  weaker,  vamishlike  gloss,  like  that 
so  characteristic  of  Morradal  and  Smithville.  The  structure  appears  to  the  unaided  eye  exceptionally  uniform  and 
fine  grained.  Nevertheless,  even  under  a  strong  glass  one  can  distinguish  distinctly  raised,  strongly  reflecting  por- 
tions and  dark  dull  depressions;  the  etched  surface  appears  as  if  covered  with  tiny,  densely  packed,  uniformly  dis- 
tributed pinholes.  With  a  higher  power  of  the  microscope,  it  appears  that  the  glossy  particles  form  a  meandering 
vein  structure  of  the  finest  possible  texture,  the  threads  of  which  have  a  width  of  0.02  to  0.04  mm.,  and  that  the  sunken 
portions  sometimes  possess  a  roundish  to  cylindrical  form,  sometimes  an  elongated  vermiform  character,  both  having 

«  The  spelling  LinnvOle  was  given  by  Kunz  and  has  been  followed  by  other  authors,  bat  charts  of  the  region  give  Linvflle. 


272  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

about  the  same  dimensions  as  the  raised  portions.  If  one  considers  the  larger  schreibersites,  or  rather  the  hollows 
formerly  filled  by  them,  the  number  of  the  hollow  places  decreases,  the  form  of  the  latter  becomes  distinctly  fusiform, 
and  finally  there  prevails  around  the  schreibersite  a  nickel-iron  with  usually  a  smoother  etching  surface  and  of  mostly 
darker  color.  Only  isolated,  groovelike  depressions  occur  on  this  nickel-iron,  always  surrounded  with  an  exceedingly 
fine,  bright  band.  Where  it  is  somewhat  thicker  it  gives  rise  to  portions  with  a  prettily  netted  appearance.  These 
peculiarly  constructed  etching  bands  surrounding  the  schreibersite  give  the  etched  section  of  the  Linville  meteorite 
a  very  characteristic  appearance,  different  from  that  exhibited  by  any  other  meteoric  iron. 
Analysis  by  Sjb'strom: 

Fe          Ni        Co       Cu        C         P         S 

Total  composition 83.13     16.32    0.76    0.02    0.11    0.23    0.02     =100.59 

Nickel-iron 83.07     16.05    0.75    0.02    0.11     =100.00 

The  comparatively  high  content  of  carbon  accounts  for  the  fact  that,  by  etching,  the  iron  becomes  coated  with  a 
black,  easily  removable  substance. 

Mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel-iron 98. 46 

Schreibersite 1. 49 

Iron  sulphide .». 0. 05 

100.00 

Specific  gravity  (Leick),  7.4727,  of  202.5  grams  at  15°  C.  This  low  figure  for  an  iron  so  rich  in  nickel  is  doubtless 
to  be  referred  to  the  occurrence  of  hollows  in  the  inner  part  of  the  tolerably  large  pieces,  and  this  is  the  more  probable 
since  hollows  occur  on  the  surface  and  upon  the  cut  faces  in  large  numbers.  This  meteoric  iron  shows  only  traces  of 
polar  magnetism  and  gives  a  specific  magnetism  of  0.29  absolute  units  per  gram. 

Linville  belongs  to  the  ataxites  rich  in  nickel  without  etching  bands  and  etching  flecks.  It  has  the  varnishlike 
gloss  produced  by  etching,  in  common  with  the  Morradal  and  Smithville  meteorites;  it  is  distinguished  from  the  other 
representatives  by  a  somwehat  finer  grain,  by  the  pin-pricked  etching  surface,  as  well  as  by  the  peculiar  etching  zone 
which  surrounds  the  schreibersite.  If  we  would  make  still  further  subdivisions,  we  may  distinguish,  in  addition  to 
the  Babbs  Mill  group,  a  Linville  group. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed,  Vienna  possessing  the  largest  quantity  (214  grams). 

1.  1888:  KUNZ.    On  two  new  masses  of  meteoric  iron. — 1.  Meteoric  iron  from  Linville  Mountain,  Burke  County, 

North  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  36,  pp.  275-276.    (Illustration  of  mass  and  etched  plate.) 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  295. 

3.  1899:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien  VIII.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  13,  pp.  145-147. 


LITTLE  PINEY. 

Pulaski  County,  Missouri. 

Here  also  Pine  Bluff.o 

Latitude  37°  55'  N.,  longitude  92°  5'  W. 

Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc),  of  Brezina;  Montrejite  (type  38,  subtype  1),  of  Meunier. 

Fell  3.30  p.  m.,  February  13,  1839.  . 

Weight:  Variously  given,  Shepard  says  50  pounds. 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Herrick,1  as  follows: 

On  the  afternoon  of  February  13,  1839,  a  meteor  exploded  near  the  settlement  of  Little  Piney,  Missouri  (latitude 
37°  55'  N.;  longitude  92°  5'  W.)  and  cast  down  to  the  earth  one  stony  mass  or  more  in  that  vicinity.  Mr.  Forrest 
Shepherd,  of  this  city,  who  was  at  the  time  exploring  this  region  in  the  line  of  his  profession,  viz,  thatof  a  mineralogical 
.  and  geological  surveyor,  hearing  of  the  explosion  of  the  meteor,  exerted  himself  to  collect  all  of  the  circumstances  of 
the  occurrence.  He  subsequently  succeeded  in  obtaining  several  fragments  of  one  of  the  stones  thrown  down  by  the 
meteor.  Mr.  Shepherd  has  favored  me  with  an  opportunity  to  examine  these  fragments,  and  has  also  communicated 
to  me  the  details  below  related. 

The  meteor  exploded  between  3  and  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  of  the  13th  of  February,  1839,  and  although  the  sky  was  clear, 
and  the  sun  of  course  shining  at  the  time,  the  meteor  was  plainly  seen  by  persons  in  Potosi,  Caledonia,  and  other 
towns  near  which  it  passed.  At  Caledonia,  which  ia  about  9  miles  southwesterly  from  Potosi,  the  meteor  passed  a 
little  north,  and  at  the  latter  place,  a  little  to  the  south  of  the  zenith.  Its  course  was  almost  precisely  to  the  west. 
The  most  eastern  spot  at  which  it  was  seen  is  about  15  miles  west  of  St.  Genevieve,  or  about  latitude  37°  50/  N.,  longi- 
tude 90°  W. ;  the  most  western  is  Little  Piney,  near  which  it  exploded.  To  the  observers  at  the  latter  place,  the  meteor 
appeared  of  the  size  of  a  large  star.  They  represent  its  motion  as  very  slow;  but  do  not  state  how  many  seconds  it 
was  in  sight.  We  have  no  data  for  determining  the  meteor's  size  or  velocity,  or  the  inclination  of  its  path  to  the  hori- 
zon. The  direction  of  the  meteor's  motion  with  regard  to  that  of  the  earth  was  probably  such  that  the  velocity  of  the 

«  The  name  Pine  Bluff  would  be  more  appropriate  for  this  meteorite  than  that  of  Little  Piney,  sinco  tho  fall  occurred,  according  to  Shepard, 
only  2  miles  from  Pine  Bluff  but  10  miles  from  Little  Piney.  Although  both  of  these  places  seem  to  have  been  post  offices  at  the  time  of  the  fall, 
neither  exists  at  present.  As  the  name  Little  Piney  has  become  better  known  by  usage  it  may  as  well  be  retained. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  273 

former  would  be  apparently  diminished;  and  as  at  Little  Piney  the  meteor  must  traverse  only  a  small  arc,  its  motion, 
to  an  observer  there,  would  appear  quite  slow.  At  the  time  of  the  occurrence  Mr.  Shepherd  was  on  the  western  bank 
of  the  Mississippi,  near  St.  Marys  Landing,  and  heard  a  distinct  report,  which  he  was  afterwards  inclined  to  refer  to 
the  explosion  of  this  meteor.  At  Little  Piney,  Mr.  Harrison  and  others  saw  the  meteor  burst  in  pieces,  and  in  a  minute 
or  a  minute  and  a  half  afterwards  they  heard  three  explosions  in  quick  succession.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  went  in 
quest  of  the  stones  which  they  supposed  had  fallen,  and  finally  found  a  tree  which  appeared  to  have  been  recently 
injured  by  the  collision  with  some  solid  body.  Near  this  tree  they  discovered  (although  the  ground  was  covered  with 
3  or  4  inches  of  snow)  one  of  the  meteoric  stones,  about  as  large  as  a  man's  head,  partly  imbedded  in  the  earth, 
and  from  the  circumstances  of  its  position  and  appearance  there  could  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  this  was  the  body 
which  had  struck  the  tree.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  further  search  will  be  made  for  other  portions  of  this  meteorite. 

The  total  weight  of  all  the  fragments  which  Mr.  Shepherd  has  brought  home  is  973  grains.  The  specific  gravity 
of  one  of  the  small  fragments  is  3.5;  but  different  portions  of  the  stone  may  vary  slightly  in  this  respect,  as  they  may 
contain  more  or  less  of  the  metallic  matter.  The  resemblance  between  this  meteorite  and  those  of  Tennessee,  of 
Georgia,  and  of  Weston,  Connecticut,  is  very  close,  and  one  might  almost  imagine  that  they  were  all  parts  of  the  same 
original  mass.  The  cohesion  of  the  stone  is  not  great,  as  it  crumbles  under  a  moderate  blow.  Two  of  the  fragments 
retain  portions  of  the  crust  or  exterior  coating.  This  is  a  fifteenth  of  an  inch  thick,  and  bears  evidence  of  intense  igni- 
tion and  partial  fusion.  It  is  black,  with  a  wrinkled  or  cellular  surface,  and  is  traversed  with  seams.  The  general 
color  of  the  interior  is  an  ash-gray.  The  whole  mass  is  studded  with  metallic  particles,  varying  from  the  size  of  a  small 
shot  down  to  mere  points,  and  presents  numerous  rusty  spots,  and  occasionally  small  spheroidal  concretions  which 
do  not  appear  to  differ  in  material  from  other  parts  of  the  stone.  The  little  metallic  masses,  doubtless  of  nickeliferoua 
iron,  are  attracted  by  the  magnet,  and  are  generally  permeated  by  the  earthy  matter.  They  are  mostly  of  an  iron- 
white  color,  but  several  are  yellow  and  slightly  iridescent.  One  of  these  minute  masses  being  removed  from  the  stone, 
it  was  by  the  hammer  at  once  extended  into  a  thin  lamina  and  was  evidently  malleable.  An  analysis  may  be 
expected  hereafter. 

A  study  and  analysis  of  the  stone  were  shortly  after  published  by  Shepard,2  as  follows: 

This  specimen  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Forrest  Shepherd,  and  described  by  Mr.  E.  C.  Herrick.  Mr.  Shepherd  kindly 
placed  the  mass  at  my  disposal,  which  enables  me  to  extend  the  account  already  published  by  the  following  notice: 

On  first  inspection  the  stone  appears  rather  compact  and  close  grained;  it  is  nevertheless  composed  for  about  one- 
half  of  small  imperfectly  defined  globules  of  the  mineral  which  has  been  called  meteoric  olivine.  In  color  they  are 
light  gray,  inclining  to  pearl-gray,  and  when  freshly  broken  across,  show  tints  of  yellow  and  green.  The  remaining 
stony  ingredient  is  white  and  semidecomposed,  resembling  the  feldspathic  mineral  in  certain  trachytic  lavas. 

Through  the  whole  is  sprinkled  meteoric  iron  in  shining  points,  which  are  often  invested  with  a  coating  of  mag- 
netic iron  pyrites.  By  the  aid  of  a  glass  a  few  little  black  points  were  discovered  of  a  mineral  which  appeared  to  be 
chrome-iron  ore. 

Notwithstanding  the  apparent  firmness  of  the  mass,  arising  out  of  its  close-grained  structure,  it  is  still  possessed  of 
but  little  cohesion,  since  a  slight  strain  of  the  fingers  is  sufficient  to  produce  a  fracture,  even  in  a  rounded-shaped  frag- 
ment of  the  stone.  \Vhen  broken  in  this  manner,  however,  the  pieces  are  not  prone  to  separate  still  farther,  so  as  to 
easily  give  rise  to  a  powder. 

The  meteoric  iron  is  not  tarnished  by  exposure  to  the  air.  It  was  examined  for  chlorine,  without  affording  any 
traces  of  this  element.  The  most  striking  peculiarity  found  in  this  stone  was  the  small  proportion  of  nickel.  At  first 
I  failed  to  detect  it  altogether,  but  on  a  repetition  of  the  search  with  8  grains  of  the  alloy,  whose  nitrohydrochloric 
solution  in  a  concentrated  form  was  decomposed  by  ammonia  in  excess,  I  noticed  an  exceedingly  faint  blue  tinge  in 
the  fluid.  The  chromium,  however,  is  more  abundant  than  usual,  amounting  to  above  3  per  cent.  I  did  not  search 
for  tin  or  manganese. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  results  obtained : 

Silicic  acid 31. 37 

Magnesia 25.  88 

Protoxide  of  iron 17.  25  Earthy  portion. 

Alumina- 49 

Soda traces 

Iron 16.  00 

Cobalt...  o 


Chromium/"" 

Nickel traces 

Sulphur  (phosphorus?)  and  loss 4.  73 


Meteoric  iron. 


100.00 

A  further  account  was  given  by  Shepard,8  as  follow? : 

I  have  been  favored  with  several  additional  particulars  respecting  this  fall  from  persons  who  reside  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  locality. 

It  fell  near  a  place  known  as  Pine  Bluff,  on  Gasconade  River,  in  township  37,  range  11,  west  of  the  principal 
meridian,  in  Pulaski  County.    Some  persons  were  abroad  in  the  woods  at  a  sugar  camp  (a  place  for  making  maple  sugar), 
716°— 15 18 


274  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

when  their  attention  was  suddenly  arrested  by  a  rushing  sound,  proceeding  from  a  dark-colored  body,  partially  envel- 
oped in  smoke,  which  was  moving  horizontally  through  the  air,  at  a  distance  apparently  of  only  400  feet  above  the 
tops  of  the  trees.  They  compared  its  size  and  shape  to  those  of  a  blacksmith's  bellows,  moving  with  the  large  end 
foremost.  A  bright  light  or  blaze  was  noticed  to  hover  around  the  blowpipe  extremity  of  the  mass,  which  vibrated 
up  and  down  through  the  space  of  a  few  inches.  A  streak  of  bright  light  100  yards  in  length  followed  the  blaze. 
Before  there  was  time  to  utter  a  word,  the  meteor  had  passed  behind  a  neighboring  hill,  when  a  loud  explosion  ensued. 
At  a  place  about  one  mile  distant,  in  the  direction  of  the  meteor's  passage,  two  men  were  at  work  in  a  field.  They 
heard  the  explosion,  and  saw  the  stone  strike  the  earth  at  a  distance  of  200  yards  from  where  they  were  standing.  It 
hit  the  trunk  of  a  tree  18  inches  above  the  ground;  and  when  first  discovered  seemed  enveloped  in  smoke.  (The 
foregoing  statement  was  supplied  by  Mr.  T.  MacDonald.) 

The  following  letter,  dated  September  12,  1846,  describing  the  phenomenon,  is  from  Mr.  B.  B.  Harrison,  a  mer- 
chant residing  in  Little  Piney,  distant  about  10  miles  from  Pine  Bluff,  where  the  stone  fell.  "I  recollect  the  state  of 
the  weather  on  the  afternoon  of  the  occurrence.  It  was  perfectly  clear  and  calm.  On  going  out  from  dinner,  I  met  a 
man  in  my  door  yard  who  was  much  alarmed  at  the  sound  of  a  distant  cannon,  as  he  supposed,  proceeding  from  a  north- 
westerly direction.  On  the  following  day  I  visited  a  place  20  miles  to  the  east  of  this,  where  the  people  spoke  not 
only  of  hearing  the  same  noise,  but  of  seeing  a  body  like  a  blazing  churn  pass  through  the  heavens,  in  a  southwesterly 
direction,  the  noise,  however,  proceeding  from  the  northwest.  They  supposed  that  something  must  have  fallen  from 
the  body  within  a  mile  or  two  of  their  place.  At  a  place  30  miles  farther  to  the  north,  the  people  described  the  motion 
of  the  body  as  being  from  the  south  to  the  north.  I  continued  traveling  about  from  place  to  place  for  several  weeks, 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  Missouri,  and  almost  every  day  heard  the  same  object  spoken  of,  although  the  statements 
were  very  discordant  in  respect  to  the  direction  of  the  meteor.  They  generally  agreed  as  to  the  hour  of  the  day.  To 
the  citizens  of  Potosi,  which  is  80  miles  east  of  this  place,  the  report  appeared  to  proceed  from  the  south. 

"After  a  lapse  of  some  weeks  I  was  presented  with  a  fragment  of  the  stone,  which  led  me  to  visit  the  place  of  its 
fall.  It  was  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  of  very  gradual  slope,  about  0.5  mile  from  the  Gasconade  River,  2  miles  from  the  Pine 
Bluff  post  office,  10  miles  from  Little  Piney  post  office,  and  the  same  distance  from  Waynesville.  I  saw  where  the  stone 
had  struck  an  oak  tree,  18  inches  in  diameter.  The  tree  was  much  mangled,  though  not  broken.  I  saw  small  parti- 
cles of  the  stone  still  adhering  to  the  tree,  and  the  wood  of  the  tree  in  the  vicinity  of  the  spot  where  struck,  had  the 
appearance  of  having  been  burned  by  gunpowder.  The  stone  was  principally  carried  away,  though  I  was  able  to 
procure  many  pieces,  scattered  at  a  distance  from  the  tree.  That  which  I  supposed  to  have  been  the  outside  of  the 
stone  had  a  dark  brown  color,  and  formed  a  crust  of  the  thickness  of  coarse  wrapping  paper.  It  had  evidently  been 
exposed  to  intense  heat.  The  injured  side  of  the  tree  was  to  the  southwest,  from  which  side  I  was  informed  that  frag- 
ments of  the  stone  were  projected  to  a  very  great  distance  (three-fourths  of  a  mile). 

"Those  who  first  visited  the  place  differ  greatly  as  to  the  weight  of  the  stone,  the  estimates  varying  from  50  to  150 
pounds;  my  own  opinion  is  that  it  must  have  weighed  at  least  50  pounds.  The  place  not  being  far  from  the  public 
road,  the  fragments  were  soon  gathered  up  by  travelers,  and  have  been  dispersed  very  widely  through  the  country. 
It  may  be  proper  to  add  that  I  am  a  native  of  this  place,  and  that  I  never  saw  any  other  stone  resembling  the  one  I 
send  you,  here  or  elsewhere;  and  that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  account  for  the  injury  to  the  tree,  except  on  the  suppo- 
sition of  its  being  produced  by  a  stone  falling  from  the  atmosphere." 

The  following  communication  is  from  M.  Frissell,  Esq.,  of  Potosi,  Missouri,  dated  March  12, 1842:  "The  meteor,  of 
which  the  stone  in  my  possession  formed  a  part,  passed  in  a  westerly  direction.  It  must  have  been  large,  and  I  presume 
that  the  main  body  passed  on,  the  piece  that  fell  having  formed  but  a  small  part  of  the  whole.  I  did  not  witness  the 
meteor.  Some  persons  who  did  compared  it  to  a  trumpet  in  shape,  moving  with  the  expanded  end  foremost.  The 
time  of  its  passage  was  between  2  and  3  o'clock  p.  m.  Shortly  after  it  had  passed  the  meridian  of  this  place,  it 
exploded  with  the  noise  of  a  heavy  piece  of  ordnance  at  2  or  3  miles  distant.  I  was  in  my  office  at  the  time.  My 
first  impression  was  that  it  was  an  earthquake.  I  was  soon  apprised,  however,  of  what  had  passed  through  the  air, 
when  I  became  convinced  that  the  report  had  proceeded  from  a  meteor.  The  report  was  double;  like  two  cannons 
fired  at  nearly  the  same  instant,  the  second  being  louder  than  the  first.  The  meteor  must  have  been  20  miles  from  this 
place  when  the  explosion  took  place.  I  expected  that  fragments  would  have  been  found  in  this  immediate  vicinity, 
but  the  only  one  discovered  was  at  Pine  Bluff,  about  8  miles  distant." 

The  crust  of  this  stone  has  about  the  same  thickness  as  that  of  the  Iowa  meteorite,  though  its  line  of  junction  with 
the  mass  beneath  is  less  perfectly  defined.  Its  color  is  rather  less  black,  and  its  surface  less  smooth  and  duHer.  Judg- 
ing from  one  specimen  in  my  possession,  which  exhibits  nearly  2  square  inches  of  natural  outside,  it  would  appear 
that  its  surface  must  have  been  marked  by  very  distinct  depressions.  The  color  within  also  resembles  that  of  the 
Iowa  stone.  The  stone  consists  of: 

Olivinoid 40 

Howardite 40 

Meteoric  iron. . . \ 
Magnetic  pyrites/" " 

Anorthite 5 

Apatite traces 

100 

Only  about  400  grams  of  the  meteorite  are  known  to  be  preserved  in  collections,  the 
British  Museum  possessing  104  grams. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  275 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1839:  HERRICK.    Fall  of  meteorite  in  Missouri,  February  13,  1839.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  let  ser.,  vol.  37,  pp.  385- 

386. 

2.  1840:  SHEPABD.    Analysis  of  meteoric  stone  which  fell  near  Little  Piney,  Missouri,  February  13,  1839.    Idem,  vol. 

39,  pp.  254-255.     (Analysis.) 

3.  1848:  SHEPARD.    Report  on  meteorites.    Idem,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  p.  403. — 7.  Little  Piney,  Missouri;  Idem,  pp.  407- 

410. 

4.  1859-1864:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  9,  pp.  161, 164,  169,  179;  No.  11,  p.  295;  No.  13,  p.  361;  No.  15,  pp.  101,  121; 

No.  16,  p.  262;  No.  17,  p.  269;  No.  18,  p.  490;  No.  20,  p.  263;  No.  23,  p.  369. 


Livingston  County.    See  Southland. 
Lockport.     See  Cambria. 


LOCUST  GROVE. 

Henry  County,  Georgia. 

Latitude  33°  20'  N.,  longitude  84°  8'  W. 

Iron.    Nickel-poor  ataxite,  Siratik  Group  of  Brezina. 

Found  1857;  mentioned  1895. 

Weight,  10J.  kgs.  (22  Ibs.). 

The  first  published  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  in  Brezina's  *  1895  cata- 
logue. The  locality  is  given  as  Locust  Grove,  Henry  County,  Georgia,  and  inquiry  is  made 
whether  the  meteorite  should  be  united  with  the  formerly  known  Henry  County,  Virginia. 
Wiilfing,2  accordingly,  places  the  iron  in  his  appendix  and  makes  the  same  inquiry. 

The  first  description  of  the  meteorite  was  given  by  Cohen,3  as  follows : 

This  meteorite  -was  found  on  July  29,  1857,  near  Locust  Grove,  Henry  County,  North  Carolina,  and  was  preserved 
until  1895  in  a  house  not  far  from  MacDonough,  in  Georgia  (which  circumstance  explains  Brezina's  statement  that 
Locust  Grove  is  in  Georgia).  The  investigation  undertaken  in  the  latter  year  at  the  instance  of  the  owner  determined 
the  meteoric  nature  of  the  mass;  although  the  results  of  this  assay  seem  not  to  have  been  published.  Since  a  fiery 
meteor  was  observed  in  the  neighborhood  of  Locust  Grove,  it  has  been  supposed  that  this  iron  fell  on  that  day. 

The  meteorite  was  turned  over  by  Mr.  Sturtz,  in  whose  possession  it  had  remained,  together  with  the  above  data, 
to  me  for  examination. 

It  is  an  entire  specimen,  completely  covered  with  crust;  a  small  piece,  estimated  at  100  grams,  has  been  cut  from 
one  end  and  is  now  in  the  United  States  National  Museum,  at  Washington.  Since  the  remainder  weighs  10,226  grams, 
the  original  weight  must  have  been  about  10.33  kg. 

The  mass  has  the  form  of  a  jawbone  or,  if  the  irregularities  be  disregarded,  that  of  a  club  24  cm.  in  length  quite 
evenly  truncated  at  both  ends,  one  of  which  is  10,  the  other  6  cm.,  in  thickness.  The  longitudinal  boundaries  on  three 
sides  consist  of  a  single  elongated  flat  face,  the  fourth  side  consisting  of  two  faces  which  come  together  at  an  obtuse 
angle  and  form  the  bulge  or  projection.  Of  the  three  former  sides  one  is  10  cm.  in  diameter  and  forms  a  sort  of  base 
upon  which  the  block  lies  stable.  About  one-third  of  this  face  is  covered  with  numerous  small  and  flat  pittings;  the 
second  third  forms  a  very  large  saucerlike  depression  (8  cm.  long,  6  cm.  broad,  and  2  cm.  deep);  the  last  third  is  smooth. 
Moreover,  a  few  incisions  are  observable,  which  doubtless  were  produced  by  a  chisel  in  the  effort  to  cut  off  pieces  of 
the  mass;  yet  each  one  may  have  been  caused  by  casting  the  mass  against  sharp  pointed  fragments  of  stone.  The 
other  two  longitudinal  faces  are  4  and  5  cm.  broad;  the  smaller,  which  stands  almost  perpendicular  to  the  larger,  is 
slightly  concave  and  quite  smooth;  the  broader  one,  which  forms  an  obtuse  angle  with  the  former,  is  quite  distinctly 
concave  and  thickly  covered  with  small  flat  pittings.  Of  the  two  faces  which  together  form  the  fourth  side  of  the 
mass,  one  stands  perpendicular  to  the  base,  the  other  highly  concaved  face  forms  with  the  latter  a  tolerably  sharp 
angle.  The  former  is  rich  in  distinct  and  sometimes  tolerably  deep  pittings,  while  the  other  shows  only  indistinct 
shallow,  saucerlike  depressions,  as  if  a  plastic  mass  had  been  lightly  pressed  with  the  fingers.  The  sharp  edge  shows  in 
some  places  slight  bulges  and  hooklike  protrusions,  such  as  appear  on  the  broken  surface  of  malleable  metals.  The 
slightly  arched  thicker  end  is  thickly  covered  with  pittings,  the  thinner  ends  with  the  cut  face  above  mentioned. 

Accordingly,  all  the  faces  with  exception  of  the  one  4  cm.  broad,  longitudinal  face,  and  one-third  of  the  base  are 
covered  with  pittings  of  similar  character;  it  may  be  concluded  that  the  meteorite,  in  its  flight  through  the  atmos- 
phere greatly  altered  its  condition.  That  the  form  presents  scarcely  anything  characteristic  may  be  seen  from  a  model 
or  photograph  of  the  mass. 

The  exterior  surface  shows  for  the  most  part  a  very  thin  coating  of  rust;  occasionally  this  is  absent  and  is  replaced 
by  a  fusion  crust  about  0.5  mm.  in  thickness.  Its  occurrence,  as  well  as  the  distinct  preservation  of  the  finger  marks, 
indicates  that  no  considerable  exfoliation  of  rust  could  have  taken  place  and  that  the  mass,  with  the  possible  excep- 
tion of  the  piece  cut  off,  remains  in  its  original  form  and  size.  In  view  of  the  general  condition  of  preservation  it  cer- 
tainly could  not  have  lain  long  in  the  damp  ground .  Despite  this  fact  it  seems  hazardous  to  refer  the  fall  to  the  meteor 
which  was  observed  a  few  days  before  the  finding  of  the  mass,  since  three  days  is  not  sufficient  for  the  forming  of  a  coat- 
ing of  rust  even  as  this  as  that  on  this  meteorite. 


276  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

If  a  weakly  etched  section  be  observed  with  the  unaided  eye,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  nickel-iron  is  composed  of 
irregular  grains  0.25  to  0.75  mm.  in  size,  of  which  the  larger  number  also  show  a  shimmering  reflection,  as  well  as  thin, 
long  lamellae  and  small,  brightly  glistening  rhabdites.  If  a  stronger  magnifying  power  be  used,  tiny  lumpy  eminences 
appear  in  very  large  numbers,  which  hinders  the  recognition  of  the  finer  structure  of  the  above-mentioned  grains. 

The  little  lumps  are  oval  to  round.  In  the  former  case,  they  have  a  diameter  of  0.01  to  0.02  mm.;  in  the  latter 
case  they  attain  a  similar  thickness  and  a  length  of  0.04  mm.  They  lie  close  together  and  are  quite  evenly  distributed, 
so  that  the  interspaces  as  a  rule  are  only  0.02  to  0.05  mm.  in  size  and  vary  but  slightly  from  these  dimensions;  the 
etched  section  is  therefore  regualrly  compacted  and  fine  grained.  Only  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  lamellae  and  the 
rhabdite  do  the  lumps  diminish  in  number,  and  when  the  former  cluster  together  in  larger  numbers  the  lumps  dis- 
appear entirely  in  their  immediate  neighborhood.  On  such  places  a  smooth  etching  zone  appears  distinct  from  the 
rest  of  the  iron  mass.  These  tiny  formations  suggest  somewhat  crystals  of  schreibersite  or  cohenite,  which  are  not  so 
readily  affected  by  etching  as  nickel-iron.  However,  they  can  not  be  isolated  by  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  nor  by 
copper  ammonium  chloride,  and  the  quantity  of  phosphorus  and  carbon  found  is  far  from  sufficient  for  such  an  inter- 
pretation. Alloys  rich  in  nickel,  moreover,  according  to  the  results  of  the  analysis,  are  not  present. 

The  above-mentioned  lamellae  attain  a  length  of  13  mm.  and  a  thickness  of  0.02  mm.;  they  are  apparently  irregu- 
larly oriented,  and  when  they  occur  scattered  everywhere,  they  still  readily  mass  themselves  in  greater  numbers  in 
some  places.  By  treating  the  nickel-iron  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  they  still  are  not  isolated;  small,  deep  grooves 
quickly  appear,  but  the  residue  contains  no  flakes.  On  the  other  hand,  after  dissolving  in  copper  ammonium  chloride, 
there  remain,  besides  carbonaceous  substances,  tin-white,  very  brittle,  thin  scales,  which,  after  dissolving  in  aqua 
regia,  give  a  strong  phosphorus  reaction,  so  that  without  doubt  scales  of  schreibersite  are  present.  They  are  distinguished 
from  similar  occurrences  by  less  thickness  and  more  frequent  occurrence. 

Rhabdite  occurs  in  considerable  quantity  and  is  sometimes  found  isolated,  sometimes  in  small  groups.  In  the 
,  latter  case,  the  rhabdites  are  sometimes  oriented  perpendicular  to  one  another,  so  as  to  form  a  fine  network  with  rec- 
tangular meshes;  the  majority  are,  however,  irregularly  arranged.  In  one  place  small  needlets  arrange  themselves 
around  the  end  of  a  larger  needle,  so  as  to  form  a  very  beautiful  star-shaped  group.  The  rhabdite  attains  a  length  of 
3  mm.  and  a  thickness  of  0.25  mm.,  but  as  a  rule  falls  well  within  these  dimensions  and  is  for  the  most  part  of  a  com- 
pact form.  Schreibersite  can  be  isolated  from  them.  A  few  spots  occur  consisting  of  quite  irregular  particles  of  schrei- 
bersite of  about  1  mm.  in  size,  closely  filled  with  tiny  dark  grains;  they  resemble  those  which  lie  in  such  large  num- 
bers in  the  nickel-iron. 

Graphite  and  troilite  nodules  occur  only  in  isolation  and  of  small  size.  A  graphite  nodule  10  mm.  long  and  5  mm. 
wide  is  still  present  entire;  a  second  nodule  of  about  the  same  size  and  of  a  pear-shaped  form  has  fallen  out  in  the  cut- 
ting of  the  plate  or  section,  except  for  a  small  remainder  clinging  to  the  wall  of  the  cavity.  After  these  come  a  few 
small  elongated  particles  (8  to  9  mm.  long,  1  to  2  mm.  wide).  The  troilite  forms  round  particles  of  a  few  millimetera 
in  size,  a  few  of  which  are  entirely  or  partially  bordered  with  schreibersite. 

In  the  four  sections  examined  all  the  graphite  and  troilite  nodules  as  well  as  most  of  the  schreibersite  lamellae  lie 
in  proximity  to  the  original  surface  of  the  meteorite,  while  the  central  portion  contains  rhabdite  almost  exclusively. 
It  may  be  noted  in  this  connection  that  iron  sulphide  is  also  found  separated  on  the  surface  of  pig  iron  rich  in  sulphur. 

As  the  sections  of  the  two  ends  of  the  billet-shaped  mass  have  been  separated  from  one  another  as  far  as  possible 
before  now,  and  as  the  section  surfaces  together  measuring  160  sq.  cm.  show  exactly  the  same  character,  it  may  be 
assumed  that  the  meteorite  has  the  same  structure  throughout.  Nothing  of  any  importance  can  be  gathered  from  the 
alteration  zone  near  the  fusion  crust. 

The  insoluble  residue  contains  a  small  quantity  of  grains  which,  when  entirely  separated  have  a  diameter  as  great 
as  0.1  mm.,  but  for  the  most  part  are  of  only  0.02  to  0.03  mm.  and  sometimes  very  much  smaller.  By  far  the  greater 
number  belong  to  the  colorless  grains  with  high  cleavage  exponents  and  sometimes  stronger,  sometimes  weaker  double 
refraction,  which  have  been  found  hitherto  in  every  meteoric  iron  which  has  been  investigated  in  this  direction. 
Many  of  them  harbor  numerous  tiny  opaque  inclusions.  Quartzlike  grains  having  the  same  index  of  refraction  as  can- 
ada  balsam  are  much  less  numerous  here  than  usual.  A  few,  small,  columnar  microlites,  rounded  at  the  ends,  with 
very  strong  relief  and  very  lively  interference  colors,  resemble  in  a  high  degree  many  zircon  microlites  of  terrestrial 
rocks.  In  addition  to  these  there  are  isolated  blue,  pleochroic  obliquely  extinguishing  columnar  fragments,  brown 
grains  having  a  double  cleavage,  as  well  as  splinters,  each  one  of  which  according  to  its  position  is  either  cinnamon- 
brown  or  almost  black  and  appears  comparable  with  tourmaline  in  respect  to  coloring  and  absorption.  The  inter- 
mingled opaque  particles  are  more  probably  slow  burning  carbon  than  chromium,  since  a  chrome  reaction  was  not 
obtained. 

Analysis  (SjostrSm),  specific  gravity  by  Leick,  7.7083: 

Fe  Ni          Co  Cu  C  0  P  Cl 

94.30        5.57        0.64         trace        0.02        0.05        0.18        0.01     =100.77 

Mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel-iron 98.  70 

Schreibersite 1. 16 

Troilite 0. 12 

Lawrencite 0.  02 

100.00 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  277 

Locust  Grove  belongs  to  the  granular  ataxites,  that  is,  to  those  meteoric  irons  of  a  granular  structure,  in  which  the 
individual  grains  show  neither  a  structure  of  octahedral  lamellae  nor  intercalated  twin  lamellae.  The  nickel-iron, 
according  to  its  chemical  composition,  belongs  to  kamacite.  Of  known  meteorites  Siratik  is  perhaps  the  nearest, 
since  in  it  also  appear  upon  a  spotted  groundmass  glistening  stripes  irregularly  crossing  each  other. 

Later,  Cohen 4  corrected  the  statement  that  Henry  County  was  in  North  Carolina,  and 
placed  it  properly  in  Georgia. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed.  Vienna  has  381  grams,  Chicago  370  grams,  the  British 
Museum  365  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1895:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  302  and  353. 

2.  1897:  WOLFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  402. 

3.  1897:  COHEN.    Tiber  ein  neuer  Meteoreisen  von  Locust  Grove,  Henry  Co.,  Nord-Carolina,  Sitzber.  Berlin  Akad., 

pp.  76-81. 

4.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  44-47. 

LOHACOrnNG.o 

Alleghany  County,  Maryland. 
Latitude  39°  35'  N.,  longitude  78°  38'  W. 
Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1882;  described  1892. 
Weight,  1,260  grams  (45  oza.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  chiefly  by  Foote,1  as  follows : 

A  physician  residing  near  the  Maryland  line  of  Pennsylvania  recently  brought  to  me  an  iron  mass  to  learn  if  it 
was  meteoric,  and  this  it  proved  to  be.  It  was  discovered  in  Garrett  County,  Maryland,  about  12  miles  from  the  post 
office  of  Lonaconing,  not  far  from  the  boundary.  It  was  ploughed  up  about  three  or  four  years  ago  by  a  boy  in  the 
field.  According  to  an  analysis  by  Dr.  Koenig  it  contains  over  11  per  cent  of  nickel  and  cobalt,  the  proportion  of 
cobalt  being  unusually  high.  It  is  one  of  the  best  octahedral  etching  irons  known,  being  even  more  characteristic 
than  most  of  those  that  have  been  used  for  printing  directly  on  paper.  Besides  the  striking  reticulated  octahedral 
structure,  it  shows  a  large  number  of  secondary  lines  regularly  disposed  with  reference  to  the  principal  markings. 
These  I  believe  to  be  similar  to  those  described  by  Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Smith,  in  a  Wisconsin  meteorite,  under  the  name 
of  Laphamite  markings.  The  original  weight  was  45  ounces,  but  it  has  been  reduced  by  analysis,  cutting,  polishing, 
etc.,  to  36.5  ounces. 

The  iron  was  described  by  Brezina  2  as  follows : 

An  iron  of  1.2  kg.  weight,  in  the  form  of  an  elliptical  cylinder  with  slightly  bent  axis.  The  section  shows  along 
the  natural  surfaces  a  finely  flecked  zone  of  alteration  2  to  9  mm.  thick.  The  lamellae  are  puffy,  teenite  well  developed, 
fields  predominant,  almost  entirely  filled  with  a  repetition  of  systems  of  combs  running  in  many  different  directions 
in  the  same;  field  less  frequently  filled  with  a  dark  gray  plessite.  Two  large  plessite  areas  show  finely  shimmering 
central  skeletons.  Cohenite  grains  sometimes  occur  isolated  in  the  kamacite.  The  kamacite  bands  are  slightly  gran- 
ular, the  kamacite  combs  much  so. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  largest  quantity  (819  grams)  being  in  the  Paris  School  of 
Mines  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1892:  FOOTE.    A  new  meteoric  iron  from  Garrett  County,  Maryland.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  43,  p.  64. 

(Illustrations  of  mass  and  etching.) 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  287. 


LONG  ISLAND. 

Phillips  County,  Kansas. 

Here  also  Phillips  County. 

Latitude  39°  45'  X.,  longitude  99°  25'  W. 

Stone.    Veined  intermediate  chondrite  (Cia),  of  Brezina;  Erxlebenite  (type  34)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1891;  described  1895. 

Weight,  564  kgs.  (1,244  Ibs).. 

This  meteorite  was  classified  by  Brezina  l  in  1895  as  a  crystalline  chondrite  (Ck).     The 
same  year  Weinschenk 2  gave  a  petrographic  description,  as  follows : 

From  the  Long  Island,  Phillips  County,  Kansas,  occurrence  I  have  at  my  disposal  four  pieces,  amounting  in  weight 
to  20-30  grams.    They  possess  a  rusty  weathered  surface.    Many  hundred  similar  pieces  were  found  (in  part  with 

a  The  locality  is  usually  given  as  Lonaconing,  Garrett  County.     The  meteorite  was  found,  according  to  Foote,  in  Garrett  County,  but  Lona- 
coning is  in  Alleghany  County. 


278  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OP  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

crust),  having  a  total  weight  of  1,184  pounds.  The  meteorite  of  Long  Island  is  a  compact,  dark  stone  which  appears 
dark  green  on  fresh  fracture  and  shows  numerous  metallic  specks.  The  crystalline  structure  is  megascopically  visible; 
there  are  numerous  shining  cleavage  surfaces  and  the  meteorite  resembles  the  fine-grained  harzburgite  from  Riddles, 
Oregon.  Chondri  are  only  now  and  then  to  be  seen.  Under  the  microscope  it  is  clearly  seen  that  chrysolite  and 
bronzite  are  the  characteristic  ingredients.  The  structure  as  well  as  the  relations  in  quantity  of  the  two  constituents 
are  very  variable,  the  chrysolite  now  being  in  excess  and  now  again  the  pyroxene,  and  the  general  porphyritic  struc- 
ture passes  commonly  enough  over  to  a  purely  granular  one.  Chondruslike  forms  are  found  throughout,  but  they  are 
seldom  developed  in  an  especially  characteristic  way.  Ragged  particles  of  metallic  iron,  numerous  grains  of  iron  sul- 
phide (troilite?),  and  chromite  complete  its  composition.  The  chrysolite  occurs  generally  in  porphyritic,  more  or 
less  idiomorphic  crystals,  and  in  fragments.  In  the  fresh  condition  it  is  colorless,  but  on  slight  heating  it  becomes 
reddish  brown  and  pleochroic,  and  at  red  heat  completely  opaque,  indicating  a  high  content  of  iron.  The  cleavage  of 
the  mineral  is  always  clearly  developed,  and  this  shows  in  many  cases  undulatory  extinction.  It  is  very  rich  in 
inclusions,  generally  appearing  as  dark-brown  rounded  forms  which  often  show  regular  arrangement.  In  the  weathered 
portions  there  occurs,  besides  iron  hydroxide,  a  serpentinelike  substance  as  an  alteration  product  of  the  chrysolite. 
The  orthorhombic  pyroxene  is  likewise  colorless  and  transparent  and  may  be  classed  as  bronzite.  It  tends  to  form 
groups  of  larger  individuals  where  the  stone  has  granular  structure;  in  smaller  crystals  it  occurs  also  as  a  constituent 
of  the  groundmass  in  the  porphyritic  forms.  Its  distribution  in  the  stone  can  best  be  seen  if  a  section  is  treated  with 
hydrochloric  acid.  This  dissolves  out  the  chrysolite  but  leaves  the  pyroxene  unattacked.  In  sections  so  treated  it 
can  especially  well  be  seen  that  the  bronzite  where  it  occurs  as  a  constituent  of  the  groundmass  often  exhibits  skeleton 
growths  which  lie  embedded  in  a  colorless  substance  and  are  not  attacked  by  hydrochloric  acid.  This  has  weak  refrac- 
tion and  between  crossed  nicols  shows  irregular  illumination,  so  that  it  is  not  improbable  that  it  is  a  glassy  substance 
possessing  optical  anomalies  through  strains.  Rarely,  besides  the  orthorhombic  pyroxene  there  is  to  be  seen  a  mono- 
clinic  augite  in  single  grains,  with  the  properties  of  diallage.  The  solid  iron  occurs  in  angular  particles  and  often  in 
zonal  growths  with  chromite,  which  also  occurs  alone,  widely  distributed  in  the  stone.  The  little  grains  of  the  latter 
mineral  appear  brown,  translucent.  Also  pyrrhotite  (magnetkies)  is  present  in  considerable  quantity  and  generally  in 
large  individuals.  The  structure  of  the  whole  stone  indicates  a  cooling  from  a  fused  liquid,  a  view  also  supported  by 
the  porphyritic  crystals  of  chrysolite  and  the  skeletons  of  bronzite  in  the  colorless  base.  There  is  no  trace  of  breccia 
structure  and  the  occurrence  of  few  well-defined  chondri  gives  no  further  proof.  As  has  been  often  observed  in  meteor- 
ites, the  whole  stone  has  much  more  the  character  of  a  suddenly  cooled  mass,  a  character  which  is  also  indicated  by  the 
undulatory  extinction  of  the  chrysolite,  the  skeleton  growths  of  pyroxene,  and  the  sudden  variations  in  composition. 
The  Long  Island  meteorite  in  mineralogical  character  belongs  to  the  harzburgites.  If  among  terrestrial  rocks  we  look 
for  masses  which  in  a  structural  and  mineralogical  way  can  be  compared  to  the  Long  Island  meteorite,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  number  is  a  very  limited  one  for  the  reason  that  rocks  of  similar  composition  have  suffered  in  most  cases  much 
decomposition,  by  which  their  structure  becomes  indeterminable.  But,  at  all  events,  it  seems  probable  from  the  few- 
observations  on,  for  example,  the  terrestrial  basalts  of  Greenland,  that  similar  structures  as  they  are  here  observed. 
and  in  many  other  meteorites  are  formations  characteristic  of  cooled  rocks  in  which  silicate  of  magnesia  plays  an  im- 
portant part,  and  that  no  grounds  are  given  for  the  belief  that  formations  of  this  kind  in  any  of  the  terrestrial  rocks 
have  originated  in  any  different  way. 

i  -±      In  1902  a  full  description  of  the  meteorite  was  given  by  Farrington,3  as  follows: 

Nearly  all  of  this  great  meteorite  is  possessed  by  the  Field  Museum  and  this  has  been  the  case  since  the  opening 
of  the  institution  in  June,  1894,  but  it  has  never  been  fully  described.  A  few  lines  were  devoted  to  the  meteorite  and 
a  cut  of  it  shown  in  the  catalogue  of  the  meteorite  collection  published  in  August,  1895.  A  petrographic  description 
from  frgaments  of  the  stone  was  also  given  by  E.  Weinschenk  in  1895. 

No  account  of  the  finding  of  the  stone  seems  ever  to  have  been  published,  however,  and  there  are  many  other 
features  which  are  well  worthy  of  description.  For  details  regarding  the  occurrence  of  the  stone  I  am  indebted  to 
Professor  Williston,  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  and  Professor  Willard,  of  the  Kansas  Agricultural  College.  Professor 
Williston  states  that  a  fragment  of  the  meteorite  first  reached  him  in  the  fall  of  1892.  Professor  Willard  secured  one 
at  about  the  same  time.  On  recognizing  the  meteoritic  nature  of  the  fragments  sent  them,  Professors  Williston  and 
Willard  at  once  entered  upon  negotiations  for  the  purchase  of  the  mass  and  soon  became  its  possessors.  The  work  of 
collecting  the  pieces  at  the  original  locality  was  done  by  Professor  Willard,  and  to  him  I  am  indebted  for  information, 
regarding  the  occurrence  there. 

The  meteorite  lay,  he  states,  on  a  slope  of  the  ordinary  soil  of  the  upland  prairie  region.  There  is  no  outcrop  of 
rock  in  the  immediate  vicinity  and  none  within  several  miles,  so  far  as  he  knows.  Where  there  is  an  outcrop  the  rock 
is  limestone.  The  distribution  of  the  pieces  of  the  meteorite  as  first  seen  by  Professor  Willard  was  such  as  to  indicate 
that  the  mass  had  struck  upon  a  slope  and,  its  front  portion  being  stopped,  the  rear  portion  had  broken  up  and  gone 
ahead.  The  four  large  pieces,  which  are  put  together  to  make  the  mass  shown  in  a  cut,  were  together  and  in  contact 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  fall.  The  top  of  these  projected  about  4  inches  above  the  soil  and  the  lowest  point  to  which 
they  reached  was  perhaps  2  feet  below  the  surface.  Beside  these  large  pieces  a  quantity  of  smaller  fragments  more  or 
less  embedded  in  the  ground  extended  down  the  slope  in  a  northwest  direction  for  a  distance  of  from  15  to  20  feet  in 
a  gourd-shaped  area  which  was  perhaps  6  feet  wide  at  the  widest  point.  The  location  of  the  spot  where  the 
meteorite  was  found  is  about  3  miles  west  of  the  present  town  of  Long  Island,  0.5  mile  east  of  the  west  line  of 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  279 

Phillips  County,  and  3  miles  south  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  State  line.  It  is  from  the  neighboring  town  of  Long  Island 
that  the  meteorite  takes  its  name.  With  regard  to  the  time  of  the  fall  no  knowledge  has  yet  been  obtained.  The 
stone  was  noticed  by  early  comers  to  the  region  and  was  generally  reputed  to  be  a  meteorite,  so  that  visitors  had 
in  many  cases  taken  away  pieces  as  curiosities.  That  the  mass  had  lain  a  number  of  years  in  place  is  proved  by  the 
coating  of  carbonate  of  lime,  in  some  places  2  or  3  mm.  in  thickness,  which  incrusts  many  of  the  pieces.  Further 
evidence  of  the  long  exposure  of  the  stone  is  given  by  the  weathered  character  and  rusty  brown  color  of  the  surface  of 
exposed  fragments  of  the  stone  in  contrast  to  the  dark  green  color  of  their  interior.  The  meteorite  as  collected  by 
Professor  \Villard  was  shortly  afterwards  purchased  by  Mr.  George  F.  Kunz,  of  New  York  City,  and  after  remaining  in 
his  possession  for  about  a  year  was  secured  for  the  Field  Museum. 

The  entire  weight  of  the  meteorite  as  received  at  the  museum  and  made  up  of  4  large  and  2,930  small  fragments, 
was  1,184  pounds  (537  kg.).  This  was  supposed  at  the  time  to  be  the  entire  weight  of  the  mass,  but  a  year  or  two  later 
Mr.  Kunz  obtained  about  60  pounds  (27  kg.)  more,  which  is  for  the  most  part  still  in  his  possession.  This  additional 
material  was  chiefly  fragments  obtained  from  people  in  the  region  who  had  carried  off  portions  of  the  stone  for  curi- 
osities. A  weight  of  at  least  1,244  pounds  (564  kg.)  can  therefore  be  positively  assigned  the  stone,  and  there  is  little 
doubt  that  it  originally  weighed  somewhat  more  than  this,  since  some  pieces  were  probably  carried  off  that  will  never 
be  recovered.  That  the  fragments  all  belonged  to  a  single  mass  the  manner  of  their  occurrence  in  place  leaves  no 
doubt.  Moreover,  their  edges  show  no  rounding  or  fusing,  as  would  have  been  the  case  had  any  of  them  made  an  inde- 
pendent passage  through  any  considerable  part  of  the  earth's  atmosphere.  The  stone  is  therefore  much  the  largest 
single-stone  meteorite  known  to  exist,  its  nearest  competitors  being  the  Bjurbfile  meteorite,  which  weighs  748  pounds 
(340  kg.),  and  one  of  the  stones  of  the  Knyahinya  fall,  which  weighs  649  pounds  (295  kg.). 

As  soon  as  the  installation  of  the  stone  was  undertaken  at  the  museum,  it  was  at  once  seen  that  the  four  large 
pieces  fitted  together.  Doubtless  others  of  the  fragments  could  be  added  to  these,  but  as  an  effort  to  do  this  proved 
on  trial  to  be  likely  to  Consume  considerable  time  without  giving  any  important  results,  the  attempt  was  abandoned. 
There  would  be  more  hope  of  success  if  the  museum  possessed  the  entire  mass  of  the  stone,  but  as  it  is,  many  of  the 
fragments  would  be  missing  at  best.  The  four  large  pieces  weigh  together  669  pounds  (303  kg.),  or  more  than  half  the 
weight  of  the  stone.  They  hence  probably  give  its  essential  form.  Their  weights' are  269,  239,  89.5,  and  71.5  pounds 
(122, 108,  46,  and  32  kg.),  respectively.  The  largest  of  the  remaining  fragments  at  the  museum  weighs  22.25  pounds 
(10  kg.),  which  is  a  weight  much  below  that  of  the  smallest  of  the  four  large  ones.  Mr.  Kunz  informs  me  that  one  of 
the  fragments  in  his  possession  weighs  about  35  pounds  (15.8  kg.).  The  smaller  fragments  range  from  the  weight  above 
mentioned  to  those  not  over  a  gram  in  weight.  Some  have  the  true  meteorite  crust  on  one  surface,  showing  that  they 
are  from  the  superficial  portion  of  the  stone,  while  the  rough,  irregular  surfaces  of  the  remaining  fragments  show  that 
they  were  wholly  within  the  interior.  *  *  *  A  considerable  portion  of  the  restored  mass  has  an  almost  wholly 
natural  surfaca;  over  this  portion,  therefore,  the  actual  form  of  the  stone  is  preserved.  The  form  of  the  stone  as  at 
present  restored  is,  as  shown  by  a  plate,  roughly  that  of  a  low  cone.  The  greatest  diameter  of  the  base  of  the  cone  is 
34  inches  (86  cm.)  and  the  altitude  from  base  to  apex  20  inches  (51  cm.).  The  conical  form,  as  is  well  known,  is  the 
typical  one  to  which  meteorites  are  reduced  in  their  passage  through  the  atmosphere,  from  the  fact  that  the  portion  of 
the  mass  in  front,  receiving  the  brunt  of  the  friction  and  heat,  is  worn  down  rapidly  to  an  apex  from  which  the  other 
portions  slope  away.  That  this  is  the  position  which  the  Long  Island  stone  took  in  falling  is  further  indicated  by  the 
smooth,  unpitted  character  of  the  base  of  the  cone  (Rucksriu)  as  compared  with  the  pitted  surface  of  the  conical  por- 
tion, and  further  by  the  fact  that  the  series  of  pittings  (piezoglypten)  on  the  surface  extend  in  radial  directions  from  the 
apex  of  the  cone.  It  will  be  noted,  in  a  plate,  that  the  long  axes  of  the  pits  run  in  directions  nearly  parallel  to  lines 
drawn  from  the  apex  to  the  base  of  the  cone.  These,  then,  were  the  directions  of  the  air  currents.  The  planes  along 
which  the  four  large  fragments  were  separated  and  along  which  they  have  now  been  joined  together  are  not  courses  of 
ordinary  irregular  fracture,  but  are  definite  divisive  planes.  There  are  three  cf  these  planes,  two  being  continuous 
each  in  its  own  direction  while  the  third  may  be  described  as  made  up  of  two  planes  meeting  at  a  very  broad  angle 
(160°).  The  planes  run  in  three  directions  nearly  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  They  meet,  but  only  at  one  point 
do  they  pass  through  one  another.  If  one  will  conceive  of  an  apple  cut  in  halves  by  a  plane  starting  a  little  to  one  side 
of  the  bloom,  one  of  these  halves  then  cut  through  equatorially  in  a  direction  at  right  angles  to  the  first  plane  by  two 
planes  starting  a  little  above  the  equator,  but  meeting  at  it,  then  the  quarter  nearest  the  bloom  cut  through  by  a  plane 
at  right  angles  to  the  equatorial  plane  in  a  direction  running  from  the  bloom  to  the  stem  and  passing  into  the  other- 
wise uncut  half  for  quite  a  distance,  an  idea  will  be  gained  of  the  course  of  the  division  planes  of  this  meteorite. 

The  area  of  each  plane  is  approximately  as  follows:  Plane  A=200  sq.  in.  (13  sq.  dm.);  plane  B=196  sq.  in.  (12 
sq.  dm.);  and  plane  C=113  sq.  in.  (7.1  sq.  dm.). 

The  position  of  these  planes  makes  it  unlikely  that  they  were  developed  by  the  blow  of  the  meteorite  in  striking 
the  earth,  for  one  at  least  runs  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  probable  direction  of  motion  of  the  meteorite.  Further,  as 
stated  more  in  detail  below,  the  strfe  of  the  slickensided  surfaces  run  in  different  directions. 

Plane  A  runs  quite  nearly  in  the  direction  of  probable  motion  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  near  each  end  of 
the  meteorite  irregular  cracks  appear  which  are  approximately  parallel  to  this  plane.  Their  position  suggests  that 
they  may  have  been  produced  by  the  tendency  of  the  base  of  the  meteorite  to  continue  its  motion  after  the  apex  had 
been  stopped  by  striking  the  earth.  Plane  C,  separating  pieces  2  and  4,  can  be  noted  continuing  on  in  piece  1  as  a  line 
which  extends  nearly  to  the  edge  of  that  piece.  This  portion  of  the  plane  evidently  was  not  sufficiently  developed 
as  a  division  plane  to  produce  disruption  of  the  piece  when  the  meteorite  struck  the  earth. 


280  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

That  the  three  planes  described  represent  a  structure  which  existed  in  the  meteorite  before  its  entry  into  the 
earth's  atmosphere  there  can  be  little  doubt.  They  are  too  regular  to  make  it  possible  to  consider  them  planes  arising 
from  fracture  by  shock  and  there  are  several  other  lines  of  evidence  pointing  to  their  preterrestrial  existence.  The 
most  important  of  these  is  that  their  surfaces  are  slickensided.  The  slickensided  character  of  the  surface  resembles 
that  seen  in  terrestrial  rocks,  and  is  illustrated  in  a  figure.  It  is  a  smooth,  shining,  somewhat  undulatory,  like  a  roche 
moutonnee  surface,  and  bears  short  striae  which  on  the  same  surface  run  in  one  general  direction,  but  take  different 
directions  on  the  three  several  planes.  These  several  directions  are  indicated  in  a  figure,  where  one  of  the  fragments 
is  represented  as  removed.  The  color  of  the  slickensided  surfaces  is  somewhat  darker  than  that  of  the  crust  of  the 
meteorite,  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  special  heat  having  been  developed  by  the  force  which  produced  the  slicken- 
sides.  This  I  have  tested  by  cutting  sections  at  right  angles  to  the  surfaces.  The  outlines  of1  the  individual  grains 
were  found  to  be  sharp  and  unaltered  up  to  the  slickensided  edge. 

Since  slickensided  surfaces  on  terrestrial  rocks  are,  so  far  as  known,  produced  by  slow  differential  movement  in 
the  mass  under  considerable  pressure  and  while  in  the  solid  state,  they  may  in  the  absence  of  any  evidence  to  the  con- 
trary be  assigned  to  the  same  cause  in  this  meteorite.  The  conclusion  seems  fair  therefore  that  these  planes  and  sur- 
faces were  formed  during  the  preterrestrial  existence  of  the  mass  and  that  the  mass  must  have  been  solid  in  its  nature 
while  in  space.  The  three  planes  which  I  have  described  seem  to  me  to  resemble  the  joint  planes  of  terrestrial  rocks 
more  than  anything  else  I  can  think  of  and  give  us  grounds  for  asserting  the  existence  of  joint  structure  in  the  rocks  of 
of  space.  I  do  not  know  that  well-marked  joint  structure  has  been  observed  in  any  other  meteorites  except  that  noted 
by  Meunier  in  one  of  the  stones  of  L'Aigle.  This  stone  he  regarded  as  possessing  a  joint  fissure,  but  it  was  not  as  well 
developed  as  the  planes  of  the  Long  Island  stone. 

If  the  occurrence  of  joint  structure  in  the  Long  Island  stone  is  deemed  proved,  it  is  significant  as  pointing  to  a 
considerable  mass  possessed  by  the  body  in  space.  Joint  blocks  of  such  size  as  this  would  not  be  likely  to  be  devel- 
oped in  a  small  body. 

The  natural  surface  of  the  more  conical  part  (Brustseite)  of  the  meteorite  as  it  is  at  present  joined  together,  is  for 
the  most  part  deeply  pitted  with  characteristic  meteoritic  thumb-marks  (piezoglypten).  These  pits  vary  considerably, 
as  would  be  expected,  in  form  and  size,  but  still  exhibit  a  certain  uniformity.  The  majority  have  the  form  of  an  elon- 
gated ellipse  whose  major  axis  is  about  twice  the  length  of  its  minor.  The  following  dimensions  may  be  considered  a& 
representing  a  fair  average  of  the  size  of  the  pits:  Major  axis,  3.2  cm.  (1.25  in.);  minor  axis,  1.5  cm.  (£  in.);  depth,  3 
to  10  mm.  (J  to  f  in.).  The  depression  of  each  pit  generally  slopes  uniformly  toward  the  center  of  the  ellipse,  but 
often  there  are  to  be  found  pits,  the  deepest  point  of  which  is  quite  eccentrically  placed  and  which  have  a  more  or  lesa 
conical  shape.  Some  pits  have  a  nearly  circular  outline  as  contrasted  with  the  more  common  ellipsoidal  one.  These 
circular  pits  are  usually  of  small  size,  but  one  of  large  size  and  unusual  depth  is  to  be  found  at  the  point  in  the 
meteorite  where  the  two  planes  A  and  C  cut  each  other.  This  pit  has  for  the  most  part  the  shape  of  a  deep  regular 
bowl,  although  the  regularity  of  one  portion  is  broken  by  two  smaller  conical  pits.  The  depth  of  this  pit  is  3.2  cm. 
(1.25  in.)  and  its  diameter  6.4  cm.  (2.5  in.).  The  point  of  junction  of  the  planes  is  almost  exactly  at  the  center  of  the 
pit.  It  is  evident  that  this  was  a  point  of  weakness  in  the  stone  at  which  the  erosive  action  of  heat  and  friction  pro- 
duced during  the  passage  of  the  mass  through  the  atmosphere  worked  more  rapidly  than  on  other  parts  of  the  surface. 
Its  occurrence  at  the  point  of  junction  of  the  planes  is  pretty  good  evidence  that  the  latter  existed  in  the  stone  pre- 
vious to  its  entry  into  the  atmosphere.  This  fact  has  also  a  bearing  on  the  disputed  question  as  to  the  origin  of  the 
pits  in  general.  It  shows  that  they  owe  their  origin  chiefly  to  an  excavation  by  heat  and  pressure  of  the  softer  or  more 
friable  parts  of  the  surface  of  the  mass  which  is  acted  upon.  Wherever  there  is  a  point  of  weakness  there  a  pit  will  be 
formed.  Vice  versa,  where  a  pit  is  formed,  there  was  a  point  of  weakness. 

The  rear  side  (Ruckseite)  of  the  stone  is  not  pitted.  It  has  a  well-developed  crust,  but  the  encrusted  surface  ex- 
hibits no  marked  depressions  or  elevations.  The  only  portion  of  the  meteorite  as  now  restored  which  illustrates  the 
Riickseite  is  that  appearing  in  the  upper  right-hand  part  of  an  accompanying  plate.  Here  the  surface  is  slightly  undu- 
lating, but  there  are  no  pits. 

The  color  of  the  crust  of  the  meteorite  is  in  general  dark  brown,  but  varies  from  almost  black  to  light  brown.  At 
a  little  distance  it  appears  perfectly  smooth  and  in  places  shining,  but  on  close  examination  it  is  seen  to  be  quite  uni- 
formly and  coarsely  stippled  by  the  protrusion  of  the  more  resistant  grains.  In  many  places,  especially  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  pits,  minute  threadlike  markings  appear  over  the  surface,  sometimes  in  parallel  and  concentric  series,  but  more 
commonly  in  arborescent  forms  which  are  often  quite  elaborate.  These  series  or  systems  of  markings  do  not  appear  to 
run  in  any  common  direction,  but  are  differently  oriented  wherever  found.  I  have  noted  no  system  more  than  1 
inch  (2.5  cm.)  in  length,  but  several  of  about  this  extent.  They  resemble  closely  the  lines  of  flow  such  as  have  been 
noted  on  the  crust  of  the  Stannern  and  other  meteorites,  and  doubtless  are  of  this  nature,  being  formed  by  a  minute 
portion  of  the  substance  of  the  meteorite  becoming  momentarily  fused  and  flowing  in  a  diversified  path  until  cooled. 
Their  course  in  some  cases  seems  to  mark  the  swirling  of  the  same  air  currents  which  formed  the  pits.  More  extensive 
and  larger  ridges  are  to  be  observed  over  some  portions  of  the  crust.  Three  nearly  parallel  appear  on  the  portion  of 
the  Riickseite  just  mentioned.  Each  is  continuous  for  a  length  of  from  3  to  5  inches.  These  do  not  appear  to  be  of  the 
nature  of  the  lines  of  flow  above  mentioned,  but  more  nearly  resemble  the  veins  which  stand  out  on  some  meteorites 
and  probably  mark  a  line  of  more  highly  resistant  constituents.  Sections  cut  at  right  angles  to  the  crust  and  exam- 
ined with  the  microscope  exhibit  little  if  any  alteration  on  the  crust  surface.  The  mineral  outlines  seem  to  be  con- 
tinued sharply  up  to  the  edge,  and  except  for  a  certain  smoothness  of  contour  a  crust  surface  could  not  be  distinguished 
microscopically  from  the  surface  of  an  interior  portion.  Occasionally  a  metallic  grain  protrudes  from  the  general  out- 
line, but  so  far  as  the  contour  as  a  whole  is  concerned  it  appears  to  be  the  result  of  erosion  rather  than  of  fusion. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  281 

The  weathering  which  the  mass  has  undergone  since  its  advent  upon  the  earth  has  affected  it  considerably.  Even 
the  larger  fragments  when  broken  open  will  be  found  to  be  deeply  invaded  by  rust  which  has  penetrated  along 
cracks  in  every  direction.  Doubtless  the  great  number  of  small  fragments  into  which  the  stone  was  found  to  be 
broken  when  first  discovered  was  due  to  this  process  of  separation  through  weathering  rather  than  to  shattering  caused 
by  the  blow  of  the  mass  upon  the  earth.  The  weathering  has  affected  chiefly  the  metallic  constituents  of  the  stone, 
causing  their  oxidation,  and  this  rust  has  penetrated  and  stained  the  meteorite  deeply.  The  color  of  the  weathered 
surfaces  has  thus  been  changed  from  the  dark  green  of  the  unaltered  rock  to  various  shades  of  brown,  a  characteristic 
color  being  a  light  yellowish-brown,  almost  white,  spotted  with  dark  or  rust  brown. 

The  depth  to  which  this  discoloration  has  extended,  except  where  it  has  followed  cracks  and  fissures,  is  usually 
scarcely  a  millimeter,  the  color  changing  beyond  this  through  reddish  to  black  before  the  dark  green  of  the  unstained 
stone  is  seen. 

Over  a  large  part  of  the  surface  of  the  stone  as  found  appeared  a  white  amorphous  coating  which  adhered  very 
firmly.  It  could  be  removed  by  treatment  with  weak  acid,  and  most  of  it  has  been  taken  off  in  this  way  since  the 
arrival  of  the  stone  at  the  museum.  When  its  substance  is  examined  chemically  it  is  found  to  be  carbonate  of  lime 
containing  a  small  percentage  of  clay.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  coating  is  derived  from  the  calcareous  soil 
in  which  the  stone  lay  for  an  unknown  period,  the  carbonate  of  lime  from  the  soil  doubtless  spreading  over  the  meteor- 
ite surfaces  through  capillary  attraction  and  cementing  upon  the  stone  some  of  the  surrounding  clay.  In  some  cavi- 
ties of  the  stone  a  much  greater  proportion  of  soil  is  held,  and  at  many  points  the  cementing  agent  is  iron  oxide, 
derived  doubtless  from  the  oxidation  of  the  metallic  grains  of  the  meteorite. 

The  unaltered  stone,  when  exposed  by  fresh  fracture,  is  of  a  dark-green  color,  varying  to  black,  although  the  latter 
shade  may  be  due  to  staining  from  terrestrial  oxidation.  The  stone  is  fine  grained,  tough,  and  compact.  Occasional 
portions  exhibit  a  slight  porosity,  giving  a  slaglike  appearance.  Such  areas  are,  however,  small  and  the  pores  of  small 
size.  The  proportion  of  metallic  ingredients  is  not  large  but  they  are  quite  uniformly  distributed. 

The  metallic  grains  show  most  plainly  on  a  polished  surface,  the  distribution  and  quantity  being  illustrated  in  a 
figure.  Occasionally  well-marked  aggregations  of  these  may  be  seen.  None  of  the  surfaces  that  I  have  examined 
show  arrangement  of  the  grains  in  lines  or  systems  of  lines  such  as  have  been  noted  in  a  number  of  stone  meteorites 
by  Reichenbach  and  Newton.  The  largest  metallic  grain  I  have  seen  in  the  Long  Island  meteorite  has  a  diameter  of 
1.5  mm.  From  this  size  all  gradations  may  be  found  down  to  the  minutest  grains,  examination  with  a  lens  bringing 
out  many  not  visible  to  the  naked  eye. 

The  bronze-yellow  color  and  comparative  softness  of  many  of  the  grains  as  exhibited  on  a  polished  surface  mark 
them  as  troilite,  in  conU-ast  to  the  silver-white  color  and  greater  hardness  of  those  composed  of  nickel-iron.  Further 
identification  of  the  grains  can  be  obtained  by  isolating  them  or  by  treating  a  polished  surface  of  the  meteorite  with 
copper  sulphate.  On  the  polished  surfaces  examined  the  number  of  troilite  grains  is  evidently  much  in  excess  of  those 
of  nickel-iron.  As  individual  grains  they  are,  however,  smaller  in  size.  Often  the  nickel-iron  and  troilite  can  be  seen 
to  be  intergrown  in  a  single  grain. 

Before  the  blowpipe  a  fragment  of  the  rock  fuses,  even  in  the  oxidizing  flame,  with  a  fusibility  of  about  4.5,  the 
entire  fragment  blackening  from  the  formation  doubtless  of  FeO.  In  the  reducing  flame  the  fusibility  is,  as  would  be 
expected,  greater  on  account  of  a  more  rapid  formation  of  FeO.  Evidently  the  mixture  of  minerals  forms  an  aggre- 
gate fusible  at  a  lower  temperature  than  any  of  its  components,  for  the  component  minerals  are  practically  infusible. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone,  determined  as  an  average  of  three  separate  portions  weighing  50, 18,  and  7  grams, 
respectively,  is  3.45. 

To  the  observations  of  Weinschenk  [regarding  the  petrographic  characters  of  the  meteorite]  there  is  little  of 
importance  to  be  added.  The  crystalline  structure  is  perhaps  hardly  as  prominent  megascopically  as  one  would 
judge  from  Weinschenk's  account,  while  the  chondritic  structure  is  easily  recognized  in  all  the  sections  I  have 
examined.  There  are  numerous  polysomatic  porphyritic  chrysolite  chondri  and  typical  fibrous  ones  of  enstatite. 
One  of  the  latter  observed  was  2.5  mm.  in  diameter,  and  it  is  evidently  not  cut  through  its  center.  A  black, 
seemingly  carbonaceous  matter  borders  its  outer  edge.  The  fibers  are  minute  and  lie  in  parallel  groups  extending 
in  various  directions.  A  porphyritic  chrysolite  chondrus  seen  had  a  diameter  of  1.25  mm.,  a  single  grain  reaching 
the  size  of  0.025  mm.  Another  monosomatic  chrysolite  chondrus  seen  was  made  up  of  chrysolite  porphyriticall  v 
developed  in  glass  and  with  a  distinct  circular  border  of  chrysolite  all  extinguishing  simultaneously.  This  chondrus 
also  contained  a  large  grain  of  troilite.  The  crystal  outlines  of  the  chrysolite  individuals,  whether  developed  in 
the  chondri  or  out,  are  often  well  defined,  the  predominant  habit  being  short  stout  crystals  bounded  chiefly  by 
pinacoids.  The  chromite  more  often  has  a  red  tone  than  the  brown  described  by  Weinschenk,  its  deep  red  grains 
being  frequently  seen  in  the  sections.  Both  nickel-iron  and  troilite  grains  sometimes  inclose  small  siliceous  particles 
of  what  is  probably  chrysolite,  indicating  the  latter  to  be  the  earlier  formation. 

As  regards  classification,  the  Long  Island  meteorite  is  classed  by  Wulfing  aa  a  crystalline  spherical  chondrite, 
Cck.  Beaver  Creek,  Bethlehem,  Lumpkin,  Menow,  Prairie  Dog  Creek,  Richmond,  and  Savtschenskoje  are  other 
meteorites  included  in  the  same  class. 

Brezina  classifies  Long  Island  as  a  crystalline  chondrite  Ck.,  in  which  group  are  included  Erxleben,  Klein- Wenden, 
Kernouve,  and  many  others.  By  Meunier,  Long  Island  is  put  in  class  34,  Erxlebenite,  which  includes  monogenic 
meteorites  of  fine  grain  made  up  chiefly  of  chrysolite  and  bronzite  and  containing  visible  grains  of  nickel-iron.  Bluff, 
Erxleben,  Kernouve,  Klein-\Venden,  Menow.  and  Pipe  Creek  are  among  the  other  meteorites  brought  by  Meunier 
into  this  class.  Thus  the  place  of  Long  Island  in  classification  seems  to  be  quite  generally  agreed  upon.  Differences 


282 


MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 


can,  of  course,  be  noted  from  other  meteorites  with  which  it  is  classed,  it  being,  for  instance,  more  compact  and  of 
finer  grain  than  Beaver  Creek  and  containing  much  less  nickel-iron  than  Pipe  Creek. 

Of  its  well-marked  crystalline  character,  however,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  nor,  to  my  mind,  of  its  monogenic  origin. 

Absorption  by  a  siliceous  magma,  of  iron  in  preference  to  nickel,  seems  to  me  to  afford  a  reasonable  explanation 
of  the  high  percentage  of  nickel  in  the  metallic  portion  of  the  stone  shown  in  the  following  analysis.  Such  a  high  per- 
centage of  nickel  in  the  nickel-iron  of  stone  as  compared  with  iron  meteorites  is  common  and  must  be  of  some  signifi- 
cance. If  the  meteorite  is  simply  tuffaceous  in  origin,  one  would  expect  the  nickel-iron  to  have  the  composition  of  that 
of  the  iron  meteorites  uninfluenced  by  the  accompanying  silicates,  but  such  is  not  the  case. 

Again,  the  outlines  of  the  crystal  individuals  in  the  Long  Island  meteorite  are  sharply  and  fully  developed  and  are 
in  stable  and  magmatic  position  with  reference  to  each  other.  Some  of  them  are  larger  than  the  individual  chondri 
and  yet  exhibit  no  sign  of  wear  or  fracture.  Accordingly  the  believers  in  the  tuffaceous  character  of  all  stone 
meteorites  would  find,  I  think,  little  to  support  their  views  in  an  examination  of  this  stone.  I  can  see  no  indications 
in  its  structure  of  any  other  origin  than  one  of  cooling  in  place  from  a  fused  magma. 

An  analysis  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols,  as  follows: 


Metallic.      SoL  in  HCL 

Insoluble. 

Total. 

Si02  

9.  11 

26.54 

35.65 

A1A  

1.  64 

1.44 

3.08 

FeO  

17.  19 

5.66 

22.85 

MgO  

8.  99 

13.75 

22.74 

CaO  

0.  02 

1.38 

1.40 

NajO  

0.  00 

0.25 

0.25 

K,0  

0.  00 

0.03 

0.03 

H2O  above  100°  

1.  52 

1.52 

Ti03  

trace 

trace 

P 

0  036 

0  024 

0  060 

s     

1.  900 

1.900 

Cr203  

0.  34 

5.99 

6.33 

NiO  

0.  089 

0.68 

0.769 

CoO  

0.  013 

0.047 

0.060 

MnO  

trace 

trace 

Fe  '  

2.60          

2.60 

Ni      

0.67          

0.67 

Co  

0.036        

0.036 

O  for  Limonite  

0.  90 

0.90 

3.  31          41.  75 

55.79 

100.85 

Less  O—  S  

0.  95 

0.95 

LessO=P  

0.06 

0.04 

0.10 

3.31 


40.74 


55.75 


99.80 


The  most  striking  feature  of  the  composition  revealed  by  this  analysis  is  the  high  percentage  of  Cr2O3.  I  know  of 
no  other  meteorite  which  shows  so  high  a  percentage,  more  than  1  per  cent  being  rare.  Most  of  this  was  found  in  the 
insoluble  portion  and  may  hence  be  referred  to  chromite,  especially  as  examination  of  sections  with  the  microscope 
shows  a  large  quantity  of  the  red  translucent  grains  which  indicate  that  mineral.  It  may  be  worthy  of  remark,  how- 
ever, that  the  chromium  mineral  of  the  meteorite  was  more  easily  decomposed  than  ordinary  chromite.  Although 
left  as  an  insoluble  residue  after  fusion  with  sodium  carbonate,  it  went  into  solution  on  treatment  with  sulphuric  acid 
without  requiring  a  separate  fusion  with  acid  sulphate  of  potash.  The  percentage  of  .Cr203  noted  in  the  soluble  por- 
tion of  the  meteorite  may  probably  be  regarded  as  a  constituent  of  the  chrysolite,  although  its  quantity  here  is  above 
the  average. 

The  quantity  of  A12O3,  shown  in  the  soluble  portion  of  the  above  analysis,  is  unusually  high  and  is  difficult  to 
account  for,  although  it  has  not  infrequently  been  reported  by  other  analysts  as  a  constituent  of  the  soluble  portion  of 
meteorites. 

Grouping  the  compounds  of  the  above  analysis  which  are  known  to  enter  into  the  composition  of  nickel-iron, 
chrysolite,  and  bronzite,  the  following  may  be  deduced  as  the  probable  composition  of  these  three  ingredients: 

COMPOSITION  OF  NICKEL-IRON. 

Fe » 78.  65 

Ni 20.  26 

Co 1.09 

100.00 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  283 

COMPOSITION  OF  SOLUBLE  SILICATES  (CHIEFLY  CHRYSOLITE). 

Si02 36.88 

MgO 36. 40 

FeO 18. 62 

AljO, ." 6.  64 

Cr,O3 1. 38 

CaO..  0.08 


100.00 
Ratio  of  2RO:SiO,::  1.9997:1. 

COMPOSITION  OF  INSOLUBLE  SILICATES  (CHIEFLY  BRONZITE  AND  MONOCLINIC  PYROXENES). 

SiO,. 56. 52 

Al,Oj 3. 07 

FeO 6.05 

MgO 29.28 

CaO 2.  94 

CoO 0.10 

NiO 1.45 

0. 53 
0. 06 


100.00 
Ratio  of  RO:SiO2::l:l-0148. 

To  place  the  alkalies  in  the  pyroxenes,  as  is  here  done,  is  contrary  to  the  usual  custom,  it  being  common  to 
assume  that  they  are  present  as  feldspars.  But  as  no  feldspars  could  be  detected  in  the  slides  and  as  alkalies  are  known 
to  enter  into  the  composition  of  pyroxenes  in  pmall  amount,  the  conclusion  here  adopted  eeems  the  more  reasonable 
one.  No  attempt  was  made  to  differentiate  the  two  pyroxenes  chemically,  as  I  know  of  no  guide  for  this.  The  amount 
of  monoclinic  pyroxene  which  can  be  seen  in  sections  is  very  small,  so  that  the  above  can  practically  be  regarded  as 
bronzite.  It  may  seriously  be  questioned,  however,  whether  digestion  in  hydrochloric  acid  can  be  relied  upon  to 
wholly  separate  the  chrysolite  and  bronzite,  for  with  longer  digestion  some  of  the  bronzite  is  apt  to  go  into  solution,  or, 
with  shorter  treatment,  some  of  the  chrysolite  may  not  be  decomposed.  Further  investigation  of  this  subject  should 
be  made. 

Taking  all  the  probable  ingredient  minerals  of  the  rock  into  consideration,  the  following  is  perhaps  the  best  esti- 
mate that  can  at  present  be  made  as  to  its  probable  composition: 

Bronzite  and  monoclinic  pyroxenes 47. 05 

Chrysolite 24.  74 

Limonite 10. 50 

Chromite 8. 83 

Troilite 5. 24 

Schreibersite 0. 23 

Nickel-iron .' 3.31 

Oxides  of  cobalt  and  nickel 0. 10 


100.00 

Here  the  limonite  is  probably  of  secondary  or  terrestrial  origin  and  should  perhaps  be  divided  up  about  equally 
between  the  nickel-iron  and  troilite  in  estimating  the  preterrestrial  composition  of  the  rock.  The  composition  as 
shown  above  of  about  one-half  bronzite  accords  well  with  what  one  can  observe  after  treating  a  section  with  hydro- 
chloric acid  so  as  to  dissolve  out  the  chrysolite,  for  an  extensive  framework  made  up  of  bronzite  then  remains.  The 
high  percentage  of  chromite  indicated  by  the  analysis  is  also  in  accordance  with  observations  made  with  the  microscope. 

The  resemblance  of  the  meteorite  to  terrestrial  peridotites  is,  as  noted  by  Weinschenk,  very  marked,  and  the  con- 
stant association  both  in  terrestrial  and  extraterrestrial  regions  of  the  elements  and  minerals  which  compose  rocks  of 
this  class  indicates  laws  of  association  which  are  not  yet  comprehended. 

Brezina  4  in  1904  changed  his  classification  of  the  meteorite  to  veined  intermediate  chon- 
drite  (Cia). 

The  meteorite  is  distributed  but  the  larger  part  is  in  the  Field  Museum  collection. 


284  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  307. 

2.  1895:  WBINSCHENK.    Meteoritenstudien  I. — 1.  Long  Island,  Phillips  County,  Kansas.    Tsch.  Min.  Petr.  Mitth., 

Bd.  14,  pp.  471-473. 

3.  1902:  FARRINQTON.    Meteorite  studies  I.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  1,  pp.  287-300. 

4.  1904:  BBEZINA..    Catalogue  of  the  Ward  Coonley  collection  of  meteorites,  p.  98. 


Los  Angeles.    See  Shingle  Springs. 


LOS  REYES. 

Mexico  D.  F.,  Mexico. 

Latitude  19°  107  N.,  longitude  98°  50'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om).  of  Brezina. 

Found  1897;  described  1902. 

Weight,  19.5  kgs.  (43  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Farrington,1  who  regarded  it  as  probably  a  member  of  the 
Toluca  fall.  Studies  made  in  connection  with  this  catalogue,  however,  make  it  seem  probable 
that  it  should  be  considered  an  independent  fall.  Farrington's  account  is  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  was  obtained  for  the  museum  in  the  spring  of  1897  from  Mr.  E.  0.  Matthews  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 
It  was  brought  him  by  some  native  Mexicans  or  peons  who  reported  that  they  nad  found  it  some  months  before  at  Los 
Reyes  while  plowing.  This  is  all  the  evidence  obtainable  regarding  the  manner  of  its  discovery.  The  meteorite  is 
of  the  metallic  variety  (aerosiderite)  and  is  a  complete  individual.  Its  weight  entire  is  43  pounds  (19.5  kg.).  Its 
form  (illustrated  by  cuts)  is  roughly  that  of  a  steep  triangular  pyramid  whose  greatest  length  is  24  cm.  (9.5  inches), 
and  greatest  width  15  cm.  (6  inches).  The  sides  of  the  pyramid  are  deeply  hollowed  and  rounded  so  that  the  contours 
of  the  mass  are  curved,  and  at  one  of  the  edges  it  extends  out  in  the  form  of  a  thin  wing.  On,  one  side  near  the  base 
are  two  especially  deep  and  well-marked  pits  side  by  side,  one  somewhat  conical  in  shape,  the  other  broadly  concave, 
The  diameter  of  the  conical  pit  is  about  45  mm.  (1.75  inehes)  and  its  depth  20  mm.  (0.75  inch).  The  concave  pit  is 
about  63  mm.  (2.5  inches)  in  diameter  and  12  mm.  (0.5  inch)  deep.  These  pits  probably  mark  areas  of  schreibersite 
which  were  fused  out  during  the  passage  of  the  meteorite  to  the  earth.  The  surface  of  the  meteorite  is  of  a  uniform 
dark  brown  color  from  oxidation,  but  the  depth  to  which  oxidation  has  penetrated  is  very  slight,  as  the  merest  scratch 
with  a  file  reveals  the  nickel-white  color  of  the  interior.  The  meteorite  ia  not  of  the  "sweating"  variety  and  exhibits 
no  tendency  to  further  alteration. 

Its  substance  is  tough  and  malleable  to  a  high  degree.  It  is  medium  hard,  cutting  with  some  difficulty  with  a 
hack  saw.  It  takes  a  good  polish,  a  polished  surface  being  of  silver-white  to  nickel-white  color.  Relative  to  copper 
sulphate  the  meteorite  is  active. 

The  iron  has  not  been  sliced,  but  a  triangular  area  63  mm.  by  25  mm.  (2.5  inches  by  1  inch)  was  made  smooth  and 
etched  with  nitric  acid.  The  surface  etched  easily  and  exhibited  well-marked  Widmanstatten  figures.  Two  other 
smaller  surfaces  were  also  etched  on  other  portions  of  the  meteorite.  The  figures  of  the  meteorite  show  that  it  is  to  be 
classed  with  Brezina's  group  46  (octahedrite  with  lamellae  of  medium  width)  or  Meunier's  group  7  (arvaite).  The 
bands  of  the  etching  figures  are  not  of  uniform  width  nor  do  they  extend  continuously  for  any  great  distance.  They 
are  of  the  type  described  by  German  writers  as  "wulstige"  (swollen).  The  longest  one  is  11  mm.  (0.45  inch)  in  length 
and  its  contour  is  very  irregular.  Only  the  two  alloys,  kamacite  and  tsenite,  seem  to  be  present.  The  former  is  iron 
gray  in  color  and  occasionally  has  a  well-marked  granular  structure.  The  latter,  filling  the  areas  between  the  kamacite 
bands,  is  now  more  or  less  ribbonlike  and  now  occurs  in  curvilinear  areas.  Much  of  it  appears  connected  through  the 
section,  giving  the  impression  of  a  network  in  which  the  kamacite  is  embedded.  It  shades  to  a  bronze  color  as  con- 
trasted with  the  iron  gray  of  the  kamacite  and  is  left  standing  in  relief  by  the  etching.  Under  the  lens  its  surface 
appears  very  rough,  the  etching  of  the  acid  acting  upon  it  more  irregularly  than  upon  the  kamacite.  The  only  other 
mineral  appearing  in  abundance  in  the  meteorite  is  schreibersite,  which  occurs  in  long  narrow  bands  or  in  irregular 
star  like  forms.  These  areas  are  bounded  by  kamacite  (swathing  kamacite).  Decomposition  has  taken  place  usually 
along  the  schreibersite  bands,  and  these  decomposed  areas  appear  as  dark  marks  on  the  etched  surface. 

Troilite  seems  to  be  almost  entirely  absent  from  the  meteorite.  Only  two  minute  nodules  are  to  be  seen  on  the 
surfaces  which  have  been  etched  and  the  percentage  of  sulphur  obtained  by  analysis  corresponds  to  a  content  of  only 
0.07  per  cent.  The  presence  of  cohenite  is  indicated  by  the  carbon  found  by  analysis,  but  it  was  not  observed  on  the 
etched  surfaces. 

An  analysis  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols,  the  methods  employed  being  briefly  as  follows: 
Material  for  the  analysis  was  secured  by  a  boring  made  with  a  0.25-inch  drill.  The  amount  of  substance  used  was 
2.4353  grams.  In  order  to  prevent  loss  of  sulphur  and  phosphorus  the  borings  were  placed  in  a  flask  and  first  treated 
with  fuming  nitric  acid,  to  which  they  remained  passive,  and  then  hydrochloric  acid  was  gradually  added  cold  until 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  285 

solution  was  complete.  Sulphur  was  weighed  as  barium  sulphate.  Phosphorus  was  determined  by  Eggertz's  method 
as  phoephomolybdate,  the  quantity  being  too  small  to  allow  of  a  magnesium  pyrophosphate  determination.  Iron 
was  separated  by  one  ammonia  and  three  basic  acetate  and  one  final  ammonia  precipitation.  Manganese  was  separated 
by  the  sodium  acetate  method.  Copper,  cobalt,  and  nickel  were  precipitated  as  sulphides  in  acetic  acid  solution, 
cobalt  and  nickel  separated  by  potassium  nitrite,  and  all  weighed  from  electrolytic  deposition.  Carbon  was  determined 
in  an  independent  sample  by  oxidation  in  chromic  acid  after  the  method  described  by  Ttla.ii- 
The  analysis  gave  the  following  results: 

Fe 90.56 

Ni 7.71 

Co 1.07 

Cu 0. 14 

Mn Trace. 

P 0. 24 

C 0.01 

S a  025 

Si 0.006 

Insoluble 0.09 

99.85 

Omitting  silicon  and  insoluble  matter  the  analysis  indicates  that  the  meteorite  has  the  following  mineralogical 
composition: 

Nickel  iron  (Fe,  Ni,  Co,  Cu,  Mn) 97. 98 

Schreibersite 1. 55 

Cohenite 0. 15 

Troilite...  0.07 


99.75 

As  the  locality  where  the  meteorite  was  found  may  be  said  in  &  certain  sense  to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Toluca,  it 
becomes  an  important  question  from  the  standpoint  of  the  collector  to  determine  whether  the  specimen  is  to  be  regarded 
a  portion  of  the  Toluca  fall.  Los  Reyes  is  about  40  miles  (62  km.)  in  a  direct  line  east  of  Toluca.  It  is  the  little  station 
at  the  southern  end  of  Lake  Texcoco  where  the  Morelos  division  of  the  Interoceanic  Railway  joins  the  main  line,  about 
12  miles  southeast  of  the  City  of  Mexico.  On  the  same  line  of  railroad  25  miles  from  the  City  of  Mexico  is  the  town  of 
Ameca-Ameca  where  the  find  of  another  iron  meteorite  has  been  reported  by  Castillo.  Castillo  classes  this  iron  with 
the  Toluca  meteorites,  and  describes  the  "zone"  of  Toluca  meteorites  as  extending  from  Ameca-Ameca  on  the  east  to 
Xiquipilco  in  the  valley  of  Toluca  [on  the  west].  If  Castillo  is  right  in  this  conclusion  the  Los  Reyes  meteorite  comes 
within  this  zone,  as  Los  Reyes  is  some  15  miles  (23  km.)  nearer  Toluca  than  Ameca-Ameca.  Castillo  unfortunately 
gives  no  description  of  the  Ameca-Ameca  meteorite  by  which  its  resemblance  or  otherwise  to  the  known  specimens 
from  Toluca  can  be  determined.  He  simply  describes  it  as  a  "small  nodule  of  meteoric  iron  found  in  the  village  [of 
that  name]  and  now  preserved  in  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico."  If  it  is  correct  thus  to  group  the  Ameca-Ameca 
meteorite  (and .hence  Los  Reyes)  with  Toluca,  a  distribution  of  50  or  60  miles  at  least  must  be  conceded  to  this  fall, 
Ixtlahuaca  and  Xiquipilco,  the  two  localities  in  the  Valley  of  Toluca  where  many  of  the  Toluca  meteorites  are  found, 
being  10  miles  farther  from  Ameca-Ameca  than  Toluca  itself.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Fletcher,  after  a  careful 
study  of  Mexican  meteorites  with  especial  regard  to  the  supposed  occurrence  of  widespread  meteoritic  showers,  reached 
a  negative  conclusion  as  regards  the  wide  extent  of  such  showers,  this  opinion  being  similar  to  one  in  regard  to  such 
showers  in  general  which  he  had  expressed  in  an  earlier  paper.  According  to  Fletcher  the  distribution  of  the  Toluca 
meteorites  as  they  have  been  reported  from  localities  distant  from  Toluca  was  probably  due  to  human  agency.  With 
reference  to  the  Ameca-Ameca  meteorite  he  states  that  "Ameca-Ameca  is  a  town  where  there  are  now  iron  foundries, 
and  where  plows,  castings,  smoothing  irons,  mill  wheels,  and  other  articles  are  manufactured,"  to  show  that  Toluca 
iron  might  have  been  carried  there  for  manufacturing  purposes.  With  regard  to  this  report  of  the  state  of  manufacturing 
enterprises  in  Ameca-Ameca,  I  fear  that  the  distinguished  authority  of  the  British  Museum  has  been  misinformed,  for 
I  have  spent  weary  days  in  the  town  without  having  learned  of  the  existence  of  such  industry. 

The  fact  brought  out  by  Fletcher  to  the  effect  that  no  known  meteorite  shower  has  a  greater  distribution  than 
16  miles  is  a  more  important  one  in  the  study  of  this  case,  and  the  evidence  at  hand  in  this  instance  is  hardly  sufficient 
to  enable  us  to  assert  that  the  Toluca  shower  had  a  wider  extent. 

The  meteorite  may  of  course  have  reached  Los  Reyes  by  the  agency  of  man,  but  on  the  whole  the  indications  are 
that  it  fell  where  it  was  found.  The  statements  of  the  finders  were  plain  and  simple,  the  meteorite  bears  no  marks 
showing  any  attempt  to  use  it  for  economic  purposes,  and  the  price  at  which  it  was  purchased  was  lower  than  any  one 
who  had  brought  it  from  Toluca  would  probably  have  sold  it  for.  If  the  iron  fell  where  it  was  found  it  is  important  to 
determine  whether  it  was  an  independent  fall  or  whether  its  resemblance  to  known  Toluca  irons  is  sufficient  to  make 
it  probable  that  it  fell  at  the  time  of  the  Toluca  shower.  Here  again  no  positive  evidence  is  at  hand,  but  the  chances 
are,  in  my  opinion,  in  favor  of  the  latter  conclusion.  The  meteorite  certainly  does  not  differ  sufficiently  from  known 
Toluca  irons  so  that  its  independent  origin  can  be  asserted,  and  on  the  whole  it  resembles  them  considerably.  Pub- 
lished analyses  of  Toluca  irons  give  percentages  varying  somewhat  widely,  within  which  limits  the  Los  Reyes  values 


286  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

may  certainly  be  included.    For  purposes  of  comparison  of  analyses,  several  that  have  been  made  of  Toluca  irons  by 
different  authorities  are  given  below: 

1.  Taylor,  Amer.  Jour.,  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  XXII.    374.    1856. 

2  and  3.  Pugh,  Annal.  der  Chem.  und  Pharm.    XCVII.    385.    1856. 

4.  Nason,  Jour.  Prakt.  Chemie.    LXXI.     123.     1857. 

1                23               4  .    Loa  Reyes. 

Fe 90.72        90.74        87.89        90.133  90.56 

Ni 8.49         7.78          9.06      1  f  7.71 

Co 0.44          0.72          1.07       f  \  1.07 

Cu 0.03          ....            ....  0.14 

Mn 0.20            trace 

S 0.03          trace  0.025 

0 ....  0.01 

P 0.18          0.24          0.62          0.376  0.24 

X 0.63          ....          0.22          2.225 

Insoluble  residue. . .                                        0. 34  0. 096 


100.46        99.88        99.06        99.975        99.851 

The  resemblance  in  chemical  composition  to  the  average  of  Toluca  irons  is  thus  seen  to  be  close.  Further,  the 
etching  figures  come  within  the  limits  found  in  Toluca  irons,  since  these  vary  considerably  in  detail  as  is  well  known. 
The  meteorite  will  be  designated,  therefore,  as  Toluca  (Los  Reyes). 

The  features  of  the  above  account  which  seem  to  warrant  regarding  the  meteorite  an  inde- 
pendent fall  are  the  distance  (40  miles)  of  its  place  of  find  from  Toluca  and  the  abundance  of 
schreibersite  and  lack  of  troilite  which  the  meteorite  shows.  In  the  Toluca  meteorites  schrei- 
bersite  is  usually  lacking  or  occurs  only  in  compound  nodules,  and  troilite  is  abundant. 

The  meteorite  is  preserved  entire  in  the  collection  of  the  Field  Museum,  Chicago. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1902:  FARKINGTON.    Meteorite  Studies,  I.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  1,  pp.  305-310. 


LOSTTOWN. 

Losttown  Creek,  Cherokee  County,  Georgia. 

Latitude  34°  10'  N.,  longitude  84°  30'  W. 

Found,  1868. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Lockportite  (type  16),  of  Meunier. 

Weight,  3  kgs.  (6  Ibs.  10  ozs.) 

This  mass  was  first  described  by  Shepard,1  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  plowed  up  in  April,  1868,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Michael  Sullivan,  2.5  miles  southwest  of  Losttown, 
Cherokee  County,  Georgia.  It  weighs  6  pounds,  10  ounces,  and  has  a  very  striking  resemblance  in  form  to  a  human 
foot.  Its  color  is  almost  perfectly  black,  and  is  wholly  free  from  stains  of  iron  rust.  It  exhibits  no  tendency  to  exfoli- 
ation, nor  is  it  uniformly  covered  by  a  fused  coating.  Widmannst&tten  figures  are  visible  directly  in  one  portion  of 
the  surface.  The  indentations  are  broad  and  shallow,  though  on  the  whole  well  pronounced.  A  thin  slice  weighing 
27  grams  was  sawed  from  the  heel  end  of  the  mass.  The  hardness  proved  uniform,  no  pyrites  having  been  encoun- 
tered in  the  section.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  fragment  is  7.52.  On  being  etched  with  dilute  nitric  acid,  very  beau- 
tiful WidmannstStten  figures  were  presented,  not  quite  identical  with  any  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  but  most  nearly 
resembling  those  of  the  Seneca  Lake  iron,  the  difference  between  the  two  consisting  mainly  in  a  less  breadth  to  the 
bars  by  about  one-third  in  the  former  of  these  irons.  I  have  thus  far  found  time  only  to  examine  the  filings  (or  rather 
sawings)  of  this  iron  for  sulphur  and  nickel.  The  first  is  wholly  wanting,  while  the  latter  is  abundantly  present. 

A  year  later  Shepard  2  gave  an  analysis  of  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

Fe  Ni          Cr,  Co,  Sn,  Mg        Insoluble  residue 

95.759        3.660  traces  0.58  =99.999 

Brezina  s  described  the  structure  as  follows : 

Losttown  presents  a  somewhat  irregular  structure;  plates  0.4  to  0.6  mm.  broad;  lamellae  partly  grouped,  partly 
isolated,  always  puffy;  kamacite  flecked,  sometimes  granular,  sometimes  not;  tsenite  well  developed,  fields  now  largo 
and  predominating  over  the  kamacite,  now  almost  lacking,  generally  dark,  flecked,  and  glistening,  for  the  most  part 
entirely  without  combs;  in  the  infrequent  case  where  combs  are  present,  they  fill  the  fields  entirely.  Schreibersite  is 
abundant  and  irregularly  distributed. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  287 

Both  Brezina  and  Wulfing  included  the  Canton  meteorite  under  this  fall,  but  erroneously, 
since  the  latter  is  of  different  structure. 

The  locality,  Losttown,  given  by  Shepard1  is  not  shown  on  maps  as  a  settlement.  There 
is,  however,  a  creek  by  this  name  in  Cherokee  County  to  which  locality  the  meteorite  can 
probably  be  referred  with  propriety. 

The  principal  mass  of  the  meteorite  (6  pounds,  10  ounces)  is  in  the  Amherst  College  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1868:  SHEPABD.    A  new  locality  of  meteoric  iron  in  Georgia.    Amer.  Joum.  ScL,  2d  ser.,  vol.  46,  pp.  257-258. 

2.  1869:  SHEPARD.    Notices  of  new  meteoric  irona  in  the  United  States.    3.  Composition  of  meteoric  iron  from  Lost- 

town,  Cherokee  County,  Georgia.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  47,  p.  234.    (Analysis.) 

3.  1895:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  279. 


Louisiana.    See  Red  River. 


LUCKY  HILL. 

St.  Elizabeth,  Jamaica,  West  Indies. 
Latitude  18°  1<X  N.,  longitude  77°  20'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Found,  1885. 
Weight  (assignable),  3,406  grams  (7  Ibs.). 

Regarding  the  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  little  or  nothing  seems  to  have  been 
published.  It  is  mentioned  in  several  catalogues  with  the  above  data,  but  no  more.  The  first 
mention  seems  to  have  been  by  von  Hauer  *  in  1886. 

Brezina  J  makes  the  following  mention: 
Lucky  Hill  (medium  octahedrite)  is  a  deeply  divided  iron  which  in  pieces  is  entirely  broken  up  into  lamellae. 

Wulfing s  includes  in  the  literature  of  this  fall  an  account  of  a  meteor  seen  by  Barham  in 
Jamaica  about  1700,  the  account  being  published  in  1720.  There  seems  to  be  no  reason  for 
connecting  the  two,  however. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  (3,280  grams)  in  the  Museum  of  Practical  Geology, 
London. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1886:  v.  HAUER.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  2  (Not.),  p.  39. 

2.  1895:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  282. 

3.  1897:  WULPING.     Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  215. 


LUIS  LOPEZ. 
Socorro  County,  New  Mexico. 
Latitude  34°  N.,  longitude  106°  58'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Found,  1896. 
Weight,  6,903  grams  (15  Iba.). 

This  meteorite  has  been  described  wholly  by  Preston  *  as  follows: 

The  Luis  Lopez  siderite  is  somewhat  rectangular  in  shape  and  measures  80  by  130  by  195  mm.  in  its  greatest  diame- 
ters; it  is  the  property  of  Prof.  Henry  A.  Ward,  of  Chicago. 

When  received  by  Professor  Ward  it  was  entire,  lacking  possibly  40  or  50  grams  that  had  been  sawed  off  one  of  the 
prominent  protuberances.  The  actual  weight  when  received  was  6,903  grams.  The  general  shape  of  the  mass  was 
quite  symmetrical  and  covered  on  all  sides  with  large  and  prominent  pittings. 

The  outer  surface  was  entirely  covered,  save  the  small  cutting,  with  a  rather  lustrous  reddish-brown  crust.  On 
cutting  the  mass  numerous  troilite  nodules  ranging  in  size  from  8  to  28  mm.  in  diameter  were  found,  some  sections 
containing  as  many  as  four  nodules  of  large  size.  There  were  numerous  straight  fissures  1  mm.  or  less  in  thickness,  and 
from  40  to  70  mm.  in  length,  which  are  filled  with  troilite. 


288  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

On  etching  the  surface  of  these  sections  the  Widmanstatten  figures  are  brought  out,  sharp  and  distinct;  they  are 
typically  octahedral,  and  composed  of  broad  laminae,  the  kamacite  bands  being  from  1  to  3  mm.  in  diameter,  and  up  to 
41  mm.  in  length,  in  some  cases  without  a  break. 

There  are  also  numerous  small  streaks  or  seams  of  schreibersite,  the  longest  as  far  as  observed  being  8  mm.  and  a 
trifle  less  than  1  mm.  in  width. 

The  troilite  nodules  are  likewise  surrounded  by  a  very  narrow  band  of  schreibersite,  which  presents  a  strong  con- 
trast between  the  silvery  white  kamacite  bands  and  the  bronze-colored  troilite  nodules.  In  some  few  instances  a  black 
graphitic  substance  from  1  to  3  mm.  in  width  is  seen  surrounding  the  troilite  nodules  between  the  narrow  band  of 
schreibersite  and  the  kamacite.  The  minute  hairlike  lines  commonly  called  laphamite  markings  are  abundant  in  the 
rhomboidal  patches  known  as  plessite.  These  lines  are  caused  by  minute  alternating  layers  of  kamacite  and  taenite, 
plessite,  as  proved  by  J.  M.  Davison ,  being  formed  in  this  way,  and  not  a  different  nickel-iron  alloy  as  formerly  supposed. 

This  meteorite  was  found  in  the  early  part  of  1896  by  a  Mexican  named  Gonzales,  who  was  very  reticent  for  a  long 
tune  about  giving  its  exact  locality,  supposing  he  had  found  indications  of  a  valuable  mine.  But  later  Mr.  T.  C.  Brown, 
of  Socorro,  New  Mexico,  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  mass,  and  was  informed  by  the  Mexican  that  he  had  made  further 
search  for  more  pieces  but  found  none.  He  had  picked  this  piece  up  about  5  miles  southwest  of  Socorro  near  the  hamlet 
of  Luis  Lopez. 

In  the  autumn  of  1896  the  mass  as  found  passed  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  A.  B.  Fitch,  of  Magdalena,  New  Mexico, 
who  retained  it  in  his  possession  until  June,  1899,  when  it  was  purchased  by  Professor  Ward. 

From  its  near  proximity  to  the  above  hamlet  we  will  designate  this  siderite  as  the  Luis  Lopez  meteorite,  Socorro 
County,  New  Mexico. 

An  analysis  by  Mariner  and  Hoskins,  of  Chicago,  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Si  P  S  0 

91.312        8.17        0.160         trace        0.333        0.013        0.012    =100.00 

Specific  gravity,  7.7. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Ward  possessing  the.  largest  amount,  3,124  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1900:  PRESTON.    Two  new  American  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  9,  pp.  283-285. 


LUMPKIN. 

Stewart  County,  Georgia. 

Latitude  32°  3'  N.,  longitude  84°  45'  W. 

Stone.    Crystalline  spherical  chondrite  (Cck)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  11.45  a.  m.  October  6,  1869. 

Weight,  357  grams  (12.25  ozs.). 

Mention  of  this  fall  was  made  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  for  September,  1870,1 
and  in  the  following  November  a  full  account  was  published  by  Willet 2  as  follows : 

In  October,  1869,  I  learned  that  a  meteoric  explosion  had  taken  place  in  Stewart  County,  Georgia.  I  immediately 
requested  Hon.  John  T.  Clarke,  a  resident  of  the  county  adjoining  Stewart,  to  inquire  whether  any  stone  or  stones  had 
fallen,  and  to  endeavor  to  procure  them  for  Mercer  University.  Judge  Clarke,  after  considerable  labor,  was  entirely 
successful  in  his  search;  and  through  him  Mr.  Barlow,  in  whose  yard  the  meteorite  descended,  generously  presented 
it  to  our  museum.  To  Judge  Clarke  and  to  Mr.  Latimer  I  am  indebted  for  the  following  history  of  the  phenomena 
attending  the  descent  of  the  meteorite. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Latimer,  of  Bladens  Creek,  Stewart  County,  has  kindly  furnished  the  following  particulars  of  the  flight 
of  the  body  through  the  air,  and  of  the  several  explosions  which  occurred  nearly  vertically  above  him: 

"The  morning  of  October  6,  1869,  was  quite  clear,  scarcely  any  cloud  being  visible,  and  was  quite  calm;  about 
10  a.  m.  the  atmosphere  grew  somewhat  hazy,  no  clouds;  at  about  15  or  20  minutes  before  12  m.  a  roaring,  rushing 
sound  was  heard  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  about  80°  above  the  horizon.  In  a  moment  or  two  it  was  almost 
directly  overhead,  at  which  point  a  loud  explosion  occurred,  followed  in  rapid  succession  by  six  other  reports,  but 
less  in  volume  than  the  first,  making  seven  in  all.  The  explosions  appeared  as  loud  as  a  12-pound  cannon  at  a  dis- 
tance of  10  or  12  miles.  These  explosions  did  not  occur  all  at  the  same  point  in  the  heavens,  but  seemd  to  emanate 
from  some  body  moving  rapidly  to  the  southeast.  After  the  explosions  a  peculiar  whirling  sound  was  heard,  appar- 
ently produced  by  some  large  irregular  body  moving  very  rapidly.  This  also  went  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  This 
sound  was  heard  for  several  seconds;  many  have  compared  it,  and  aptly  too,  to  an  imperfect  steam  whistle.  I  have 
no  precise  idea  of  the  time  consumed  in  all  this  demonstration;  some  persons  say  several  minutes,  but  I  think  10  or 
15  seconds  would  about  cover  the  time. 

"  As  the  larger  body  was  going  out  of  hearing,  some  moments  after  the  explosions,  a  smaller  one  passed  to  the  south- 
west, with  just  such  a  noise  as  is  always  produced  by  a  flying  fragment  of  a  shell  after  its  explosion  or  of  any  angular 
body  cast  violently  through  the  air.  This  piece  descended  to  the  earth,  distinctly  traced  in  its  passage  by  many  per- 
sons, and  struck  in  the  yard  of  Capt.  E.  Barlow,  which  point  of  contact  is,  on  an  air  line,  about  2.5  miles  from  a  per- 
pendicular beneath  where  the  explosions  occurred.  This  is  the  only  one  known  to  have  fallen  in  this  section. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  289 

"The  explosions,  together  with  the  rushing  sound  afterwards,  were  heard  over  a  region  about  30  miles  northeast 
and  southwest  and  50  or  60  miles  northwest  and  southeast.  No  eho^k  was  felt,  at  least  no  tremor  of  the  earth. 

"Two  men  say  that  they  were  looking  in  the  exact  direction  01  the  explosions  at  the  time  they  occurred,  and  saw 
a  quantity  of  vapor,  much  like  the  volume  of  steam  escaping  from  the  pipe  of  an  engine,  at  each  successive  stroke; 
which  vapor  or  mist  was  violently  agitated,  and  increased  in  bulk  with  each  successive  report,  but  disappeared  soon 
after  the  cessation  of  the  reports.  This  corroborates  the  testimony  of  some  of  my  own  laborers,  who  say  that  immedi- 
ately after  the  explosions  something  like  a  thin  cloud  cast  its  shadow  over  the  field  they  were  in." 

Hon.  John  T.  Clarke,  of  Cuthbert,  Georgia,  who  has  interested  himself  in  collecting  the  history  of  the  meteorite, 
and  through  whose  influence  it  has  come  into  the  possession  of  Mercer  University,  writes  me  the  following  particulars 
of  its  fall: 

"  It  fell  about  11.30  a.  m:  on  October  6,  1869,  in  Stewart  County,  Georgia,  on  the  premises  of  Elbridge  Barlow, 
about  12  miles  southwest  of  Lumpkin.  Captain  Barlow  picked  it  up  a  few  moments  after  it  fell.  His  account  of  it  is 
this:  While  standing  in  the  open  yard,  the  sky  being  bright  and  clear,  he  heard  first  a  succession  of  about  three  explo- 
sions, followed  by  a  deep  roaring  for  several  seconds,  and  then  by  a  rushing  or  whizzing  sound  of  something  rushing 
with  great  speed  through  the  air  near  by.  The  sound  ceased  suddenly.  The  noise  continued  from  first  to  last  about 
half  a  minute.  Two  negroes  were  washing  near  the  well  in  the  same  yard,  about  60  yards  from  where  Mr.  Barlow  stood. 
They  heard  the  noise  and  supposed  it  to  be  the  falling  in  of  the  plank  well  curbing,  banging  from  side  to  side  in  its 
descent,  and  so  spoke  of  it  to  one  another  before  the  meteorite  fell.  While  they  were  speaking  thus  about  the  noise, 
the  meteorite  fell  and  struck  the  ground  about  20  steps  from  them,  in  full  sight,  knocking  up  the  dirt.  They  called 
Captain  Barlow  and  showed  him  the  spot.  It  was  upon  very  hard  trodden  ground  in  the  clean  open  yard.  The  earth 
was  freshly  loosened  up  very  fine  in  a  circle  of  about  18  inches  in  diameter,  and  upon  scraping  the  loose  dirt  away 
with  the  hands  the  stone  was  found  about  10  inches  below  the  surface.  From  the  direction  in  which  the  ground  was 
crushed  in  it  must  have  come  from  the  northwest,  and  at  an  angle  of  about  30°  with  the  horizon.  The  stone  when 
picked  up  was  covered  all  over  with  the  black  shell  which  it  has  now,  except  a  triangular  spot  on  one  comer  about 
1  inch  each  way,  where  the  corner  appeared  freshly  knocked  off;  and  about  four  other  spots  near  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
in  diameter  where  the  shell  was  slightly  knocked  off.  The  other  bruises  which  are  found  upon  it  have'been  made 
since  its  fall  by  persons  who  have  handled  it.  The  stone  still  has  a  strong  odor.  Captain  Barlow  says  it  smelled 
stronger  when  he  first  picked  it  up.  He  does  not  remember  that  it  had  any  noticeable  heat.  It  was  not  cold,  as  a 
stone  found  so  deep  in  the  ground  should  be. 

"The  stone  weighs  now  12.25  ounces;  about  0.5  ounce  has  been  pecked  off  from  it.  Ite  color  within  is  strikingly 
like  very  light  granite;  and,  with  the  exceptions  above  noted,  it  is  entirely  covered  with  a  smooth  almost  black  shell, 
a  trifle  thicker  than  common  letter  paper,  so  that  externally  it  looks  very  much  like  a  lump  of  iron  ore.  It  is  an 
irregular  seven-sided  figure,  its  longest  side  being  about  2.75  inches  long.  If  put  into  a  spherical  form  it  would  make 
a  ball  about  1.75  inches  in  diameter.  So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain  no  other  parts  have  been  found. 

"The  noise  attending  this  phenomenon  is  variously  described  by  different  persons,  and  from  different  places. 
Two  intelligent  ladies  residing  about  4  miles  south  of  Lumpkin,  nearly  east  of  where  the  stone  fell  and  about  10  or 
12  miles  off,  describe  it  thus:  While  sitting  in  the  house  they  heard,  as  it  were,  the  sound  of  a  great  fire  suddenly 
bursting  forth  from  some  confinement  into  the  open  air.  They  rushed  out  of  doors  and  heard  the  roaring  sound  con- 
tinuing for  several  seconds.  They  located  the  source  of  the  noise  in  the  direction  of  Barlow's. 

"  In  Cuthbert,  about  18  miles  nearly  southeast  from  Barlow's,  a  gentleman  engaged  in  a  workshop  heard  a  lum- 
bering noise,  which  he  took  to  be  several  heavy  pieces  of  machinery  in  an  adjoining  room  falling  down  one  after  another. 
On  going  in  he  found  no  one,  and  thought  that  he  had  mistaken  the  cause  of  the  noise.  Many  persons  here  heard 
sounds  like  repeated  thunder  followed  by  roaring.  Some  say  that  they  first  heard  several  rapid,  crackling  explosions, 
like  that  of  volleys  of  small  arms,  followed  immediately  by  the  louder  burst  of  artillery.  Most  persons  here  thought 
the  noise  came  from  the  southeast,  passed  over  the  place  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  and  died  away  in  the  distant 
northwest. 

"The  foregoing  statements  have  been  selected  from  many  in  circulation  showing  how  differently  the  senses  were 
affected  at  different  points.  The  facts  are  purposely  presented  in  their  nakedness." 

The  above  accounts  agree  as  to  the  main  facts.  They  were  furnished  by  Mr.  Latimer  and  Judge  Clarke,  without 
being  compared  by  them.  It  is  possible  that  a  comparison  of  notes  by  them  might  have  thrown  some  light  on  the 
point  of  greatest  discrepancy,  viz,  the  direction  of  flight.  It  is  probable  that  the  meteorite  came  from  some  point  in 
the  north  quarter;  the  statement  of  Mr.  Latimer,  over  whom  it  exploded,  and  that  of  Mr.  Barlow  as  to  the  direction 
in  which  the  earth  was  penetrated,  concur  in  this  regard.  Persona  in  Cuthbert,  who  represent  it  as  coming  from  the 
south,  may  have  been  mislead  by  an  echo,  mistaking  this  for  the  original  sound. 

Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Smith,  'who  is  giving  special  attention  to  the  subject  of  meteorites,  has  requested  the  privilege 
of  analyzing  the  stone  above  described. 

Smith's3  article  is  as  follows; 

In  October,  1869,  I  learned  through  the  public  press  that  certain  meteoric  phenomena  had  occurred  in  Stewart 
County,  Georgia,  and  that  one  or  more  stones  had  fallen.  Inquiries  were  immediately  instituted  by  me  and 
through  Professor  Willet  I  obtained  for  examination  the  only  stone  found,  one  that  was  seen  to  strike  the  ground,  and 
from  him  received  an  account  of  the  phenomena  observed  at  the  time  by  Messrs.  Latimer,  Clarke,  and  others.  The 
stone  as  it  reached  me  was  nearly  intact  and  weighed  12.25  ounces;  it  must  originally  have  weighed  12.5  ounces.  It 
716°— 15 19 


290  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

is  of  an  irregular  conical  shape,  having  a  flattened  base,  and  is  covered  with  a  dull  heavy  hlack  coating.  The  specific 
gravity  is  3.65.  The  fractured  surface  has  a  grayish  aspect,  and  when  examined  closely,  especially  by  the  aid  of  a 
glass,  exhibits  numerous  greenish  globules  with  a  whitish  granular  material  between;  through  the  mass  are  dark  par- 
ticles consisting  principally  of  nickeliferous  iron,  with  some  pyrites  and  a  few  specks  of  chrome  iron.  The  nodules 
are  sometimes  3  or  more  millimeters  in  diameter,  and  of  an  obscure  fibrous  crystalline  structure,  the  crystals  radi- 
ating usually  from  one  side  of  the  nodule;  they  have  a  dirty  bottle-green  color,  a  greasy  aspect  when  broken,  and  more 
or  less  opaque. 

Some  of  these  little  nodules  were  separated  in  a  tolerable  state  of  purity,  amounting  to  121  milligrams;  on  analysis 

they  afforded: 

Oxygen  ratio. 

Silica .' 48.  62  29.  90) 

Alumina 8. 05  3.  79) 

Iron  protoxide 11.  21  2.  5li  1 

Magnesia 30. 18  11. 80) 

98.06 

The  hardness  of  the  mineral  is  about  6,  and  it  is  quite  tough.  The  formula  would  be  RO,  SiO2,  with  a  part  of  the 
silica  replaced  by  alumina,  a  not  infrequent  case  in  minerals  such  as  hornblende,  hypersthene,  etc.  As  it  is  impossible 
to  derive  any  light  from  its  crystalline  structure  the  above  analysis  warrants  me  in  concluding  that  it  is  either  bron- 
zite  or  hornblende,  but  I  am  more  inclined  to  the  former  supposition,  as  it  appears  to  take  the  place  of  enstatite  in 
many  meteorites.  Nickeliferous  iron  constitutes  about  7  per  cent  of  the  mass,  and  a  portion  separated  in  as  pure  state 
as  possible  afforded  on  analysis: 

Fe  Ni          Co 

86.92      12.01        0.75    =99.68 

These  are  the  proportions  after  allowing  iron  for  a  small  amount  of  sulphur,  present  in  a  minute  quantity  in  the 
nickeliferous  iron,  which  could  not  be  separated  mechanically.  I  did  not  test  for  copper  or  phosphorus;  the  quantity 
of  iron  separated  from  the  stone  did  not  warrant  my  making  special  analyses  for  substances,  the  quantity  of  which 
present  could  only  be  exceedingly  minute. 

The  stony  matter  freed  from  the  iron  was  treated  with  nitro-hydrochloric  acid  and  water,  and  heated  for  some  time 
over  a  water  bath,  renewing  the  water  and  acid  once  or  twice;  the  solution  was  filtered,  and  the  residue  washed;  the 
residue  was  then  treated  with  a  warm  solution  of  caustic  potash,  filtered  and  again  washed.  The  filtrate  was  neutralized 
by  hydrochloric  acid,  and  added  to  the  first  filtrate,  and  the  whole  evaporated  to  dryness  over  a  water  bath,  warmed 
gently  over  the  lamp,  and  treated  with  water  and  a  little  hydrochloric  acid,  thrown  on  a  filter,  the  silica  collected  and 
estimated ;  the  last  filtrate  was  treated  with  a  solution  of  hydrochlorate  of  baryta  to  ascertain  the  quantity  of  sulphuric 
acid  present  (due  to  the  pyrites  in  the  original  mass);  it  was  found  to  indicate  6.10  per  cent  of  magnetic  iron  pyrites. 
The  solution  freed  from  the  excess  of  baryta  was  now  analyzed  in  the  ordinary  way. 

The  insoluble  portion  of  the  meteorite  was  fused  with  carbonate  of  soda  and  a  small  fragment  of  caustic  potash, 
and  its  ingredients  ascertained. 

A  separate  portion  of  the  stony  part  of  the  meteorite  was  examined  for  alkalies. 
The  various  analyses  referred  to  above  gave,  omitting  the  nickeliferous  iron: 

The  part  soluble  in  acid 58.05 

The  part  insoluble  in  acid 41.  95 

Soluble  part.    Insoluble  part. 

Silica 41.08          56.03 

Alumina 0.  32  5.  89 

Protoxide  of  iron 18.45          15.21 

Magnesia 41.  06          21.00 

Lime 0. 10 

Soda,  with  a  little  K  and  Li 2.97 


100.  83        101.  20 

The  soluble  part  consists  principally  of  olivine.    The  insoluble  is  doubtless  the  bronzite  already  referred  to,  with 
a  little  albite  or  oligoclase. 

Chrome  iron  was  detected  by  fusing  some  of  the  stony  part  of  the  meteorite  with  carbonate  of  soda  and  a  little  nitor, 
and  separating  in  the  usual  way.    The  quantity  was  quite  minute. 
The  composition  of  the  stone  as  made  out  would  be: 

Nickeliferous  iron 7.  00 

Magnetic  pyrites 6. 10 

Bronzite  or  hornblende 

Olivine 


Albite  or  oligoclase .- 


Chrome  iron. 

100.00 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  291 

Brezina 4  on  account  of  their  peculiar  combination  of  brecciated  and  crystalline  character- 
istics would  classify  Richmond  and  Lumpkin  together  as  a  separate  group  under  the  name  of 
half-crystalline  spherical  chondrites  (Cckb). 

The  small  amount  of  the  meteorite  known  is  distributed,  Harvard  possessing  61  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1870:  SMTH.    Fall  of  a  meteorite  in  Stewart  County,  Georgia.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  eer.,  vol.  60,  p.  293. 

2.  1870:  WILLBT.    Account  of  the  fall  of  a  meteoric  stone  in  Stewart  County,  Georgia.    Idem,  pp.  335-338. 

3.  1870:  SMITH.    Description  and  analysis  of  a  meteoric  stone  that  fell  in  Stewart  County,  Georgia  (Stewart  County 

Meteorite),  on  October  6,  1869.    Idem,  pp.  339-341.    (Analysis.) 

4.  1885:  BRBZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  191  and  233. 


•cxmnr. 

Collin  County,  Texas. 

Latitude  33°  13'  N.,  longitude  96°  35'  W. 

Stone.    Black  chondrite  (Cs)  of  Brezina. 

Described,  1895. 

Weight,  two  masses,  the  larger  about  100  kgs.  (220  Iba.)- 

The  only  description  published  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Brezina  *  as  follows: 

McKinney  is  distinguished  by  the  manifold  variety  of  its  chondri  and  its  black  luster,  but,  however,  can  not  be 
identified  positively  with  the  black  chondrites,  inasmuch  as  the  black  color  is  not  certainly  referable  to  a  carbon  content. 
The  principal  part  of  the  larger  of  the  two  stones  discovered  (weighing  originally  100  kg.)  has  a  weight  of  only  40  kg., 
is  semilenticular  in  form  and  shows  the  convex  surface  rough,  pitted,  and  somewhat  altered  to  limonite,  and  mostly 
without  recognizable  fusion  crust,  except  in  traces  in  a  very  few  places.  Broken  surfaces  of  the  stone  often  follow 
cleavage  cracks,  along  which  the  formation  of  limonite  has  taken  place,  in  some  instances  to  the  extent  of  forming 
bright  iron  ocher  flakes  or  layers.  Near  the  surface,  chips  the  size  of  a  man's  hand  and  from  1  to  15  mm.  in  thickness 
may  be  pried  off.  The  brittle,  splintery  character  of  the  mass  also  frequently  affords  very  thin,  even  chips.  In  many 
places  troilite  accumulations  in  the  form  of  quite  irregular  veins  0.5  to  1  cm.  thick,  traverse  the  stone,  in  which  the 
very  abundant  troilite  takes  the  place  of  the  very  sparing  nickel-iron.  The  termination  of  such  troilite  veins  upon  the 
natural  surface  of  the  mass  consists  of  pita  0.5  cm.  deep  from  which  the  troilite  has  been  melted  out.  Troilite  nodules 
as  large  as  walnuts  are  also  found,  sometimes  with,  sometimes  without  accompanying  troilite  veins.  Nickel  iron  occurs 
only  in  quite  isolated  and  rather  abundant  accumulations;  in  one  instance,  in  a  cavity  1  mm.  in  size,  are  found  varie- 
gated swollen  hexahedrons  of  the  same.  The  manifold  variety  of  the  chondri,  some  of  which  attain  a  diameter  of  1.5 
cm.,  is  very  great.  The  most  abundant  are  leek -green  to  olive-green,  of  a  dull  to  greasy  luster  in  fracture,  foliated  or 
(less  frequently)  monosomatic.  These  appear  to  consist  of  olivine;  they  blend  occasionally  with  the  groundmass, 
are  generally  round,  seldom  flattened,  have  frequently  a  bright,  sometimes  jagged  core,  and  a  dark  to  greenish-black 
shell,  which  is  occasionally  surrounded  with  a  band  of  troilite,  or  more  seldom  with  grains  of  iron.  In  the  latter  case 
the  iron  appears  also  as  interstitial  matter  in  the  interior  of  the  chondrus.  Besides  these  most  numerous  chondri  there 
appear  also  those  which  are  bright  yellow,  dull,  or  of  a  slightly  waxen  luster;  also  greenish  to  wood-brown,  radio-fibrous, 
silken  chondri  in  fragmentary  form,  and  those  which  are  bright  pistachio-green,  dull  or  slightly  glistening  to  dark 
pistachio-  or  blackish-green,  brightly  glistening;  again  some  are  black  or  blackish-green,  eccentrically  or  parallel 
rayed,  beautifully  glistening;  and  as  rare  exceptions  those  which  are  entirely  black  and  lusterless.  In  one  case  there 
is  found  a  dull  olive-green  chondrus,  3  mm.  in  size  and  penetrated  by  a  glistening  lamella  (or  fault?).  Very  rarely 
entire  chondri  of  1  to  2  mm.  are  to  be  found. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Ward's1  catalogue  stating  that  his  collection  contains  the 
largest  amount,  51,230  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

* 

1.  1895:  BREaNA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  252-253. 

2.  1904:  WABD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  p.  XII. 


Macon  County.     See  Auburn. 
Madison  County.    See  Jewell  Hill. 


292  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

MADOC. 

Madoc  township,  Hastings  County,  Ontario. 

Latitude  45°  31'  N.,  longitude  73°  35'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Madocite  (type  10)  of  Meunier. 

Found,  1854;  described,  1855. 

Weight,  167.5  kgs.  (370  Ibs.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Hunt,1  as  follows : 

A  large  mass  of  native  iron  was  found  last  autumn  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  in  the  township  of  Madoc,  Ontario; 
it  has  since  been  procured  by  Mr.  Logan,  the  director  of  the  Geological  Survey,  in  the  collection  of  which  it  has  been 
placed.  The  mass  is  rudely  rectangular  And  flattened,  but  very  irregular  in  shape;  its  surface  is  deeply  marked  by 
rounded  depressions  which  are  lined  with  a  film  of  oxide.  It  closely  resembles  in  appearance  the  Lockport,  New 
York,  iron,  with  which  it  seems  to  agree  in  composition;  a  single  analysis  gave  6.35  per  cent  nickel,  in  which  no  cobalt 
was  detected.  The  iron  is  very  soft  and  malleable,  and  from  a  trial  with  a  small  fragment  exhibits  a  coarsely  crystal- 
line structure;  the  weight  of  the  mass  is  370  pounds.  We  purpose  to  have  it  cut,  and  I  shall  then  be  able  to  make  a 
more  complete  examination  of  the  iron. 

The  history  and  characters  of  the  meteorite  have  been  further  given  by  Cohen,6  as  follows : 

Reichenbach  2  described  Madoc  as  containing  kamacite,  taenite,  and  plessite;  the  latter  was  quite  dark  and  full 
of  combs.  He  also  mentioned  grains  of  bronze-colored  iron  sulphide  with  inclusions  of  numerous  needles  and  with 
an  envelope  of  taenite  and  a  coating  of  rust  with  specks  of  iron  glass. 

Brezina  3  gave  the  following  charactersitics:  "  Bands  long,  closely  compacted  together,  hatched,  0.3  mm.  in  width, 
granulated;  bands  and  combs  few." 

Meunier  *  made  of  Madoc  a  new  type,  viz,  madocite.  According  to  him  nodular  plessite  strongly  predomiuates, 
taenite  is  present  in  fine,  often  slightly  regular  scales,  and  kamacite  is  extremely  scarce;  schreibersite  occurs  in  rods 
somewhat  resembling  those  of  Magura. 

The  section  examined  by  me  shows  long,  sometimes  straight,  sometimes  bent,  occasionally  much  compacted, 
granular  bands,  inconspicuous  taenite  seams,  and  numerous  fields  which  are  inconspicuous  in  comparison  with  the 
bands;  the  former  do  not  show  up  very  distinctly,  since  in  comparison  with  the  bands  in  respect  of  color  and  luster 
there  is  no  marked  distinction.  The  kamacite  is  somewhat  speckled  in  places  and  shows  many  distinct  file  marks 
accompanied  with  comparatively  large  etching  pits.  It  has  also  a  satiny  oriented  luster  of  considerable  brightness. 
The  plessite  is  composed  principally  of  sometimes  approximately  isometric  and  sometimes  elongated  grains  measur- 
ing 0.05  to  0.20  mm.  in  thickness,  which  are  sharply  separated  from  one  another  by  dark  deep  grooves;  in  some  fields 
the  grains  are  elongated  to  granular  rods  measuring  0.25  to  0.4  mm.  in  thickness  and  of  slightly  regular  form.  It  is 
characteristic  of  this  plessite  that  it  is  appearently  free  from  tsenite  or  scales  resembling  tsenite.  Fields  with  dark 
compact  plessite  and  almost  microscopic  in  size  occur  only  occasionally  and  then  only  in  entire  isolation,  so  that 
the  absence  of  such  fields  to  the  unaided  eye  may  be  regarded  as  characteristic.  Minor  constituents  seem  to  be  very 
scarce,  but  troilite,  schreibersite,  and  iron  glass  were  observed. 

Madoc  has  a  very  prominent  alteration  zone  of  varying  breadth.  The  boundaries  of  the  lamellae  in  it  can  be  readily 
distinguished,  but  the  structure  of  the  kamacite  is  sometimes  speckled  and  sometimes  decidedly  granular.  The  color 
of  the  etching  surface  is  darker  and  the  luster  duller  in  this  zone. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  the  Canadian  Geological  Survey, 
Ottawa,  Canada.     Small  sections  are  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1855:  HUNT.    On  a  newly  discovered  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  19,  p.  417. 

2.  1858-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  p.  638;  No.  6,  p.  448;  No.  7,  pp.  552,  561;  No.  9,  pp.  163, 174, 181;  No.  12, 

p.  457;  No.  15,  pp.  110,  114,  124,  126;  No.  16,  pp.  250,  261,  262;  No.  17,  pp.  266,  272;  No.  18,  pp.  480,  487;  No. 
19,  p.  150;  No.  20,  p.  622;  No.  21,  589. 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  210. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  39-40. 

5.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteorintenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  354-356. 

• 

Marengo.    See  Homestead. 


MARIAVTLLE. 

Rock  County,  Nebraska. 

Latitude  42°  45'  N.,  longicude  99°  25'  W. 

Iron. 

Fell?  October  16,  1898,  between  12  and  1  a.  m. 

Weight,  34Q  grams  (12  ounces). 

Our  only  knowledge  of  this  meteorite  is  a  brief  note  by  Barbour,1  who  stated  that  the 
finder  said  it  had  fallen  in  Maria ville,  Rock  County,  Nebraska,  between  12  and  1  o'clock  on  the 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  293 

night  of  October  16,  1898.  The  finder  also  stated  that  it  was  luminous  and  made  a  lord  noise 
in  its  descent.  A  photograph  showing  the  shape  of  the  meteorite  to  be  elongated  or  somewhat 
gourd-shaped  was  published  by  Barbour.1  The  surface  also  shows  pittings  and  protuberances. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1903:  BARBOUR.    Report  Nebraska  G-xl.  Survey,  vol.  1,  p.  184.    (Cut  of  mass.) 


MARION.a 

Linn  County,  Iowa. 

Here  also  Hartford  and  Linn  County. 

Latitude  42°  2'  N.,  longitude  91°  35'  W. 

Stone.    Veined  white  chondrite  (Cwa);  Luceite  (type  37,  subtype  2),  of  Mennier. 

Fell  2.45  a.  m.,  February  25,  1847. 

Weight,  21  kgs.  (46  Ibs.).    Three  stones,  two  of  about  20  Ibs.  and  one  of  about  3  Ibs. 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Shepard,1  as  follows: 

The  present  notice  is  only  for  the  purpose  of  announcing  a  few  particulars  respecting  this  last  fall  of  stones  in  the 
United  States.  Fuller  details  of  the  occurrence,  together  with  a  description  of  the  meteorite,  will  be  reserved  for  a 
future  occasion.  The  facts  here  presented  are  derived  from  the  Rev.  Reuben  Gaylord,  of  Hartford,  Des  Moines  County, 
Iowa,  "who  visited  the  locality  at  my  request,.  and  has  collected  for  me  whatever  specimens  could  be  procured,  by  far 
the  greater  part  having  been  broken  to  small  fragments  and  lost,  as  it  is  feared,  to  the  purposes  of  science.  The  fragments 
forwarded  to  me  by  mail,  and  which  are  referred  to  in  the  following  letter,  leave  no  doubt  of  the  genuineness  of  the 
production  described.  They  consist  of  little  globules  of  nickeliferous  iron  dispersed  through  the  grayish  feldspathic 
mineral,  so  common  in  meteoric  stones.  The  fall  took  place  in  Linn  County,  and  is  well  described  in  the  following 
letter  of  Mr.  Gaylord  : 

"  I  proceed  now  to  give  you  the  results  of  my  investigation  of  the  facts  in  relation  to  the  meteor  which  fell  in  our 
State,  in  respect  to  which  you  wrote  me  some  time  since.  Having  learned  particulars  so  far  that  I  had  full  reason  to 
credit  the  reports  in  the  case,  I  repaired  to  the  spot  last  week  and  found  the  facts  to  be  as  follows:  On  February  25, 
1847,  at  about  10  minutes  before  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  attention  of  the  people  in  that  region  was  arrested  by 
a  rumbling  noise  as  of  distant  thunder;  then  three  reports  were  heard  one  after  another  in  quick  succession,  like  the 
blasting  of  rocks  or  the  firing  of  a  heavy  cannon  half  a  mile  distant.  These  were  succeeded  by  several  fainter  reports, 
like  the  firing  of  small  arms  in  platoons.  Then  there  was  a  whizzing  sound  heard  in  different  directions,  as  of  bullets 
passing  through  the  air.  Two  men  were  standing  together  where  they  were  at  work;  they  followed  with  their  eye  the 
direction  of  one  of  these  sounds,  and  they  saw  about  70  rods  from  them  the  snow  fly.  They  went  to  the  spot.  A  stone 
had  fallen  upon  the  snow,  had  bounded  twice,  the  first  time,  as  was  supposed,  about  8  feet  and  the  second  time  about 
2  feet.  The  stone  weighed  2  pounds  10  ounces.  The  same  persons  heard  another  stone  strike  as  it  fell,  supposed  to 
be  small,  but  they  could  not  find  it.  Some  time  in  the  spring,  another  stone  was  found  about  1.25  miles  west  from 
the  place  where  this  fell.  It  was  in  two  pieces,  lying  together,  weighing  46  pounds.  Another  fragment,  a  portion  of 
the  same  rock,  was  found  about  half  a  mile  from  the  former,  which,  from  the  description  I  had  of  it,  I  judged  would 
weigh  about  50  pounds.  These  were  coated  with  a  thin  black  covering.  The  principal  ingredient  in  their  compo- 
sition seems  to  be  sandstone.  They  are  full  of  minute  brilliant  particles  and  occasionally  a  Email  lump  of  some 
metal  is  to  be  found.  Inclosed  in  this  sheet  I  send  you  three  or  four  small  ones.  Some  were  taken  out  as  large 
nearly  as  a  grain  of  corn.  A  man  from  whom  I  obtained  a  fragment  insisted  that  they  were  silver.  He  had  ground 
up  a  considerable  portion  of  the  rock  to  obtain  this  silver,  and  he  thought  he  had  saved  enough  to  make  50  cents 
(half  a  dollar).  The  above  stones  were  all  that  have  been  found,  as  far  as  I  could  learn.  The  atmosphere  at  the  time 
of  this  phenomenon  was  mostly  clear,  somewhat  hazy,  so  warm  as  to  cause  the  snow  on  the  ground  to  be  somewhat  soft. 
The  noise  was  heard  distinctly  to  a  distance  of  15  or  20  miles  in  every  direction.  At  a  distance  of  10  miles  in  each 
direction  the  sound  was  like  the  rolling  of  a  heavy  wagon  passing  swiftly  over  frozen  ground.  Smoke  was  seen  in 
the  direction  from  which  the  sound  seemed  to  proceed.  The  smoke  appeared  in  two  places,  apparently  about  6  or 
8  feet  apart,  above  the  elevation  of  light  clouds,  and  having  a  circular  motion.  The  motion  of  the  meteoric  body 
was  supposed  from  the  reports  which  were  heard  to  be  toward  the  southeast,  or  rather  south  of  east." 

In  a  letter  to  J.  J.  Abert,  Columbia  Topographical  Bureau,  Washington,  Joshua  Barney,3 
United  States  agent  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  stated  that  an  aerolite  weighing  2  pounds  10  ounces  — 

fell  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  February  25,  1847,  within  75  yards  of  the  house  of  Daniel  Rogers,  9  miles  due 
south  of  Marion,  Linn  County,  Iowa.  The  ground  was  covered  with  snow  at  the  time  it  fell.  Mr.  Rogers  heard  a  loud 
explosion  in  the  air  and  immediately  ran  to  his  door.  He  heard  the  stone  and  several  others  whiz  through  the  air  and 
strike  the  ground,  and  saw  the  snow  and  dirt  fly  where  this  stone  struck.  The  weight  of  the  stone  before  it  was  broken 
was  42  pounds. 

«  This  meteorite  was  long  known  as  Hartford,  Linn  County,  but  as  shown  by  Farrington  »  Hartford  Is  100  miles  from  the  place  of  faU. 


294  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

It  is  said  that  three  more  of  the  stones  have  been  found,  all  of  which  are  precisely  similar  in  appearance  and  nearly 
of  the  same  weight  as  this  one  before  it  was  broken. 

The  explosion  was  heard  distinctly  by  one  of  the  surveyors  who  was  engaged  on  the  survey  of  the  public  lands  40 
miles  distant  from  Mr.  Rogers's  house. 

A  more  complete  description  of  the  meteorite  was  given  later  by  Shepard 3  as  follows: 

The  small  stone  seen  to  fall  was  picked  up  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Daniel  C.  Rogers,  situated  on  sec.  21,  T.  82  N., 
R.  6  W.  The  larger  portion  of  the  fallen  meteor  was  found  in  section  2^),  from  1  to  1.5  miles  west.  This  consisted  of 
two  masses  and  not,  as  at  first  supposed,  of  two  fragments  of  a  single  stone.  The  larger  of  the  two  (whose  weight  was 
estimated  at  above  40  pounds)  was  cracked  through  the  center  by  its  fall  upon  the  frozen  ground.  One  of  these  halves 
(weighing  21  pounds  7  ounces)  is  in  my  possession.  The  smaller  perfect  stone  is  represented  by  the  finder  as  pyramidal 
in  shape  and  measuring  10  inches  in  length,  by  8  at  its  base,  and  4  at  the  smaller  extremity.  It  was  completely  coated 
by  a  black  crust,  like  the  other  two  stones.  This  stone,  as  well  as  one-half  the  larger  mass,  has  been  broken  up,  and 
for  the  most  part  entirely  lost.  The  few  fragments  of  it  in  existence  show  that  it  differs  scarcely  at  all  from  the 
other  two. 

The  smaller  of  these  two  may  be  best  described  by  comparing  it  to  a  short  rectangular  prism  (the  longer  side  measur- 
ing 4  inches,  the  shorter  2.5  inches)  surmounted  at  one  extremity  by  a  four-sided  pyramid  of  unequal  and  much-curved 
faces,  and  terminated  at  the  opposite  end  by  an  oblique,  waving  plane,  upon  which  the  stone  is  conveniently  set  up 
When  in  this  position  the  apex  of  the  pyramid  is  3.5  inches  from  the  base.  The  angles  and  edges  of  the  mass,  as  is  usual 
in  such  bodies,  are  rounded  and  blunt.  It  has  but  few  depresswns  in  its  surface.  The  crust  is  perfect  in  its  continuity 
and  is  smooth  and  black,  though  not  shining  The  stone  weighs  2  pounds  8$  ounces. 

The  large  mass  (of  21  pounds  7  ounces)  is  an  irregularly  shaped,  four-sided  pyramid,  the  summit  of  which  is  an  edge 
of  4  or  5  inches  in  length.  The  base  of  the  pyramid  is  formed  by  the  fractured  surface,  which  is  nearly  plane,  and 
strikingly  resembles  the  fracture  of  fine-grained  granite. 

The  natural  outside  of  the  stone  presents  the  customary  depressions,  though  less  distinct  than  is  usual.  The  crust 
is  similar  to  that  of  the  small  stone  already  described,  only  thicker  than  common  (being  of  the  thickness  of  bonnet 
board),  its  adhesion  to  the  unaltered  stone  strong,  while  its  line  of  junction  with  the  same  is  perfectly  defined  throughout. 
When  narrowly  observed  it  is  discovered  that  the  surface  of  this  crust  is  divided  off  by  cracks  into  polygonal  areas  of 
from  0.25  to  0.5  inch  in  diameter,  in  consequence  no  doubt  of  sudden  cooling. 

The  color  of  the  stone  within  is  a  uniform  pearl  gray.  A  closer  inspection  reveals  specks  of  iron  rust,  though  less 
abundant  than  common,  and  numerous  highly  brilliant  globules  of  nickeliferous  iron.  It  requires  a  still  nearer  search 
to  detect  the  magnetic  pyrites,  which  is  far  less  abundant  than  the  metallic  grains.  Blackish  grains  and  glazed  joints 
are  nearly  obsolete  in  the  Iowa  stones.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  little  ovoid  masses,  which  are  also  so  frequent  in 
most  other  stones. 

Its  most  remarkable  feature,  however,  consists  in  the  homogeneousness  of  its  earthy  composition.  It  appears  to 
contain  but  a  single  mineral  species  of  this  description  and  this  is  one  which,  though  perhaps  the  most  common  in 
other  meteoric  stones,  has  until  now  escaped  a  separate  recognition.  I  have  therefore  ventured  to  bestow  upon  it  a 
distinct  name,  that  of  howardite,  in  honor  of  an  early  scientific  laborer  in  this  branch  of  meteorology  who  ranks  next  in 
importance  to  Chladni  himself. 

The  proportions  of  the  ingredients  in  this  stone  approach  the  following: 

Howardite 83.00 

Nickel  iron 10. 44 

Magnetic  pyrites 5.  00 

Olivinoid  and  anorthite...  .    trace 


98.44 

Omitting  the  pyrites,  the  composition  of  the  mineral  may  be  stated  thus:  Oxygen  ratio. 

Silicicacid '. . . .  63.06  31.53  3 

Protoxide  of  iron 24.  60  5. 461 

Magnesia 11.74  4.70) 

Soda  and  potassa 31 

•99.  71 

It  is  therefore  a  tersilicate  of  protoxide  of  iron  and  magnesia,  Fe  Si+Mg  Si. 

The  composition  of  the  nickel  iron  approaches  very  closely  to — 

Fe 86.0& 

Ni 14.00 

a  peculiar  alloy  which  appears  to  be  very  common  in  meteor  masses. 

Another  large  stone  of  this  same  fall,  weighing  20  pounds,  was  described  by  Shepard/    He 
says: 

The  following  statement  concerning  it  is  from  a  letter  of  Rev.  R.  Gaylord,  of  Hartford,  Iowa,  dated  July  3,  1850. 
"It  was  found  (in  the  summer  of  1847)  in  Hooshier  Grove  by  Abner  Cox.    He  was  in  company  with  John  Hollis,  of  whom 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  295 

I  obtained  two  fragments  three  years  ago.  They  have  had  the  stone  two  years  or  more,  and  by  lying  in  the  loft  of  a 
emoky  cabin  it  is  somewhat  dingy  in  appearance.  This  John  Hollis  is  the  man  who  ground  up  so  much  of  the  stones 
that  were  seen  to  fall  in  order  to  get  silver.  He  was  the  means,  however,  of  the  careful  preservation  of  the  present  mass. 
Dr.  Knight  found  they  had  the  stone  and  wrote  me  respecting  it. 

"The  three  pieces  into  which  it  broke  in  striking  the  ground  fit  together  exactly,  so  as  to  reproduce  the  original 
stone,  with  a  complete  coating  over  the  whole,  except  on  one  side,  where  several  small  fragments  were  broken  out  by 
the  fall.  These  were  gathered  up  carefully  and  preserved  by  the  finder." 

The  stone  is  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  one  thus  far  described,  for  its  highly  regular  prismatic  figure  which  at 
once  suggests  the  idea  of  a  portion  of  a  basaltic  column.  Nor  can  the  geologist  look  upon  it  without  feeling  almost  certain 
that  it  once  formed  part  of  some  extensive  formation  in  the  world  from  whence  it  came.  Two  surfaces  of  the  stone, 
which  are  nearly  flat,  agree  in  presenting  a  peculiar  wavy,  undulating  surface  and  a  deeper  black  color  than  belong  to 
the  other  faces  of  the  stone,  a  difference  which  appears  to  originate  in  the  nature  of  the  horizontal  cleavage  as  contrasted 
with  the  oblique  or  vertical.  The  greatest  diameter  of  the  base  is  10.25  inches. 

The  fragments  from  a  chink  at  the  top  are  rich  in  chlorine,  deliquescing  freely  with  chloride  of  iron  when  exposed 
to  a  moist  state  of  air;  while  the  rest  of  the  stone  is  quite  free  from  this  constituent,  and  precisely  resembles  the  other 
stones  of  the  locality  already  described.  This  difference  of  composition  in  one  and  the  same  stone  is  probably  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  fragments  in  question  must  have  remained  for  a  considerable  time  partially  buried  in  the  soil  and 
have  imbibed  the  chlorine  from  thence;  while  the  main  mass  being  above  ground  and  more  protected  by  its  coating 
was  preserved  from  such  impregnation. 

In  1853  Shepard s  gave  a  cut  of  the  2.5-pound  stone. 
Rammelsberg 7  gave  an  account  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  fell  on  February  25,  1847,  its  total  weight  being  about  65  pounds.  Shepard  described  the  fall  and 
made  a  mineralogical  and  chemical  examination  of  the  stone. 

According  to  his  statements  it  consists  of  10.4  nickel  iron,  which  contains  about  14  per  cent  nickel;  5  per  cent 
magnetic  pyrites,  and  83  per  cent  of  a  unique,  homogeneous  silicate,  which  he  called  howardite.  This  silicate,  before 
the  blowpipe,  melts  readily  to  a  black,  scoriaceous  glass,  is  decomposed  by  hydrochloric  acid  with  the  separation  of 
flocculent  silicic  acid,  and  consists  of:  Oxygen  ratio. 

Silicicacid 63.06  33.63 

Iron  protoxide 24.60  5'4lioi7 

Magnesia 11.74  4.70f 

Alkali..  .31 


99.71 

Since  the  proportion  of  oxygen  equals  1:3.3  the  howardite  was  more  acid  than  a  trisilicate. 

It  is  evident  that  these  data  of  Shepard's  are  in  a  high  degree  problematical.  The  ready  fusibility  and  deeompoaa- 
bility  of  so  acid  a  silicate  is  extremely  exceptional. 

G.  Rose  placed  this  meteorite  among  the  chondrites  and  remarked  that  it  was  very  like  the  one  from  Mauerkirchen. 

I  obtained  a  piece  of  this  meteorite  from  Professor  Shepard.  The  mass  is  very  friable  and  contains  flakes  of  rust, 
and  indeed  the  outer  crust  appears  brown.  By  pulverizing,  only  a  very  small  quantity  of  metallic  iron  can  be  perceived, 
and  it  appears  that  the  greater  portion  thereof  is  changed  into  oxide  or  oxyhydrate.  Indeed,  the  stone,  after  heating, 
gives  off  no  inconsiderable  amount  of  water. 

According  to  the  analysis,  on  account  of  the  evident  partial  alteration  of  the  nickel  iron,  it  is  not  possible  to  defi- 
nitely determine  the  latter  (the  nickel  iron).  The  powder  was  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid  for  the  silicic  acid  and 
the  magnesia;  the  iron  content  required  by  the  olivine  mixture  was  estimated,  but  the  remainder  of  the  latter  was 
reckoned  as  metal. 

After  loss  of  1.84  per  cent  by  heating  it  gave: 

Iron 9.461  (89.75 

Nickel 1.08)  110.25 

100.00 

Iron 4.  051  v  _ 

Sulphur Ittj      6-37FeS 

Oxygen 

Silica  acid 16.  241  f  38.  80 

Iron  protoxide 8.92}    41.85    \  2L  31          4.741 

Magnesia 16.  69J  I  39.  89        15.  96) 


100.00 
Undecomposed 41.  24 

100.00 


296  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  olivine  was  not  far  from  — 


SMgjSiOj 

The  undecomposed  silicate,  whose  amount  is  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  olivine,  consists  of: 

Silica  ............................................  55.  08        ....          29.  38 

Alumina  ..........................................    4.86        ----  2.27 

Iron  protoxide  .....................................  13.  58 

Magnesia  .........................................  22.70 

T  .  n    or 

Lime  ..............................................  I.  85 

Soda  .............................................    0.  93 

Potash.  .  .    trace 


100.00 

The  whole  is  therefore  almost  exactly  a  bisilicate.  • 

The  proportionate  composition  of  the  silicate  (amounting  to  83.09  per  cent  of  the  meteorite)  is  as  follows: 

Silica 46.  88 

Alumina 2. 40 

Iron  protoxide 17. 49 

Magnesia 31.  36 

Lime 1.  4,1 

99.54 

It  is  evident  that  this  result  bears  not  the  least  resemblance  to  the  data  obtained  by  Shepard. 
Iowa  (Linn  County)  is  a  chondrite. 

Brezina  M°  classed  the  meteorite  as  veined  white  chondrite,  and  says: 

The  large  mass  in  Tubingen  of  432  grams  weight  has  a  crust  and  is  nearer  Cia  than  Cwa.    A  small  fragment  of  the 
collection  of  Kunz  is  strongly  marked  with  metallic  veins,  one  of  which  is  laid  bare  as  an  armor  face. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Amherst  having  the  largest  mass  (21  pounds,  6  ounces). 
This  is  probably  the  large  stone  described  by  Shepard.4 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1847:  SHEPARD.    Fall  of  meteoric  stones  in  Iowa.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  4,  pp.  288-289. 

2.  1847:  Iowa  meteorite  (from  a  letter  from  Joshua  Barney,  U.  S.  Agent,  Dubuque,  to  J.  J.  Abort,  Col.  Topographical 

Bureau,  Washington).    Idem.,  p.  429. 

8.  1848:  SHEPAHD.    Report  on  meteorites — 1.  Linn  County,  Iowa.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  pp.  403-405. 
(Analysis.) 

4.  1851:  SHEPAED.    On  meteorites — 4.  Description  of  a  large  stone  of  the  Linn  County,  Iowa,  fall  of  February  25, 

1842.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  11,  pp.  38-39. 

5.  1853:  SHEPARD.    Notices  of  meteoric  iron  near  Lion  River,  Great  Namaqualand,  South  Africa;  and  of  the  detec- 

tion of  potassium  in  meteoric  iron — 3.  Figure  of  the  Iowa  meteoric  stone,  which  was  seen  to  fall  February  25, 
1847.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  15,  pp.  6-7. 

6.  1858-1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  5,  p.  480;  No.  6,  p.  454;  No.  9,  pp.  161,  168,  178;  No.  10,  pp.  359,  363;  No. 

11,  pp.  294,  300;  No.  13,  p.  369  (fig.),  377;  No.  14,  p.  396;  No.  20,  p.  622;  No.  25,  pp.  321,  322,  324,  607,  615. 

7.  1870:  RAMMELSBERO.    Beitrage  zur  Kenntnis  der  Meteoriten  III.    Linn  County,   Iowa.    Mon.   Ber.   Berlin. 

Akad.,  1870,  pp.  457-459.    (Analysis.) 

8.  1884:  WADSWORTH.    Studies,  p.  104. 

•  9.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  176,  180,  and  232. 

10.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  244. 

11.  1903:  FARRTNOTON.    Catalogue  of  the  collection  of  meteorites.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  2,  p. 

106. 


MARSHALL  COUNTY. 

Marshall  County,  Kentucky. 

Latitude  36°  50'  N.,  longitude  88°  20'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Found  ?;  described  1860. 

Weight,  6.8  kgs.  (15  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Smith/  as  follows: 

A  piece  of  this  meteorite  was  sent  me  from  Marshall  County  (Kentucky).  I  have  not  yet  seen  the  entire  mass, 
which  is  said  to  weigh  15  pounds  and  to  be  scaly  in  structure.  It  has  the  usual  characteristics  of  meteoric  iron  as  seen 
from  the  analysis: 

Fe  Ni          Co         Cu  P 

90.12        8.72        .32         trace        0.10     =99.26 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  297 

Brezina  *  described  the  structure  as  follows: 

Finely  granular;  kamacite  somewhat  puSy;  polyhedral  troilite  grains  or  plates  in  the  kamacite.  Breadth  of 
bands,  0.8  mm. 

Meunier 4  gave  the  following  description: 

Has  the  structure  and  composition  of  the  caillite  type,  but  with  less  geometrical  regularity  in  the  etching  figures. 
At  certain  points  the  tsenite  laminae  are  very  close  together,  elsewhere  they  are  relatively  distant;  the  kamacite  bands 
are  quite  large  and  plessite  is  remarkably  scarce. 

Cohen 5  noted  that  the  iron  took  on  a  more  or  less  permanent  magnetism. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Amherst  having  the  largest  mass  (6  pounds). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1860:  SMITH.    Description  of  three  new  meteoric  irons  from  Nelson  County,  Kentucky,  Marshall  County,  Ken- 

tucky, and  Madison  County,  North  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  30,  p.  240.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1862-1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  21,  p.  589;  and  No.  25,  p.  437. 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  213,  214,  and  234. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIEB.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  pp.  52  and  56. 

5.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  86. 


Marshall  County,  1893.    See  Plymouth. 


MART. 

McLennan  County,  Texas. 

Latitude  31°  31'  N.,  longitude  96°  45'  W. 

Iron.     Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1898. 

Weight,  7,144  grams  (15.75  pounds). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Merrill l,  as  follows: 

The  second  meteorite  to  be  described,  which  will  be  known  as  the  Mart  Iron,  was  found  early  in  1898,  on  the  farm 
of  H.  T.  Vaughan,  near  Mart,  in  McLennan  County,  Texas. 

This  iron  weighed  originally  15.75  pounds.  From  it  a  slice  weighing  456  grams  was  cut  for  the  collection  of  the 
National  Museum,  the  iron  having  been  donated  by  the  finder  to  the  museum  of  Baylor  University,  at  Waco,  Texas. 
For  the  privilege  of  removing  this  slice  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  O.  C.  Charlton,  curator  of  the  museum.  The  original 
shape  of  the  iron  was  that  of  an  irregular  oval,  somewhat  flattened  at  one  side  and  rounded  above,  with  two  large  and  deep 
pittings  on  the  broader  surface.  The  original  dimensions  were  about  8.5  X  15  X  25.5  cm.  It  was  not  seen  to  fall  and 
had  evidently  lain  in  the  soil  some  time,  as  the  exterior  was  considerably  oxidized  and  the  troilite,  which  presumably 
once  occupied  the  p  its,  was  completely  eliminated .  Small  dark  points  on  the  etched  surface  are  due  to  troilite.  Sundry 
cracks  in  the  iron  at  various  points  on  the  etched  surface  are  also  filled  with  troilite  which  frequently  oxidizes  in  process 
of  etching.  Mr.  Tassin,  by  whom  the  etching  was  done,  calls  attention  to  the  perfection  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures, 
and  particularly  to  the  relief  of  the  tsenite  bands. 

As  shown  by  this  etching,  the  iron  belongs  to  the  octahedral  variety,  and  is  of  moderately  coarse  crystallization. 
Its  general  appearance  is  so  similar  to  that  of  the  Hamilton  County  (Texas)  iron  described  by  Howell  as  to  suggest  that 
it  may  be  a  part  of  the  same  fall.  The  probability  is  still  more  evident  when  it  is  considered  that  the  two  localities  are 
not  over  50  miles  apart  in  a  straight  line. 

The  chemical  evidence,  as  shown  by  a  comparison  of  Mr.  Eakins's  analysis  of  the  Hamilton  iron  with  that  of  Doctor 
Stokes,  is,  however,  not  favorable  to  this  view,  though  we  believe  the  possible  (if  not  probable)  variation  in  composition 

in  different  parts  of  the  same  iron  has  not  yet  been  fully  worked  out. 

Mart.         Hamilton  Co. 

Fe 89.68  86.54 

Ni 9.20  12.77 

Co 0.33  0.63 

Cu 0. 037  0. 02 

P 0.158  0.16 

S 0.017  0.03 

C 0.11 

Chromite trace        

trace        


99.  422        100.  26 


298  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  samples  submitted  were  cut  from  the  outer  portion  of  the  meteorite,  including  the  oxidized  crust;  this  was 
carefully  removed  by  scraping  and  filing.  There  was  a  small  quantity  of  rust  in  the  cracks  on  the  cut  surface,  but  its 
amount  was  trivial. 

During  the  solution  in  aqua  regia  scales  of  schreibersite  were  observed.  A  few  email  black  grains  were  left  which 
showed  crystal  faces  under  the  mitroscope,  and  which  were  identified  as  chromite  by  the  usual  reaction.  A  minute 
amount  of  colorless  granular  matter  was  also  noted,  the  nature  of  which  could  not  be  determined. 

All  determinations  were  made  in  a  solution  of  the  same  portion  of  3.8536  grams,  the  residue  having  been  brought 
into  solution  and  added. 

The  analysis  gave: 

0.9659  gram.    1.9318  grams. 

Fe 89.68  

Ni 9.20  

Cu 0.037  » 

Co 0.33  

P 0.158 

S 0.017 

Cr. . .  trace 


99. 422 
From  the  above  data  the  composition  of  the  iron  may  be  expressed  as  follows: 

Nickel-iron  (Fe,  Ni,  Cu,  Co) 98.31 

Schreibersite 1. 06 

Troilite 0. 05 

Chromite trace 

FesOj trace 


99.42 
The  mass  is  chiefly  preserved  in  Baylor  University,  Waco,  Texas. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1900:  MERRILL.     Proc.  Washington  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  2,  pp.  51-53.    (With  a  plate  showing  the  shape  of  the  mass  and 

etching  figures.) 

2.  1901:  CHARLTON.    Trans.  Texas  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  83-84. 


Maverick  County.    See  Fort  Duncan. 


MAZAPIL. 

Zacatecas,  Mexico. 

Latitude  24°  31'  N.,  longitude  101°  59'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Fell  9  p.  m.  November  27,  1885;  described  1887. 
Weight,  3,950  grams  (9  Ibs.). 

The  first  description  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Hidden  ',  as  follows: 

Among  the  large  number  of  meteoric  irons  which  have  been  described  only  eight  are  recorded  as  having  been  seen 
to  fall.  It  is  my  privilege  to  be  able  to  add  a  ninth  fall  to  this  short  list  and  one  which  may  prove  to  be  of  exceptional 
scientific  importance.  This  mass  of  meteoric  iron  I  received  in  August  last  as  a  gift  from  my  friend,  Prof.  Jose  A.  y 
Bonilla,  director  of  the  Astronomical  Observatory  at  Zacatecas,  Mexico.  He  stated  that  it  was  seen  to  fall  at  about  9 
p.  m.  on  November  27,  1885,  during  the  periodical  star  shower  of  the  "Bielids."  Such  is  the  great  interest  of  this 
meteorite  as  shown  by  its  history  that  I  have  delayed  announcing  it  until  the  evidence  of  its  fall  had  been  substantiated 
as  thoroughly  as  possible. 

The  general  freshness  of  surface,  which  shows  very  perfectly  the  flow  of  the  melted  crust;  the  presence  of  unusually 
large  nodules  of  a  very  compact  graphite;  the  very  slight  superficial  oxidation,  and  its  dissimilarity  to  other  meteorites 
of  the  region,  are  all  interesting  features  of  this  iron,  and  serve  to  confirm  the  statement  of  its  recent  fall.  When  received 
it  weighed  about  3,950  grams.  Its  present  weight  is  3,864  grams.  Its  greatest  length,  diagonally  across  the  mass,  is 
175  mm.  In  its  thickest  part  it  measures  about  60  mm.  It  could  be  described  as  a  flat  irregular  mass  covered  with 
deep  depressions  and  having  a  smooth  surface. 

The  evidence  of  the  fall  is  set  forth  in  the  following  communication  (translated)  from  Professor  Bonilla: 

"It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  send  to  you  the  uranolite  which  fell  near  Mazapil  during  the  night  of  November 
27,  1885.  That  you  may  the  better  appreciate  the  great  scientific  interest  which  this  uranolite  possesses  I  will  state 
that  everything  points  to  the  belief  that  it  belongs  to  a  fragment  of  the  comet  of  Biela-Gambert,  lost  since  1852.  I 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  299 

here  give  you  the  history  of  this  celestial  wanderer.  On  December  2,  1885,  I  received  to  my  great  delight  from 
Enlogio  Mijares,  who  lives  on  the  Conception  Ranch,  13  km.  to  the  east  of  the  town  of  Mazapil,  a  uranolite,  which  he 
saw  fall  from  the  heavens  at  9  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  November  27,  1885.  The  fall,  simply  related,  he  tells  as  fol- 
lows in  his  own  words: 

" '  It  was  about  9  o'clock  in  the  evening  (November  27,  1885)  when  I  went  to  the  corral  to  feed  certain  horses,  when 
suddenly  I  heard  a  loud  sizzing  noise,  exactly  as  though  something  red  hot  was  being  plunged  into  cold  water,  and 
almost  instantly  there  followed  a  loud  thud.  At  once  the  corral  was  covered  with  a  phosphorescent  light  and  sus- 
pended in  the  air  were  small  luminous  sparks  as  though  from  a  rocket.  I  had  not  recovered  from  my  surprise  when  I 
saw  this  luminous  air  disappear  and  there  remained  on  the  ground  only  such  a  light  as  is  made  when  a  match  is  rubbed. 
A  number  of  people  from  the  neighboring  houses  came  running  toward  me  and  they  assisted  me  to  quiet  the  horses 
which  had  become  very  much  excited.  We  all  asked  each  other  what  could  be  the  matter,  and  we  were  afraid  to 
walk  in  the  corral  for  fear  of  getting  burned.  When  in  a  few  moments  we  had  recovered  from  our  surprise,  we  saw 
the  phosphorescent  light  disappear,  little  by  little,  and  when  we  had  brought  the  lights  to  look  for  the  cause,  we  found 
a  hole  in  the  ground  and  in  it  a  ball  of  fire  ( Una  bola  de  lumbre).  We  retired  to  a  distance,  fearing  it  would  explode 
and  harm  us.  Looking  up  to  the  sky  we  saw  from  time  to  time  exhalations  or  stare,  which  soon  went  out,  but  without 
noise.  We  returned  after  a  little  and  found  in  the  hole  a  hot  stone,  which  we  could  barely  handle,  and  which  on  the 
next  day  looked  like  a  piece  of  iron;  all  night  it  rained  stars,  but  we  saw  none  fall  to  the  ground  as  they  seemed  to  be 
extinguished  while  still  very  high  up.' 

"The  above  is  the  simple  recital  of  the  ranchman,  and  the  uranolite  which  fell  is  the  one  I  send  you.  From  the 
numerous  questions  I  have  asked  Sr.  Mijares,  I  am  convinced  that  there  was  no  explosion  or  breaking  up  on  falling. 
Others  who  saw  the  phosphorescence,  etc. ,  were  Suz  Sifuentes,  Pascual  Saenz,  Miguel  Martinez,  and  Justo  Loperz.  Upon 
visiting  the  place  of  fall,  I  was  particular  to  examine  the  earth  in  and  around  the  hole,  and  by  careful  search  and 
washing  the  earth  I  found  a  few  small  bits  of  iron,  which  must  have  become  detached  from  the  uranolite  when  it  pen- 
etrated the  earth. 

"The  hole  was  30  cm.  deep.  Probably  the  light  which  was  seen  came  from  the  volatilization  of  the  surface  of 
the  celestial  body  due  to  the  high  temperature  acquired  by  friction  with  the  atmosphere,  and  of  this  volatilized  matter 
falling  to  the  earth  as  an  incandescent  powder." 

The  above  communication  was  followed  by  an  account  of  the  observation  of  the  Biela  meteors  at  Zacatecas  by 
Professor  Bonilla  and  his  assistants.  The  locality  of  the  fall  is  situated  in  latitude  24°  SS7  N.,  and  in  longitude  101° 
56'  45"  W. 

The  surface  of  the  Mazapil  iron  is  of  great  interest. 

The  deeply  hollowed  depressions  entirely  cover  the  mass.  A  thin  black  crust  coats  the  surface,  and  exhibits 
well  the  striae  of  flow,  as  seen  on  meteorites  whose  fall  has  been  observed.  In  11  places  nodules  of  graphite  are 
noticed  extruding  from  the  surface,  one  of  which  is  nearly  an  inch  in  diamteer.  The  graphite  is  very  hard  and 
apparently  amorphous;  troilite  and  schreibersite  were  also  observed  on  a  section  of  the  iron.  The  lines  of  the  Wid- 
mannstatten  figures  are  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  the  Rowton  iron  in  their  width  and  distribution,  and  are  very 
unlike  the  known  Mexican  irons  from  Toluca,  Durango,  Coahuila,  etc. 

In  its  surface  and  general  flatness  the  mass  bears  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  the  Hraschina,  Agram,  iron  which 
fell  May  26.  1751.  In  weight  it  is  nearly  equal  to  the  irons  of  Rowton  (7.75  pounds),  Charlotte  (9.5  pounds),  Victoria- 
West  (6  pounds  6  ounces),  and  Nedagolla  (9.75  pounds),  which  were  all  seen  to  fall. 

Analysis  by  J.  B.  Mackintosh: 

Iron 91.  260 

Nickel 7. 845 

Cobalt 0. 653 

Phosphorus 0. 300 

100.058 

Carbon  iS  distributed  all  through  the  iron  between  the  crystalline  plates,  and  this  element  was  also  observed  with 
the  spectroscope  in  the  "Bielids,"  of  November  27,  1885.  Chlorine  is  also  present  and  shows  itself  by  a  slight  deli- 
quescence. Where  the  crust  has  been  accidentally  removed  the  lines  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures  can  be  seen 
without  the  aid  of  etching.  The  interest  of  this  meteorite,  because  of  its  beautifully  marked  and  fresh  surface,  is 
enhanced  by  the  concurrence  of  its  fall  with  the  shower  of  the  Biela  meteors. 

The  report  of  the  directors  of  the  Zacatecas  Observatory  to  Hidden  is  given  in  full  by 
Brezina,*  but  contains  no  new  facts  of  importance  regarding  the  meteorite  itself. 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed,  but  is  chiefly  preserved  (3,546  grams)  in  the  Vienna 
collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1887:  HIDDEN:  On  the  Mazapil  meteoric-iron,  which  fell  November  27,  1885.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  33, 

pp.  221-226.     (Analysis  by  Mackintosh;  illustrations  of  the  iron,  etching,  and  chart  of  fall.) 

2.  1895:  BBEZTNA:  Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  282-283  and  308-327. 


300  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XTTT. 

Mecklenberg  County.    See  Flows. 


MEZQDTTAL. 

Durango,  Mexico. 

Here  also  San  Francisco  del  Mezquital. 

Latitude  23°  42'  N.,  longitude  104°  19'  W. 

Iron.    Nickel-poor  ataxite,  Siratik  group  of  Brezina. 

Known  shortly  before  1868;  described  1868. 

Weight,  7,513  grams  (16  Ibs.). 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  have  been  given  in  condensed  form  by  Cohen,10 
as  follows: 

This  iron  was  described  by  Daubree  '  in  1868,  und-.r  the  name  San  Francisco  del  Mezquital.  According  to  Burk- 
art*  and  Fletcher,7  the  place,  which  lies  10  leagues  soi.  Ji  of  Durango  in  the  district  of  Mezquital,  is  now  called  simply 
Mezquital,  and  the  longer  name,  given  by  the  missionaries,  is  found  only  upon  old  maps.  It  seems  to  me  more  appro- 
priate, therefore,  to  designate  the  place  of  discovery  by  the  now  generally  current  name  of  Mezquital. 

According  to  Daubree,1  the  mass  brought  from  Mexico  by  General  Castelnau  and  weighing  7  kg.,  had  a  very  char- 
acteristic flat  form;  being  only  7  cm.  in  thickness.  Of  the  three  principal  surfaces  the  smallest  was  almost  even,  the 
other  two  had  a  more  or  less  irregular  surface.  Upon  one  surface  was  found  an  almost  round  saucer-like  depression 
2  cm.  deep  and  8  to  9  cm.  in  diameter;  a  part  of  the  surface  appeared  to  be  shagreened,  an  effect  traceable  to  atmos- 
pheric influence.  Daubree  was  inclined  to  conclude,  from  the  form  of  the  mass,  that  the  nickel-iron  had  taken  shape 
after  the  manner  of  a  vein  inside  a  stony  mass,  a  view  which  was  first  expressed  by  Haidinger  respecting  Netschaevo. 
Troilite,  according  to  Daubree,  occurs  in  Mezquital  in  a  threefold  form;  in  veins  7  cm.  long  by  2  mm.  thick,  in  round 
grains,  and  in  cylindrical  particles,  of  which  latter  only  the  hollow  impression  is  preserved.  The  appearance  upon 
etching  is  rather  indistinctly  described;  on  the  one  hand,  very  indistinct  Widmannstatten  figures  were  said  to  arise; 
on  the  other  hand,  by  careful  examination,  long  laminae  of  schreibersite  and  a  little  rhabdite  were  said  to  stand  out 
upon  a  background  of  granular  nickel-iron.  Damour  determined  the  specific  gravity  as  7.835  at  11°  C.,  and  furnished 
the  following  analysis;  that  for  the  nickel-iron  being  calculated  (2)  after  extraction  of  the  schreibersite; 

Fe  Ni          Co  P 

1:        93.38        5.89        0.39        0.23    =  99.89 
2:        94.06        5.57        0.37        ....     =100.00 

Meunier  a  investigated  the  behavior  of  a  polished  surface  under  etching  with  quicksilver  chloride  and  explained 
the  marks  arising  therefrom  as  Widmannstatten  figures;  later  he  ranged  Mezquital  under  the  caillite  group,  which  is 
composed  of  a  mixture  of  kamacite  and  tsenite.  In  1893,*  however,  he  classed  it  among  the  imperfectly  characterized 
meteoric  irons,  and  emphasized  the  fact  that  no  figures  were  produced  by  etching  with  acid.  He  mentioned  in  this 
place  that  the  troilite  grains  are  enveloped  with  graphite  and  schreibersite.  In  1889  °  he  described  a  peculiar  alteration- 
product  of  the  original  crust;  this  crumbled  to  a  powder,  79.30  per  cent  of  which  consisted  of  magnetite,  while  the 
remainder  was  composed  of  small,  sometimes  transparent,  grains  with  easy  fracture  in  two  directions,  which  were  insolu- 
ble in  water  but  readily  soluble  in  nitric  acid  and  were  to  be  regarded  as  a  nickeliferous  basic  sulphate  resembling 
copiapite. 

In  1885  Brezina  s  referred  Mezquital  to  the  octahedral  irons  with  fine  laminae;  later,  however,  the  piece  in  question 
proved  to  be  Cambria.  In  1895  9  he  identified  the  true  Mezquital  (obtained  from  the  British  Museum)  with  the  Chester- 
ville  group.  According  to  Brezina's  description,  the  iron  is  partially  traversed  by  zigzag,  smooth-faced  fissures,  and 
shows — like  Chesterville — in  a  glittering  groundmass,  besides  isolated  schreibersite  lamellae,  somewhat  elevated  etching 
ridges  which  are  arranged  according  to  different  systems  of  parallel  planes.  The  swollen  lamellae  easily  break  through 
the  fine  particles  of  the  groundmass.  A  film  between  two  such  lamella^is  of  somewhat  porous  constitution. 

Fletcher  7  also  emphasized  the  absence  of  Widmannstatten  figures.  According  to  him,  after  etching  with  bromine 
glistening  straight  lines  running  parallel  over  the  entire  surface  of  130  by  70  mm.  come  out,  with  interspaces  of  1  to  2 
mm. ;  the  etched  surface  resembles  that  of  Coahuila. 

A  piece  weighing  18.9  gr.,  with  three  section  surfaces  at  right  angles  to  one  another  of  about  4.2  and  1  sq.  cm., 
shows,  especially  after  rather  strong  etching,  a  distinctly  granular  structure,  since  it  is  composed  of  irregularly  bounded 
granules  0. 125  to  0.25  mm.  in  size,  frequently  overlapping,  with  jagged  edges,  every  part  of  which  shows  the  same  oriented 
sheen.  Independent  of  these  granules,  four  fine  stripes  traverse  the  iron  upon  the  two  largest  surfaces;  they  arise  from 
the  combination  of  the  swollen  lamellae,  which,  however,  are  so  small  that  they  can  only  be  distinctly  perceived  with  a 
strong  glass.  According  to  my  view  and  that  of  Fletcher,  they  run  parallel,  but  Brezina  gives  an  arrangement  according 
to  different  systems  of  parallel  planes.  The  stripes  follow  one  another  at  distances  of  2  to  3  mm.  and  the  flat-formed  por- 
tions between  contain,  in  larger  or  smaller  number,  similar  small  swollen-formed  elevations,  sometimes  closely  packed 
together,  sometimes  more  loosely  distributed  or  even  isolated;  Brezina  speaks  of  a  somewhat  porous  character  of  this 
portion,  but  I  find  no  evidence  of  it  in  an  investigation  with  the  microscope.  While  the  piece  was  only  slightly  etched, 
I,  like  Brezina,  regarded  the  swellings  as  elevations  produced  by  etching;  after  stronger  etching,  however,  there  appeared 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  301 

in  places  swellings  apparently  composed  of  nickel-iron,  shiny  granules,  splinters,  or  variously  formed,  streaked  struc- 
tures of  0.01  to  0.07  mm.  in  size.  I  regard  them  as  schreiberrite,  which,  after  weak  etching,  remained  coated  with  a 
thin  film  of  nickel  iron.  It  is  evident  from  this  that  the  nickel-iron  in  immediate  proximity  to  the  before-mentioned 
granules  is  affected  less  readily  by  the  acid  than  the  less  fine  grained  groundmass.  At  all  events  there  lies  in  one  place 
a  group  of  rhabdite  needles  up  to  1  mm.  in  length,  each  one  of  which  is  surrounded  by  a  smooth,  shiny  etching  zone 
'  about  0.05  mm.  wide.  There  are,  besides,  grains  0.5  to  1  mm.  in  size  and  isolated,  columnar  crystals  of  schreibersite 
also  up  to  3  mm.  in  length  in  considerable  numbers,  which,  however,  show  no  sort  of  regular- arrangement.  A  few 
grains  contain  a  grain  of  troilite,  which  is  doubtless  accompanied  by  daubreelite;  the  dimensions  are  too  small  for  a 
more  exact  determination. 

According  to  the  structure  of  the  principal  part  of  the  nickel-iron,  and  under  the  assumption  that  Damour's analysis 
is  trustworthy,  Mezquital  belongs  to  the  granular  ataxites  poor  in  nickel.  It  is  distinguished  from  the  Chesterville 
meteorite  which  is  of  almost  the  same  granular  and  chemical  make-up,  by  the  arrangement  of  the  swellings  in  layers, 
which  in  the  latter  iron  are  distributed  evenly  over  the  entire  etching  surface.  I  would  assent  to  this  grouping  also, 
if  the  "lay"  of  the  swellings  was  oriented  according  to  faces  of  the  hexahedron. 

Later  Cohen"  gave  an  analysis  by  Fahrenhorst,  as  follows  (specific  gravity,  7.7687): 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Cr  8  P 

93.36        5.46        0.87        0.03        0.00        0.15        0.16     =100.03 

From  this  he  deduced  the  mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel  iron • 98. 55 

Schreibereito .' 1. 04 

Troilite...  0.41 


100.00 
The  meteorite  is  chiefly  (7,120  grams)  in  the  possession  of  the  British  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1868:  DAUBREE.    Fer  me'teorique  trouve'  a  San  Francisco  del  Mezquital,  Durango,  Mexique.    Comptee  Rendus, 

Tome  66,  pp.  573-574.    (Analysis  by  Damour.) 

2.  1869:  MEUNIER.     Recherches.    Ann.  China.  Phys.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  67-98. 

3.  1870:  BUBKART.    Fundorte  IV.    Neues  Jahrb.  Min.,  1870,  p.  685. 

4.  1884:  MEUNIEB.    Me'te'orites,  p.  116. 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  210  and  233. 

6.  1889:  MEUNIER.    Alteration  remarquable  du  fer  me't&n'ique  de  San  Francisco  del  Mezquital.    Comptee  Rendus, 

Tome  108,  pp.  1028-1029. 

7.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  154-155  and  156. 

8.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me't&jriques,  p.  74. 

9.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  294. 

10.  1898:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien,  IX.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  vol.  13,  pp.  473-475. 

11.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien,  XI.     Idem,  vol.  15,  pp.  365-366. 

12.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  48-51. 

Miller's  Run.    See  Pittsburg. 
Milwaukee.    See  Trenton. 


MINCY." 

Taney  County,  Missouri. 

Here  also  Crawford  County,  Forsyth,  Miney,  Newton  County,  and  Taney  County. 

Latitude  36°  35'  N.,  longitude  93°  12'  W. 

Mesosiderite  (M);  Logronite  (type  31),  of  Meunier. 

Found  about  1856;  described  1860. 

Weight,  90  kgs.  (197  Ibs.). 

The  first  published  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Shepard,1  under  the 
title  "Forsyth  (Taney  County,  Missouri)",  as  follows: 

My  first  information  of  this  locality  was  derived  while  on  a  visit  to  southeastern  Missouri  in  April  last  (1860),  from 
N.  Aubushon,  Esq.,  of  Ironton.  He  stated  that  a  small  specimen  of  curiously  knitted,  malleable  ore  of  a  white  color 
resembling  silver,  had  been  sent  him  two  or  three  years  ago  by  a  person  residing  near  the  locality.  Mr.  Aubushon  for- 
warded it  to  an  assayer  at  Ducktown,  Tennessee,  from  whom  he  learned  that  it  was  composed  of  iron  and  nickel.  On 

«  The  spelling  Miney  was  giyen  by  many  writers,  but  the  correct  spelling  Is  Mlncy. 


302  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

visiting  St.  Louis  soon  after,  I  was  informed  by  Professor  Swallow,  the  state  geologist,  that  a  specimen  had  also  been 
transmitted  to  him  by  letter  from  the  same  place;  and  that  Professor  Litton  had  found  it  to  be  composed  of  similar 
constituents.  Professor  Swallow  presented  me  a  small  fragment  of  his  specimen,  upon  which  I  am  able  to  offer  a  few 
remarks,  awaiting  the  results  of  Professor  Litton  'a  analysis,  for  fuller  information. 

The  mass  evidently  belongs  to  the  rather  rare  group  of  amygdaloidal  meteoric  irons  in  which,  like  those  of  Stein- 
bach  (Saxony)  and  Hainholz  (Westphalia),  the  peridotic  ingredient  preponderates  over  the  nickeliferous  iron.  Its 
specific  gravity  is  4.46.  The  iron  is  remarkable  for  its  whiteness,  while  the  peridote  is  of  a  well-marked  green  color, 
and  distinctly  crystalline.  No  pyrites  is  visible  in  the  very  small  fragments  examined.  It  is  reported  that  two  con- 
siderable masses  of  this  meteorite  were  found  buried  in  the  soil  of  a  hillside ;  and  that  they  are  at  present  secreted  under 
the  belief  that  they  contain  silver. 

In  1865  mention  was  made  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  of  the  receipt  by  J.  Law- 
rence Smith 3  of  a  piece  of  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Smith  has  received  a  portion  of  a  new  meteorite  from  Arkansas,  consisting  of  mixed  iron  and 
stony  matter,  which  he  has  under  investigation. 

Under  the  title  of  the  "Newton  County,  Arkansas,"  meteorite  Smith4  gave  a  detailed 
description  as  follows: 

The  first  notice  of  the  meteorite  of  Newton  County  was  made  in  1860  by  Professor  Cox,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
geological  survey  of  Arkansas.  Tlhe  original  has  not  been  obtained;  the  only  fragment  of  it  being  in  the  hands  of  Judge 
Green,  was  given  to  Professor  Cox,  who  has  kindly  presented  it  to  me.  The  weight  of  the  fragment  is  22.5  ounces, 
and  was  evidently  broken  off  from  one  corner  of  the  mass,  as  it  presents  three  of  the  original  surfaces. 

This  meteorite  is  of  the  mixed  variety,  and  can  not  be  classed  with  either  the  metallic  or  stony  meteorites;  it  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  that  has  been  discovered  in  the  United  States,  differing  from  any  other  that  has  yet  been 
found  in  these  regions. 

The  stony  matter  is  very  distinctly  crystallized,  and  some  of  the  minerals  can  be  easily  detached  and  examined 
separately.  The  metallic  portion  constitutes  somewhat  over  one-half  of  the  mass,  and  owing  to  the  diffusion  of  the 
stony  matter  has  a  coarsely  reticulated  structure. 

When  broken  under  the  hammer,  and  the  iron  separated  by  the  magnet,  it  is  obtained  in  coarse  grains  varying 
from  3  to  4  grains  down  to  very  small  fragments.  The  exterior  is  of  a  rusty  color,  roughened  by  projection  of  nickel- 
iferous iron,  and  over  several  parts  of  the  surface  there  is  a  white  incrustation. 

Specific  gravity  taken  on  different  species  varies  from  4.5  to  6.1.  By  mechanical  means  and  the  aid  of  a  magnet, 
the  following  minerals  were  separated: 

Nickeliferous  iron.  Hornblende. 

Chrome  iron.  Olivine. 

Sulphuret  of  iron.  Carbonate  of  lime. 

Nickeliferous  iron. — I  may  as  well  mention  the  manner  in  which  I  separate  the  iron  from  the  stony  matter  of 
meteorites.  In  most  instances  it  is  necessary  to  sacrifice  a  fair  portion  of  the  specimen.  The  mass  is  crushed  in  a 
eteel  mortar.  The  magnet  is  then  able  to  take  out  the  iron  from  the  mass  of  stony  matter,  especially  if  the  crushing 
operation  is  repeated  two  or  three  times.  The  iron  is  then  introduced  into  an  iron  or,  better  still,  a  silver  capsule  or 
crucible,  and  a  strong  solution  of  potash  added.  Heat  is  applied  until  all  the  water  is  driven  off,  and  the  residue  is 
heated  to  redness.  On  cooling  water  is  applied,  and  the  excess  of  potash  washed  out,  as  well  as  some  silicate  of  potash 
that  is  formed.  After  thoroughly  washing  the  particles  of  iron  they  are  moistened  with  a  little  alcohol,  and  dried  on 
blotting  paper  with  a  gentle  heat;  and  by  holding  a  magnet  a  little  distance  from  them  the  particles  of  iron  will  adhere 
to  the  magnet,  almost  perfectly  free  from  earthly  matter. 

The  iron,  if  of  a  coarse  reticulated  structure,  as  the  one  in  question,  may  require  to  be  crushed  in  the  steel  mortar 
after  treatment  by  potash,  to  detach  particles  of  silicate  remaining  in  small  crevices;  and  in  this  variety  I  sometimes 
repeat  the  treatment  by  potash.  In  this  way  the  foreign  matter  associated  with  the  iron  can  be  reduced  to  one  half 
per  cent.  Of  course  this  process  sacrifices  more  or  less  of  the  iron,  especially  if  the  iron  be  in  very  small  particles. 
But  this  sacrifice  is  of  secondary  importance  compared  with  the  necessity  of  having  the  metallic  matter  in  a  pure  state. 
Thus  purified  the  iron  was  found  to  be  composed  of: 

Iron 91.  23 

Nickel 7.  21 

Cobalt 71 

•Phosphorus)100  sma11  to  be  estimated. 

99.15 

In  the  analysis,  after  separating  the  iron  by  the  acetate  of  soda,  the  nickel  and  cobalt  were  separated  by  nitrate 
of  potash;  which  method  I  have  used  frequently  and  with  the  best  results.  Liebig's  method  of  accomplishing  the 
same  end  has  been  much  improved  by  the  modification  lately  devised  by  Professor  Gibbs,  of  dissolving  the  oxide  of 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  303 

mercury  in  the  cyanide  of  mercury.  But  having  every  arrangement  necessary  for  executing  successfully  the  method 
by  the  nitrate  of  potash,  I  have  not  yet  tried  Professor  Gibbs'  modification,  but  shall  do  so  shortly. 

Chrome  iron. — This  is  found  in  small  quantity  in  minute  particles,  some  of  them  showing  distinct  faces  of  crystals; 
but  I  failed  to  find  any  complete  octahedron.  The  quantity  was  too  small  for  analysis,  but  was  readily  recognized 
by  the  blowpipe. 

Sulphuret  of  iron. — This  also  is  discernible  only  in  minute  quantity,  and  could  not  be  collected  for  analysis.  I 
would  remark,  with  reference  to  the  sulphuret  of  iron  found  in  meteorites,  that  it  can  not  be  classed  with  the  terres- 
trial magnetic  pyrites,  whose  formula  is  considered  FejSS,  having  always  found  the  sulphur  too  small  for  this  formula; 
in  which  conclusion  I  believe  I  am  sustained  by  Rammelberg  and  others.  My  results  point  to  the  formula  FeS;  and 
if  the  composition  of  these  two  kinds  of  pyrites  be  correctly  made  out,  then  the  meteoric  variety  has  no  terrestrial 
representative. 

Hornblende. — This  mineral  is  easily  separated,  and  is  of  a  greenish-gray  color,  more  or  less  soiled  by  iron.  With 
some  care  it  can  be  detached  unmixed  with  other  constituents.  It  has  a  very  distinct  cleavage  in  one  direction  and 
an  imperfect  one  in  another.  On  analysis  it  gave: 

Silica 52. 10 

Alumina 1. 02 

Protoxide  of  iron 16.  49 

Protoxide  of  manganese L  25 

Magnesia 29.  81 

Alkalies  (potash,  soda,  lithia) 24 

100.91 

The  oxygen  relations  of  the  silica  and  protoxides  furnish  the  formula  RtSi3 — the  formula  of  hornblende.  In  struc- 
ture and  composition  it  is  not  unlike  varieties  of  anthophyllite. 

Olivine. — This  mineral  is  diffused  through  the  mass.  Some  of  the  smaller  pieces  are  almost  colorless;  others  again 
are  more  or  less  yellow,  being  stained  with  oxide  of  iron.  Some  of  the  fragments  are  iridescent,  like  varieties  of  oligo- 
clase.  which  I  at  first  took  it  to  be.  Sufficient  of  it  was  detached  in  a  pure  state  for  analysis,  and  was  found  to  be  com- 
posed as  follows:  • 

Silica 42.  02 

Alumina 46 

Protoxide  of  iron 12. 08 

Magnesia 47. 25 

100.81 

There  was  a  minute  quantity  of  the  manganese  estimated  with  the  oxide  of  iron  and  magnesia.  This  analysis 
overruns  the  100.  This  is  accounted  for  in  part  by  the  quantity  used  for  analysis  not  being  more  than  0.160  grams. 
The  oxygen  ratio  of  the  silica  and  protoxides  show  the  composition  K,Si,  which  is  that  of  olivine. 

Carbonate  of  lime. — The  observation  of  this  constituent  in  a  meteorite  is  something  entirely  new,  yet  it  is  found 
on  the  exterior  surface  of  the  meteorite  in  question,  in  various  places.  There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind,  however,  that 
this  ingredient  was  no  part  of  the  mass  when  it  fell,  but  that  it  has  been  exposed  to  certain  conditions  since  its  fall 
by  which  carbonate  of  lime  has  been  incrusted  on  its  surface. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  entire  original  mass  is  not  accessible  to  furnish  facilities  for  determining  whether 
it  is  an  incrustation  or  not,  and  if  the  former,  whether  the  incrustation  was  formed  prior  to  or  subsequent  to  the  fall. 

In  relation  to  the  presence  of  carbonates  in  meteorites,  we  have  first  the  and  only  announcement  up  to  the  present 
time,  in  connection  with  the  meteorites  which  fell  at  Orgueil  in  1863.  Messrs.  Des  Cloizeau.  Pisani,  Daubree,  and 
Cloez  discovered  minute  rhombohedral  crystals  of  double  carbonates  of  magnesia  and  iron. 

Wadsworth 5  described  the  two  meteorites  separately.     Forsyth,  Taney  County,  Missouri, 
he  classed  as  a  pallasite, 

composed  of  a  white,  sponge- like  mass  of  nickeliferous  iron  containing  greenish  olivine,  the  latter  being  more  abundant 
than  the  former.  Specific  gravity,  4.46. 

Newton  County,  Arkansas,  he  described  as 

a  coarsely  reticulated  or  sponge-like  mass  of  iron,  containing  in  its  cells  olivine  and  enstatite(?) .  Chromite  and  pyrrhotite 
also  occur.  The  enstatite  is  of  a  greenish-gray  color  and  more  or  less  stained  by  the  iron.  The  olivine  is  in  part  colorless 
and  in  part  stained  yellow  by  the  oxide  of  iron.  The  analysis  does  not  afford  data  from  which  to  give  the  composition  of 
the  rock  as  a  whole.  The  specimens  seen  indicate  that  it  is  closely  allied  to  the  peridotites,  but  probably  belongs  with 
the  pallasites  with  which  it  is  here  placed. 

The  discovery  of  the  exact  locality  of  the  meteorite  and  the  correlation  of  the  different 
accounts  was  due  to  Kunz.7     His  account  is  in  part  as  follows: 

During  June,  1887,  a  meteoric  mass  came  into  my  possession,  and  through  the  kindness  of  Miss  Hattie  Payne,  of 
Lamar,  Arkansas,  I  learned  that  it  was  taken  about  thirty  years  before  from  a  spot  in  latitude  36°  35'  N.  and  longitude 


304  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

93°  12'  W.  of  Greenwich,  near  Mincy,  Taney  County,  Missouri,  11  miles  southeast  of  Forsyth,  and  over  60  miles  from 
Limestone  Valley,  Arkansas.  Miss  Payne  also  stated  that  about  thirty  years  ago  a  meteorite  passed  over  the  boundary 
line  between  Arkansas  and  Missouri  and  was  supposed  to  have  fallen  near  by.  After  considerable  search  it  was  believed 
to  have  been  located  on  a  farm  11  miles  southeast  of  Forsyth,  whence  it  was  taken  60  miles  to  a  farm  in  Limestone 
Valley,  Newton  County,  Arkansas,  on  the  supposition  that  it  was  of  value.  As  it  was  decided  not  to  be  of  meteoric 
origin,  however,  it  remained  unnoticed  for  28  years,  except  that  a  few  gun  sights  were  made  from  it  by  some  of  the 
curious  neighbors.  A  portion  of  it  was  sent  to  the  writer  and  he  at  once  secured  the  balance  of  the  mass.  It  measures 
34  by  35  by  29  cm.  and  at  the  smaller  end  is  12  cm.  high.  Its  weight  is  197  pounds  (89.796  kg).  It  is  similar  to  the 
Hainholz,  Westphalia,  iron,  is  one  of  the  Syssideres  of  Daubr6e  and  of  the  Logronite  group  of  Meunier.  Two  large 
crystals  of  olivine  are  present,  one  measuring  10  by  8  cm.  and  another  4  by  6  cm. ;  this  part  being  so  much  lighter  in 
color  than  the  rest  of  the  mass  and  so  much  more  easily  detached  that  the  larger  crystal  has  been  almost  entirely  picked 
out  to  a  depth  of  5  cm.  At  one  corner  of  the  mass  there  is  an  inclosure  of  augite  measuring  7  by  4  cm.  This  is  gray  and 
granular  in  structure  and  has  all  the  appearance  of  a  common  gray  pebble  inserted  in  the  iron.  The  surface  of  the 
meteorite  is  deeply  pitted  and  in  many  places  traces  of  a  black  crust  are  still  visible;  the  pitting  measures  1  to  4  cm. 
across.  On  one  side  a  fungoid  growth  has  slightly  stained  it  green.  Microscopic  sections  were  made  and  in  these  it 
was  seen  that  the  olivine  did  not  occur  in  separate  crystals,  but  rather  in  aggregations  of  irregularly-shaped  grains 
surrounded  by  brown  ferruginous  veins  and  with  banded  anorthite  grains  interspersed  here  and  there.  These  aggre- 
gations are  full  of  black  microlites,  glass  masses,  and  needle-shaped  clear  crystals,  and  are  imbedded  in  the  metallic 
iron  without  any  border  of  alteration.  The  boundary  line  is  perfectly  sharp,  fresh,  and  distinct,  in  which  characteristic 
it  differs  from  the  meteorite  of  Powder  Mill  Creek.  The  olivine  appears  to  be  fresh,  but  is  clouded  with  the  brown  fer- 
ruginous stains  abundantly  scattered  through  it  and  between  the  grains.  The  following  analyses  were  kindly  furnished 
me  by  Mr.  J.  Edward  Whitfield  and  were  made  before  its  identity  with  the  Newton  County,  Arkansas,  meteorite  was 
suspected.  He  says: 

"The  analyses  of  the  metallic  portion  is  as  follows: 

Fe 89.41 

Ni 10.41 

Co 29 

P...  .16 


100.  27 

"Of  the  rocky  portion  I  have  made  an  analysis  of  the  whole  part,  i.  e.,  not  separated  as  soluble  and  insoluble  but 
with  the  metallic  part  separated.    The  analysis  is  as  follows: 

SiOj 45.88 

Al2Oa 7.  89 

FeO 19.73 

CaO 6.  02 

MgO 17.96 

NiS 1.67 

FeS...  0.54 


99.69 

"From  the  nickel  and  sulphur  and  iron  we  have  the  percentage  corresponding  to  the  formula  (Ni,Fe)S,  for  the 
troilite. 

"Taking  the  piece  as  it  was  received  the  specific  gravity  is  4.484.  Of  the  finely  ground  rocky  portion,  free  from 
metallic  particles  as  far  as  possible,  I  have  made  quite  a  number  of  analyses  to  learn  the  nature  of  the  insoluble  mineral, 
and  as  far  as  I  can  judge  it  is  enstatite  only  and  the  soluble  part  is  a  lime-iron  silicate  with  considerable  A12O3.  Of  the 
insoluble  in  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  the  following  is  the  analysis: 

SiO2 52. 39     =     .87 

Ala03 7.11 

FeO 14.68    =    .201 

CaO 4.49    =    .08 1.81 

MgO 21.33    =     .53J 

100.00 

"Ratio  of  Si02  :  R"O=.  87  :  .81  which  agrees  pretty  well  with  enstatite;  but  here  the  MgO  is  replaced  by  as  much 
FeO  and  the  presence  of  A1203  makes  the  ratio  vary  a  little  from  the  normal  1  : 1.  Deducting  all  the  S  as  NiS  and  the 
Fe  to  correspond  to  the  remaining  S  from  the  soluble  part  we  have  for  the  percentages  of  the  soluble  the  following: 

Si02 26.  95 

A1203 17.69 

FeO 35.98 

CaO 15.  98 

MgO 3.  40 

100.00 
"The  little  MgO  here  probably  comes  from  the  slight  solubility  of  the  enstatite." 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  305 

A  review  of  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  then  given  by  Kunz,  and  he  concludes  that  the 
different  descriptions  refer  to  parts  of  one  and  the  same  meteorite  which  originally  fell  near 
Mincy,  Taney  County,  Missouri.  In  this  conclusion  he  has  been  followed  by  later  authorities. 

Brezina 8  in  his  1895  catalogue  gave  the  following  observations  concerning  the  meteorite: 

This  mass  is  peculiar  because  of  the  r61e  which  the  nickel  iron  plays.  It  occurs  in  isolated  grains  resembling  iron 
chondri,  and  varying  in  size  up  to  6  cm.  These  chondri,  especially  the  larger  ones,  from  1.5  cm.  diameter  upward, 
are  not  solid,  but  have  in  the  interior  vermiform  cavities  filled  with  masses  of  silica  and  grains  of  iron.  After  etching, 
also,  the  compact  iron  chondri  show  merely  a  granulation  similar  to  that  of  brecciated  hexahedrites,  although  the  indi- 
vidual grains  of  iron  are  seamed  with  tsenite  bands.  These  iron  chondri  are  cut  off  sharply  at  the  groundmass  and  seldom 
pass  over  into  this.  The  structure  of  the  entire  mesosiderite  is  very  coarse  grained.  The  groundmass  is  likewise 
besprinkled  with  grains  of  iron  which  have  mostly  a  diameter  of  1  to  2  mm. ;  in  this  groundmass  are  found  olivine 
crystals  from  1  to  5  cm.  in  size,  generally  of  a  pinkish-brown,  less  frequently  of  a  greenish  gray,  or  leek-green  color; 
besides  outcroppings  from  1  to  10  cm.  in  size  of  crystalline  chondrites,  sometimes  free  of  iron,  sometimes  shot  through 
with  dust-like  particles  of  iron  which  occasionally  contain  a  larger  grain  of  iron.  Occasionally  the  large  olivine  crystals 
are  surrounded  by  a  space  poor  in  iron.  Troilite  occurs  but  seldom. 

Meunier  *  classed  Mincy  as  logronite,  the  characters  of  which  are  as  follows: 

Rock  with  stony  minerals  predominating,  inclosing  abundant  and  at  times  numerous  metallic  grains.  The  whole 
is  traversed  by  a  metallic  network.  The  stony  part  is  very  crystalline  and  in  places  constituted  of  shining  lamellae. 
The  metallic  portion  ia  also  very  crystalline.  The  rock  takes  a  good  polish.  As  regards  mineralogical  composition 
the  iron  grains  appear  to  consist  chiefly  of  kamacite  and  taenite.  Some  schreibersite  may  also  be  seen.  The  stony 
portion  consists  of  a  mixture  in  which  a  mineral  resembling  olivine  predominates,  and  with  it  are  acid  silicates  resem- 
bling pyroxene. 

• 

Mincy  is  distributed,  but  the  main  mass  (39  kgs.)  is  in  the  Vienna  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1860:  SHBPARD.    Notices  of  several  American  meteorites. — 2.  Forsyth  (Taney  County,  Missouri)  Iron.    Amer. 

Journ.  Sci.,  2d  eer.,  vol.  30,  pp.  205-206. 

2.  1860:  Cox.    Second  Report  Geol.  Reconnoissance  of  Arkansas  (Philadelphia,  1860),  p.  408  (or  308?). 

3.  1865:  SMITH.    A  new  meteorite  from  Arkansas.    Amer.  Joutn.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  39,  p.  372. 

4.  1865 :  SMITH.    A  new  meteorite  from  Newton  County,  Arkansas,  containing  on  its  surface  carbonate  of  lime.    Idem, 

2d  ser.,  vol.  40,  pp.  213-216.    (Analysis.) 

5.  1884:  Wadsworth.    Studies,  pp.  71  and  74. 

6.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  191,  233,  256,  and  264. 

7.  1887:  KTTNZ.    On  some  American  meteorites. — 1.  The  Taney  County,  Missouri,  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d 

ser.,  vol.  34,  pp.  467—171.     (Illustrations  of  etone  and  section;  analysis  by  Whitfield.) 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  262. 

9.  1895:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  lithosiderites,  pp.  32,  33,  and  34-35.    (Illustration  of  etching.) 


Missouri,  1339.    See  Little  Piney. 


MISTECA. 

State  of  Oaxaca,  Mexico. 

Not  Yanhuitlan. 

Latitude  16°  45'  N.,  longitude  97°  4'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1804. 

Weight  unknown. 

This  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  hopelessly  confused  with  Yanhuitlan,  both  in  literature 
and  in  collections.  It  seems  probable  that  the  two  masses  occurred  near  together,  and  as  their 
etching  figures  resembled  one  another  they  were  not  distinguished  for  a  long  period. 

Brezina  "  in  1895  was  the  first  to  urge  their  separation,  opposing  the  view  of  Fletcher,* 
who  thought  that  they  should  be  regarded  as  one.  Brezina's  statement  is  as  follows: 

Misteca  belongs,  in  consequence  of  the  width  of  its  lamellae,  0.8  to  1.2  mm.,  near  the  coarse  octahedrites.    Cas- 
tillo, and  with  him  Fletcher,  regarded  it  probable  that  the  Misteca  meteorite  had  been  cut  from  the  Yanhuitlan  mass. 
The  difference  in  the  structure  of  the  irons  quite  excludes  such  a  possibility,  however. 
716°— 15 20 


306  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

It  seems  correct  therefore  to  separate  Misteca  and  Yanhuitlan,  the  one  as  a  medium  and 
the  other  as  a  fine  octahedrite,  but  to  learn  the  separate  history  of  each  seems  impossible  at 
present. 

The  first  mention  of  Misteca  as  a  meteorite  locality  seems  to  have  been  by  Del  Rio  l  in 
1804.  He  gives  ' '  La  Misteca  "  as  a  locality  for  metallic  iron.  A  piece  of  meteoric  iron  acquired 
by  Partsch  in  1834  for  the  Vienna  Collection  is  described  as  "from  an  Indian  town  in  the 
Misteca,  State  of  Oaxaca,  Mexico."  He  states  that  it  was  brought  from  Mexico  by  Freiherr 
von  Karawinsky,  of  Munich. 

Bergemann s  gave  the  following  analysis  (specific  gravity,  7.58) : 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  S  Insoluble 

86.875        9.917        0.745        0.070        0.553  0.975    =99.135 

Rammelsberg 8  obtained  different  values,  as  follows: 

Ni 4.39 

Co 0. 18 

Insoluble  residue 0. 20 

The  discrepancy  between  these  two  analyses  is  marked  and  shows  an  error  somewhere. 
A  new  analysis  of  an  undoubted  Misteca  specimen  is  desirable. 
Buchner 5  described  the  structure  of -the  iron  as  follows: 

Upon  a  freshly  broken  surface  this  specimen  shows  an  almost  silver-white  color,  a  granular-flaky  structure,  and  a 
very  distinct  crystalline  texture,  while  on  other  portions  of  the  natural  surface  it  is  iron-black  and  covered  with  bubbly, 
drusylike  cavities  from  the  size  of  hazelnuts  to  that  of  walnuts,  which  are  covered  over  with  a  thin,  firm  material  of  the 
color  of  brown  iron  ore.  Inside,  the  mass  is  homogeneous,  without  clefts  or  cracks,  and  without  visible  admixture  of 
eulphide  of  iron  or  other  foreign  substances,  the  sulphide  of  iron  first  becoming  noticeable  after  etching.  By  etching, 
very  beautiful  Widmannstiitten  figures  come  out,  whereby  also  the  admixture  of  sulphide  of  iron  and  phosphide  of 
nickel-iron  become  visible,  first  in  fine  round  portions,  and,  as  it  appears,  less  frequent  than  in  the  irons  of  Zacatecas 
and  Xiquipilco.  The  bands  of  the  figures  are  0.25  to  1  line  wide,  hatched  with  fine,  diagonally  intersecting  lines, 
and  likewise  dotted  with  fine  white  specks  upon  a  gray  background.  The  bands  are  divided  from  one  another  by 
narrow,  bright,  brass-colored  borders  of  a  metallic  luster,  which  also  occur  sometimes  in  the  central  areas,  not,  how- 
ever, in  continuous,  but  in  broken  and  interrupted  lines.  They  evidently  consist  of  schreibersite.  These  border 
lines  appear  most  distinctly  upon  continuous  surfaces  against  the  bright  brown  or  blue  background,  by  reason  of  their 
beautiful  yellow  color,  where  one  also  sees  much  more  distinctly  the  middle  areas  circumscribed  by  such  edges  and 
hatched  with  broken  and  often  only  dotted  lines,  which  here  and  there  approach  so  near  again  that  the  whole  middle 
portion  appears  yellow. 

Meunier  "  described  the  structure  as  follows : 

This  is  one  of  the  irons  which  give  the  most  perfectly  characteristic  figures  of  the  caillite  type.  The  kamacite, 
in  medium  bands,  has  a  granular  structure  which  takes  on  a  sort  of  watered  appearance  upon  etching.  Taenite  is 
present  in  extremely  fine  and  continuous  filaments.  The  plessite  presents  the  same  sort  of  combs  and  gratings.  The 
specimen  in  the  Paris  Museum  does  not  contain  an  appreciable  quantity  of  pyrrhotine.  Schreibersite  is  found  in  the 
residue  after  dissolving. 

The  distribution  of  the  meteorite  is  impossible  to  determine  until  it  can  be  separated  from 
the  Yanhuitlan  specimens. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1804:  DEL  RIO.    Tablas  Mineralogicas,  p.  57. 

2.  1840:  El  Mosaico  Mexicano,  Bd.  3,  p.  219. 

3.  1857:  BEROEMANN.    Untersuchungen  von  Meteoreisen.— Meteoreisen  aus  der  Misteca  im  Staate  von  Oojaca. 

Ann.  Bd.  100,  pp.  246-249  (Analysis). 

4.  1858-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  7,  p.  551;  No.  9,  pp.  162,  174,  181;  No.  10,  p.  359;  No.  15,  pp.  114,  124; 

No.  16,  pp.  261,  262;  No.  17,  pp.  266,  272;  No.  18,  pp.  484,  487;  No.  19,  pp.  150,  155,  156;  No.  20,  pp.  621,  622. 

5.  1863:  BUCHNER.    Meteoriten,  pp.  148-149. 

6.  1869:  RAMMBLSBERO.    Ueber  zwei  Meteoreisen  aus  Mexico.    Zeitschr.  deutsch.  geol.  Gesellsch.,  Bd.  21,  p.  83 

(Analysis  of  Misteca  alta  and  Yanhuitlan). 

7.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  213  and  234. 

8.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  pp.  2-8. 

9.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.  vol.  9,  pp.  96,  99,  102,  104,  and  171-173. 

10.  1891:  COHEN  and  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus,.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  131, 
165. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  307 

11.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  7,  pp.  151-153  (Analysis),  158 

(Cu),  159,  160,  and  161. 

12.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fere  me'teoriques,  pp.  52-55. 

13.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  268  and  275-276. 

M.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien.  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  85. 
15.  1905:  COHBN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  p.  316. 


Mitchell  County.    See  Waconda. 


MOCTEZUMA. 

Sonora,  Mexico. 

Latitude  28°  49'  N.,  longitude  109°  407  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1899;  undescribed. 

Weight? 

This  meteorite  is  mentioned  by  Berwerth '  and  Ward,2  but  no  description  is  given  except 
the  data  given  above.  Ward  states  that  the  main  mass  is  in  the  collection  of  the  School  of 
Mines  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1903:  BERWERTH.    Verzeichniss,  pp.  20  and  69. 

2.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  pp.  17  and  83. 


MODOC. 

Scott  County,  Kansas. 

Latitude  38°  33'  N.,  longitude  101°  5'  W. 

Stone.    Veined  white  chondrite  (Cwa)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  9.30  p.  m.  September  2,  1905;  described  1906. 

Weight.    Fifteen  to  twenty  stones,  weighing  in  all  about  16  kgs.  (35  Ibs.). 

The  first  scientific  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Merrill J  as  follows: 

A  hitherto  unreported  meteorite  fall  took  place  on  the  night  of  September  2, 1905,  about  9.30  p.  m.,  in  Scott  County, 
Kansas.  The  fall  was  attended  with  the  usual  explosion,  light,  and  sound,  variously  compared  to  cannonading  and 
the  roll  of  heavy  wagons. 

Thus  far  14  pieces  of  the  stone  have  come  to  light,  the  largest  of  which,  weighing  4.61  kg.,  is  at  present  in  the 
National  Museum.  A  broken  surface  shows  the  stone  to  be  indistinctly  chondritic,  of  a  very  light  gray  color,  and  under 
the  microscope  is  found  to  consist  essentially  of  olivine  and  enstatite,  with  a  very  small  amount  of  plagioclase  feldspar. 
It  evidently  belongs  to  Brezina's  group  of  veined  chondrites  (Cwa),  and  will  be  known  as  the  Scott  County  meteorite. 

A  further  note  was  published  by  Famngton s  as  follows: 

Investigation  has  been  made  by  the  writer  of  the  meteorite  fall  which  took  place  at  Modoc,  Scott  County,  Kansas, 
about  9.30  p.  m.  September  2,  1905.  Mention  of  the  fall  was  made  in  the  local  paper  at  the  time  and  in  Science  of 
March  9.  The  phenomena  of  the  fall  were  observed  by  a  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Scott  and  the  adjoining 
counties.  The  course  of  the  meteorite,  as  learned  by  the  writer  through  inquiries  in  several  counties,  was  nearly  due 
east.  The  phenomena  were  a  sudden  lighting  up  of  the  sky  by  a  swift-moving  fireball  "as  big  as  a  washtub"  which 
quickly  exploded  with  three  successive  and  widening  discharges.  The  explosion  must  have  occurred  not  far  from 
Tribune,  Greeley  County,  Kansas,  since  the  interval  between  light  and  eound  there  was  but  a  few  seconds.  The  fall  of 
stones,  however,  occurred  at  Modoc,  about  40  miles  farther  east,  the  interval  between  light  and  sound  there  being 
between  two  and  three  minutes.  It  would  appear,  therefore,  that  after  the  explosion  the  stones  traveled  about  40 
miles  before  reaching  the  earth,  at  a  velocity  of  about  one-third  of  a  mile  per  second.  Up  to  date  13  fragments  and 
individuals  have  been  found,  the  heaviest  having  weighed  11  pounds.  The  other  individuals  and  fragments  found 
range  in  weight  from  7  pounds  to  a  few  ounces.  The  area  over  which  they  were  scattered  is  one  of  about  7  miles  in 
length  by  2  miles  in  width,  extending  nearly  due  east  and  west,  the  larger  stones  being  found  at  the  east  end  of  the  area. 
The  principle  that  the  smaller  stones  would  fall  first  is  thus  corroborated.  The  stones  appear  to  be  of  the  type  of  white 
or  gray  chondrites  and  to  have  the  usual  composition  of  meteorites  of  this  character.  They  are  coated,  for  the  most 
part,  with  a  thick  black  crust,  although  considerable  breaking  up  took  place  in  the  atmosphere,  so  that  some  fragments 
have  only  a  secondary  crust  or  none  at  all.  The  total  weight  of  individuals  thus  far  collected  is  32  pounds. 


308  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Merrill 4  gave  the  following  further  account: 

The  meteoric  stone  described  below  was  received  at  the  National  Museum  from  Mr.  J.  K.  Freed,  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  the  facts  given  relative  to  its  fall  and  the  privilege  of  describing  it. 

The  stone  fell  on  the  night  of  September  2, 1905,  about  10  p.  m.,  and  seems  to  have  come  from  the  west  or  southwest. 
When  about  6  miles  due  west  of  Scott  City  it  exploded  with  what  is  described  as  a  terrific  roar,  plainly  heard  for  a 
distance  of  25  miles,  awakening  those  who  had  already  gone  to  sleep  and  frightening  people  for  miles  around.  Its 
appearance  when  exploding  was  variously  described  as  like  the  "headlight  of  a  locomotive,"  and  a  "white  light  as  big 
aa  a  haystack  afire."  Eighteen  miles  south  of  Scott  City  it  is  stated  to  have  been  light  enough  to  "pick  up  a  pin." 
Following  the  explosion  was  a  noise  compared  with  the  discharge  of  a  heavy  battery  of  artillery  or  of  a  heavy  wagon 
running  rapidly  over  the  frozen  ground,  the  noise  gradually  dying  away  like  rolling  thunder  in  the  distance.  Some 
claim  to  have  heard  the  whistling  of  rocks  through  the  air  like  bullets  or  heavy  hail.  Mr.  Freed  himself  compares  the 
sound  to  that  of  "a  mighty  swish-h-h,  resembling  the  sound  of  a  skyrocket." 

After  a  search  extending  over  a  period  of  more  than  a  year  14  pieces  have  been  reported  as  found,  scattered  over  an 
area  some  2  miles  by  7  in  the  vicinity  of  Modoc,  a  small  town  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad.  These  were  mostly 
complete  individuals.  Three  and  a  fragment  received  at  the  National  Museum  weighed,  respectively,  4640,  1170,  490, 
and  110  grams.  Two  others  obtained  by  Dr.  O.  C.  Farrington  for  the  Field  Columbian  Museum  are  reported  as  weighing 
about  5,400  grams.  An  individual  of  approximately  2,000  grams  weight  is  reported  as  in  the  hands  of  a  collector  in 
Kansas.  This  accounts  for  7  out  of  the  14  reported  finds.  It  seems  safe  to  assume  that  the  weight  of  the  entire  fall 
could  not  have  been  less  than  15  kilograms. 

The  4.64  kg.  individual  received  at  the  museum  was  the  largest  thus  far  reported.  Its  dimensions  are:  Height 
over  all,  21  cm. ;  maximum  width,  15.5  cm. ;  thickness,  10.65  cm.  This  was  found  several  miles  east  of  the  others 
and  was  embedded  but  4  or  5  inches  in  the  hard  buffalo-grass  sod,  inclining  slightly  to  the  west.  It  is  a  complete 
individual,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  fragment  of  about  an  ounce  weight,  which  had  been  broken  away  to  send  to 
the  museum  previously  for  examination. 

This  and  the  others  examined  are  covered  with  a  dull  brown-black,  slightly  rough  crust  of  approximately  a  milli- 
meter in  thickness,  showing  no  traces  of  flow  structure  nor  perceptible  thickening  in  any  part  such  as  would  indicate 
the  position  of  the  block  in  its  flight  through  the  air.  The  surfaces  are,  on  the  whole,  rather  free  from  pittings.  Sundry 
darker  streaks  running  parallel  with  the  broader  faces  suggest  a  lack  of  homogeneity  or  a  possible  fissuring  of  the  mass. 

The  broken  surface  shows  the  stone  to  be  very  indistinctly  chondritic  and  of  a  color  even  lighter  gray  than  the  Mocs 
or  Drake  Creek,  Tennessee,  stone  which  it  closely  resembles.  With  a  pocket  lens  abundant  metallic  points  are  visible. 

Under  the  microscope  the  stone  is  found  to  consist  essentially  of  olivine  and  enstatite  in  characteristic  jumbled, 
granular  crystalline  forms,  interspersed  with  larger  irregular  granules  and  indistinctly  outlined  chondri  of  the  same 
material,  together  with  blebs  of  metallic  iron  and  troilite.  As  already  noted,  the  chondritic  structure  is  quite  incon- 
spicuous on  a  broken  surface,  the  individual  chondri  consisting  of  irregularly  rounded,  oval,  and  sometimes  angular 
aggregates  of  olivines  in  granular  and  gratelike  forms,  or  enstatites  in  eccentric  radiating  masses,  in  either  instance  the 
interstices  being  often  occupied  by  a  colorless  mineral  identified  as  feldspar.  In  a  single  instance  a  chondrus  was  noted 
consisting  of  a  coal-black  dustlike  material  interspersed  with  a  few  blebs  of  troilite,  the  whole  being  nearly  surrounded 
by  the  colorless  zone  of  feldspar  (?),  the  appearance  in  an  ordinary  light  being  practically  identical  with  the  black 
chondrus  from  the  meteorite  of  Chateau  Renard,  as  figured  by  Tschermak.  The  mineral  identified  as  a  plagioclase 
feldspar  occurs  in  small  perfectly  clear  and  colorless  interstitial  forms,  so  lacking  in  crystalline  outline  and  cleavage  as 
at  first  to  suggest  a  residual  glass.  Extinction  angles  are  quite  unsatisfactory,  the  dark  waves  sweeping  across  the  face 
of  the  crystals  in  a  manner  indicative  of  a  condition  of  strain;  and,  were  it  not  for  an  occasional  particle  with  incon- 
spicuous twin  bands,  the  real  nature  of  the  mineral  would  be  in  doubt.  It  was,  unquestionably,  the  last  mineral  to 
crystallize,  is  quite  free  from  inclosures,  and  occupies  the  interstices  of  the  olivines  and  enstatites,  often  partially 
enwrapping  them,  very  like  a  glass,  but  between  crossed  nicols  polarizing  faintly  in  light  and  dark  colors  and  breaking 
up  into  granular  masses  comparable  with  the  secondary  feldspars  in  the  drusy  cavities  of  metamorphic  rocks.  Aside 
from  occurring  between  the  bars  and  radiating  columns  of  the  chondri,  as  already  mentioned,  it  is  scattered  throughout 
the  ground  in  a  manner  closely  identical  with  that  of  the  Milena  meteorite,  as  also  figured  by  Tschermak. 

As  noted  above,  the  stone  is  traversed  by  fine  threadlike  black  veins,  though  how  abundant  such  may  be  it  is 
impossible  to  tell  without  breaking  the  specimen,  and  this  the  writer  has  not  been  able  to  obtain  permission  to  do. 

The  fall  adds  one  more — the  twelfth — to  the  remarkable  list  for  which  Kansas  has  become  noted. 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  description,  the  stone  belongs  to  Brezina's  group  of  veined  chondritic  meteorites  (Cwa). 
It  will  be  known  as  the  Modoc,  Scott  County,  meteorite. 

CHEMICAL  ANALYSIS,  BY  WIRT  TASSIN. 

The  native  metal  was  determined  in  2.0255  grams  of  the  crust-free  meteorite  as  follows:  The  finely  pulverized 
material  was  treated  in  the  cold  with  a  solution  of  mercuric  ammonium  chloride,  in  an  atmosphere  of  hydrogen.  The 
'results  were: 

Fe 6.56 

Ni 0.  68 

Co 0.034 

The  sulphur  was  determined  in  1.0300  grams  of  the  meteorite,  after  fusion  with  Na-jCOj+KNCv    This  yielded: 
S.'..  1.38 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  309 

The  phosphorus  was  estimated  in  1.0450  grams,  and  the  percentage  found  was: 

P  ................................................................  ....  0.051 

The  soluble  silicates  were  determined  by  treatment  with  HC1,  sp.  1.06.    The  action  was  allowed  to  take  place  on 
the  water  bath  and  continued  but  two  hours.    The  acid  then  decanted  off  and  the  operation  twice  repeated.    This 

treatment  gave: 

SiO2  ................................................................  17.38 

FeO  .................................................................  10.95 

AljO3  .........................................  i  .....................  0.  20 

CaO  ................................................................  0.  14 

MgO  ...............................................................  -.  17.73 

The  insoluble  silicates  were  determined  after  fusion  with  Na^COj.    The  alkalies  were  necessarily  determined  in  a 
separate  portion.    Chromite  was  not  present. 

SiOs  ................................................................  26.75 

FeO  .................................................................    4.42 

MnO  ................................................................    0.  10(?) 

ALA>  .............................................................    2.  27 

CaO  ................................................................     1.  60 

MgO  ................................................................     8.72 

(present  but  not  determinable). 

0.  44 


The  general  composition  of  the  portions  of  the  meteorite  analyzed,  as  derived  from  the  combination  of  the  several 
determinations,  is: 

Fe  ...................................................................     6.56 

Ni  ......................................................  .  ...........    a  68 

Co  ..................................................................    0.034 

S  ....................................................................     L38 

P  ................................................  ..  ...................    a  051 

SiO2  ............................................  1  ...................  44.  13 

FeO  .................................................................  15.37 

MnO  ................................................................    0.  10(?) 

CaO  ................................................................     L74 

MgO  ................................................................  26.45 

AljO3  ...............................................................    2.  47 

Trace. 
0.  44 


99.40 

The  mineralogical  composition  of  the  meteorite  may  be  approximately  calculated  from  the  above  summation. 
The  amount  of  nickel-iron  is  determined  directly;  troilite  and  schreibersite  are  calculated  from  the  amounts  of  sulphur 
and  phosphorus  found,  assuming  that  schreibersite  has  the  formula  FejNiP.  The  soluble  silicate  is  olivine.  The 
insoluble  silicates  are  regarded  as  enstatite  and  the  feldspathic  mineral  noted,  the  amount  of  alumina  found  furnishing 
the  basis  for  the  calculation : 

Nickel-iron 4. 59 

Troilite 3.79 

Schreibersite 0. 34 

Olivine 46.40 

Enstatite 29.  94 

Other  insoluble  silicates .  14. 36 


99.42 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  last  item  in  the  calculation  is  not  wholly  satisfactory,  the  14.36  per  cent  of  other 
insoluble  silicates  not  being  accounted  for  in  the  microscopic  examination.  It  undoubtedly  includes  the  feldspathic 
constituent  and  presumably  also  a  portion  of  the  irresolvable  matter  of  the  chondrules.  A  like  condition  of  affairs  was 
noted  by  Borgstrom  in  his  description  of  the  Shelburne  meteorite,  which,  from  a  chemical  standpoint,  this  closely 
resembles. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  Modoc  stone  was  determined  on  two  complete  individuals,  weighing  1,110  and  490  grama, 
respectively,  by  a  large  apparatus  constructed  on  the  plan  of  the  beam  balance  recommended  by  Penfield  in  the  latest 
edition  of  bis  Brush  Determinative  Mineralogy.  No  attempt  was  made  to  exhaust  the  air  from  the  pores,  the  stone 
being  immersed  in  water  and,  with  frequent  agitations,  allowed  to  remain  until  no  more  bubbles  were  given  off.  The 
average  of  two  determinations  was  3.54. 


310  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Farrington B  gave  the  following  further  account: 

This  meteorite  has  already  been  made  the  subject  of  a  brief  note  and  detailed  study  by  Merrill  and  a  note  by  the 
present  writer.  Some  additional  facts  obtained  by  the  writer  during  a  visit  to  the  locality  in  February,  1906,  and  by 
atudy  of  specimens  seems  worthy  of  record.  These  observations  include  accounts  of  the  phenomena  of  fall  obtained 
from  various  residents  of  Modoc,  also  at  Tribune,  40  miles  west  of  Modoc.  The  accounts  at  the  latter  place  show  a 
much  shorter  interval  to  have  intervened  between  light  and  sound  than  at  Modoc.  This  seems  conclusive  evidence 
that  the  meteor  exploded  over  Tribune  and  traveled  about  40  miles  before  falling.  The  accounts  here  given  are 
arranged  in  the  order  of  the  position  of  the  observers  going  eastward. 

Mr.  Raines,  the  station  agent  at  Tribune,  was  about  to  lower  a  curtain  at  an  east  window  when  he  saw  the  meteor 
at  the  north  going  eastward.  Its  appearance  was  that  of  a  ball  of  fire,  resembling  an  electric  light  in  color  and  of  the 
size  of  a  "washtub."  In  a  short  space  of  time,  probably  two  or  three  seconds,  it  exploded,  throwing  out  sparks  and 
then  disappeared,  leaving  no  trail  behind  it.  In  about  30  seconds  three  muffled  reports  and  a  continuous  roar  like 
thunder  were  heard. 

Mr.  P.  W.  Grimes,  of  Tribune,  was  sitting  with  his  head  down,  facing  west,  when  a  light  like  that  of  an  electric 
light  attracted  his  attention.  He  saw  a  ball  of  fire  to  the  north,  traveling  east.  The  light  lasted  two  or  three  seconds, 
and  in  about  20  seconds  came  three  muffled  reports  like  those  of  thunder. 

Mr.  Willie  Baugh  was  driving  south  about  2  miles  from  Modoc.  He  saw  a  light  to  the  west,  resembling  an  electric 
light,  seemingly  falling  toward  him.  Then  it  seemed  to  describe  an  upward  path'  and  exploded,  sparks  going  in  dif- 
ferent directions  like  those  of  a  Roman  candle. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Curtis,  of  Modoc,  had  retired  for  the  night  when  Mrs.  Curtis  was  awakened  by  a  light  so  bright 
that  she  thought  the  barn  was  afire.  This  light  was  followed  by  three  reports  like  thunder  and  a  sound  like  the  wind 
coming  up.  She  awakened  Mr.  Curtis,  who  went  to  the  porch,  and  then  heard  sounds  like  hailstones  falling.  The 
fall  of  each  stone  was  accompanied  by  slight  hissing  sounds.  Next  morning  Mr.  Curtis  found  a  stone  weighing  about 
1  pound  in  his  yard,  and  others  later. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Yost,  living  only  a  few  rods  from  Mr.  Curtis,  heard  a  sound  like  accentuated  thunder,  but  saw 
no  light  nor  heard  any  stones  falling.  They  found  several  stones  about  their  premises  later. 

Mr.  Schirmeyer,  of  Modoc,  was  indoors.  He  saw  a  light  at  an  east  window  and  stepped  out  on  the  porch  to  examine 
it.  Two  or  three  explosions  like  rifle  shots  followed,  also  swishing  sounds  like  the  dropping  of  stones.  Rumbling 
sounds  then  died  away  to  the  west  for  about  five  minutes. 

Mr.  Irwin,  of  Modoc,  saw  a  light  below  a  partially  lowered  curtain.  He  called  to  his  wife  to  see  what  was  going 
on.  She  got  up  for  a  moment  and  then  retired  again;  and  then  came  sounds  which  led  them  to  think  that  a  smashup 
had  occurred  on  the  railroad  near  by.' 

Mr.  T.  D.  Marshall  was  coming  up  out  of  his  cellar  at  the  time  of  the  fall.  His  attention  was  attracted  by  a  bright 
light  in  the  sky,  which  was  followed  by  a  sound  like  four  beats  on  a  bass  drum  and  others  like  the  swish  which  accom- 
panies the  shooting  of  a  rocket.  He  then  heard  stones  striking  in  a  number  of  places  about  his  house.  He  expected 
to  be  able  to  find  a  number  of  these  the  next  morning,  but  on  searching  succeeded  in  discovering  only  one. 

Mr.  McDonald  heard  sounds  like  the  firing  of  a  machine  gun,  and  a  few  days  later  found  a  small  stone  about  100 
feet  from  his  house. 

Mr.  J.  K.  Freed  heard  sounds  like  those  of  a  machine  gun. 

Inhabitants  of  Scott,  about  4  miles  east  of  the  place  of  fall,  generally  described  the  sounds  as  like  those  of  a  wagon 
traveling  over  a  bridge. 

An  account  of  the  occurrence  published  in  the  local  paper,  the  Scott  County  Chronicle,  September  8,  1905,  six 
days  after  the  fall,  was  as  follows: 

"Last  Saturday  night  about  10  o'clock  a  remarkably  bright  meteor  was  seen  in  the  heavens  west  from  this  city. 
It  was  almost  as  light  as  day.  The  explosion  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  Modoc  and  was  heard  clear  across  the  county. 
T.  D.  Marshall  had  a  piece  of  the  meteor  in  town  Wednesday  which  he  found  near  his  house,  which  is  black  on  the 
outside  and  gray  on  the  inside,  and  is  heavily  charged  with  metal  indicating  silver  and  gold.  It  is  reported  that 
W.  E.  Curtis  and  a  man  named  Pence  have' found  pieces  that  show  that  the  remnants  were  scattered  over  several  miles 
of  territory.  Mr.  Marshall  says  the  commotion  in  his  territory  was  simply  terrifying." 

Under  Modoc  items  an  account  was  given  in  the  same  paper  as  follows: 

"Last  Saturday  night  about  9  o'clock  a  meteor  passed  over  this  locality.  It  was  followed  by  a  roar  that  sounded 
like  thunder.  It  probably  burst,  as  fragments  were  heard  falling  by  several  persons,  and  T.  D.  Marshall  and  W.  E. 
Curtis  each  found  one.  The  parts  found  were  dark  lead  color,  almost  black,  and  give  a  metallic  sound  when  struck. 
They  are  checked  by  small  cracks  indicating  an  extremely  heated  condition  while  passing  through  the  air.  They 
weigh  but  a  few  ounces,  yet  are  prized  by  the  finders  as  they  probably  represent  part  of  some  planet  far  away,  and 
have  traveled  for  millions  of  miles  through  space  before  finding  a  resting  place  on  earth." 

The  difference  in  time  of  these  two  accounts  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  in  Modoc,  mountain  time  is  used, 
but  in  Scott,  central  time. 

The  area  over  which  the  meteoric  stones  were  found  was  one  about  7  miles  by  2,  the  longer  distance  extending 
east  and  west.  The  region  is  a  rolling  prairie,  rather  thinly  inhabited.  Much  of  the  area  has  never  been  plowed. 
The  native  sod,  or  "buffalo  sod,"  as  it  is  often  called,  proved  comparatively  impenetrable  to  the  stones  which  fell 
upon  it.  A  slight  indentation  in  the  sod  showed  plainly  where  a  stone  weighing  7  pounds,  found  by  the  writer,  had 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  311 

struck.  The  ground  also  was  bare  at  that  point,  showing  that  the  grass  had  been  killed.  The  meteorite  did  not  lie 
at  the  point  where  it  had  struck,  however,  but  about  ita  own  width  (4  inches)  to  the  south.  It  had  thus  evidently 
bounced  southward  on  striking.  Mr.  McDonald,  of  Modoc,  informed  the  writer  that  the  stone  which  he  found  had 
also  bounded  southward.  Mr.  Freed,  of  Modoc,  informed  the  writer  that  the  stone  which  he  found  had  penetrated 
the  sod  about  4  inches.  This  was  of  tabular  form  and  was  on  edge.  It  weighed  11  pounds. 

The  following  list  shows  the  individual  stones  which  had  been  found  at  the  time  of  the  writer's  visit  and  the 
names  of  the  finders.  All  of  these  masses  were  seen  by  the  writer.  The  weights  are  in  several  cases  approximately 
only.  Those  that  are  known  accurately  are  given  in  grams. 

Weight.  Finder. 

1.  10.75  Ibs.  (4,640  grams) J.  K.  Freed. 

2.  7  Ibs.  (3,171  grams) O.  C.  Farrington. 

3.  5  Ibs F.  P.  Heller. 

4.  21bs.  10  oz.  (1,170  grams) F.  P.  Heller. 

5.  1  Ib.  15  oz.  (879  grams) F.  P.  Heller. 

6.  1  Ib.  6  oz.  (624  grams) John  March. 

7.  lib.  loz.  (490  grama) Fred  Yost. 

8.  14  oz —  McDonald. 

9.  12.5  oz W.  E.  Curtis. 

10.  10  oz T.  D.  Marshall. 

11.  6oz Fred  Yost. 

12.  6  oz.  (170  grams) Fred  Yost. 

13.  6  oz Mrs.  W.  E.  Curtis. 

In  addition  the  find  of  an  individual  weighing  1.5  pounds  was  reported  by  O.  L.  Douglass,  and  one  weighing  2 
pounds  by  F.  P.  Heller.  Thus  a  total  of  at  least  15  stones  has  been  found,  having  an  aggregate  weight  of  about 
35  pounds  (16  kg.). 

The  distribution  of  these  specimens  over  the  area  in  falling  shows  a  remarkable  gradation  in  accordance  with  their 
size.  The  stones  fell  in  order  of  their  weight  from  west  to  east.  This  is  graphically  shown  in  a  plate.  The  two  indi- 
viduals weighing  1  pound  and  2  pounds  each,  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the  5-pound  mass,  are  fragments,  the  remaining 
portions  of  which  were  not  found  although  extended  search  was  made,  and  the  region  is  exceptionally  favorable  for 
searching  for  meteorites.  The  smooth  buffalo  sod  has  no  other  stones  upon  it  and  the  vegetable  growth  is  not  sufficient 
to  hide  stones  of  appreciable  size.  These  fragmentary  individuals  are  shown  in  a  plate.  The  complete  individuals 
would  probably  weigh  about  5  pounds  each.  Some  of  the  noncrusted  surfaces  of  these  show  blackening  while  others 
are  perfectly  fresh.  The  completely  encrusted  individuals  are  of  irregular,  angular  shapes,  with  angles  slightly 
rounded,  as  is  usual  in  meteorites.  Several,  however,  show  projecting  spurs  of  toothed  form  which  are  unusual.  No. 
10  is  especially  notable  for  these.  The  three  views  given  of  this  individual  show  its  orientation.  The  broad  surface 
(shown  in  a  plate)  with  rounded  shallow  pits  was  the  rear  side,  the  opposite  the  front  ride.  As  shown  by  the  ride 
view,  the  individual  is  fragmentary. 

The  individual  found  by  the  writer  has  a  roughly  tetrahedral  form  with  one  of  the  faces  of  the  tetrahedron  broken 
up  into  three  planes.  The  faces  are  nearly  all  slightly  concave  and  show  only  a  few  broad  pittings.  A  marked  feature 
of  the  surface  is  a  whitish  deposit  occurring  on  several  of  the  faces.  This  deposit  is  more  or  less  streaked  in  appear- 
ance, and  the  direction  of  the  streaks  is  such  that  they  would  meet  in  a  common  point  if  produced.  Examined  under 
a  lens  the  deposit  is  seen  to  be  a  fine  powder  embedded  in  the  interstices  of  the  slaggy  crust.  It  is  soluble  without 
effervescence  in  hydrochloric  acid,  but  is  so  small  in  quantity  that  further  determination  of  its  nature  can  not  be  made. 
The  simplest  explanation  of  its  origin  would  seem  to  be  to  regard  it  an  efflorescence  due  to  weathering,  as  the  meteorite 
had  been  exposed  five  months  to  the  elements  when  found.  The  uniformity  of  direction  of  the  streaks  is  somewhat 
difficult  to  account  for  on  this  hypothesis,  however.  One  of  the  uppermost  faces,  moreover,  is  entirely  free  from  the 
deposit.  The  deposit  lies  on  what  was  undoubtedly  the  forward  portion  of  the  meteorite  in  falling  and  the  radiation 
of  the  streaks  from  a  common  point  suggests  that  it  was  made  during  flight.  In  either  case  the  phenomenon  is  new 
to  the  writer's  experience.  The  individuals  shown  in  another  plate  were,  as  already  stated,  fragments  when  found, 
and  no  adjoining  parts  have  yet  been  discovered  in  the  vicinity  so  far  as  the  writer  is  aware.  The  encrusted  portion 
of  one  is  seen  to  be  deeply  pitted,  the  pits  varying  in  form  and  size  on  the  different  surfaces.  On  one  surface  they 
are  abundant,  small,  and  uniformly  distributed,  on  others  fewer  in  number,  larger,  and  deeper.  The  complete  indi- 
vidual was  evidently  of  tabular  form  and  about  2  inches  (5  cm.)  thick.  One  of  the  broad  surfaces  is  remarkably  flat 
and  shows  well-marked  divergent  lines  of  flow  on  the  crust.  The  other  individual  illustrates  the  internal  veins  which 
occur  in  some  specimens.  These  veins  are  evidently  only  armor  faces  produced  by  slipping.  They  are  planoid  in 
character  and  run  in  various  directions  which  often  intersect.  The  crust  of  most  of  the  individuals  is  dull  and  coal 
black  in  color,  though  of  reddish  tone  in  some  individuals.  Crackling  of  the  crust  into  irregular  polygonal  areas  is  a 
common  and  characteristic  feature,  as  shown  in  several  of  the  plates.  The  crackle  has  a  meshlike  pattern  with  meshes 
in  the  form  of  polygons,  squares,  and  triangles  from  0.25  to  0.5  inch  on  a  ride.  The  appearance  is  entirely  similar  to 
that  presented  by  crackled  earthenware  and  is  doubtless  produced  by  shrinking  of  the  crust  in  cooling  or  expansion 
of  the  interior  of  the  meteorite  subsequent  to  the  formation  of  the  crust.  Another  interesting  feature  seen  on  the  crust 
of  several  individuals  is  that  of  glazed  spots  of  occasional  occurrence.  The  spots  are  usually  of  a  greenish  color,  oval 


312  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

to  circular  in  area,  and  vary  from  0.25  to  0.5  inch  in  diameter.    They  doubtless  mark  the  location  of  chondri  of 
fusible  composition. 

Under  the  microscope,  the  crust  shows  in  cross  section  a  thickness  of  about  0.5  mm.  The  three  zones  of  Tscher- 
mak  are  plainly  marked,  with  widths  averaging  as  follows:  Fusion  zone  0.025  mm.,  absorption  zone  0.1  mm.,  impreg- 
nation zone  0.4  mm.  These  zones  exhibit  the  usual  characters,  the  fusion  zone  being  black,  opaque,  and  glassy,  the 
absorption  zone  transparent,  and  the  impregnation  zone  showing  a  large  proportion  of  black,  opaque  matter.  The 
relative  widths  above  given  remain  fairly  constant,  although  in  places  the  absorption  and  fusion  zones  are  of  about 
equal  width,  and  again,  the  absorption  zone  may  disappear  altogether.  The  fusion  zone  is  at  times  also  blebby  and 
rough  in  outline.  The  interior  of  the  meteorite  is  megascopically  ash  gray  in  color,  in  some  individuals  flecked  with 
rusty  spota.  The  substance  is  only  fairly  coherent,  and  will  not  polish. 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed.     The  Field  Museum  collection  possesses  4,513 
grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1905:  Scott  County  Chronicle,  September  8. 

2.  1906:  MERRILL.    A  new  meteorite  from  Scott  County,  Kansas.    Science,  n.  s.,  vol.  23,  March  9,  p.  391. 

3.  1906:  FAREINGTON.    Meteorite  shower  at  Modoc,  Kansas.    Science,  n.  s.,  vol.  23,  April  13,  p.  582. 

4.  1906:  MERRILL.    On  a  new  stony  meteorite  from  Modoc,  Scott  County,  Kansas.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  eer.,  vol. 

21,  pp.  356-360. 

5.  1907:  FAERINGTON.    Meteorite  Studies  II.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  120-125. 


Monmouth  County.    See  Deal. 

Monroe.    See  Flows. 
Monroe  County.    See  Forsyth. 

Morelos.    See  Amates. 
Morgan  County.    See  Walker  County. 


MORITO. 

Chihuahua,  Mexico. 

Here  also  El  Morito  and  San  Gregorio. 

Latitude  27°  53'  N.,  longitude  105°  4(X  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Known  since  1600;  mentioned  1619. 

Weight,  11,000  kgs.  (24,250  pounds). 

A  mention  by  Cordoba  x  of  the  discovery  of  a  maps  of  iron  by  Ofiate  in  1600  is  regarded  by 
Fletcher 1S  as  referring  to  this  meteorite.     This  mention  is  as  follows : 

They  (Onate's  expedition)  reached  the  farthest  villages  on  the  border  of  New  Biscay,  where  there  is  a  tradition  of 
the  Indians  that,  when  they  were  coming  from  New  Mexico  to  people  the  Old,  their  deity  in  the  form  of  an  aged 
woman  placed  there  a  remarkable  landmark  of  seemingly  more  than  800  quintals  (hundredweight)  of  iron,  where- 
upon some  returned  to  their  mother  country  and  some  went  on  to  people  new  Spain.  And,  for  their  boundary  and 
peace,  they  were  divided  by  this  wondrous  landmark,  set  up  in  a  desert,  in  latitude  27°  3<y  N. ,  and  as  lustrous  as  refined 
silver.  *  *  *  They  (Onate)  marched  with  great  toil.  *  *  *  and  in  seven  (7)  months  they  reached  the  prov- 
ince they  were  making  for. 

Another  early  account  of  the  meteorite  is  quoted  by  Fletcher 13  from  Salmeron,3  as  follows: 

There  is  also  an  old  tradition  among  the  Indians  that  a  lump  of  metallic  iron,  which  is  3  leagues  distant  from 
Santa  Barbola  (sic),  and  half  a  league  away  from  the  road  to  New  Mexico,  is  a  memorial  of  the  coming  of  the  Mexicans 
to  people  this  country  (Old  Mexico);  and  that  they  halted  near  there,  and  that  the  idol  which  used  to  speak  to  them 
told  them  that  it  would  tarry  at  the  place  as  a  memorial.  The  iron  must  weigh  upwards  of  8  hundredweight  (quin- 
tals), and  they  say  that  a  deity,  in  the  form  of  an  Indian  woman,  aged,  and  wrinkled,  used  to  draw  it  along.  How 
remarkably  strong  the  old  Indian  woman  must  have  been !  It  is  an  object  which  all  who  pass  along  this  road  go  and 
look  at  as  a  curiosity.  A  blacksmith  of  Santa  Barbola  (sic)  severed  a  bit  from  one  side;  and  others,  not  believing  it 
to  be  an  object  that  could  have  been  moved  and  dragged  from  a  distance,  but  siispecting  it  to  be  (the  outcrop  of)  a 
mine  of  native  iron,  made  an  excavation  beneath  it.  On  the  removal  of  the  earth  by  which  it  was  supported,  the 
mass  turned  over  on  one  side,  and  it  is  in  that  position  at  the  present  day. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  313 

Hardy 2  described  the  mass  as  follows: 

From  Real  (Rio)  del  Parral  to  the  hacienda  of  Santa  Cruz  is  12  leagues;  9  leagues  farther  on  the  same  road  is  the 
town  of  San  Gregorio,  where  there  is  an  enormous  mass  of  iron  and  nickel,  perhaps  the  meteorite  which  Mr.  Humboldt 
describes  as  being  near  the  town  of  Durango.  Real  del  Parral  had  formerly  a  population  of  fifty  ot  sixty  thousand 
souls  and  was  very  celebrated  in  its  day,  which  has  now  gone  by.  Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  melt  down  this 
mass  of  iron,  but  without  success.  An  Italian  imagined  that  by  heating  one  side  of  it  he  should  be  able  to  cut  off  as 
much  of  the  metal  as  he  wanted.  Accordingly,  he  piled  on  the  part  where  he  intended  to  commence  his  operations  an 
immense  quantity  of  wood,  to  which  he  set  fire,  and  by  dint  of  united  blast  of  five  or  six  forge  bellows  he  succeeded  in 
giving  it  a  red  heat  which  indeed  was  so  insupportable  that,  to  his  astonishment,  he  could  not  come  near  it.  However, 
I  am  told  that  by  applying  a  wall  of  thick  boards  before  him  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  3  pounds  of  iron;  which 
3  pounds  cost  him  $130  and  they  were  not  worth  $4. 

Burkart 4>  6>  6  made  several  inquiries  for  the  mass,  chiefly  in  order  to  determine  whether  it 
was  the  iron  referred  to  by  Humboldt  as  the  Durango  iron.  He  concluded,  however,  that  it 
was  not.  In  1871  he7  obtained  a  more  complete  description  of  it,  which  he  published  as  follows: 
Mr.  Weidner  has  sent  me  some  information  regarding  the  iron  meteorite  of  the  Hacienda  la  Florida  and  Mr.  Damm 
some  pieces  of  the  meteorites  of  San  Gregorio  and  Concepcion,  obtained  by  Mr.  Stallforth  in  Parral.  Since  these  are 
the  first  pieces  of  these  which  have  yet  been  obtained  in  Europe  I  have  given  them  to  Professor  Rammelsberg  in  the 
hope  that  he  will  analyze  the  material  and  publish  the  results.  With  the  pieces  were  sent  some  information  from  which 
I  draw  the  following:  The  meteoric  iron  of  San  Gregorio  which  W.  H.  Hardy  saw  and  mentioned  in  his  book  on  Mexico 
has  not  been  previously  described  nor  are  details  given  regarding  its  size,  weight,  and  appearance.  Also  the  notices 
by  Messrs.  Porras  and  Urquidi  give  nothing.  The  former  says  that  the  mass  must  have  fallen  7.5  leagues  from  the 
hacienda  of  San  Gregorio.  No  one  knew  when  it  was  found,  but  it  must  have  been  long  ago,  since  at  the  beginning  of 
the  previous  century  the  "stone  of  iron  "  laid  bare  by  the  rain  was  chosen  as  a  boundary  between  the  Villa  de  Alende 
and  the  hacienda  San  Gregorio.  About  50  years  ago  the  owner  of  the  latter  brought  the  maas  to  his  court  and,  according 
to  Hardy  an  Italian,  and  according  to  Porras,  a  blacksmith,  made  fruitless  efforts  to  separate  a  piece  by  fire,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  well-known  inscription  (see  below  for  translation)  was  placed  upon  it: 

Solo  Dios  con  su  poder 

Este  fierro  destruird, 

Porque  en  el  mundo  no  habrd 

Quien  lo  puede  deshacer.    A°  1828. 

This  is  on  the  side  at  present  lying  east.  The  mass  has,  besides  a  depression  the  size  of  a  head  in  the  middle,  other 
smaller  ones  toward  the  edges  as  if  made  by  fingers  with  long  nails. 

Burkart  *  further  gives  the  account  of  Urgindi,  which  is  quoted  below. 

Fletcher 13  notes  that — 

Exactly  the  same  account  of  revelation  by  a  heavy  rain,  within  a  short  distance  from  the  hacienda,  was  given 
for  the  Concepcion  mass  in  1871,  by  the  actual  owner  and  yet  it  is  now  established  that  the  mass  had  been  removed 
from  near  Huejuquilla  in  1780;  there  is  almost  exactly  the  same  tradition  relative  to  the  attempt  to  cut  large  pieces 
from  the  two  masses. 

Smith8  described  it  as  follows: 

This  immense  mass  of  meteoric  iron  is  situated  on  the  western  border  of  the  Mexican  desert.  It  measures  6  feet  6 
inches  in  its  greatest  length,  is  5  feet  6  inches  in  height,  and  4  feet  thick  at  its  base;  on  one  part  of  its  surface,  1821  is 
cut  with  a  chisel,  and  above  this  date  is  the  following  inscription:  "Only  God  with  his  power  can  destroy  this  iron,  for 
no  one  on  the  earth  will%ever  be  able  to  shatter  it." 

It  lies  within  the  inclosure  of  a  hacienda,  having  been  hauled  to  the  ranch  many  years  ago  by  the  Spaniards,  who 
thought  that  it  could  be  made  use  of  as  iron  for  farming  utensils.  It  is  said  to  have  fallen  quite  near  its  present  site 
and  from  its  huge  bulk  and  weight,  which  is  calculated  at  above  5  tons,  it  could  not  have  been  transported  very  far. 
Nothing  more  is  known  of  its  history. 

Small  specimens  were  detached  by  Doctor  Butcher,  one  of  which  I  have  examined.  I  find  it  to  be  of  the  softer 
meteoric  irons,  with  a  specific  gravity  of  7.84.  The  fragment  I  possess  is  too  small  for  the  study  of  the  true  character 
of  its  Widmanstatten  figures.  Upon  analysis  it  furnished  the  following  composition: 

Fe  Ni          Co  Cu  P 

95.01        4.22        0.51         trace        0.08    =99.82 

Juan  Urgindi,9  in  a  letter  to  Professor  Henry  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  stated  that  he 
had  seen  the  San  Gregorio  meteorite  twice  in  1856.     He  further  states: 

It  is  larger  than  the  one  at  this  place  (Hacienda  Concepcion)  and  seems  to  consist  of  the  same  material,  has  very 
much  the  shape  of  a  sofa,  and  bears  an  inscription  which  reads  thus  (translated): 

"Only  God  with  his  power 
This  iron  will  destroy, 
For  the  world  will  have 
No  one  able  to  divide  it  in  pieces." 


314  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

In  my  opinion  this  meteorite  and  the  one  we  have  here  are  fragments  of  another  much  larger  one  that  probably 
burst  at  a  sufficient  height  from  the  earth  to  cast  one  piece  on  this  hacienda,  another  one  on  that  of  San  Gregorio,  10 
leagues  to  the  northwest,  and  other  larger  ones  on  Chupaderos,  20  leagues  to  the  northwest  of  this  place. 

Huntington  "  remarked  the  octahedral  character  of  the  meteorite  and  stated  that  it  must 
be  placed  in  a  different  class  from  the  Coahuila  irons. 

Castillo  12  described  the  meteorite  under  the  title  of  the  Hacienda  of  San  Gregorio.  He 
states  that  this  hacienda  is  situated  13  km.  northwest  of  the  Valle  de  Allende.  He  further  says: 

The  form  of  the  meteorite  is  nearly  that  of  a  cone  1  m.  high  and  1.2  m.  in  diameter  at  the  base.  Its  density  being 
7.74,  its  weight  becomes  11,560  kgs.  Like  the  preceding  (the  Chupaderos  meteorites)  it  is  riddled  with  holes  or  cylin- 
drical cavities,  in  part  filled  with  troilite.  It  fell  at  the  place  called  El  Morito  4.5  km.  from  the  Hacienda  of  San 
Gregorio,  and  the  proprietor  in  1600?,  Mr.  Raphael  de  Pastrana,  transported  it  to  the  court  of  this  hacienda,  where  it  is 
to-day  (1889). 

Fletcher 18  gave  a  full  account  of  the  mentionings  of  the  meteorite  by  travelers,  including 
Humboldt.  He  regards  it  possible  that  it  may  have  been  the  Durango  mass  mentioned  by 
Humboldt.  He  also  expresses  the  opinion  that  the  meteorite  is  of  the  same  fall  as  Chupaderos 
and  Concepcion  (Adargas).  He  also  quotes  from  what  is  probably  a  letter  from  J.  D.  Knotts, 
of  Parral,  as  follows: 

Mr.  J.  D.  Knotts,  of  Parral,  states  (1890)  that,  according  to  local  traditions,  the  mass  was  moved  some  130  to  140 
years  ago  to  the  hacienda  of  San  Gregorio  from  El  Morito,  about  2  leagues  distant  in  an  easterly  direction.  About 
four  or  five  years  since  it  was  moved  by  the  present  owner  from  the  center  to  the  corner  of  the  hacienda,  a  distance  of 
70  feet,  by  50  men  with  levers,  in  order  to  form  part  of  the  house. 

Meunier 14  classed  the  meteorite  as  Caillite,  and  described  the  Paris  specimen  as  follows : 

The  specimen  in  the  museum  is  not  perfect,  it  having  been  twisted  when  it  was  separated  from  the  mass  from 
which  it  came.  Nevertheless,  it  gives  the  characteristic  figures  of  caillite.  No  pyrrhotine  is  to  be  seen,  but  schrei- 
bersite  is  not  rare. 

Brezina,18  in  1895,  seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  use  the  name  Morito  for  this  meteorite. 
He  classed  it  as  a  medium  octahedrite,  and  described  it  as  follows: 

Morito  (San  Gregorio)  is  the  old  landmark  which  originally  lay  at  El  Morito,  4.5  km.  from  the  Hacienda  de  San 
Gregorio,  with  the  date  "  1600 ' '  chiseled  upon  it;  it  was  then  brought  to  the  hacienda  by  the  proprietors,  13  km.  North- 
west from  the  Valle  de  Allende,  where  it  still  lay  in  the  year  1889.  The  weight  has  been  estimated  now  at  800, 
now  at  250  quintals  (40,000  to  12, 500  kgs.;  according  to  Castillo  11,560  kgs.).  The  iron  has  the  form  of  a  highly  oriented 
cone  1  m.  in  height  by  1.2  m.  in  basal  diameter.  The  conical  surface  is  covered  with  groovelike  depressions  running 
from  the  apex,  while  the  base  is  quite  flat.  Two  small  pieces  from  the  Schulz  collection  show  straight,  strongly 
bunched  lamellae  0.9  mm.  thick.  The  tsenite  is  scarce,  fields  absent,  and  kamacite  much  spotted,  resembling  Descu- 
bridora,  Adargas,  Misteca,  and  Pila  (Durango).  It  has  a  zone  of  alteration  along  the  natural  exterior  surface  0.2  to 
1.5  mm.  in  thickness.  Fletcher  seems  to  regard  Morito  as  belonging  with  Adargas,  Rio  Florido,  Chupaderos,  Sierra 
Blanca  (Toluca),  and  Tule  (Toluca),  but  I  do  not  think  this  permissible.  More  exact  analyses  of  the  Mexican  irons 
are  very  much  to  be  desired. 

The  meteorite  is  preserved  almost  entire  in  the  School  of  Mines  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1619:  Luis  CABRERA  DE  CORDOBA.    Historia  de  Felipe  Segundo  Rey  de  Espagna,  Madrid,  1619,  Lib.  13,  p.  1163; 

also  Edicion  publicada  de  Real  orden,  Madrid,  1876-1877,  vol.  2,  p.  677. 

2.  1829:  HARDY.    Travels  in  the  interior  of  Mexico  in  1825-1828.    London,  p.  481. 

3.  1856:  GERONIMO  DE  ZARATE  SALMERON.    Documentos  para  la  Historia  de  Mexico,  Tercera  Serie,  vol.  1,  pp.  47-48. 

(Ordered  to  be  published  in  1629.) 

4.  1858:  BURKART.    Fundorte  II.    Neues  Jahrb.  Min.,  pp.  770,  771-772. 
6.  1866:  BURKART.    Fundorte  III.    Idem,  p.  408. 

6.  1870:  BURKART.    Fundorte  IV.     Idem,  p.  690. 

7.  1871:  BURKART.    Briefl.  Mitt.     Idem,  pp.  852-853. 

8.  1871:  SMITH.    The  precise  geographical  position  of  the  large  masses  of  meteoric  iron  in  North  Mexico,  with  the 

description  of  a  new  mass.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  2,  p.  336. 

9.  1872:  URGINDI.    On  the  Meteorites  of  the  Hacienda  "La  Concepcion"  and  San  Gregorio  (extract  from  a  letter  to 

Professor  Henry,  etc.).    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  3,  p.  208. 

10.  1880:  MUNOZ  LUMBIER.    Los  Aer61itos  de  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  pp.  16,  17. 

11.  1889:  HUNTINGTON.    The  Crystalline  Structure  of  the  Coahuila  Irons.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  of  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol. 

24,  p.  35. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


315 


12.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  7. 

13.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites,  Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  122, 123,  124-125, 131-132, 137-140, 150,  and  151. 

14.  1893:  MEUNIEB.    Revision  des  fere  m^teoriquea,  pp.  52  and  53. 

15.  1895:  BBBZDJA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  269  and  272-273. 


MORRISTOWN. 

Hamblen  County,  Tenneaeee. 

Here  also  the  Safford  meteorite  and  Hamblen  County. 

Latitude  36°  14'  N.,  longitude  83°  32'  W. 

Iron-stone.    Grahamite  of  Brezina . 

Found  1887;  described  1893. 

Weight,  16  kgs.  (36  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Eakins  '  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  which  was  found  in  September,  1887,  on  a  ridge  about  6  miles  west-southwest  from  Morristown, 
Hamblen  County,  Tennessee,  was  first  recognized  and  brought  to  notice  by  Prof.  J.  M.  Safford,  who,  in  course  of  an 
inspection  of  a  collection  of  iron  ores,  recognized  some  fragments  as  undoubtedly  meteoric.  Prof.  Safford  at  once 
took  steps  to  secure  these  pieces  and  visited  the  locality  where  they  were  found.  Here  he  succeeded  in  finding 
a  few  more  fragments,  which  had  the  appearance  of  having  been  buried  in  the  soil  and  afterwards  turned  up  by  the 
plow.  These  various  pieces  now  in  Prof.  Safford's  possession  have  a  total  weight  of  about  36  pounds,  two  of  them 
weighing  respectively  11  pounds  and  13  pounds.  A  specimen  sent  by  Prof.  Safford  to  the  United  States  National 
Museum,  and  now  in  its  collection  furnished  the  material  for  this  investigation.  Most  of  the  pieces  show  much  surface 
oxidation,  a  fresh  fracture  showing  a  gray  color  with  numerous  metallic  particles  of  nickel-iron.  The  analysis  was 
made  in  the  usual  way  for  this  class  of  meteorites;  that  is,  by  separating  the  metallic  and  siliceous  portions,  both  by 
picking  and  by  the  magnet  and  analyzing  separately  the  nickeliferous  iron,  the  silicates  soluble  in  hydrochloric  acid, 
and  those  insoluble.  The  metallic  and  siliceous  portions  of  this  meteorite  are  approximately  equal  in  amount,  the 
iron  being  quite  malleable  and  unusually  tough.  The  analysis  is  as  follows: 


Nickeliferou*  iron. 


Fe 
90.92 


Ni 
7.71 


Co 

0.80 


Cu 

trace 


P 
0.19 


S 
0.04 


SUvxout  portion. 


Soluble  in  HC1. 


»99.  66 


Insoluble  in  HC1. 


SiO,.. 

Analy- 
sis. 
16.79 

Calculated 
to  100#. 
45.61 

Molecular 
ratios. 
0.760 

A12O3 

8.33 

22.62 

0.222 

Cr,O,. 

FeO 

4.88 

11.73 

0  163 

NiO 

0  39 

L06 

0.014 

MnO  

CaO 

5  19 

1409 

0  252 

MgO 

L34 

3.64 

0  091 

KO 

...     .%.. 

Na,0  

p,os 

0  46 

L25 

0  009 

S... 

0  25 

37.63 

100.00 

Analy- 

Calculated 

Molecular 

sis. 

to  100#. 

ratios. 

3L47 

50.67 

0.844 

9.25 

14.89 

0.146 

0.82 

L32 

0.009 

6.55 

10.55 

0.147 

0.47 

0.76 

0,010 

2.24 

3.61 

0.64 

1L16 

17.98 

0.449 

0.02 

0.03 

•  -  •  . 

0.12 

0.19 

0.003 

62. 10        100. 00  

In  calculating  the  analysis  of  the  soluble  portion  to  100  per  cent,  the  S  and  an  amount  of  iron  (0.56  per  cent  FeO) 
sufficient  to  form  FeS  are  first  deducted.  In  many  stony  meteorites  olivine  is  a  considerable  constituent,  generally 
forming  the  bulk  of  the  soluble  silicate;  but  in  this  case  the  analysis  shows  olivine  to  be  present  in  but  small  propor- 
tion, if  at  all.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  both  the  soluble  and  insoluble  portions  have  practically  the  same  mole- 
cular ratios,  the  soluble  portion  reducing  itself  essentially  to  RAl2SiO,  in  which  R=CaFe;  and  the  insoluble  part 
to  the  same  formula  where  R=MgFe,  both  being  equivalent  to  aluminous  enstatite  or  pyroxene.  At  the  time  this 
analysis  was  made  it  was  impracticable  to  supplement  the  work  with  the  proper  microscopical  examination  of  sec- 
tions, which  doubtless,  in  conjunction  with  the  chemical  evidence,  would  have  satisfactorily  determined  the  minerals 
present.  Without  this  microscopical  knowledge,  however,  little  that  is  definite  can  be  said  except  that  there  seem 
to  be  present  two  similar  molecules;  the  one  in  which  lime  predominates  being  soluble,  and  the  other,  magnesian, 


316  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

being  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid.  The  other  alternative  is  to  assume  a  complex  molecule  which  is  split  into  two 
sections  by  the  action  of  the  acid. 

The  meteorite  is  now  known  as  the  Safford  meteorite. 

The  results  of  Eakins  were  referred  to  by  Merrill,2  and  further  examination  of  the  meteorite 
reported  by  him  as  follows: 

Three  specific  gravity  determinations,  made  on  fragments  from  15  to  25  grams  in  weight,  including  both  iron  and 
stony  portions,  yielded  the  present  writer  an  average  of  4.32. 

In  thin  sections  the  structure  of  the  stony  portions  is  found  to  be  holocrystalline  granular,  sometimes  strongly  cata- 
clastic.  This  latter  structure  is  particularly  conspicuous  in  those  portions  rich  in  metallic  iron,  where  the  feldspars  are 
often  inclosed  in  the  form  of  sharply  angular  fragments  in  the  iron  or  in  its  numerous  embayments.  The  appearance  is 
not,  however,  that  of  a  clastic  rock,  but  rather  that  of  a  crystalline  variety  which  has  been  subjected  to  dynamic  agen- 
cies. The  structure  as  a  whole  is  quite  irregular  and ,  as  above  noted ,  porphyritic  through  the  presence  of  large  pyroxenes 
which  at  times  are  5  to  8  mm.  in  diameter. 

The  groundmass  of  the  stone  is  composed  mainly  of  granules  of  pyroxenes  and  plagioclase  of  such  size  as  to  render 
their  determination  by  the  microscope  a  matter  of  considerable  ease,  but  which  are  interspersed  with  innumerable 
rounded  and  irregular  granular  forms  so  minute  and  so  lacking  in  crystal  outlines  as  to  render  their  true  mineralogical 
nature  a  matter  of  conjecture  only. 

The  feldspars  as  a  rule  show  polysynthetic  twinning.  Sections  without  twin  striae  (and  which  are  assumed  to  be 
parallel  approximately  to  oo  P  oo,  show  the  emergence  of  an  optic  axis  just  outside  the  field,  and  give  extinction  angles 
as  high  as  —38°,  suggestive  of  anorthite.  By  means  of  a  specific  gravity  solution  a  small  quantity  of  the  feldspar 
(0.19  gram)  was  separated  out  and  analyzed  with  the  results  given  below,  and  which  confirm  the  result  of  the  optical 
determination.  They  usually  contain  a  large  number  of  cavities  and  inclosures  in  this  respect  and  with  respect  to 
their  shattered  condition  as  well,  resembling  those  of  the  Sierra  de  Chaca  stone. 

The  analysis  of  the  feldspar  is  as  follows: 

SiO2        A120,        FeO         CaO          MgO          Na/) 
42.02        37.77         trace        16.41         0.96          Undt.     =97.16 

Two  pyroxenic  minerals  are  present.  The  one  of  a  gray  color,  owing  to  minute  cavities  and  dustlike  inclosures, 
and  giving  in  all  cases  extinctions  parallel  and  at  right  angles  with  the  evident  cleavage;  microchemical  tests  show 
the  presence  of  magnesia  but  not  of  lime  or  alumina.  It  is  hence  assumed  to  be  enstatite.  The  second  is  very  clear  and 
pellucid,  of  a  faint  greenish  tinge,  though  without  evident  pleochroism.  It  shows  an  imperfect  prismatic  cleavage,  a 

pronounced  parting  parallel  to  oo  P   i  has  at  times  somewhat  fibrous  or  platy  structure,  and  gives  extinction  on  P, 

measured  against  cleavage  lines,  running  as  high  as  30°.  Granules  of  this  mineral  isolated  for  microchemical  testa 
were  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid.  With  hydrofluoric  acid  on  a  slide  first  covered  with  hard  balsam  they  dissolved, 
yielding  abundant  rhombs  of  magnesiau  fluosilicate.  The  solution  treated  with  a  drop  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid  yielded 
gypsum  needles,  and  with  caesium  chloride  and  sulphuric  acid  abundant  minute,  more  or  less  modified  octahedra  of 
caesium  alum.  The  mineral  is,  therefore,  assumed  to  be  diallage,  though  the  angle  of  extinction  is  small.  Olivine  is 
quite  inconspicuous,  and  were  it  not  for  the  magnesia  in  the  soluble  portion  of  the  stone  would  be  quite  overlooked.  It 
seems  to  exist  intergrown  with  the  enstatite  and  can  not  be  isolated.  The  powdered  rock  after  being  passed  repeatedly 
through  a  solution  of  sufficient  density  to  separate  the  feldspar  still  yields  a  small  amount  of  gelatinous  silica,  the  acid 
solution  reacting  for  both  magnesia  and  lime,  suggesting  the  presence  of  monticellite.  It  is  possible,  however,  that 
the  lime  may  have  come  from  inclosures  of  anorthite  too  small  to  be  recognizable. 

Repeated  attempts  were  made  at  separating  the  two  pyroxenes  for  complete  analysis,  but  the  variation  in  density 
was  too  slight  to  permit  this,  even  when  the  silver-thallium  nitrate  solution  was  employed. 

Inasmuch  as  the  presence  of  the  minerals  above  noted,  as  determined  microscopically,  did  not  satisfy  all  the 
requirements  of  the  analyses  of  the  soluble  portions,  further  qualitative  and  microchemical  tests  were  resorted  to.  It 
was  found  that  merely  boiling  the  pulverized  stone  for  a  few  minutes  in  distilled  water  was  sufficient  to  give  a  solution 
reacting  for  chlorine,  sulphuric  acid,  lime,  and  iron.  These  reactions,  considered  in  connection  with  the  minerals 
known  to  occur  in  meteorites,  are  sufficient  to  suggest,  if  not  prove,  the  presence  of  gypsum  as  an  oxidation  product  of 
oldhamite  and  of  lawrencite.  The  phosphoric  acid  suggests  schreibersite,  and  the  odor  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  given 
off  by  the  boiling  solution,  troilite.  Instead  of,  then,  attempting  to  account  for  the  result  of  the  analyses  on  the  assumed 
presence  of  two  minerals  having  practically  the  same  molecular  ratios,  as  was  done  in  the  paper  above  quoted,  the 
present  writer  would  suggest  the  following  as  the  probable  mineral  nature  of  the  stone,  including  the  metallic  portion: 

(1)  Nickeliferous  iron.  (6)  Oldhamite  (or  secondary  gypsum). 

(2)  Enstatite.  (7)  Lawrencite. 

(3)  Diallage.  (8)  Troilite. 

(4)  Anorthite.  (9)  Schreibersite. 

(5)  Olivine  (or  monticellite). 

According  to  the  prevailing  system  of  classification  the  stone  must  be  called  a  mesosiderite;  viewed  from  the  stand- 
point of  terrestrial  petrography,  it  would  be  classed  as  a  gabbro  with  gradations  toward  pyroxenite. 

A  few  words  more  may  well  be  written  concerning  the  structure  of  the  stone.  This,  as  above  noted,  is  crystalline 
granular  throughout,  no  glass  whatever  being  detected.  In  the  finer-grained  siliceous  portions  the  constituents  have 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  317 

undoubtedly  all  originated  by  crystallization  in  the  positions  they  now  occupy  and  have  not  suffered  at  all  from  dynamic 
agencies.  The  coarser  portions  of  the  rock,  and  particularly  those  in  immediate  juxtaposition  with  the  metallic  iron, 
have  a  strongly  marked  cataclastic  structure,  the  feldspars  existing  mainly  as  angular  fragments.  All  structural  features 
point  to  the  injection  of  the  metallic  iron,  or  at  least  to  its  reduction  to  the  metallic  state,  subsequently  to  the  solidifica- 
tion of  the  stone,  the  same  being  accompanied  by  a  shattering  and  more  or  less  displacement  of  the  minerals  in  the  near 
vicinity.  In  the  more  siliceous  portions  the  iron  exists  only  in  small  round  blebs  and  seems  to  have  been  wholly 
without  effect  on  the  structural  features;  but  where  existing  in  masses  of  some  size  the  appearance  is  at  once  suggestive 
of  subsequent  injections  and  consequent  disruption  of  particles. 

The  occurrence  of  the  feldspars  to  the  exclusion  of  the  enstatites  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  metallic  portions 
would  be  extremely  suggestive  could  we  consider  both  as  products  of  solidification  in-  place,  from  an  iron-bearing  magma, 
in  the  one  case  the  elements  combining  to  form  an  iron-rich  silicate  (enstatite)  and  in  the  other  metallic  iron  and  feldspar. 
The  extremely  fragmental  condition  of  the  feldspars,  particularly  when  closely  associated  with  the  iron,  suggests, 
however,  that  these  were  in  a  crystalline  condition  prior  to  the  injection  of  the  metallic  portions,  and  hence  that  no 
such  extreme  phase  of  magmatic  differentiation  could  have  taken  place. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  stone,  as  shown  by  sections  cut  from  different  fragments,  is  quite  variable  both  in  struc- 
ture and  in  the  relative  proportions  of  its  constituent  minerals. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Ward  possessing  4,259  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1893:  EAKINS.    A  new  meteorite  from  Hamblen  County,  Tennessee.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  46,  pp.  283- 

285  (analysis)  and  482. 

2.  1896:  MERRILL.    On  the  composition  and  structure  of  the  Hamblen  County,  Tennessee,  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  2,  pp.  149-153. 


MOUNT  JOY. 

Mount  Joy  Township,  Adams  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Latitude  39°  47'  N.,  longitude  77°  13'  W. 
Iron.    Coarsest  octahedrite  (Ogg)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1887;  described  1892. 
Weight,  383.5  kgs.  (847  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Howell  *  as  follows: 

The  Mount  Joy  meteorite,  the  third  largest  meteorite  found  in  the  United  States,  and  the  largest  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  was  found  in  November,  1887,  on  or  about  the  16th  of  the  month,  by  Jacob  Snyder,  about  a  foot  below  the 
surface  while  digging  to  plant  an  apple  tree  near  his  house,  5  miles  to  the  southeast  of  Gettysburg,  in  the  township  of 
Mount  Joy,  Adams  County,  Pennsylvania.  It  was  supposed  by  the  finder  and  his  friends  to  indicate  the  near  presence 
of  an  iron  mine,  and  considerable  prospecting  was  done  to  locate  it.  The  meteorite  was  placed  on  some  timbers  in  the 
open  air,  where  it  remained  until  the  summer  of  1891  before  it  was  seen  by  anyone  who  surmised  its  true  character. 

Prof.  F.  W.  Clarke  induced  Mr.  Snyder  to  send  it  to  the  National  Museum  for  inspection,  but  was  finally  unable  to 
secure  it,  as  Mr.  Snyder  was  unwilling  to  part  with  it  for  a  price  which  the  museum  felt  justified  in  paying.  I,  therefore, 
purchased  it  from  Mr.  Snyder  on  August  15,  1891.  The  three  largest  dimensions  of  the  meteorite  are  11,  24,  and  33.5 
inches  and  it  weighed  on  the  museum  scales  847  pounds.  Professor  Clarke  had  a  few  ounces  taken  off  for  examination; 
with  this  exception  and  the  scaling  of  decomposed  crust  from  the  outside  the  mass  still  remains  as  it  was  found. 

Professor  Clarke  has  kindly  furnished  me  with  the  following  analysis,  made  by  Mr.  L.  G.  Eakins  in  the  laboratory 
of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey. 

Professor  Clarke  did  not  succeed  in  developing  the  Widmanstatten  figures  satisfactorily,  and  the  small  amount  of 
nickel  shown  by  the  analysis  would  indicate  a  poor  etching  iron;  when  larger  surfaces  are  available  we  shall  doubtless 
obtain  better  results. 

Fe  Ni          Co  Cu  P  S 

93.80        4.81        0.51        0.005        0.19        0.01    =99.325 

No  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  length  of  time  the  meteorite  had  lain  in  the  ground  and  very  little  of  the  amount  of 
surface  decomposition;  it  has  undergone  sufficient,  however,  to  remove  all  the  finer  pittings,  leaving  a  comparatively 
smooth  surface. 

Having  been  much  interested  in  Mr.  Davison's  examination  of  the  magnetic  properties  of  the  Welland  meteorite, 
and  thinking  that  this  line  of  investigation  in  other  meteorites  might  lead  to  interesting  results,  I  requested  Mr.  Marcus 
Baker,  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  to  make  an  examination  of  the  meteorite,  which  he  kindly  consented 
to  do. 

The  result  of  this  examination  is  to  show  that  the  meteorite,  as  a  whole,  acts  as  a  mass  of  soft  iron,  gaining  polarity 
under  the  inductive  action  of  the  earth.  The  lower  portion  on  the  north  side  became  a  north-seeking  pole,  while  the 
upper  part  became  a  south-seeking  pole;  a  pretty  distinct  neutral  line  was  shown,  inclined  to  the  horizon  at  an  angle 
(20°-25°)  which  is  approximately  the  complement  of  the  local  inclination  of  the  dipping  needle.  This  induced  polarity 
shifted  with  each  change  in  the  position  of  the  whole  mass,  and  in  general  this  shifting  of  the  poles  took  place  promptly 
though  not  always  at  once.  Mr.  Baker  also  states  that  his  observations  suggested  the  probable  existence  of  an  unequal 
distribution  of  permanent  magnetism,  but  this  matter  requires  further  investigation. 


318  MEMOIKS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XHL 

Brezina 2  made  the  following  observation  in  regard  to  the  meteorite: 

A  lumpy  grain  of  the  size  of  a  nut  which  fell  out  during  the  cutting  shows  the  imprint  of  the  neighboring  grains. 
Upon  the  section  surface  are  to  be  seen  bent  Neumann  lines  with  somewhat  bright  yellow-colored  porous  crystals  of 
troilite. 

After  acquisition  of  the  principal  part  of  the  mass  by  the  Vienna  Museum  the  structure 
was  studied  by  Berwerth 3  with  the  folio  whig  results: 

The  analysis  by  Eakins  led  Linck  to  class  Mount  Joy  as  a  hexahedrite,  and  when  later  Brezina,  on  a  piece  broken 
from  the  surface,  observed  Neumann  lines  the  meteorite  was  classed  as  a  breccialike  hexahedrite.  For  the  purposes  of 
investigation  and  material  for  exchange  the  mass  at  the  Vienna  Museum  was  sawed  in  two  parts  in  the  direction  of  its 
principal  section,  and  the  smaller  part  cut  into  corresponding  smaller  plates  parallel  with  this  section.  The  faces 
obtained  were  so  large  and  their  character  so  remarkable  that  a  complete  investigation  of  the  iron  is  in  preparation; 
here  the  only  endeavor  will  be  to  correct  the  error  regarding  its  structure  which  has  crept  into  literature.  The  prepa- 
ration of  the  faces  for  exhibition  showed  without  question  that  Mount  Joy  belongs  to  the  octahedral  irons,  and  by  its 
very  coarse  structure  should  be  placed  among  the  last  of  the  octahedral  irons  classed  as  having  coarsest  lamellae.  The 
general  structure  of  Mount  Joy  is  that  of  a  coarse-grained  mass,  the  coarse  grains  of  which  are  intergrown  and  so  elongated 
with  a  certain  regularity  in  one  direction  that  the  grains  have  a  relatively  short  rodlike  shape.  From  this  shape  and  the 
position  of  the  grains  arises  an  appearance  of  Widmanstatten  figures  that  is  plain  to  the  eye  on  a  large  section.  The 
fine  crystalline  structure  of  the  single  grains  makes  the  figures  more  distinct,  since  the  grains  show  a  similar  course  of 
Neumann  lines,  luster,  and  sheen.  Contrary  to  the  usual  structure  of  octahedral  irons  with  more  compact  band  systems, 
Mount  Joy  shows  by  reason  of  the  more  granular  than  lamellar  formation  a  disconnected  network  of  figures.  A  regular 
inclusion  of  fine  rhabdite  is  common  to  the  grains.  As  regards  the  appearance  of  the  etched  surface  the  grains  show  two 
characters.  Along  the  section  the  course  of  the  Neumann  lines  is  shown  plainly.  In  another  part  of  the  mass  the 
Neumann  lines  show  only  very  weakly.  This  disguised  appearance  of  the  lines  comes  from  the  fact  that  the  mass  of  the 
grains  has  a  composition  of  two  fields,  one  of  which  is  depressed  and  the  other  appears  swollen  on  the  etched  surface. 
This  gives  a  spongy  or  shagreened  appearance.  In  certain  sections  this  etching  of  the  fields  is  oriented.  The  two  fields 
show  parallel  striae  and  resemble  the  perthitic  structure  seen  in  twin  feldspars.  Of  other  components  which  occur  in 
the  meteorite,  troilite  is  present  only  in  relatively  small  quantity  in  scattered  nodules  of  medium  size.  Single  nodules 
contain  white  and  lustrous  crystalline  inclusions.  The  troilite  is  regularly  surrounded  by  a  coating  of  schreibersite. 
Schreibersite  appears  in  larger  skeletonlike  crystals  in  the  iron  grains,  also  inclosing  the  troilite  and  interspersed  between 
the  grains.  Where  the  spaces  between  the  grains  are  open  wide  and  are  cleft  a  dark  oxidation  product  of  iron  taking  a 
good  polish  accompanies  the  schreibersite.  These  fillings  are  commonly  regarded  graphitic.  Graphite  seems,  how- 
ever, to  be  everywhere  lacking.  Where  these  oxidized  interspersions  are  extensive  there  may  also  be  seen  an  earthy 
yellow  silicate.  To  the  above  may  be  added  the  statement  that  the  manner  of  the  octahedral  structure  of  Mount  Joy, 
showing  its  composition  of  great  cubic  crystalloids,  requires  a  change  in  the  present  classification  of  iron  meteorites. 
Probably  a  revision  of  the  so-called  breccialike  hexahedrites  will  be  required  and  its  members  put  into  the  octahedrite 
division.  Thus  Sao  Julfao  belongs,  doubtless,  to  the  octahedral  irons.  Further,  it  is  indicated  that  all  iron  meteorites 
possess  an  octahedral  structure  and  that  the  meteorites  of  hexahedral  structure  which  have  fallen  to  our  earth  are 
simply  fragments  of  octahedral  irons  of  very  coarse  structure. 

The  mass  is  somewhat  distributed  but  is  chiefly  in  the  possession  of  the  Vienna  Museum 
(171,860  grams). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1892:  HOWELL.    Description  of  the  Mount  Joy  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  44,  pp.  415-416. 

(Illustrations  and  analysis  by  Eakins.) 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  293. 

3.  1897:  BERWERTH.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  12  (Not.),  pp.  56-57. 


Mount  Ouray.    See  Ute  Pass. 


MOUNT  VERNON. 

Christian  County,  Kentucky. 

Latitude  36°  55'  N.,  longitude  87°  25'  W. 

Ironstone.    Brecciated  pallasite  (Pb),  of  Brezina. 

Found  1868;  described  1903. 

Weight,  159.2  kgs.  (351  Ibs.) 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Merrill,1  as  follows : 

The  United  States  National  Museum  has  recently  come  into  possession  of  a  heretofore  undescribed  meteorite 
from  the  farm  of  Capt.  S.  T.  Fruit,  in  Mount  Vernon  Township,  about.  7  miles  northeast  of  Hopkinsville,  in  Christian 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  319 

County,  Kentucky.  The  meteorite,  which  is  a  pallasite,  has  been  known  for  some  35  years  by  the  occupant  of 
the  premises,  where  it  served  as  a  convenient  stone  on  which  to  clean  his  boots  after  crossing  the  muddy  fields. 
Although  recognized  as  of  a  peculiar  type  of  stone,  no  suspicion  of  its  meteoric  nature  was  entertained,  and  it  was  only 
when  the  zinc  and  lead  mining  excitement  of  1902  caused  a  sample  of  it  to  be  sent  to  Mr.  E.  O.  Ulrich,  of  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey,  with  a  request  for  information,  that  its  true  nature  became  known.  It  is  through  the  influ- 
ence of  Mr.  Ulrich  that  the  specimen  was  obtained  for  the  National  Museum. 

Prolonged  exposure  has,  naturally,  brought  about  a  great  amount  of  oxidation  to  the  exterior  portion  of  the  material. 
More  than  that,  the  rough  usage  to  which  the  exposed  portion  was  subjected,  and  the  breaking  away  of  small  masses 
by  the  curious  and  the  prospector,  has  so  obscured  the  original  form  that  little  of  value  on  this  subject  can  be  said. 
The  mass,  as  it  came  to  the  museum,  is  in  the  form  of  a  rude  prism  some  55  cm.  in  height,  with  sides  measuring  33  cm. 
and  36  cm.,  respectively.  Although  badly  oxidized,  ^wo  of  the  sides  show  rough  pittings. 

As  stated  above,  the  stone  is  a  pallasite.  It  differs,  however,  from  the  usual  pallasites  in  that,  while  those  may 
properly  be  described  as  spongy  masses  of  iron  containing  silicate  minerals,  this  is  really  a  mass  of  silicate  with  a  cement- 
ing of  iron,  the  proportion  of  iron,  so  far  as  can  be  determined  from  examination  of  the  exterior  of  the  mass,  or  of  the 
small  pieces  which  have  been  broken  away,  being  much  less  than  in  the  case  of  the  pallasite  of  Kiowa  County,  Kansas. 
From  the  Admire  pallasite,  described  by  the  present  writer  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  United  States  National  Museum 
for  1902,  it  differs  in  that  the  silicate  (in  this  case  olivine)  occurs  in  large  rounded  blebs  rather  than  in  sharply 
angular  fragments.  In  this  respect  also  it  differs  from  the  Eagle  Station,  Kentucky,  pallasite. 

The  mineral  composition  of  this  meteorite,  so  far  as  determined,  has  already  been  suggested.  The  main  mass 
of  the  material  is  of  olivine  in  rounded  blebs  and  in  sizes  varying  from  5  to  25  mm.  in  diameter.  These  are  quite 
closely  compacted,  with  the  usual  nickel-iron  alloy  in  the  interstices,  and  serving  as  a  binding  constituent,  and  in 
smaller  proportions  the  customary  phosphide  and  sulphide. 

Although  the  meteorite  has  not  yet  been  fully  investigated,  it  is  of  interest  in  bearing  out  certain  observations  by 
the  writer  in  the  case  of  the  Admire,  Kansas,  meteorite,  viz,  the  olivines  are  often  shattered,  with  thin  plates— mere 
films  or  veinlets — of  the  phosphide  extending  up  through  them,  as  described  in  the  paper  already  quoted. 

A  slab  will  be  sawn  from  the  entire  length  of  one  side  of  the  mass  for  the  purpose  of  showing  its  internal  structure 
and  securing  material  for  study,  the  main  mass  being  kept  intact,  after  the  usual  custom  of  the  museum.  It  is  expected 
that  later  more  complete  analyses  will  be  made  and  a  more  detailed  description  given. 

The  weight  of  the  mass  as  received  was  351  pounds  (159.21  kgs.).    It  will  be  known  as  the  Mount  Vernon  meteorite. 

A  later  detailed  account  was  given  by  Tassin,2  as  follows: 

The  meteorite  here  described  was  found  on  the  farm  of  Capt.  S.  T.  Fruit,  in  Mount  Vernon  Township,  about  7 
miles  northeast  of  Hopkinsville,  Christian  County,  Kentucky.  Although  known  for  some  35  years,  its  meteoric 
origin  was  not  suspected  until  1902,  and  the  first  published  account  and  preliminary  description  was  given  by  Dr. 
George  P.  Merrill,  in  the  American  Geologist  in  1903. 

A  cut  surface  shows  the  mass  to  be  a  pallasite  of  the  Krasnojarsk  type  (Pk),  consisting  essentially  of  nickel  iron 
occurring  in  cohering  spongiform  or  reticulated  masses  containing  olivine  and  varying  amounts  of  troilite,  schreiber- 
site,  carbon,  chromite,  and  lawrencite. 

The  nickel-iron  constituent  comprises  about  one-third  of  the  mass  of  the  entire  surface  as  cut,  and  serves  as  a 
matrix  in  which  are  contained  rounded  blebs  of  olivine  varying  in  size  from  1  to  30  mm.  in  diameter.  Dislodging  the 
olivine  blebs  will  in  general  disclose  a  very  thin,  black,  specular  film  more  or  less  completely  lining  the  entire  cavity, 
and  which  is  rich  in  carbon  and  usually  contains  some  chlorine  as  chloride,  together  with  more  or  less  sulphur  as  sul- 
phide. Next  to  this  is  frequently  found  a  more  or  less  continuous  layer  of  schreibersite  or  troilite,  or  both.  These 
in  turn  are  followed  by  the  nickel-iron  constituent  made  up  of  kamacite,  taenite,  etc. 

The  olivine  blebs  are  quite  commonly  penetrated  by  cracks  in  all  directions.  These  cracks  may  or  may  not  be 
filled  with  other  substances.  In  the  former  case  they  are  charged  either  with  metallic  iron,  the  black,  specular 
chlorine-containing  material  above  referred  to  as  commonly  surrounding  the  olivine,  and  which  often  contains  chro- 
mite, with  limonite  (probably  resulting  from  the  oxidation  of  the  specular  substance),  and  which  also  contains 
chromite,  or,  and  this  but  rarely,  with  schreibersite  or  troilite. 

The  mass  contains,  approximately,  the  following  percentage  composition,  calculated  from  the  results  of  several 
analyses: 

Olivine 63. 15 

Nickel  iron » 33. 12 

Schreibersite 1.  95 

Troilite , 69 

Chromite 1. 00 

Carbon '. 09 

Chlorine trace 

100.00 


320  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

This  agrees  fairly  well  with  the  composition  of  the  mass  as  determined  by  the  measurement  of  the  areas  of  its 
constituents,  the  mean  of  some  300  measurements  giving  the  following  values: 

Olivine 61.  75 

Nickel  iron 36.  52 

Schreibersite 1. 35 

Troilite 38 

Some  400  grama  in  all  of  the  mass  were  taken  for  separation  and  analysis,  and  in  the  several  portions  of  this  the 
following  were  separated: 

The  nickel-iron  alloy. — This  constituent  approximates  one-third  of  the  whole.  It  occurs  in  cohering  spongiform 
masses  of  irregular  shapes,  some  of  them  measuring  a  centimeter  along  their  greatest  diameters,  while  others  are  merely 
hairlike  filaments. 

Etching  shows  that  the  mass  of  the  iron  constituent  is  made  up  of  a  darker  colored  alloy  in  which  is  seen  fine 
lines  of  a  tin-white  color,  which  are  in  part  oriented  and  in  part  penetrate  the  mass  in  zigzag  shapes.  Bounding  this 
eutectic  is  seen  a  band  of  bright,  white  iron,  which  varies  in  width  from  a  line  to  a  millimeter. 

Examined  under  the  glass  the  mass  of  the  iron  constituent  appears  to  be  made  up  of  minute  octahedrons  arranged 
in  fine  lamellae,  and  considered  as  a  unit  may  be  defined  as  a  granular  octahedrite  containing  more  or  less  numerous 
troilite  and  schreibersite  areas. 

Two  portions  of  this  constituent,  each  weighing  10  grams,  were  taken  for  analysis,  and  after  treating  with  dilute 
acid  for  the  separation  of  schreibersite,  tsenite,  etc.,  were  examined  as  follows:  In  one  the  silicon,  iron,  aluminum, 
copper,  cobalt,  nickel,  and  sulphur  were  determined;  in  the  other  the  carbon  and  phosphorus,  with  the  following 

results: 

Iron 82.  520 

Nickel 14.  044 

Cobalt 0.  949 

Copper 0. 104 

Sulphur 0.  288 

Silica . 0.  808 

Aluminum 0.  410 

Carbon 0. 465 

Phosphorus 0.  390 

Chlorine trace 


99.  978 

Txnite  occurs  in  very  thin,  brittle,  tin-white  lamellae,  with  a  specific  gravity  of  7  at  20.1°  C.,  and  having  the  fol- 
lowing composition: 

Iron 63.  99 

Nickel -• 35.  98 

Cobalt 0. 10 

Copper trace 

Phosphorus 0.04 


100. 11 
The  material  was  strongly  magnetic,  but  did  not  possess  polarity. 

Schreibersite  occurs  fairly  abundantly,  approximating  as  it  does  1.35  per  cent  of  the  mass  by  measurement  and  1.95 
per  cent  by  analysis.  It  is  found  bounding  the  olivine  areas  and  occasionally  penetrating  or  contained  in  them. 
The  more  common  occurrence  is,  however,  as  blebs,  veins,  or  filaments  in  the  nickel-iron  constituent.  The  mineral 
has  a  brilliant  tin-white  color,  is  strongly  magnetic,  possessing  polarity,  and  in  one  instance  was  undoubtedly  crys- 
tallized, but,  unfortunately,  the  specimen  was  so  brittle  that  it  fell  to  pieces  on  attempting  to  measure  it. 

An  analysis  gave  the  following: 

Iron 64. 990 

Nickel 18.  905 

Cobalt 4 0. 105 

Phosphorus 15.  700 

Copper trace 


99.  700 

Troilite  occurs  commonly  associated  with  the  black  specular  material  lining  the  cavities  containing  the  olivine 
in  the  nickel-iron  constituent.  It  varies  in  its  dimensions  from  a  coating  a  line  in  thickness  to  masses  2  or  more  milli- 
meters thick  by  10  mm.  in  length.  Grains  and  flakes  of  troilite  are  occasionally  contained  in  masses  of  the  nickel- 
iron  alloy  and  may  then  be  associated  with  schreibersite  areas.  Further,  it  may  occur  as  isolated  grains  or  flakes  and 
filling  cracks  in  the  olivine  areas. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  321 

The  material  analyzed  was  obtained  by  treating  the  metallic  portion  with  mercury  bichloride,  and  after  ita  solu- 
tion separating  the  troilite  and  schreibersite  from  carbon,  silicates,  etc.,  with  the  magnet  and  from  each  other  by  lixivi- 
ation.  The  material  thus  obtained  had  a  specific  gravity  of  4.759  at  18°  C.  and  the  following  composition: 

Iron 62. 99 

Nickel / •- \ 

Cobalt /    '*• 

Phosphorus trace 

Sulphur 36. 35 

100.13 

The  specular  material  lining  the  olivine  cavities  is  essentially  a  graphitic  iron  containing  sulphur  and  chlorine. 
The  material  analyzed  was  far  from  being  homogeneous,  as  it  was  separated  mechanically  with  the  aid  of  a  glass.  The 
composition  was  as  follows: 

Iron 84. 900 

Nickel • \ 

Cobalt I5'039 

Silica 2. 990 

Carbon 2. 810 

Sulphur 1. 750 

Phosphorus 1. 470 

Chlorine 0. 100 

Alumina 0.  940 


99.999 

ChromiU  occurs  quite  abundantly,  varying  in  size  from  microscopic  grains  to  a  crystal  1  mm.  in  diameter.  The 
crystals  are  more  or  less  perfect  octahedrons,  rarely  modified  by  other  forms,  and  then  only  by  the  dodecahedron 
(110),  as  noted  in  one  instance.  They  are  brilliant  black  in  color  with  a  metallic  luster;  nonmagnetic;  have  a  spe- 
cific gravity  of  4.49  at  18°  C.,  with  the  following  composition: 

Chromic  oxide 64. 91 

Alumina. 9. 85 

Magnesia 4. 96 

Ferrous  oxide 17. 97 

Silica 1. 38 


99.07 

Olivine  occurs  in  more  or  less  rounded  masses  which,  when  carefully  extracted,  show  well-marked  facets.  These 
facets  are  probably  not  to  be  referred  to  any  crystal  forms,  since  no  zonal  relations  could  be  established  after  repeated 
measurements.  The  mineral  is  commonly  brownish  in  color  and  only  occasionally  honey  yellow.  The  blebs  are  more 
or  less  cracked  and  the  cracks  filled  with  foreign  material,  as  graphitic  iron,  limonite,  chromite,  etc.  Some  of  the 
clearest  grains,  which  under  the  glass  were  quite  free  from  impurities,  were  selected  for  analysis,  with  the  following 
results: 

Silica 35.  70 

Magnesia 42. 02 

Ferrous  oxide 20.  79 

Ferric  oxide 0. 18 

Alumina •  0. 42 

Manganese 0. 14 

Nickel  oxide 0. 21 

Phosphorus trace 


99.46 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed,  but  is  chiefly  in  the  possession  of  the  U.  S.  National 
Museum. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1903:  MERRILL.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol.  31,  pp.  156-158. 

2.  1905:  TASSIN.    Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  vol.  28,  pp.  213-217. 


Muchachos.     See  Tucson. 
716°— 15 21 


322  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

MURFREESBORO. 

Rutherford  County,  Tennessee. 
Latitude  35°  50'  N.,  longitude  86°  25'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Found?  described  1848. 
Weight,  8.5  kgs.  (19'lbs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Troost  *  as  follows: 

To  these  10  aerolites  (of  Tennessee)  I  add  now  an  eleventh  meteoric  mass  of  iron,  discovered  a  few  months  since,  a 
few  miles  from  Murfreesboro,  in  Rutherford  County,  Tennessee. 

The  history  of  its  discovery  is  similar  to  that  of  the  generality  of  these  meteorites.  Nothing  is  known  of  its  fall;  it 
was  accidentally  discovered  by  gold  and  silver  hunters,  and  being  at  first  considered  as  containing  these  precious  metals 
it  was  kept  a  profound  secret  till  it  was  found  out  to  be  iron,  when  no  difficulty  was  made  to  part  with  it  for  a  pecuniary 
consideration.  When  this  discovery  is  made,  these  aerolites  generally  get  into  the  hands  of  those  that  know  how  to 
appreciate  them;  and  such  is  also  the  history  of  the  Rutherford  iron. 

The  mass  as  it  first  came  inlp  my  possession  (only  a  very  small  part  being  chiseled  off)  weighed  about  19  pounds;  it 
had  an  irregular  oval  shape  and  was  surrounded  with  a  crust  of  about  2  mm.  in  thickness,  resembling  the  brown  hydroxide 
of  iron,  the  pure  metal  being  here  and  there  visible.  This  metal  has  the  common  luster  of  iron;  its  fracture  is  very 
crystalline  and  it  is  very  malleable  though  harder  than  any  of  the  Tennessee  meteoric  irons,  having  taken  longer  time 
to  be  sawed. 

The  specimen  of  it  in  my  collection  weighs  10  pounds  14  ounces;  it  has  a  polished  surface  of  an  irregular  elliptical 
form  10  by  6  inches  diameter,  exhibiting  fine  Widmannstatten  figures  of  a  rhomboidal  and  triangular  form. 

It  seems  pretty  free  from  intermixture  with  other  matter,  only  one  circular  mass  of  0.3  inch  in  diameter  is  brought 
to  light  on  the  sawed  surface  which,  judging  from  its  structure  and  the  action  of  acid  upon  it,  I  am  inclined  to  consider 
as  sulphuret  of  iron  (magnetic  pyrites);  on  the  other  surface  are  two  small  cavities,  one  of  about  0.2  and  the  other  0.1  of 
an  inch  in  diameter;  with  these  exceptions  the  metal  is  homogeneous  and  compact. 

From  an  imperfect  analysis  to  which  I  have  subjected  it,  it  appears  to  contain  less  nickel  than  any  of  the  Tennessee 
meteoric  masses,  being  composed  of  96  iron,  2.40  nickel,  and  1.60  matter  not  examined. 

Shepard  2  remarked  the  presence  of  two  small  cavities  in  the  iron,  one  0.2  and  the  other  0.1 
of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

Brezina  4  in  1885  made  the  iron  the  type  of  a  group  among  the  medium  octahedrites.  He 
gives  the  width  of  the  lamellae  as  0.75  mm.  and  remarks  that  they  are  less  sharply  bounded  than 
those  of  Cross  Timbers  and  Werchne  Udinsk. 

Meunier 5  makes  the  following  observations : 

This  iron  gives  the  characteristic  figures  of  the  caillite  type.  The  kamacite  is  characterized  by  ihe  distinctness  of 
the  Neumann  lines,  which  give  the  etched  surfaces  a  peculiar  watered  appearance. 

In  1895  Brezina  8  remarked  further: 

It  is  evident  from  two  different  positions  of  the  same  portion  of  this  iron  with  reference  to  the  light  that  the  oriented 
luster  of  the  laminse  run  in  at  least  three  directions  since  in  the  case  of  these  two  positions  there  is  not  shown  a  complete 
reversal  of  the  illumination. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Harvard  possessing  2,428  grams  and  the  British  Museum 
2,794  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1848:  TBOOST.    Description  of  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  discovered  near  Murfreesboro',  Rutherford  County,  Tennessee. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  5,  pp.  351-352.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1853:  SHEPAKD.    Potassium  in  the  meteoric  iron  of  Ruffs  Mountain,  South  Carolina.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2dser., 

vol.  15,  p.  6. 

3.  1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  20,  p.  622. 

4.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  210  and  233. 

5.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  meiebriques,  pp.  52  and  55. 

6.  1895:  BBBZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  276. 


MURPHY. 

Cherokee  County,  North  Carolina. 

Latitude  30°  10'  N.,  longitude  84°  W.  • 

Iron.    Hexahedrite  (H)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1899. 

Weight,  7.7  kgs.  (17  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  H.  L.  Ward  '  as  follows: 

In  May  of  the  present  year  we  received  word  from  Mr.  W.  B.  Lenoir  that  he  had  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  meteorite 
that  he  desired  to  sell.  Upon  request  he  forwarded  it  to  us;  and  a  superficial  glance  at  the  well-pitted  surface  was 
sufficient  to  determine  that  it  was  a  siderite. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  323 

Under  date  of  May  25,  Mr.  Lenoir  writes:  "  It  was  ploughed  up  or  washed  out  in  a  field  in  Cherokee  County,  North 
Carolina,  5  miles  from  Murphy.  From  the  location  [where]  found  I  think  it  must  have  been  washed  out  by  some  of  the 
immense  rains  which  fell  in  that  section  last  winter.  .  .  .  The  small  piece  inclosed  with  the  larger  one  was  broken 
off  when  I  purchased  it.  ...  The  stone  [iron]  I  understand  was  found  about  six  weeks  ago."  Later  he  writes:  "  la 
answer  to  yours  of  June  10,  asking  how  the  meteorite  was  broken,  will  say  that  I  did  not  break  the  meteorite.  The  man 
who  first  showed  me  the  piece  said  that  they  attempted  to  cut  it  with  a  cold  chisel  and  did  not  succeed.  By  some 
means  (I  think  he  said)  they  cut  around  it  and  then  either  with  a  blow  or  by  prying  broke  it  off.  .  .  .  He  said  he 
had  a  'hell  of  a  time'  breaking  it." 

As  was  to  be  expected,  this  meteorite  adds  another  to  the  great  majority  of  sideriies  the  date  of  whose  fall  is  unknown. 

A  figure  shows  the  iron  with  the  broken  piece  set  in  place  so  as  to  give  the  original  form.  Its  height  is  23.5  cm.  A. 
rectangle  drawn  about  the  base  upon  which  it  stands  measures  13.4  by  11.5  cm.  The  weight  of  the  iron  was  7,753  grama 
(17  pounds  1.5  ounces),  of  which  the  broken  end  weighed  808  grams.  Another  photograph  of  the  entire  iron  was  taken 
to  show  the  remarkably  sharp  angle  formed  by  the  left-hand  edge  and  the  side  opposite  to  that  shown  in  the  figure 
above  mentioned;  but  a  defect  in  the  plate  rendered  this  photograph  unusable.  Another  figure,  showing  end  views 
of  both  pieces  from  the  broken  surface,  gives  something  of  this  angularity  which  was  rather  more  marked  lower  down. 
In  some  of  the  larger  sections  cut  across  the  iron  this  angle  is  rather  more  acute  than  a  right  angle,  as  this  side  is  some- 
what concave,  and  the  edge  is  very  sharp.  These  two  surfaces  are  less  deeply  pitted  than  the  one  shown  in  the  figure; 
and  convey  the  impression  that  the  meteorite  in  hand  is  but  a  fragment  of  a  larger  one  that  broke  not  far  above  the 
earth.  Had  it  traveled  far  since  dividing  we  would  expect  the  angles  to  be  rounded.  An  examination  of  the  crust 
fails  to  give  any  evidence  for  or  against  this  theory.  Flow  lines,  if  they  ever  existed,  have  been  removed  by  weathering 
and  the  oxidized  crust  appears  equally  thin  on  all  sides.  The  fact  that  the  edges  of  the  mass  are  approximately  parallel 
to  the  lines  of  crystallization  is  only  in  accordance  with  what  has  been  shown  to  be  common  to  siderites  in  general. 

The  square  fracture  is  an  interesting  feature  that  I  believe  to  be  quite  unusual  in  iron  meteorites.  Its  surface  is 
nearly  a  parallelogram  4.8  by  3.3  cm.  with  one  of  the  shorter  sides  surmounted  by  a  triangle  3.5  cm.  in  height,  giving  a 
surface  of  approximately  21.5  sq.  cm.  One  side  shows  that  it  has  been  cut  by  a  cold  chisel  to  a  depth  of  about  2  mm. 
The  rest  of  the  face  is  a  clean  straight  break  with  a  hackly  surface. 

The  etched  surface  presents  two  main  series  of  lines  inclosing  rhombs  having  the  angles  161.2  and  18.8;  other  lines 
crossing  these  produce  all  the  figures  compatible  with  the  twinning  about  a  cube,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  line 
which  probably  exists  but  which  I  have  been  unable  to  find. 

Under  the  microscope  each  higher  power  up  to  about  100  diameters  reveals  lines  not  seen  with  lower  powers. 
That  the  series  of  lines  giving  the  angles  above  mentioned  are  the  primary  ones,  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that 
the  lines  of  fracture  on  the  broken  face  have  followed  these.  On  a  section  cut  at  right  angles  to  these  the  lines  apparent 
to  the  eye  give  decidedly  larger  figures,  but  under  the  microscope  this  distinction  disappears. 

Troilites  appear  in  all  the  sections,  but  are  in  most  cases  of  very  small  size.  The  largest  one  that  appears  measures 
9  by  13  cm.  in  diameter.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Neumann  lines  are  materially  flexed  immediately  about 
some  of  the  troilites,  indicating  that  they  existed  in  a  plastic  condition  during  the  growth  of  the  troilites. 

Daubreelite  in  unusually  large  masses  occurs  in  two  of  the  slices,  both  as  veins  crossing  the  troilites  and  as  solid 
masses  at  the  sides.  The  largest  mass  measures  on  its  two  nearly  rectangular  faces  5.5  and  5  mm.,  the  other  sides  being 
formed  by  a  segment  of  the  nearly  circular  border  of  the  troilite  within  which  it  has  formed. 

An  analysis  of  the  iron  has  not  yet  been  made. 

Unfortunately  the  more  euphonious  title  "  Cherokee  County"  has  already  been  applied  to  the  Loettown,  Cherokee 
County,  Georgia,  siderite  and  we  are  forced  to  adopt  the  less  pleasing  one  of  the  town  near  which  it  was  found,  Murphy, 
as  the  name  for  this  meteorite. 

Cohen  2  gave  an  analysis  of  the  meteorite  and  later s  an  account  of  its  structure,  as  follows: 

Murphy  etches  readily,  and  is  distinguished  by  unusually  long  etching  lines  which  cross  one  another  in  various 
directions;  still  it  is  not  wanting  in  short  ones  which  are  usually  sharply  defined  from  the  former  on  both  sides  of  them. 
Etching  pits  are,  with  the  exception  of  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  larger  rhabdites,  present  everywhere,  but  in 
varying  numbers.  Sometimes  they  lie  closely  compacted  together,  and  thereby  produce  irregular  patches  which  in 
certain  positions  of  the  etched  surface  are  quite  strongly  marked  by  a  dull  luster.  The  remaining  portions  have  a 
bright  luster,  and  here  the  pittings  are  very  scarce,  but  uniformly  distributed.  Minor  constituents  are  very  sparingly 
represented.  Especially  noteworthy  is  the  absence  of  the  customary  rhabdite  needles,  so  characteristic  of  hexa- 
hedrites.  Specific  gravity,  7.7642. 
Analysis  by  Fahrenhorst: 

FeNiCoCuCrS  PC1C 

93.93        5.52        0.61        0.02         0.34        0.06        0.04 

Composition : 

Xickel  iron 97.  69 

Schreibersite 2. 20 

Lawrenceite 0. 11 


100.00 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  British  Museum  possessing  1,159  grams  and  Ward  567 
grams. 


324  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1. 1899:  H.  L.  WARD.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  8,  pp.  225-226.    (With  plate  showing  form  of  meteorite  and 
etching  figures.) 

2.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen  Studien  XI.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmua.  Wien,  Bd.  15,  pp.  368-369. 

3.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  227-228. 


Muskingum  County.     See  New  Concord. 


NANJEMOY. 

Charles  County,  Maryland. 

Latitude  38°  28'  N.,  longitude  77°  16'  W. 

Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc),  of  Brezina;  Luceite  (type  37,  subtype  2),  of  Meunier. 

Fell  noon,  February  10,  1825;  described  1825. 

Weight,  7.444  grams  (16J^  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  the  fall  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Carver,1  as  follows: 

I  take  the  liberty  of  forwarding  you  a  notice  of  a  meteoric  stone  which  fell  in  this  town  on  the  morning  of  Thurs- 
day, February  10,  1825.  The  sky  was  rather  hazy,  and  the  wind  southwest.  At  about  noon  the  people  of  the  town 
and  of  the  adjacent  country  were  alarmed  by  an  explosion  of  some  body  in  the  air,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  loud 
whizzing  noise,  like  that  of  air  rushing  through  a  small  aperture,  passing  rapidly  in  the  course  from  northwest  to 
southeast,  nearly  parallel  with  the  river  Potomac.  Shortly  after,  a  spot  of  ground  on  the  plantation  of  Capt.  Wm.  D. 
Harrison,  a  surveyor  of  this  port,  was  found  to  have  been  recently  broken,  and  on  examination  a  rough  stone  of  an 
oblong  shape,  weighing  16  pounds  7  ounces,  waa  found  about  18  inches  under  the  surface.  The  stone  when  taken 
from  the  ground,  about  half  an  hour  after  it  was  supposed  to  have  fallen ,  was  sensibly  warm,  and  had  a  strong  sulphurous 
smell.  It  has  a  hard,  vitreous  surface,  and  when  broken  appears  composed  of  an  earthy  or  siliceous  matrix  of  a  light 
date  color,  containing  numerous  globules  of  various  sizes,  very  hard  and  of  a  brown  color,  together  with  small  por- 
tions of  brownish-yellow  pyrites,  which  became  dark  colored  on  being  reduced  to  powder.  I  have  procured  for  you  a 
fragment  of  the  stone,  weighing  4  pounds  10  ounces,  which  was  all  I  could  obtain.  Various  notions  were  entertained 
by  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  on  finding  the  stone.  Some  supposed  it  propelled  from  a  quarry  8  or  10  miles  dis- 
tant on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  while  others  thought  it  thrown  by  a  mortar  from  a  packet  lying  at  anchor  in  the 
river,  and  even  purposed  manning  boats  to  take  vengence  on  the  captain  and  crew  of  the  vessel. 

I  have  conversed  with  many  persons  living  over  an  extent  of  perhaps  50  miles  square;  some  heard  the  explosion, 
while  others  heard  only  the  subsequent  whizzing  noise  in  the  air.  All  agree  in  stating  that  the  noise  appeared  directly 
over  their  heads.  One  gentleman,  living  about  25  miles  from  the  place  where  the  stone  fell,  says  that  it  caused  his 
whole  plantation  to  shake,  which  many  supposed  to  be  the  effect  of  an  earthquake.  I  can  not  learn  that  any  fireball 
or  any  light  was  seen  in  the  heavens;  all  are  confident  that  there  was  but  one  report,  and  no  peculiar  smell  in  the  air 
was  noticed. 

I  herewith  transmit  the  statement  of  Captain  Harrison,  the  gentleman  on  whose  plantation  the  stone  fell: 

"On  February  10,  1825,  between  the  hours  of  12  and  1  o'clock,  as  nearly  as  recollected,  I  heard  an  explosion,  as 
I  supposed,  of  a  cannon,  but  somewhat  sharper.  I  immediately  advanced  with  a  quick  step  about  20  paces,  when 
my  attention  was  arrested  by  a  buzzing  noise,  resembling  that  of  a  humming  bee,  which  increased  to  a  much  louder 
sound,  something  like  a  spinning-wheel,  or  a  chimney  on  fire,  and  seemed  directly  over  my  head,  and  in  a  short  time 
I  heard  something  fall.  The  time  which  elapsed  from  my  first  hearing  the  explosion  to  the  falling  might  have  been 
15  seconds.  I  then  went  with  some  of  my  servants  to  find  where  it  had  fallen,  but  did  not  at  first  succeed  (though, 
as  I  afterwards  found  I  had  got  as  near  as  30  yards  to  the  spot);  however,  after  a  short  interval  the  place  was  found  by 
my  cook,  who  had  (in  the  presence  of  a  respectable  white  woman)  dug  down  to  it  before  I  got  there,  and  a  stone  was 
discovered  from  22  to  24  inches  under  the  surface,  and  which,  after  being  washed,  weighed  16  pounds,  and  which 
was  no  doubt  the  one  which  I  had  heard  fall,  as  the  mud  waa  thrown  in  different  directions  from  13  to  16  steps. 
The  day  was  perfectly  clear,  a  little  snow  was  then  on  the  earth  in  some  places  which  had  fallen  the  night  previous. 
The  stone  when  taken  up  had  a  strong  sulphurous  smell ,  and  there  were  black  streaks  in  the  clay  which  appeared  marked 
by  the  descent  of  the  stone.  I  have  conversed  with  gentlemen  in  different  directions,  some  of  them  from  18  to  20 
miles  distant,  who  heard  the  noise,  not  the  explosion.  They  inform  me  that  it  appeared  directly  over  their  heads. 
There  was  no  fireball  seen  by  me  or  others  that  I  have  heard.  There  was  but  one  report,  and  but  one  stone  fell  to  my 
knowledge,  and  there  was  no  peculiar  smell  in  the  air.  It  fell  on  my  plantation,  within  250  yards  of  my  house,  and 
within  100  of  the  habitation  of  my  negroes. 

"I  have  given  this  statement  to  Doctor  Carver,  at  his  request,  and  which  is  as  full  as  I  could  give  at  this  distant 
day,  from  having  thought  but  little  of  it  since.  Given  this  28th  day  of  April,  1825." 

An  analysis  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  Chilton,2  as  follows: 

The  piece  of  Maryland  aerolite  subjected  to  examination  weighed  228.30  grams  in  air  and  lost  62.25  grams  by  im- 
mersion in  water  at  60°.  Its  specific  gravity  is  therefore  3.66.  The  external  crust  was  taken  off  and  the  remainder 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  325 

powdered,  not  very  finely,  and  separated  into  two  parts  by  the  magnet;  40  grams  were  obedient  to  the  magnet;  25 
of  which  were  taken  for  examination.    The  same  quantity  was  taken  of  the  unmagnetical  portion. 
The  unmagnetical  portion  yielded : 

Si02          A12OS        MgO       CaO        FeO       NiO          S 
14.90  0.05          2.60        0.45        6.15        0.80        1.27     =26.22 

The  magnetic  portion  yielded: 

FeO        NiO        SiO2          S 
24.00        1.25        3.46        trace    =28.71 

A  further  account  of  the  meteorite  was  given  by  Silliman  2  in  the  same  article,  as  follows: 

An  excellent  specimen,  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  Dr.  Samuel  D.  Carver,  weighs  4  pounds  5  ounces.  Its  dimen- 
sions are  7  by  3  by  4  inches:  its  form  is  that  of  an  irregular  ovoidal  protuberance  nearly  flat  where  it  was  detached  from 
the  larger  mass  and  bounded  by  irregular  curves  in  the  other  parts  of  the  surface.  In  all  parts,  except  where  it  has 
been  fractured,  it  is  covered  by  the  usual  black  vitreous  coating  which,  in  this  case  especially  when  it  is  viewed  by  a 
magnifier,  has  more  luster  than  is  common.  This  coating  is  severed  by  innumerable  cracks  running  in  every  direction 
and  communicating  with  each  other  so  as  to  divide  the  surface  into  polygons  resembling  honeycomb  or  madrepore,  and 
no  undivided  portion  of  the  surface  exceeds  half  an  inch  in  diameter. 

This  circumstance  is  much  less  apparent  upon  the  aerolites  of  Weston  (1807),  L'Aigle  (1803),  and  Stannern  in  Moravia 
( 1808) ;  it  appears  to  have  arisen  from  the  rapid  cooling  of  the  external  vitreous  crust  after  intense  ignition.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  doubt  that  this  crust  is  a  result  of  great  and  sudden  heat.  In  the  Maryland  aerolite  it  is  not  quite  so  thick  as 
the  back  of  a  common  penknife  and,  as  in  that  of  Weston  and  Stannern,  it  is  separated  by  a  well-defined  line  from  the 
mass  of  the  stone  beneath.  The  mass  of  the  stone  is,  on  the  fractured  surface,  of  a  light  ash-gray  color,  or  perhaps  more 
properly  of  a  grayish- white;  it  is  very  uniform  in  its  appearance  and  not  marked  by  that  strong  contrast  of  dark  and 
light  gray  spots  which  is  so  conspicuous  in  the  Weston  meteorolite.  The  fractured  surface  of  the  Maryland  stone  is 
uneven  and  granular,  harsh  and  dry  to  the  touch,  and  it  scratches  window  glass  decidedly,  but  not  with  great  energy. 
To  the  naked  eye  it  presents  very  email  glistening  metallic  points  and  a  few  minute  globular  or  ovoidal  bodies  scattered 
here  and  there  through  the  mass  of  the  stone.  With  a  magnifier  all  these  appearances  are  of  course  much  increased. 
The  adhesion  of  the  small  parts  of  the  stone  is  so  feeble  that  it  falls  to  pieces  with  a  slight  blow  and  exhibits  an  appear- 
ance almost  like  grains  of  sand.  The  metallic  parts  are  conspicuous  but  they  are  much  less  numerous  than  the  earthy 
portions  which,  when  separated,  are  nearly  white  and  have  a  pretty  high  vitreous  luster,  considerably  resembling 
porcelain.  They  appear  as  if  they  had  undergone  an  incipient  vitrification  and  as  if  they  had  been  feebly  agglutinated 
by  a  very  intense  heat.  I  can  not  say  that  I  observed  in  them,  as  M.  Fleurian  de  Bellevue  did  in  the  aerolite  of  Jonzac 
(Journ.  de  Phys.,  tome  92,  p.  136),  appearances  of  crystallization,  although  it  is  possible  there  may  have  been  an  incipient 
process  of  that  kind,  especially  as  the  small  parts  are  translucent.  The  Maryland  stone  is  highly  magnetic;  pieces  as 
large  as  peas  are  readily  lifted  by  the  magnet  and  that  instrument  takes  up  a  large  proportion  of  the  smaller  fragments. 
The  iron  is  metallic  and  perfectly  malleable;  although  none  of  the  pieces  are  larger  than  a  pinhead,  still  they  are  readily 
extended  by  the  hammer.  The  iron  in  the  crust  is  glazed  over  so  that  the  eye  does  not  perceive  its  metallic  character, 
but  the  file  instantly  brightens  the  innumerable  points  which  then  break  through  the  varnish  of  the  crust  and  give  it 
a  brilliant  metallic  luster  at  all  the  points  where  the  file  has  uncovered  the  iron.  The'same  is  the  fact  with  the  Weston 
stone  and  with  that  of  L'Aigle,  but  not  with  that  of  Stannern  in  Moravia;  specimens  of  all  of  which  and  of  the  meteoric 
iron  of  Pallas,  of  Louisiana,  and  of  Auvergne  are  now  before  me.  The  aerolites  of  Jonzac  and  of  Stannern,  as  stated  by 
M.  Bellevue,  are  the  only  ones  hitherto  discovered  that  do  not  contain  native  iron  and  do  not  affect  the  magnet;  still 
their  analysis  presents  a  good  deal  of  iron  which  is  probably  in  the  condition  of  oxide. 

The  iron  in  the  metallic  state  is  very  conspicuous  in  the  Weston  stone,  sometimes  in  pieces  of  2  inches  in  length, 
and  both  in  this  stone  and  in  that  of  Maryland  it  is  often  brilliant  like  the  fracture  of  the  meteoric  iron  of  Pallas  and  of 
Louisiana. 

In  the  analysis  of  the  Weston  stone  published  in  1808 1  did  not  discover  chrome  although  it  was  afterwards  announced 
by  Mr.  Warden.  I  have  desired  Mr.  Chilton  to  reanalyze  the  Weston  stone  and  he  has  nearly  completed  the  labor,  the 
result  of  which  may  be  given  hereafter,  but  he  writes  that  he  has  not  been  able  to  discover  any  chrome.  I  am  not 
quite  sure  that  I  discover  pyrites  in  the  Maryland  aerolite,  although  it  is  mentioned  by  Dr.  Carver  in  his  letter  in  the 
preceding  volume. 

Partsch  3  described  the  specimen  in  the  Vienna  collection  as — 

Groundmass  varying  between  light  and  dark  gray,  partly  spotted  with  rust  flecks;  in  part  showing  lighter  but 
generally  darker  spherical  inclusions  firmly  intergrown.  There  is  a  considerable  sprinkling  of  iron  and  pyrrhotite. 
Crust  rough  and  dull,  broken  by  narrow  clefts. 

Shepard 4  gave  the  following  notes: 

Its  crust  resembles  that  of  the  Iowa  stone  (Marion)  without,  however,  possessing  its  uniformity  of  thickness  or  its 
deep  black  color.  The  proportion  and  mode  of  dissemination  of  the  nickel-iron  and  of  the  pyrites  is  very  similar  in 
both;  but  the  color  of  the  earthy  mineral  in  the  Maryland  is  several  shades  darker  and  more  inclined  to  blue.  The 
iron-rust  points  are  less  frequent  than  in  the  Iowa  meteorite.  Like  the  latter  it  is  principally  composed  of  howardites; 
although  rounded  grains  of  olivinoid  to  the  amount  perhaps  of  15  per  cent  are  distinguishable  with  the  aid  of  the 
microscope. 


326  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII.' 

Meunier 5  gave  Chilton's  analysis  in  percentage  form  as  follows : 

Nonmagnetic  portion. 

Si02        MgO        CaO        Fe2O3          NiO       A1203          S 

59.6         10.4          7.8  24.6  3.2  0.2          5.08     =104.88 

Magnetic  portion. 

Si02,  MgO,  and  CaO          Fe  Ni 

13.84  96.00        5.00     =114.84 

He  also  gives  the  specific  gravity,  according  to  Rumler,  as  3.6062. 

Brezina  6  in  1885  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  gray  chondrite.     In  1895  7  he  removed  it  from 
this  class  and  placed  it  with  the  spherical  chondrites.     He  states: 

The  Vienna  specimen  shows  an  inclination  toward  Cc;  the  two  pieces  in  the  Tubingen  collection,  of  100  and  82 
grams  weight  both  with  crust,  show  a  decided  spherical  chondritic  structure  with  slaglike  crust  up  to  2.5  mm.  in 
thickness. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Yale  possessing  897  grains,  Vienna  351  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1825:  CARVER.    Notice  of  a  meteoric  stone  which  fell  at  Nanjemoy,  Maryland,  February  10, 1825.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  9,  pp.  351-353. 

2.  1826:  CHILTON  and  SILLIMAN.    Analysis  of  the  Maryland  aerolite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  10,  pp.  131- 

135. — Additional  notice  of  the  physical  characters  of  the  Maryland  aerolite  (by  Silliman)  in  the  same  volume, 
pp.  135-137. 

3.  1843:  PARTSCH.  Meteoriten,  pp.  63-64. 

4.  1848:  SHEPARD.  Report  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  p.  406. 

5.  1884:  MEUNIER.  Meteorites,  pp.  80,  208,  and  215. 

6.  1885:  BREZINA.  Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  182  and  232. 
7   1895:  BREZINA.  Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  249  and  255. 


Nash  County.    See  Castalia. 

Nashville.    See  Drake  Creek. 

Nebraska.    See  Fort  Pierre. 


NELSON  COUNTY. 

Nelson  County,  Kentucky. 

Latitude  37°  50'  N.,  longitude  85°  25'  W. 

Iron.    Coarsest  octahedrite  (Ogg),  of  Brezina;  Nelsonite  (type  5),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1856;  described  1860. 

Weight,  73  kgs.  (161  Ibs.) 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Smith,1  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  came  into  my  possession  in  the  month  of  July,  1860,  being  obtained  from  a  plowed  field,  where  it 
may  have  lain  for  a  considerable  length  of  time.  It  is  a  flattened  mass  of  tough  metal,  a  little  scaly  at  one  corner, 
being  17  inches  long,  15  inches  broad,  and  7  inches  in  the  thickest  part,  shelving  off  like  the  back  of  a  turtle;  and 
weighs  161  pounds.  It  is  free  from  any  large  proportion  of  thick  rust,  consequently  showing  no  indication  of  chlorine. 
Upon  analysis  the  following  constituents  were  found  in  one  hundred  parts: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  Cu 

93.10        6.11        0.41        0.05         trace     =99.67 

Shepard  2  listed  the  meteorite  as  found  in  1856. 

Meunier  s  made  the  meteorite  the  type  of  Nelsonite,  which  he  describes  as — 

A  metallic  rock,  very  crystalline,  taking  a  good  polish.  Formed  of  an  alloy  of  iron  and  nickel  to  which  we  give 
the  name  kamacite,  and  having  the  formula  Fe14  Ni.  One  distinguishes  cylindrical  nodules  of  troilite  and  more  or 
less  irregular  masses  of  schreibersite.  Acids  give  very  remarkable  Widmanstatten  figures. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  327 

• 

Brezina,8  in  1885,  gave  the  following  description: 

Tschennak  classified  this  iron  aa  a  brecciated  hexahedrite.  This  can  not  be,  as  it  shows  distinctly  areas  com- 
posed of  taenite;  it  can  therefore  be  only  an  octahedral  breccia.  I  consider  it  an  octahedral  iron  which  belongs  to  the 
Seelasgen  group  and  only  appears  brecciated  because  of  the  interweaving  and  variable  breadth  of  the  bands. 

Huntington 7  states  that— 

An  etched  surface  on  a  mass  of  the  Nelson  County  iron,  weighing  6,800  grains  and  measuring  13  inches  in  its  longest 
dimension,  presents  perfectly  distinct  figures  near  the  center  of  the  section,  which  grow  indistinct  near  the  edges  and 
entirely  fade  out  at  one  end. 

Cohen  8  gave  another  analysis  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Some  small  pieces  of  Nelson  County  were  obtained  from  the  Vienna  Museum  for  investigation.    A  n«w  analysis 
seemed  desirable  since  the  older  analysis  by  Smith  seemed  to  give"  too  low  a  content  of  Ni+Co. 
The  analysis  by  Manteuffel  on  0.9259  grams  gave  the  following: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu  P 

91.86        7.11        0.65        0.01        0.15    =99.77 

For  the  copper  determination,  5.369  grams  were  employed.  Test  for  antimony  and  arsenic  with  hydrogen  sul- 
phide gave  no  results,  as  did  also  a  second  test  for  arsenic  made  by  dissolving  4  grams  in  nitric  acid,  and  after  addition 
of  sulphuric  acid  testing  directly  with  Marsh's  apparatus.  Calculating  schreibersite  and  removing  it  from  the  analysis, 
then  calculating  to  100,  one  obtains: 

Fe  Ni          Co  Cu 

92.42        6.91        0.66         0.01    =100  (Manteuffel) 
93.53        6.06        0.41         trace'   =100  (Smith) 

This  composition  indicates  an  octahedrite  poor  in  taenite,  while  Smith's  analysis  corresponds  to  an  iron  free  from 
tsenite. 

Meunier,9  in  1893,  made  the  following  further  observations: 

This  interesting  meteoric  iron  offers  some  very  special  characters,  the  careful  study  of  which  serves  to  notably 
lessen  the  number  of  meteorites  which  at  first  seem  to  resemble  it.  It  is  more  important  here  than  in  certain  other 
cases  to  etch  some  specimens  intact  and  to  develop  the  figures  by  a  process  comparable  to  that  which  gives  them  on 
the  other  types.  When  the  action  of  the  acid  is  complete,  one  sees  the  great  bands  of  kamacite  appear,  mixed  with 
other  substances,  among  which  are  specially  notable  the  filaments  of  taenite  and  some  grains  of  schreibersite  of  a  silver- 
white  color.  An  analysis  by  L.  Smith  (Mineralogy  and  Chemistry,  p.  317,  1873)  indicates  for  this  iron  figures  very 
closely  approximating  those  for  pure  kamacite: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  Cu 

91.12        7.82        0.43        0.08        trace    =99.45 

Brezina,10  in  1895,  classed  the  meteorite  as  coarsest  octahedrite,  and  stated  the  structure 
was  unit  octahedral. 

The  almost  complete  lack  of  taenite  causes  the  breadth  of  the  lamellae,  even  in  one  and  the  same  lamella,  to  vary 
remarkably  and  the  lamellae  often  have  a  wavy  outline  and  apparently  penetrate  one  another.  Also,  weathering 
shows  the  octahedral  nature  of  the  iron.  The  octahedral  lamellae  separate  under  such  a  loosening  of  the  structure, 
and  the  mass  falls  to  pieces  into  larger  or  smaller  fragments  which  usually  are  sharp  pointed  at  the  edges.  The  kama- 
cite is  fine  and  compact  with  the  hatchings  mostly  bent.  Troilite  is  very  scarce,  in  small  globules  up  to  the  size  of 
mustard  seeds. 

Cohen  "  found  that  the  meteorite  took  no  permanent  magnetism. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  but  the  main  mass  (24,409  grams)  is  at  Vienna. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  I860:  SMITH.    Description  of  three  new  meteoric  irons  from  Nelson  County,  Kentucky,  Marshall  County,  Ken- 

tucky, and  Madison  County,  North  Carolina. — Nelson  County,  Kentucky,  Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d 
ser.,  vol.  30,  p.  240.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1861:  SHEPARD.    Idem,  2d  ser.,  vol.  31,  p.  459.    (Says  "found  1856.") 

3.  1861:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  15,  pp.  100  and  128;  No.  17,  p.  273. 

4.  1869:  MEUNIEB.    Recherches.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  30  and  72. 

5.  1884:  MEUNIEB.    Meteorites,  pp.  48,  94,  98,  109,  110,  and  111. 

6.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  217  and  234. 

7.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  285  and  294. 

8.  1891:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  II.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.    Wien,  Bd.  7,  pp.  153-154. 

9.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m^teoriques,  pp.  22  and  23-24. 

10.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  288-289. 

11.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.    Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  83  and  84. 


328  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

NESS  COUNTY. 
Kansas. 

Latitude  38°  20'  N.,  longitude  99°  37'  W. 
Stone.    Brecciated  intermediate  chondrite  (Gib)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1897;  described  1899. 
Weight,  many  stones. 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  H.  L.  Ward1  as  follows: 

In  October,  1899,  Sam  G.  Sheaffer,  Esq.,  attorney  at  law,  of  Ness  City,  Kansas,  called  our  attention  to  a  meteorite 
that  he  had  in  his  possession  and  which,  after  some  correspondence,  he  sent  to  Ward's  Natural  Science  Establishment 
for  the  purpose  of  disposing  of  it. 

Mr.  Sheaffer  writes  that  "it  was  found  about  a  year  ago  in  the  southwest  of  this,  Ness  County,  Kansas.  Was  picked 
up  on  the  side  of  a  draw,  i.  e.,  a  dry  creek,  where  the  surface  had  been  eroded." 

In  form  it  is  a  triangular  pyramid  with  the  base  set  obliquely  to  its  perpendicular. 

A  mass  of  some  weight  had  long  ago  separated  from  the  lower  left-hand  corner,  as  seen  in  the  figure,  but  whether 
before,  upon,  or  after  reaching  the  earth  it  is  now  impossible  to  determine  from  the  fractured  part.  Several  slight 
depressions  appear  on  the  surface  which  are  rather  too*  sharply  indicated  in  the  accompanying  figure.  The  edges  of 
the  nearly -plane  faces  meet  in  rounded  angles. 

The  meteorite  is  92  mm.  in  length.  64  mm.  across  its  widest  face,  left  to  right  of  figure,  and  49  mm,  in  thickness 
measured  perpendicularly  to  the  widest  and  also  largest  face.  The  termination  had  been  chipped  away  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  its  meteoric  character  before  it  was  sent  to  us.  The  weight  of  the  mass  is  417  grams. 

This  is  not  a  prepossessing  meteorite.  It  entirely  lacks  the  black  crust  characteristic  of  aerolites;  and  so  strongly 
suggested  a  weathered  marcasite  concretion  that  we  were  at  first  skeptical  as  to  its  meteoric  origin.  However,  tests 
for  iron  and  for  nickel  were  both  affirmative  and  a  polished  chip  showed  the  former  well  distributed  as  minute  specks 
through  the  mass.  A  complete  analysis  has  not  yet  been  made. 

To  our  knowledge  but  one  other  meteorite  has  been  described  from  Ness  County,  Kansas.  That  is  the  Kansada 
aerolite  designated  by  the  name  of  the  town  near  which  it  was  found.  The  locality  whence  came  the  specimen  under 
consideration,  sec.  2,  T.  20  S.,  R.  21  W.,  is  not  marked  by  a  town  and  I  therefore  propose  to  designate  this  meteorite 
as  the  Ness  County. 

Subsequent  to  Ward's  account  a  number  of  other  stones  were  found  and  of  these  further 
information  was  given  by  Farrington 2  as  follows: 

Of  this  fall  the  Field  Museum  possesses  one  small  complete  individual  having  a  weight  of  85  grams.  This  aerolite 
in  general  form  is  wedge-shaped  with  angles  but  little  rounded.  Except  for  one  fractured  surface  it  is  covered  with  a 
black  crust  or  one  which  was  undoubtedly  originally  all  black,  but  through  weathering  has  taken  on  in  places  a  rusty 
brown  appearance.  The  crusted  surface  is  smooth  but  uneven,  the  irregularities  suggesting  pitting,  although  the 
depressions  are  not  deep  enough  to  produce  pits  of  definite  form.  On  making  a  section  through  the  stone  and  polishing 
the  surface  thus  exposed  the  crust  appears  as  a  distinct  black  border  having  a  thickness  of  about  0.25  mm.,  in  contrast 
to  the  dark  brown  color  of  the  interior  of  the  stone.  In  texture  the  crust  does  not  differ  noticeably  from  the  interior, 
the  porosity  of  many  meteorite  crusts  not  being  in  evidence.  The  dark  brown  color  of  the  interior  of  the  stone  is  doubt- 
less largely  a  discoloration  due  to  weathering.  So  completely  has  this  discoloration  penetrated  the  stone  that  it  is 
impossible  to  find  a  place  where  the  probable  original  color  remains.  The  discoloration  also  makes  it  impossible  to 
make  out  much  regarding  the  structure  of  the  stone  megascopically,  chondri  not  being  visible  on  a  polished  surface. 
Metallic  grains  are  numerous  over  the  polished  surface.  They  are  for  the  most  part  of  small  size,  the  largest  that  I  have 
noticed  not  being  over  1  mm.  in  diameter.  They  consist  both  of  nickel  iron  and  troilite,  the  grains  of  the  latter  being 
distinguished  by  their  yellow  color  and  by  not  taking  on  a  deposit  of  copper  when  immersed  in  copper  sulphate.  These 
troilite  grains  are  quite  as  numerous  as  the  grains  of  nickel  iron  but  never  as  large. 

In  texture  the  stone  is  compact  but  it  is  only  fairly  coherent,  breaking  rather  easily  with  a  blow  of  a  hammer.  The 
specific  gravity  of  the  whole  aerolite  of  74  grams,  taken  with  the  balance  at  21°  C.,  was  found  to  be  3.504.  This  value 
is  of  course  slightly  affected  by  the  crust  of  the  stone,  but  as  a  fragment  without  crust  weighing  3.4  grams  gave  the  same 
result  the  error  from  this  cause  must  be  very  small. 

Under  the  microscope  the  rock  is  seen  to  be  a  crystalline  aggregate  made  up  chiefly  of  grains  of  chrysolite,  bronzite, 
nickel  iron,  and  troilite.  Here  and  there  are  traces  of  a  structure  which  may  indicate  chondri  or  fragments  of  them,  but 
such  occurrences  are  rare.  The  chondruslike  structures  lack  definite  outline  and  if  of  chondritic  origin  can  only  be 
considered  fragments.  One  such  fragment  seen  consists  of  alternate  narrow  lamellae,  of  about  equal  width,  of  chrysolite 
and  glass.  In  another  the  lamellae  of  chrysolite  are  broader  and  the  mass  has  a  border  of  chrysolite.  Another  suggests  a 
portion  of  a  polysomatic  chrysolite  chondrus.  The  grain  of  the  stone  as  a  whole  is  coarse,  many  of  the  chrysolite  indi- 
viduals reaching  diameters  of  0.2  to  0.4  mm.  These  incline  to  a  porphyritic  development,  although  the  whole  rock  is 
crystalline.  The  chrysolite  individuals  are  in  general  considerably  seamed  and  fissured  and  stained  brown  from  the 
penetration  of  iron  rust.  Where  not  stained  they  are  colorless  except  for  scattered  minute  black  inclusions  which 
occur  in  considerable  quantity.  They  occasionally  have  prismatic  outlines  but  are  more  often  rounded  or  fragmental. 
Elongated  fibers  alternating  with  glassy  or  half -glassy  lamellae  also  occur  as  previously  noted. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  329 

A  few  •well-marked  aggregations  of  black,  probably  carbonaceous  matter,  occur  mixed  in  a  glassy  or  half-glassy 
groundmass,  the  whole  having  an  approximately  circular  outline,  and  reaching  in  one  case  0.5  mm.  in  diameter.  Here 
again  a  chondritic  form  is  suggested  but  can  not  be  positively  discerned.  The  carbonaceous  matter  is  made  up  of 
smaller  black  particles  not  different  from  those  included  in  the  large  chrysolite  individuals. 

The  bronzite  usually  occurs  in  the  typical  fibrous  development.  It  is  colorless  to  yellow,  the  latter  perhaps  being 
due  to  iron  stain. 

Quite  frequently  large  grains  of  an  isotropic  mineral  appear  which.  I  can  not  yet  refer  to  any  species  with  which  I 
am  familiar.  The  grains  are  marked  by  large  size  and  freedom  from  inclusions  and  cracks  such  as  characterize  the  other 
silicates  of  the  meteorite.  One  grain  seen  has  0.7  sq.  mm.  of  surface,  another  0.5  sq.  mm.,  while  the  remainder  are 
smaller.  The  outline  of  the  grains  is  irregular  and  separated  from  the  remaining  constituents.  Good  cleavage  is  shown 
in  some  of  the  grains  and  is  apparently  cubic,  although  in  one  individual  the  planes  meet  at  angles  of  50°.  The  mineral 
is  colorless  inclining  to  a  pink  tinge.  Relief  and  index  of  refraction  about  like  that  of  chrysolite.  I  hope  to  give  the 
mineral  further  investigation  when  a  larger  quantity  is  available. 

The  metallic  grains  (nickel  iron  and  troilite)  have  more  or  less  angular  outlines  and  incline  toward  elongated  forms. 
The  nickel  iron  and  troilite  are  usually  intimately  joined ,  although  grains  of  each  mineral  also  occur  alone.  The  troilite 
readily  recognized  by  its  bronze  yellow  color,  is  more  abundant  that  the  nickel  iron. 

A  few  opaque  grains  of  black  color  closely  associated  with  the  nickel  iron  and  troilite  are  probably  to  be  referred  to 
chromite.  Besides  these,  translucent  grains  with  the  typical  red  color  of  chromite  are  numerous,  and  one  observed 
has  a  square  outline  showing  it  to  be  a  section  either  of  an  octahedral  or  cubic  crystal.  The  chromite  always  occurs 
united  to  the  other  opaque  minerals.  The  grains  of  nickel  iron  and  troilite  often  inclose  grains  of  silicates  of  small  size. 

On  the  whole  the  Ness  County  meteorite  should  probably  be  classed  as  a  crystalline  chondrite  or  Meunier's  erxle- 
benite,  although  its  chondritic  nature  is  somewhat  doubtful. 

As  is  probably  generally  known,  a  number  of  small  aerolites  quite  similar  to  the  one  here  described  have  been 
found  in  Ness  County.  The  first  of  these  found  was  briefly  described  by  Henry  L.  Ward.  Aside  from  this  description 
and  mention  of  the  stones  in  one  or  two  catalogues,  no  further  account  of  them  seems  to  have  been  published.  Since 
Preston  has  suggested,  however,  that  the  Ness  County  stones  may  belong  to  the  same  fall  with  Kansada,  Jerome,  Prairie 
Dog  Creek,  and  Long  Island,  a  knowledge  of  them  is  desirable  as  a  ground  of  investigating  the  suggestion.  What 
additional  facts  I  have  been  able  to  gain  regarding  the  Ness  County  stones  in  general  have  been  kindly  given  me  by 
Mr.  Henry  L.  Ward.  In  all  at  least  twenty-five  small  aerolites  have  been  found  in  Ness  County,  exclusive  of  Kansada. 
In  weight  they  range,  so  far  as  Mr.  Ward  has  been  able  to  record  them,  from  34  to  3,467  grams,  the  total  weight  being 
17,011  grams.  This  does  not  represent  the  entire  amount,  since  of  some  stones  Mr.  Ward  was  unable  to  abtain  exact 
record,  but  at  least  this  amount  has  been  found.  The  majority  of  these,  so  far  as  their  place  of  find  has  been  recorded, 
have  come  from  the  neighborhood  of  Franklinville,  a  village  about  5  miles  south  of  Ness  City.  The  first  one  described 
by  Mr.  Ward,  however,  came  from  a  place  nearly  20  miles  to  the  east  of  Franklinville,  the  exact  locality  being  given 
by  Mr.  Ward  as  sec.  2,  T.  20  S.,  R.  21 W.  The  village  of  Wellmanville  is  not  far  from  this  locality  and  this  aerolite  may 
therefore  be  called  the  WeHmanville  stone. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed;  Ward  possesses  13.267  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1899:  WARD.    A  new  Kansas  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci..  4th  ser.,  vol.  7,  p.  233. 

2.  1902:  FAHKINGTON.    Meteorite  Studies  I.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  voL  1,  pp.  300-303. 


Newbeny  County.    See  Ruffs  Mountain. 


NEW  CONCORD. 

Muskingum  County,  Ohio. 

Here  also  Guernsey  County. 

Latitude  40°  2'  N.,  longitude  81°  46'  W. 

Stone.    Veined  intermediate  chondrite  (Cia)  of  Brezina;  Aumalite  (type  37,  subtype  1),  of  Meunier. 

Fell  12.45  p.  m.,  May  1,  1860;  described  1860. 

Weight:  Over  30  stones,  the  heaviest  weighing  103  Ibs.    Total  weight  about  227  kgs.  (500  Ibe.). 

The  first  account  of  this  great  fall  was  given  by  Andrews,  Evans,  Johnson,  and  Smith,1  as 
follows : 

About  15  minutes  before  1  o'clock  on  the  1st  day  of  May,  1860,  the  people  of  southeastern  Ohio  and  northwestern 
Virginia  were  startled  by  a  loud  noise,  which  was  variously  attributed  to  the  firing  of  heavy  cannon,  to  the  explosion 
of  steamboat  boilers,  to  an  earthquake,  and  to  the  explosion  of  a  meteor.  In  many  cases  houses  were  jarred.  To 
persons  within  doors  the  noise  generally  seemed  as  if  produced  by  the  falling  of  a  heavy  soft  body  upon  the  chamber 
floor.  Many  persons  heard  a  rumbling  reverberation  which  continued  for  a  few  seconds.  The  area  over  which  this 


330  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

explosion  was  heard  was  probably  not  less  than  150  miles  in  diameter.  At  Marietta,  Ohio,  the  sound  came  from  a 
point  north  or  a  little  east  of  north.  The  direction  of  the  sound  varied  with  the  locality.  An  examination  of  all  the 
different  directions  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  central  point  from  which  the  sound  emanated  was  near  the  south- 
ern part  of  Noble  County,  Ohio. 

At  New  Concord,  Muskingum  County,  whare  the  meteoric  stones  fell,  and  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  there 
were  many  distinct  and  loud  reports  heard.  At  New  Concord  there  was  first  heard  in  the  sky,  a  little  southeast  of  the 
zenith,  a  loud  detonation,  which  was  compared  to  that  of  a  cannon  fired  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile.  After  an  inter- 
val of  10  seconds  another  similar  report.  After  two  or  three  seconds  another,  and  so  on  with  diminishing  intervals. 
Twenty-three  distinct  detonations  were  heard,  after  which  the  sounds  became  blended  together  and  were  compared 
to  the  rattling  fire  of  an  awkward  squad  of  soldiers,  and  by  others  to  the  roar  of  a  railway  train.  These  sounds,  with 
their  reverberations,  are  thought  to  have  continued  for  two  minutes.  The  last  sounds  seemed  to  have  come  from  a 
point  in  the  southeast  45°  below  the  zenith.  The  result  of  this  cannonading  was  the  falling  of  a  large  number  of 
stony  meteorites  upon  an  area  of  about  10  miles  long  by  3  wide.  The  sky  was  cloudy,  but  some  of  the  stones  were 
seen  first  as  "black  specks,"  then  as  "black  birds,"  and  finally  falling  to  the  ground.  A  few  were  picked  up  within 
20  or  30  minutes.  The  warmest  was  no  warmer  than  if  it  had  lain  on  the  ground  exposed  to  the  sun's  rays. 
They  penetrated  the  earth  from  2  to  3  feet.  The  largest  stone,  which  weighed  103  pounds,  struck  the  earth 
at  the  foot  of  a  large  oak  tree,  and  after  cutting  off  two  roots,  one  5  inches  in  diameter,  and  grazing  a  third  root,  it 
descended  2  feet,  10  inches  into  hard  clay.  The  stone  was  found  resting  under  a  root  which  was  not  cut  off.  This 
would  seemingly  imply  that  it  entered  the  earth  obliquely.  It  is  said  that  other  stones  which  fell  in  soft  ground 
entered  the  earth  at  a  similar  angle.  They  must  have  been  flying  in  a  northwest  direction.  This  fact,  added  to 
the  other  facts  that  the  detonations  heard  at  New  Concord  came  lower  and  lower  from  the  zenith  toward  the  south- 
east, and  that  the  area  upon  which  the  stones  fell  extends  with  its  longer  axis  in  a  southeast  and  northwest  direction, 
would  imply  that  the  orbit  of  the  meteor,  of  which  these  stones  are  fragments,  extended  from  southeast  to  northwest. 
This  conclusion  is  confirmed  by  many  witnesses  who  saw,  at  the  time,  a  luminous  body  moving  in  the  same  direc- 
tion. It  is  a  fact  of  some  interest  that  the  large  stones  were  carried  by  the  orbital  force  further  than  the  small  ones, 
and  were  found  scattered  upon  the  northwest  end  of  the  area  referred  to.  This  fact  is  readily  explained  by  the  larger 
proportional  surface  presented  to  the  atmospheric  resistance  in  the  smaller  stones.  The  stones  thus  far  found  vary  in 
weight  from  a  few  ounces  to  over  a  hundred  pounds.  They  show  a  decided  family  resemblance.  All  are  coated  with 
a  black  crust  and  show  a  bluish  gray  feldspathic  interior  with  numerous  brilliant  points  of  nickeliferous  iron. 
Although  in  some  instances  the  edges  remain  quite  sharply  defined,  generally  they  show  that  they  have  been  rounded 
by  fusion.  A  figure  shows  the  appearance  of  the  larger  stone  now  in  the  cabinet  of  Marietta  College.  Viewed  from 
most  positions  this  stone  is  angular  and  appears  to  have  been  recently  broken  from  a  larger  body.  On  one  side  it  is 
much  rounder  and  smoother,  and  this  (the  outer  surface  in  the  figure)  appears  to  be  a  part  of  the  original  surface  of 
the  main  meteor.  Two  of  its  edges  extend  more  than  a  foot  in  length,  and  two  of  its  diameters  are  14  inches.  In 
the  small  stones  the  edges  are  more  rounded  than  in  the  larger  ones.  A  figure  represents  the  appearance  of  a  small 
stone,  one  side  of  which  shows  a  surface  only  partially  glazed.  There  was  evidently  a  flaw  in  this  little  meteorite, 
and  the  heat  entering  the  crack  was  only  sufficient  to  fuse  the  surface  in  a  very  slight  degree.  The  heat  apparently 
penetrated  the  crack  in  straight  lines,  as  if  driven  backward  by  the  high  velocity.  The  edge  of  the  stone  surround- 
ing this  peculiar  surface  is  a  feather  edge  made  by  the  melting  of  the  metallic  crust  in  an  unusual  manner. 

In  the  examination  of  this  interesting  meteoric  phenomenon  I  am  led  to  believe  that  the  people  of  New  Con- 
cord and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  district  where  the  stones  fell  heard  different  sounds,  and  consequently  of 
different  origin,  from  those  heard  by  people  living  at  a  greater  distance.  The  former  heard  many  distinct  detonations 
followed  by  a  rumbling  roar  like  that  of  thunder.  The  latter  heard  but  a  single  explosion  followed  by  a  somewhat 
similar  rumbling  noise  but  less  distinct.  This  explosion  seemed  to  take  place  at  a  point  in  the  air  over  the  southern 
part  of  Noble  County.  The  people  of  the  northern  part  of  the  same  county  heard  it  in  a  southern  or  southeastern 
direction,  and  not  in  a  northwestern  direction  toward  New  Concord.  This  fact  would  indicate  that  the  great  explosion 
which  was  heard  more  than  75  miles  away,  took  place  in  Noble  County,  and  that  the  several  distinct  detonations  heard 
at  and  near  New  Concord  were  directly  connected  with  the  falling  of  the  several  stones  in  that  district. 

PROFESSOR   EVANS'S   COMPUTATIONS. 

Owing  to  the  cloudy  state  of  the  atmosphere  the  time  was  unfavorable  for  observing  such  facts  as  are  necessary 
for  the  accurate  determination  of  the  height  of  the  meteor,  the  direction  of  its  path,  ita  size,  and  its  velocity.  After 
careful  investigation,  however,  the  following  results  have  been  obtained: 

1.  Direction  of  its  path. — The  district  along  which  the  meteorites  are  known  to  have  fallen  is  about  10  miles  long 
and  from  2  to  3  miles  wide,  extending  in  a  northwesterly  direction  from  a  little  west  of  the  village  of  Point  Pleasant, 
in  Guernsey  County,  to  within  a  mile  of  New  Concord,  in  Muskingum  County.  The  fragments  fell  with  a  northwest- 
erly inclination.  .  This  is  proved  both  by  the  testimony  of  those  who  saw  them  descend  and  by  the  direction  in  which 
they  were  subsequently  found  to  have  penetrated  the  earth.  As  the  sky  along  this  district  was  overcast  with  clouds,  the 
main  body  of  the  meteor  was  not  seen  by  those  who  witnessed  the  fall  of  the  fragments;  but  the  sounds,  as  heard  by 
them,  first  proceeded  from  the  zenith  and  gradually  receded  toward  the  southeast.  This  seemingly  contradictory 
fact  agrees  perfectly  with  the  hypothesis  that  the  course  of  the  meteor  was  northwesterly;  for  if  it  approached  with 
a  velocity  greatly  exceeding  the  velocity  of  the  sound,  the  explosions  which  occurred  last  must  have  been  the  first 
heard.  At  some  distant  stations  toward  the  south  and  west  the  view  was  not  wholly  obstructed  by  clouds;  and  there 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  331 

are  many  witnesses  who  relate  that  a  few  minutes  before  any  report  was  heard  they  saw  a  large  ball  of  fire  pass  across 
the  northern  sky  toward  the  northwest.  By  tracing  out  the  line  along  which  the  reports  were  loudest  and  seemed  to 
proceed  from  the  zenith,  I  am  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  meteor  passed  over  the  eastern  end  of  Washington  County, 
then  across  the  interior  of  Noble  County,  then  over  the  southwestern  corner  of  Guernsey  and  northeastern  corner  of 
Muskingum,  with  a  direction  of  about  42°  west  of  north. 

2.  Its  height  above  the  earth.— Mi.  William  C.  Welles,  of  Parkereburg,  Virginia  (lat.  39°  1(X,  long.  81°  24'),  a  gentle- 
man of  liberal  education,  testifies  that  being  about  3  miles  east  of  that  place  at  the  time  of  the  occurrence  he  hap- 
pened to  look  up  to  the  northeast  of  him,  and  saw  a  meteor  of-  great  size  and  brilliancy  emerging  from  behind  one 
cloud  and  disappearing  behind  another.    When  about  35°  east  of  north  he  thinks  its  altitude  was  65°.     Now  the  dis- 
tance in  a  direction  35°  east  of  north  from  his  station  to  the  line  directly  under  the  meteor's  path  is  20  miles.    Calcu- 
lating from  these  data  I  find  for  the  vertical  height,  taken  to  the  nearest  unit,  43  miles.    This  was  to  a  point  in  Wash- 
ington County  near  the  border  of  Noble.  . 

Mr.  C.  Hackley  testifies  that  he  saw  the  meteor  from  Berlin  in  Jackson  County.  It  crossed  a  cloudless  space  in 
the  northeast,  and  he  thinks  its  altitude  at  the  highest  point  was  30°.  Now  the  distance  from  Berlin  to  the  nearest 
point  under  the  meteor's  path  is  70  miles.  These  data  give  nearly  41  miles  for  its  vertical  height  over  Neble  County, 
a  few  miles  to  the  south  of  Sarahsville  (lat.  39°  53',  long.  81°  407). 

Many  other  reliable  witnesses  have  been  found  who  saw  the  meteor  through  openings  in  the  clouds  from  various 
points  west  of  its  path,  and  whose  testimony  so  far  agrees  with  the  foregoing  as  to  give  results  ranging  between  37  and  44 
miles.  Care  has  been  taken  as  far  as  possible  to  verify  the  data  in  each  case  by  personal  examination  of  the  witnesses. 
The  angles  have  in  most  instances  been  taken  as  pointed  out  by  them  from  their  respective  posts  of  observation.  It 
is  unfortunate  that  no  case  has  come  to  our  knowledge  in  which  the  meteor  was  seen  from  the  region  east  of  its  path. 
But  it  was  a  circumstance  in  some  respects  favorable  to  the  definiteness  of  the  observations  made  from  the  west  side 
that  the  observers  in  nearly  all  cases  saw  the  meteor  only  at  one  point,  or  within  a  small  space  on  the  heavens.  It  is 
impossible  to  reconcile  the  various  accounts  without  granting  that  its  path  was  very  nearly  as  above  described,  and 
that  its  height  did  not  vary  far  from  40  miles  as  it  crossed  Noble  County. 

In  regard  to  the  time  which  intervened,  at  different  places,  between  seeing  the  fireball  and  hearing  the  report,  the 
statements  are  so  vague  that  not  much  reliance  has  been  placed  upon  them.  It  may  be  remarked,  however,  that  they 
will  essentially  agree  with  the  foregoing  conclusions  if  we  suppose  that  the  loudest  explosion  took  place  in  the  southern 
part  of  Noble  County. 

I  will  add  under  this  head  the  statement  of  Mr.  Joel  Richardson,  of  Warren,  Washington  County,  who  from  a  place 
6  miles  west  of  Marietta  saw  the  meteor  as  much  as  15°  or  20°  west  of  north  at  an  altitude  of  about  45°.  The  direction 
in  this  case  was  so  oblique  to  the  meteor's  path  that  the  data  are  of  little  value  for  simply  determining  the  height,  but 
they  are  important  on  account  of  their  connection  with  the  place  of  the  meteor's  last  appearance.  Mr.  Richardson  was 
visited  by  the  writer  and  his  testimony  was  subjected  to  close  scrutiny.  If  we  take  the  azimuth  at  15°  west  of  north 
we  shall  have  a  distance  of  41  miles  to  the  line  under  the  meteor's  path,  and  these  data  will  give  41  miles  for  its  vertical 
height  over  a  point  not  more  than  a  mile  from  New  Concord  at  the  extreme  western  limit  of  the  district  along  which 
the  meteorites  are  scattered.  If  we  take  the  azimuth  at  20°  west  of  north  both  the  distance  and  the  height  will  be 
greatly  augmented.  I  have  found  two  persons  living  near  Bear  Creek,  9  miles  north  of  Marietta,  who  make  statements 
closely  corroborating  that  of  Mr.  Richardson. 

3.  Velocity  of  the  meteor. — -Mr.  Welles  furnishes  data  from  which  we  can  now  determine  approximately  the  meteor's 
rate  of  motion.    As  this  gentleman  is  somewhat  accustomed  to  astronomical  observation  his  judgment  as  to  angles  may 
be  strongly  relied  upon.    He  thinks  he  saw  the  meteor  pass  from  a  point  50°  east  of  north  to  a  point  20°  east  of  north 
in  about  3  seconds.    These  two  points  in  the  meteor's  path  are  over  the  townships  of  Newport  in  Washington  County, 
and  Elk  in  Noble  County.    The  distance  between  them  is  12  miles.    According  to  these  data,  then,  its  relative  velocity 
was  about  4  miles  a  second.    No  other  statement  regarding  the  velocity  has  been  obtained  that  is  sufficiently  definite 
to  be  of  any  value. 

4.  Its  size  and  shape. — Those  who  saw  the  fireball  from  stations  not  less  than  20  and  not  more  than  30  miles  to  the 
westward  agree  in  stating  that  it  appeared  as  large  and  as  round  as  the  full  moon.    Its  intense  brilliancy  may  have 
produced  exaggerated  conceptions  of  its  size.    But  if  we  take  the  minimum  apparent  diameter  of  the  moon  and  the 
minimum  distance  of  the  meteor  (its  height  being  assumed  as  40  miles)  we  shall  have  for  its  diameter  thirty-eight  one 
hundredths,  or  about  three-eighths  of  a  mile. 

The  train  is  described  as  a  cone  having  its  base  upon  the  fireball.  As  seen  from  near  Parkereburg  its  length  waa 
estimated  at  twelve  times  the  diameter  of  the  ball.  The  part  next  the  base  appeared  as  a  white  flame  but  not  so  bright 
as  to  render  the  outline  of  the  ball  indistinct.  About  half  way  toward  the  apex  it  faded  into  a  steel  blue. 

NOTICE   OF  THE  FALL  FROM   D.   M.   JOHNSON,    ESQ.,   OF  COSHOCTON,   OHIO. 

(Mr.  Johnson's  notice  of  this  shower  of  meteoric  stones  is  the  result  of  a  visit  to  the  locality  a  few  days  after  the 
event.) 

Two  carpenters,  Samuel  L.  Hines  and  Samuel  M.  Noble,  were  at  work  near  the  house  on  the  farm  of  Jonas  Amspoker, 
of  New  Concord.  Upon  hearing  the  first  report  they  looked  up  and  saw  two  dark-looking  objects,  apparently  about 
the  size  of  an  apple,  come  through  a  cloud,  producing  a  twirling  motion  in  the  vapor  of  the  cloud.  One  of  them  they 
saw  fall  to  the  ground  about  150  yards  from  where  they  stood.  The  other  one  passed  behind  the  house  out  of  their 
sight.  They  went  immediately  to  the  one  they  saw  strike  the  ground  and  found  it  at  the  bottom  of  a  hole  2  feet  deep. 


332  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

When  taken  out  it  was  still  warm  and  in  a  few  seconds  dried  the  moist  earth  adhering  to  its  surface.  It  was  found  to 
weigh  51  pounds. 

Nathaniel  Hines,  who  was  plowing  in  a  field  adjoining  Mr.  Amspoker's  place,  heard  a  report  like  the  blasting  of 
rocks  in  a  well  followed  by  several  smaller  reports.  He  looked  up  and  saw  a  black  body  descending  to  the  earth  at  an 
angle  of  about  30°  to  the  vertical.  It  struck  the  ground  about  200  yards  from  him.  Repairing  to  the  place  he  found 
that  in  its  descent  it  came  in  contact  with  the  corner  of  a  fence,  breaking  off  the  ends  of  the  three  lower  rails  and  entering 
the  ground  about  18  inches.  It  was  warm  and  had  a  sulphurous  smell.  This  stone  was  not  weighed  but  it  is  estimated 
to  have  been  between  40  and  50  pounds  in  weight  before  any  portions  were  broken  off  from  it.  This  was  probably  the 
stone  that  the  carpenters  saw  but  lost  sight  of  when  it  passed  behind  the  house. 

James  M.  Reasner  was  in.  his  house  at  the  time  of  the  explosion,  but  hearing  a  noise  like  striking  against  the  door 
with  the  fist  he  went  out,  when  his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  whizzing  sound  overhead.  Looking  up  he  saw  what 
appeared  to  be  a  black  streak  descending  in  a  slanting  direction  toward  the  earth.  After  he  heard  that  stones  had  fallen 
in  that  vicinity  he  sought  for  and  found  a  stone  weighing  36§  pounds. 

William  Law  was  in  his  house,  1  mile  east  of  Concord.  Upon  hearing  the  first  report  he  went  out  into  the  yard. 
He  heard  a  buzzing  sound  passing  over  the  house  in  a  northwest  direction  and  saw  the  sheep  running  in  a  field  not  far 
from  the  house.  Hearing  that  stones  had  fallen  he  went  to  the  field  in  which  the  sheep  were  and  found  a  stone  weighing 
53  pounds.  It  had  fallen  upon  the  end  of  a  partially  decayed  log,  through  which  it  passed  and  buried  itself  in  the 
ground.  This  was  the  largest  stone  that  had  been  found  at  the  time  I  visited  the  district.  But  I  since  learn  that  the 
one  described  by  Professor  Andrews  was  found  after  my  visit  to  the  place. 

A  blazing  meteor  was  seen  from  other  parts  of  the  State  on  the  same  day.  The  Columbus  Statesman  of  May  5 
says  that  "near  McConnellsville  several  boys  observed  a  huge  stone  descend  to  the  earth  which  they  averred  looked  like 
a  red  ball,  leaving  a  line  of  smoke  in  its  wake."  McConnellsville  is  25  miles  south  of  Concord. 

Mr.  D.  Mackley,  of  Jackson  County,  in  a  communication  to  the  Cincinnati  Commercial,  says,  "On  the  1st  day  of 
May  at  precisely  half  past  12  o'clock  I  was  standing  on  the  platform  at  the  railroad  station  in  Berlin  when  I  saw,  in  a 
northeast  direction,  a  ball  of  fire  about  30°  above  the  horizon.  It  was  flying  in  a  northerly  direction  with  great  velocity. 
It  appeared  as  white  as  melted  iron  and  left  a  bright  streak  of  fire  behind  it  which  soon  faded  into  a  white  vapor.  This 
remained  more  than  a  minute,  when  it  became  crooked  and  disappeared."  Berlin  is  about  80  miles  southwest  of 
Concord. 

The  meteor  seen  from  McConnellsville  and  Berlin  was  undoubtedly  the  same  that  exploded  and  fell  in  Guernsey 
County.  No  one  of  the  many  persons  who  saw  the  stones  fall  and  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity  at  the  time  noticed 
anything  of  the  luminous  appearance  described  by  those  who  saw  it  from  a  distance. 

All  the  stones  that  I  have  yet  seen  have  the  same  general  appearance.  They  are  irregular  blocks,  and  are  covered 
with  a  very  thin  crust  which  looks  as  if  it  had  been  fused.  The  edges  of  the  blocks  are  not  sharp  but  rounded,  and  the 
faces  present  the  usual  pitted  appearance  of  meteorites.  They  absorb  water  with  a  hissing  sound.  The  fragments  are 
of  a  bluish-gray  color.  Under  the  lens  five  substances  can  be  detected.  A  snow-white  mineral  is  largely  disseminated 
throughout  the  mass.  A  clearer  white  mineral  can  be  distinguished  in  some  specimens.  Metallic  grains  are  quite 
numerous,  a  yellowish  brown  mineral  in  patches,  and  black  particles  scattered  over  the  surface.  One  specimen  had 
very  thin  veins  of  a  shining  black  mineral.  When  in  large  masses  the  stone  is  exceedingly  tough,  requiring  repeated 
blows  of  a  hammer  to  fracture  it,  and  when  broken  into  small  pieces  it  can  be  crushed  with  ease  in  an  agate  mortar. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  mass  was  found  to  be  3.5417.    On  analysis  one  gram  of  the  stone  was  found  to  contain: 

Silica 0.51250 

Protoxyd  of  iron • 25204 

Magnesia 08873 

Alumina 05325 

Lime 00785 

Iron 08803 

Nickel 02360 

Sulphur 01184 

Chromium Trace. 

Phosphorus Trace. 

Water .  00035 


L  03819 
Coshocton,  Ohio,  June  4,  1860. 

Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Smith,  M.  D.,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  informs  us  that  on  hearing  vague  rumors  of  the  event 
two  days  after  its  occurrence  (reported  as  an  earthquake  accompanied  by  a  fall  of  stones),  and  although  400  miles 
distant  from  the  place,  he  immediately  visited  New  Concord  and  obtained  all  possible  data  respecting  the  phenomenon. 
He  is  convinced  from  a  thorough  examination  of  the  facts  that  no  fall  of  meteoric  stones  before  recorded  possesses  so 
many  points  of  interest  as  the  one  in  question,  surpassing  even  the  far-famed  fall  of  L'Aigle.  He  reserves  many  details 
of  the  event  with  his  chemical  examination  for  a  paper  in  the  next  number  of  this  journal.  The  analyses,  so  far  as  they 
are  complete,  show  the  constitution  of  the  New  Concord  stones  to  be  identical  with  those  that  fell  about  the  same  time 
last  year,  March  28,  1859,  in  Indiana. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  333 

Thus  far  about  30  stones  have  been  recovered  from  this  fall,  and  one  witness  estimates  the  entire  weight  of  the 
fragments  discovered  at  about  700  pounds. 

The  fine  specimen  secured  by  Professor  Andrews  for  Marietta  College  is,  we  believe,  the  largest  meteoric  fragment 
hitherto  recorded  as  existing  in  one  piece.  Professors  Silliman  and  Kingsley  estimated  the  weight  of  a  fragment  of  the 
Weston  meteorite  (1807)  which  was  dashed  in  many  pieces  by  falling  on  a  rock  as  about  200  pounds. 

Shepard2  gave  the  following  description  of  one  of  the  stones: 

Through  the  much  valued  assistance  of  Prof.  J.  L.  Smith,  the  large  53-pound  stone  that  fell  near  the  house  of  Mr. 
William  Law,  of  New  Concord,  forms  part  of  my  meteoric  cabinet.  Without  attempting  at  present  a  complete  descrip- 
tion of  its  form  and  character,  I  will  only  offer  a  few  remarks  upon  the  relationship  of  the  Ohio  meteorites  to  those  of 
other  falls.  In  its  internal  aspect  it  approaches  the  stone  of  Jekaterinoslaw,  Russia  (1825),  though  it  is  somewhat  firmer 
and  more  compact.  In  crust  the  two  are  identical.  It  is  also  similar  to  the  stone  of  Slobodka,  Russia  (August  10, 
1808);  and  compares  closely  with  those  of  Politz  (October  13,  1819),  of  Nanjemoy,  Maryland  (February  10,  1828),  and 
of  Kuleschowka,  Russia  (March  12, 1811);  but  the  crust  is  less  smooth  on  the  Ohio  stone  than  in  that  of  the  latter. 

A  pearl  gray  peridot  forms  the  chief  constituent  (about  two-thirds)  of  the  stone.  This  mineral  is  often  rolled  up 
into  obscurely  formed  globules,  which  are  so  firmly  embedded  in  the  more  massive  portions  of  the  same  mineral,  as  to 
be  broken  across  on  the  fracture  of  the  stone,  which  thereby  presents  a  subpisiform  appearance.  Snow-white  particles 
of  chladnite  are  thickly  scattered  in  mere  specks  through  the  mass,  and  closely  incorporated  with  the  peridot.  The 
nickelic  iron,  of  a  bright  white  color,  is  also  everywhere  thickly  interspersed  in  little  points.  Pyrrhotine  is  less  con- 
spicuous, though  often  visible  in  rather  broad  patches;  while  black  grains  of  chromite  are  easily  distinguished  by  the 
aid  of  a  glass,  and  sometimes  with  the  naked  eye. 

The  crust  is  of  medium  thickness,  and  the  usual  wavy  and  pitted  impressions  are  also  strictly  characteristic  of 
these  stones.  Their  origin  in  meteorites  generally  is  perhaps  still  obscure,  but  may  be  conceived  to  originate  in  the 
flaking  off  of  fragments  in  consequence  of  the  sudden  transition  from  cold  to  hot,  which  must  happen  to  bodies  coming 
instantaneously  from  a  temperature  far  below  zero  into  a  state  of  vivid  incandescence,  at  least  upon  their  immediate 
surface.  We  see  a  somewhat  analogous  flaking  up  from  heated  surfaces  of  granite  blocks  during  a  conflagration,  when 
wetted  by  cold  water;  though  in  the  latter  case,  as  might  be  expected,  convexities  take  the  place  of  concavities. 

Evans 3  gave  a  further  account  of  the  meteor,  as  follows: 

Since  writing  my  communication  published  in  the  July  number  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science  on  the  path 
and  height  of  the  New  Concord  meteor,  I  have  found  some  additional  data,  which  I  regard  as  important  because  they 
have  been  furnished  by  a  good  observer  who  saw  the  meteor  under  favorable  circumstances.  A  single  case  of  the  kind 
is  the  more  worthy  of  note  because,  owing  to  the  cloudiness  of  the  day  when  this  meteor  passed,  there  were  but  few 
places  from  which  it  was  seen  at  all.  The  observer  referred  to  is  D.  Mackley,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  of  Jackson,  Ohio,  who, 
at  the  time  of  the  occurrence  happened  to  be  at  Berlin,  about  6  miles  northeast  from  the  former  place,  and  70  miles 
from  the  nearest  point  under  the  meteor's  path.  He  took  pains  to  note  all  the  facts  as  accurately  as  he  could  at  the 
time;  and  he  afterwards  returned  to  the  spot  in  order  to  determine  more  definitely  the  points  of  the  compass.  His 
testimony,  in  answer  to  my  interrogatories,  is  substantially  as  follows: 

"The  meteor  first  appeared  to  me  at  a  point  about  55°  east  of  north.  It  moved  northward  in  a  line  very  nearly 
parallel  with  the  horizon.  When  it  disappeared  it  had  described  an  arc  of  about  15°.  It  was  in  sight  about  6  seconds. 
Its  altitude  was  about  30°.  In  regard  to  its  size,  I  have  since  looked^t  the  sun  through  a  thin  cloud,  and  I  think  the 
apparent  diameter  of  the  meteor  was  one-half  that  of  the  sun." 

These  data  give  the  meteor  a  height  of  41  miles  over  the  northern  boundary  of  Noble  County;  a  diameter  of  three- 
eights  of  a  mile;  and  a  relative  velocity  of  nearly  4  miles  a  second.  The  results  agree  sufficiently  well  with  those 
before  given. 

The  meteor  was  seen  through  openings  in  the  clouds  at  various  points  along  a  line  of  60  miles,  extending  from 
near  Newport,  on  the  Ohio  River,  to  the  neighborhood  of  New  Concord.  The  evidence,  upon  the  whole,  does  not 
indicate  any  descent  of  the  body  toward  the  earth  between  these  limits,  or  any  change  in  its  size  or  appearance. 
From  this  fact  and  the  great  height  of  the  body,  and  the  absence  of  all  evidence  that  it  was  seen  or  heard  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  or  beyond,  it  seems  probable  that  this  meteor  was  not  dissipated  in  the  atmosphere,  but 
passed  out  of  it  again.  The  shower  of  stones  that  came  down  near  New  Concord  had  probably  been  detached  from  the 
principal  mass  before  the  latter  came  into  sight. 

A  complete  account  was  given  by  Smith,4  as  follows: 

These  meteorites  were  first  called  Concord  meteorites,  as  the  one  first  described  was  found  near  the  village  of  New 
Concord,  but  I  have  thought  proper  to  call  them  the  Guernsey  County  Meteorites,  since  we  are  commonly  in  the  habit 
of  distinguishing  the  meteorites  found  in  this  country  by  the  name  of  the  county  in  which  they  fell  or  were  found. 
All  but  one  of  the  great  number  of  meteoric  stones  that  fell  on  this  occasion  were  found  in  Guernsey  County,  and 
that  exceptional  specimen  fell  in  Muskingum,  on  the  edge  of  Guernsey  County. 

This  fall  of  meteorites  was  the  most  remarkable  ever  observed  in  this  county,  and  equal  to,  if  not  surpassing,  the 
famous  fall  at  L'Aigle,  in  France,  with  which  it  has  many  points  of  interest  in  common  that  will  be  stated  in  the 
course  of  this  paper. 


334  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

My  attention  was  first  directed  to  this  occurrence  by  a  short  notice  of  it  in  a  newspaper  as  being  an  earthquake 
that  had  occurred  in  eastern  Ohio,  accompanied  with  a  shower  of  stones.  Suspecting  the  true  nature  of  the  phenome- 
non, I  immediately  visited  the  spot  where  it  was  said  to  have  occurred,  and  collected  the  statements  of  those  per- 
sons who  had  witnessed  the  fall.  It  was  ascertained  that  on  Tuesday,  May  1, 1860,  remarkable  phenomena  transpired 
in  the  heavens,  and  the  following  are  the  accounts  given  by  different  observers,  men  of  intelligence  and  observation. 

Mr.  McClenahan  states  that  at  Cambridge,  in  Guernsey  County,  Ohio  (latitude  40°  4',  longitude  81°  35'),  about 
20  minutes  before  1  o'clock  p.  m.,  three  or  four  distinct  explosions  were  heard,  like  the  firing  of  heavy  cannon, 
with  an  interval  of  a  second  or  two  between  each  report.  This  was  followed  by  sounds  like  the  firing  of  musketry  in 
quick  succession,  which  ended  with  a  rumbling  noise  like  distant  thunder,  except  that  it  continued  with  about  the 
same  degree  of  intensity  till  it  ceased.  It  continued  two  or  three  minutes,  and  seemed  to  come  from  the  southwest, 
at  an  elevation  above  the  horizon  of  30°  to  40°,  terminating  in  the  southeast  at  about  the  same  elevation.  In  the  dis- 
trict where  the  meteorites  fell  the  explosions  were  heard  immediately  overhead. 

The  first  reports  were  so  heavy  as  to  produce  a  tremulous  motion,  like  heavy  thunder,  causing  the  glass  in  win- 
dows to  rattle.  The  sound  was  so  singular  that  it  caused  some  excitement  and  alarm,  many  supposing  it  an  earth- 
quake. At  Barnesville,  20  miles  east  of  Cambridge,  the  cry  of  fire  was  made,  as  the  rumbling  sound  was  thought  to 
be  the  roaring  of  fire. 

The  day  was  cool  and  the  sky  covered  at  the  time  with  light  clouds.  No  thunder  or  lightning  had  been  noticed 
that  day,  nor  could  anything  unusual  be  seen  in  the  appearance  of  the  clouds.  Immediately  on  hearing  the  report 
this  observer  looked  in  the  direction  it  came,  and  noticed  the  clouds  closely,  but  could  not  see  anything  unusual. 

The  next  morning  it  was  reported  in  Cambridge  that  aerolites  had  fallen  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Con- 
cord (8  miles  west,  a  little  south  of  Cambridge).  Inquiries  were  immediately  instituted,  and  Messrs.  Noble  and  Hines 
state  that  they  were  near  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Amspoker  at  the  time  of  the  first  explosion,  which  seemed  directly  over  their 
heads.  They  looked  up  and  saw  two  objects  apparently  come  through  the  clouds,  producing  a  twirling  of  the  vapor 
of  the  cloud  at  the  point  where  they  came  through,  then  descending  with  great  velocity  and  a  whizzing  sound  to  the 
earth,  one  striking  about  300  yards  to  the  southwest  of  them,  and  the  other  about  100  yards  north. 

They  immediately  went  to  the  spot  where  the  first  fell,  and  found  it  buried  2  feet  in  the  ground.  They  dug  it 
out  and  found  it  quite  warm  and  of  a  sulphurous  smell.  The  other  struck  a  fence  corner,  and  breaking  the  ends  of 
some  of  the  rails  penetrated  into  the  earth  16  or  18  inches,  passing  through  a  heap  of  dry  leaves.  The  first  weighed 
52  pounds.  The  other  was  broken  up,  but  must  have  weighed  about  40  pounds.  Another  of  41  pounds  weight,  not 
seen  to  fall,  was  discovered  at  the  bottom  of  a  hole  2  feet  deep,  where  it  had  fallen  on  stiff  turf,  and  was  seen  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hole,  having  carried  the  sod  before  it.  It  must  have  come  from  the  southeast  at  an  angle  of  60°  with 
the  horizon.  Many  were  discovered  to  have  fallen  southeast  of  Cambridge,  but  of  smaller  dimensions  than  those  already 
referred  to.  At  the  time  of  the  occurrence,  nearly  all  were  at  dinner  or  in  or  about  their  houses.  The  stones  obtained 
were  mostly  found  near  houses,  where  they  were  seen  to  fall,  as  the  sound  of  their  striking  the  ground  attracted 
attention. 

Another  well-informed  observer,  Doctor  McConnell,  of  New  Concord  (a  small  town  8  miles  east  of  Cambridge),  fur- 
nishes the  following  particulars:  "On  Tuesday,  the  1st  of  May,  at  28  minutes  past  12  o'clock,  the  people  of  that  vicinity 
were  almost  panic-stricken  by  a  strange  and  terrible  report  in  the  heavens  which  shook  the  houses  for  many  miles  distant. 
The  first  report  was  immediately  overhead  and  after  an  interval  of  a  few  seconds  was  followed  by  similar  reports  with 
such  increasing  rapidity  that  after  the  number  of  22  was  counted  they  were  no  longer  distinct,  but  became  con- 
tinuous and  died  away  like  the  roaring  of  distant  thunder,  the  course  of  the  reports  being  from  the  meridian  to  the 
southeast.  In  one  instance  three  men  working  in  a  field,  their  self-possession  being  measurably  restored  from  the  shock 
of  the  more  terrible  report  above,  had  their  attention  attracted  by  a  buzzing  noise  overhead  and  soon  observed  a  large 
body  descending  strike  the  earth  at  a  distance  of  about  100  yards.  Repairing  thither  they  found  a  newly  made  hole  in 
the  ground  from  which  they  extracted  an  irregular  quadrangular  stone  weighing  51  pounds.  This  stone  had  buried 
itself  2  feet  beneath  the  surface  and  when  obtained  was  quite  warm." 

To  this  we  add  the  following  statement:  "We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  certify  that  at  about  half  past  12 
o'clock  on  Tuesday,  May  1,  1860,  a  most  terrible  report  was  heard  immediately  overhead  filling  the  neighborhood  with 
awe.  After  an  interval  of  a  few  seconds  a  series  of  successive  reports,  the  most  wonderful  and  unearthly  ever  before 
heard  by  us,  took  place,  taking  a  direction  from  meridian  to  southeast,  where  the  sounds  died  away  like  the  roaring  of 
distant  thunder,  jarring  the  houses  for  many  miles  distant."  Signed  by  A.  G.  Gault,  James  McDonald,  Nancy  Mills, 
Ichabod  Grumman,  Samuel  Harper,  Rev.  James  C.  Murch,  Mrs.  M.  Speer,  Angie  McKinney. 

The  above  is  from  those  who  heard  the  noises  but  did  not  see  the  fall;  the  following  are  a  few  statements  of  the 
many  .1  collected  from  those  who  witnessed  the  fall  of  the  stones.  I  extract  from  their  depositions  made  at  the  time: 

"I  heard  the  reports  and  roaring  as  above  described  and  a  few  seconds  afterwards  I  saw  a  large  body  or  substance 
descend  and  strike  the  earth  four  or  five  hundred  yards  from  where  I  then  stood;  and  then  I,  in  company  with  Andrew 
Lister,  repaired  to  the  spot,  and  about  18  inches  beneath  the  surface  found  a  scone  weighing  50  pounds."  Signed, 
Samuel  Reblu. 

"Heard  the  reports  and  roaring  as  above  described;  and  the  said  Mrs.  Fillis  further  says  that  a  few  seconds  after- 
wards she  heard  a  descending  buzzing  noise  as  of  a  body  falling  to  the  ground.  And  Misa  Cherry  also  says  that  she  was 
standing  near  Mrs  Fillis,  heard  the  same  and  saw  some  substance  descend  and  strike  the  earth  some  hundred  yards 
distant,  and  that  Mrs.  Fillis  repaired  to  the  spot  and  there  found  a  stone  18  inches  beneath  the  surface  weighing  23 
pounds."  Signed  by  Agnes  Fillu  and  Mary  J.  Cherry. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  335 

"I  distinctly  heard  the  roaring  and  bounds  as  above  described  and  a  few  seconds  after  the  above  report  I  saw 
descending  from  the  clouds  a  large  body  that  struck  the  earth  about  150  yards  from  where  I  then  stood,  and  I  immedi- 
ately repaired  to  the  spot  and  about  2  feet  beneath  the  surface  found  a  stone  weighing  42  pounds.  A  second  or  two  after 
seeing  the  first  stone  I  saw  another  descend  and  strike  the  earth  about  the  same  distance  from  where  I  stood.  I  also 
took  the  last-mentioned  stone  from  the  earth  about  2  feet  beneath  the  surface.  Both  the  above  stones  when  taken  from 
the  earth  were  quite  warm.  I  also  saw  a  third  stone  descend."  Signed,  Samuel  M.  Noble. 

One  observer  saw  a  stone  fall  within  3  feet  of  his  horse's  head.  One  of  the  most  southerly  stones  struck  a  barn, 
while  some  people  retired  within  doors  for  fear  of  being  struck. 

These,  with  many  others  of  a  similar  nature,  were  the  data  obtained  near  the  region  of  the  fall  of  stones.  It  is 
important  to  remember  that  to  these  near  observers  no  luminosity  or  fireball  was  visible. 

In  addition  to  the  above  facts  we  have  the  following  from  observers  at  more  distant  points,  as  already  published  by 
Professors  Andrews  and  Evans.  From  the  data  they  have  collected  they  consider  the  area  over  which  the  explosion 
was  heard  as  probably  not  less  than  150  miles  in  diameter.  "At  Marietta,  Ohio,  the  sound  came  from  a  point  north  or 
a  little  east  of  north.  The  direction  of  the  sound  varied  with  the  locality.  An  fTa.mina.tifm  of  all  the  different  direc- 
tions leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  central  point  from  which  the  sounds  emanated  was  near  the  southern  part  of  Noble 
County,  Ohio,"  its  course  being  "over  the  eastern  end  of  Washington  County,  then  across  the  interior  of  Noble  County, 
than  over  the  southwestern  corner  of  Guernsey  and  the  northeastern  corner  of  Muskingum,  with  a  diiection  of  about  42° 
west  of  north." 

Mr.  D.  Mackley,  of  Jackson  County,  states  that  he  was  at  Berlin,  6  miles  east  of  Jackson,  Ohio,  when  he  saw  in  a 
northeast  direction  a  ball  of  fire  about  30°  above  the  horizon.  It  was  flying  in  a  northerly  direction  with  great  velocity. 
It  appeared  aa  white  as  melted  iron  and  left  a  bright  streak  of  fire  behind  it,  which  soon  faded  into  a  white  vapor.  This 
remained  more  than  a  minute  when  it  became  crooked  and  disappeared. 

Mr.  Wm.  C.  Welles,  of  Parkersburg,  Virginia  (latitude  39°  10',  longitude  81°  24*),  about  60  miles  south  of  Cambridge, 
saw  the  meteorite  as  a  ball  of  fire  of  great  brilliancy  emerging  from  behind  one  cloud  and  disappearing  behind  another. 

Other  observers  at  some  distance  to  the  south  of  the  point  where  the  fall  occurred  saw  this  meteorite  as  a  luminous  body. 

********* 

The  time  of  day  and  the  number  and  intelligence  of  the  observers  unite  to  give  considerable  interest  and  value  to 
these  observations.  While  some  of  them  show  points  of  difference,  natural  to  the  observation  of  sudden  and  startling 
phenomena,  we  can  yet  deduce  from  them  many  conclusions  with  more  or  less  accuracy,  thus: 

THE   DIRECTION   OP  THE    METEORITE. 

My  own  observation  of  two  of  the  stones  which  fell  half  a  mile  apart  enables  me  to  give  the  direction  of  the  meteor 
with  some  degree  of  exactness.  The  first  of  these  stones  struck  the  ends  of  the  rails  of  a  Virginia  (zigzag)  fence  half 
way  down,  just  touching  the  middle  rail,  breaking  off  more  and  more  of  each  rail  as  it  passed  to  the  ground.  Connect- 
ing the  points  of  fracture  by  a  line  this  line  represents  a  descending  curve  from  southeast  to  northwest. 

Again,  the  stone  that  fell  at  Law's  (the  most  northerly)  struck  a  large  dead  tree  lying  on  the  side  of  a  hill  sloping 
northwest,  passing  through  it  as  any  projectile  would ;  it  then  struck  a  small  clump  of  elders,  breaking  them  off  at  the 
root,  falling  finally  at  the  foot  of  a  hill.  A  line  connecting  these  points  shows  the  curve  already  stated.  Coupling  with 
this  the  observations  of  Mr.  Callahan  on  the  direction  that  one  of  these  stones  penetrated  the  ground  with  the  observed 
path  of  their  distribution  no  doubt  can  remain  that  the  general  direction  of  the  fall  was  from  southeast  to  northwest, 
striking  the  ground  at  an  angle  of  about  60°. 

ALTITUDE   OF  THE    METEORITE. 

This  is  a  point  that  can  be  determined  but  very  imperfectly,  if  at  all.  It  may  have  been,  when  first  seen,  40  miles 
above  the  earth,  but  when  the  explosion  was  heard  it  must  have  been  nearer  and  was  even  still  nearer  when  it  sub- 
divided and  was  scattered  ("exploded,"  as  usually  termed)  over  Guernsey  and  the  edge  of  Muskingum  Counties. 

TEMPERATURE    OF  THE   STONES. 

Several  of  the  largest  stones  were  picked  up  10  minutes  after  their  fall  and  are  described  as  being  about  as  warm 
as  a  stone  that  had  lain  in  the  sun  in  the  summer.  One  fell  among  dry  leaves  that  covered  it  after  it  had  penetrated 
the  ground.  The  leaves,  however,  showed  no  evidence  of  having  been  heated.  No  appearance  of  ignition  was  dis- 
covered in  places  or  objects  with  which  the  stones  came  in  contact  at  the  time  of  their  fall,  so  that  their  temperature 
must  have  fallen  far  short  of  redness,  while  it  may  not  have  reached  that  of  200°. 

SIZE   AND   VELOCITY. 

I  have  no  data  upon  which  to  calculate  either  of  these.  Professor  Evans,  however,  as  just  quoted,  calculates  from 
the  data  above  given  that  its  size  was  three-eighths  of  a  mile  and  velocity  4  miles  a  second. 

While  I  may  furnish  no  more  reliable  computations  from  the  data  obtained,  I  may  be  excused  a  short  criticism  upon 
the  above  results  to  prevent  too  hasty  conclusions  being  formed. 

As  regards  the  supposed  elevation  of  40  miles  -when  the  first  reports  were  heard  I  would  simply  ask  the  question,  Is  it 
possible,  with  the  established  views  of  the  conduction  of  sound  by  rarefied  air,  that  any  conceivable  noise  produced 
by  a  meteorite  40  miles  distant  from  the  earth  in  a  medium  quite  as  rare  if  not  rarer  than  the  best  air  pump  can  produce, 


336  MEMOIKS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

would  reach  us  at  all,  or,  if  so,  in  the  manner  described  by  observers?  This  question  is  a  more  important  one  to  con- 
sider, as  some  observers  on  similar  data  have  calculated  the  elevation  of  meteorites  when  they  were  first  heard  to  explode 
at  100  miles. 

As  regards  the  size  of  the  meteorite,  I  have  but  to  refer  the  reader  to  my  experiments  made  in  1854  and  published 
in  1855  to  show  the  perfect  fallacy  of  calculating  the  size  of  luminous  objects  by  their  apparent  disks,  and  I  shall  have 
more  to  say  on  the  same  subject  in  a  future  paper.  It  is  important  to  note  that  the  nearest  approach  of  the  meteor  to 
the  earth  must  have  been  in  the  northern  part  of  Noble  and  in  Guernsey  Counties,  the  point  from  which  its  most  won- 
derful display  seemed  to  have  manifested  itself;  yet  we  hear  nothing  of  ita  future  career  by  reports  from  observers  north 
of  this,  while  its  approach  from  the  south  to  this  point  was  noticed  by  a  number  of  observers. 

I  need  hardly  state  that  my  own  convictions  are  that  the  meteorite  terminated  its  career  in  Guernsey  County,  and 
that  the  group  of  stones  which  constituted  it  were  scattered  broadcast  over  that  county.  Many  have  been  collected 
and  many  lie  buried  in  the  soil  to  molder  and  mingle  their  elements  with  those  of  the  earth. 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  stones  that  fell  and  were  collected.  Their  number  was  over  30  and  their  places  of 
falling  have  been  plotted  with  some  care  on  a  map. 

The  localities  of  24  have  been  fixed  with  precision  by  the  assistance  of  the  Hon.  C.  J.  Albright  *  *  *.  The 
largest  were  at  the  northwest  extremity  and  the  smallest  at  the  southeast.  The  space  over  which  they  were  scattered 
was  about  10  miles  long  by  3  miles  broad.  The  following  is  a  catalogue  of  24: 


No. 

Weight,  pounds. 

Fell  on  the  farm  of  — 

1  

103 

Shenholt 

2  

..    56 

Law 

3  

52 

Amspoker 

4  

50 

5  

41 

Torrence 

6  

36 

Reasoner 

7 

234 

Hodges 

8  

26 

Fillis 

9....  

16 

Adair 

10  

15 

Crais? 

11  ,  

81 

12  

4i 

Waller 

i 

13  

4 

Beresford 

14  

3J 

15  

3} 

SteVeilfl 

16  

3} 

Wall 

17  

3 

Walker 

18  

2i 

19  

2 

Stevens 

20  

2 

Wall 

21  

2 

22  

1 

Carter 

23  

1 

Heskett 

24... 

A 

Heskett. 

460} 

Others  have  been  found,  but  I  have  no  correct  record  of  their  exact  position.  Some  fifteen  of  these  stones  have 
come  under  my  observation.  They  are  all  irregular  in  shape,  cuboidal,  wedge-shaped,  globular,  and  every  conceiv- 
able form  that  irregular  fragments  of  stone  may  be  supposed  to  possess.  They  all  have  the  well-known  black  coating, 
with  a  sharp  outline  between  the  coating  and  gray  mass  of  the  stone,  and  there  is  quite  a  uniformity  in  the  character 
of  the  coating  in  both  small  and  large  stones. 

When  broken  this  meteor  exhibits  a  gray  mass,  with  metallic  particles  of  nickeliferous  iron,  resembling  the  stones 
I  examined  that  fell  in  Harrison  County,  Indiana,  on  the  28th  of  March,  1859.  The  latter,  however,  is  the  coarser- 
grained  of  the  two. 

The  general  thickness  of  the  crust  is  about  from  one-thirtieth  to  one-fortieth  of  an  inch. 

Several  specimens  have  been  examined.  They  all  show  the  presence  of  the  same  minerals,  with  a  slight  varia- 
tion in  their  proportions,  as  might  be  expected  in  a  mass  not  homogeneous.  Its  composition  is  fairly  represented  as 
follows:  Specific  gravity,  3.550,  varying  slightly  in  different  specimens.  In  100  parts  there  are — 

Nickeliferous  iron 10. 7 

Earthy  minerals 89. 3 

100.0 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  337 

The  nickeliferous  particles  separated  by  a  magnet  from  the  crushed  stone,  and  well  washed,  presented  the  fol- 
lowing constituents  in  100  parts: 

Iron 87.  Oil 

Nickel - 12. 360 

Cobalt 421 

Copper,  minute  quantity,  not  estimated. 

Phosphorus 012 

Sulphur L080 

100.884 

The  sulphur  comes  from  the  magnetic  pyrites  that  the  meteorite  contains,  and  is  not  easy  to  separate  mechanically 
from  the  email  particles  of  nickeliferous  iron. 

The  earthy  part,  when  freed  as  thoroughly  as  possible  from  nickeliferous  iron  (which  can  be  done  pretty  effect- 
ually by  the  magnet),  was  treated  with  warm  dilute  muriatic  acid,  thrown  on  a  filter  first  washed  thoroughly  with 
water,  then  with  a  solution  of  potash  to  dissolve  the  last  portion  of  the  silica  of  the  decomposed  portion  of  the  mineral. 
The  result  was,  in  100  parts: 

Soluble  portion 63. 7 

Insoluble 36.  3 

100.0 
The  earthy  mineral  analyzed  as  a  whole  was  found  to  contain: 

Silica 47. 30 

Oxide  of  iron 28. 03 

Alumina 31 

Magnesia 24. 53 

Lime 02 

Soda 1 

Potash J  LW 

Manganese trace 

101.23 

From  these  results  it  is  very  clear  that  the  mineralogical  constitution  of  these  meteoric  stones  is  about  as  follows, 
in  100  parts: 

Nickeliferous  iron 10. 690 

Schreibersite 005 

Magnetic  pyrites 005 

Olivine 56.  884 

Pyroxene 32. 416 

100.000 
This  sums  up  the  history  of  this  meteoric  shower,  with  as  full  an  account  as  possible  of  the  stones  that  fell  at  that 

time.    In  the  first  part  of  this  paper  it  was  stated  that  this  fall  was  quite  as  remarkable  as  that  near  L' Aigle,  in  France, 

in  1803.    Although  it  does  not  equal  this  latter  in  the  number  of  stones  that  were  collected,  it  exceeds  it  in  size  of  the 

stones  that  fell.    The  largest  of  the  L' Aigle  stones  weighed  17$  pounds,  while  the  largest  in  the  present  case  was  103 

pounds. 

There  are  many  points  of  coincidence  in  the  phenomena  and  circumstances  attending  the  two  falls.    Were  I  to 

copy  Biot's  description  of  the  phenomena  of  the  fall  at  L' Aigle,  as  detailed  to  the  Academy  of  Science  nearly  60  years 

ago,  it  would  be  but  a  repetition  of  what  has  been  written  in  the  first  part  of  this  paper. 

The  date  of  the  fall  at  L'Aigle  was  the  26th  of  April;  the  date  of  the  Guernsey  fall  May  1.    Time  of  the  day  of 

the  former,  one  o'clock;  of  the  latter  twenty  minutes  of  one;  the  direction  of  both  falls,  from  southeast  to  northwest. 

The  extent  of  surface  covered  by  the  first,  7J  miles  long  by  2$  broad;  by  the  latter,  10 "miles  long  by  3  wide;  and  both 

were  seen  by  a  large  number  of  persons. 

Evans  5  gave  a  further  account  of  the  meteor  and  in  part  replied  to  the  criticisms  of  Smith 
as  follows: 

In  a  brief  account  of  this  meteor  published  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  July,  1860,  I  gave  the  most  reli- 
able and  definite  observations  which  I  had  been  able  to  collect,  bearing  on  the  question  of  the  meteor's  path  and 
velocity;  I  also  gave  such  conclusiona  as  the  data  seemed  to  me  to  warrant.  I  propose  now  to  review  the  subject  more 
at  length,  in  the  light  of  all  the  facts  now  in  my  possession;  partly  in  order  to  state,  in  a  more  careful  manner,  both 
my  conclusions  and  the  arguments  by  which  they  seem  to  me  to  be  established ;  and  partly  in  order  to  correct  some 
serious  errors  in  regard  to  the  data,  which  appear  in  former  communications  on  this  subject. 

Prof.  J.  L.  Smith,  of  the  University  of  Louisville,  in  an  article  published  in  the  January  number  of  the  American 
Journal  of  Science  begins  by  summing  up  "all  the  observations"  which  he  considers  "worthy  of  note  respecting  the 
fall  of  this  meteorite."  In  this  summary,  the  statement  is  repeatedly  made,  that  the  village  of  New  Concord,  near 
716°— 15 22 


338  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

which  the  largest  stones  fell,  is  nearly  east  from  the  village  of  Cambridge,  at  which  some  of  the  observations  which 
he  records  were  made;  it  is  also  stated  that  a  large  number  of  stones  fell  southeast  of  Cambridge.  The  truth  is  that 
New  Concord  is  nearly  west  of  Cambridge,  and  that  not  one  of  the  stones  has  yet  been  found  to  have  fallen  southeast 
of  the  latter  place. 

On  the  map  contained  in  Professor  Smith's  article,  the  lines  of  latitude  place  the  fall  of  meteoric  stones  full  60 
nautical  miles  farther  north  than  it  really  occurred;  while  Parkersburg,  the  place  of  a  most  important  observation, 
quoted  by  him,  is  placed  too  far  north  by  about  37  nautical  miles.  Such  errors,  if  allowed  to  stand  unconnected,  would 
involve  the  whole  subject  of  the  meteor's  path  in  confusion. 

Among  the  observations  which  Professor  Smith  selects  as  noteworthy  I  find  the  following:  "Mr.  D.  Mackley,  of 
Jackson  County,  states  that  he  was  standing  on  the  platform  of  the  railroad  station  in  Berlin,  20  miles  south  of  Parkers- 
burg,  when  he  saw  in  a  northeast  direction  a  ball  of  fire  about  30°  above  the  horizon,"  etc.  The  value  of  this  obser- 
vation will  appear  when  it  is  considered  that  there  is  no  railroad  passing  through  any  place  20  miles  south  of  Parkers- 
burg,  that  there  is  no  place  named  Berlin  in  that  part  of  Virginia,  and  that  the  village  of  Berlin  from  which  Mr. 
Mackley  saw  the  meteor  is  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  nearly  50  miles  west  of  the  point  indicated  by  Professor  Smith.  The 
quotation  is  substantially  in  Mr.  Mackley 's  own  words  (as  reported  from  the  Cincinnati  Commercial  by  D.  M.  Johnson, 
in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  July,  1860),  with  the  exception  of  the  words  "20  miles  south  of  Parkersburg," 
which  are  added.  This  mistake  is  the  more  unaccountable,  because  in  Mr.  Johnson's  communication  the  place  of 
observation  is  described  as  80  miles  southwest  of  Cambridge,  while  both  in  Mr.  Mackley's  letter  to  the  Commercial  and 
in  my  more  complete  report  of  his  testimony,  from  which  Professor  Smith  elsewhere  quotes,  the  place  is  precisely 
designated  as  Berlin,  6  miles  east  of  Jackson,  Ohio.  But  the  statement,  when  corrected,  is  not  of  more  consequence 
than  several  others  which  Professor  Smith  omits  altogether  from  his  list  of  observations  worthy  of  note;  though  he  after- 
wards gives  them  in  part,  as  having  been  relied  upon  by  Professor  Andrews  and  myself. 

In  commenting  upon  my  conclusions,  Professor  Smith  says:  "As  regards  the  supposed  elevation  of  40  miles  when 
the  first  reports  were  heard,  I  would  simply  ask  the  question,  is  it  possible,  with  the  established  views  of  the  conduc- 
tion of  sound  by  rarefied  air,  that  any  conceivable  noise,  produced  by  a  meteorite  40  miles  distant  from  the  earth,  in 
a  medium  quite  as  rare  if  not  rarer  than  the  best  air  pump  can  produce,  would  reach  us  at  all,  or  if  so,  in  the  manner 
described  by  observers?  " 

I  need  only  say  in  reply  that  the  writer  here  attempts  to  invalidate  my  conclusions  by  throwing  doubt  on  pre- 
mises from  which  I  reasoned.  That  the  sounds  in  question  were  somehow  connected  with  the  fall  of  stones  none  will 
deny.  That  they  proceeded  from  an  elevation  of  40  miles  is  a  view  which  might  well  be  received  with  doubt;  it  is 
certainly  a  view  which  I  never  maintained.  How  the  sounds  were  caused,  whether  by  violent  disruption  of  parts  or 
otherwise,  is  a  question  which  it  would  be  foreign  to  the  purpose  of  this  article  to  discuss;  but  I  may  state  in  this  con- 
nection one  important  fact  relating  to  them,  because  I  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to  it  again.  The  successive  reports 
heard  at  great  altitudes  in  the  districts  where  the  stores  fell,  and  apparently  connected  with  the  descent  of  the  sepa- 
rate pieces  through  the  clouds,  were  entirely  distinct  from  the  one  great  detonation  which  was  heard  at  great  distances 
from  that  district.  The  former  were  distinclty  heard  only  over  an  area  of  a  few  miles.  The  latter  shook  buildings 
from  Wheeling,  Virginia,  to  Athens  County,  Ohio.  It  is  ascertained  by  careful  inquiries  to  have  been  heard  from 
Columbiana  County  on  the  northeast  to  within  8  miles  of  Chillicothe  on  the  southwest,  and  from  Knox  County  on  the 
northwest  to  the  borders  of  the  third  tier  of  counties  in  Virginia  on  the  southeast,  an  area  of  about  150  miles  in  diam- 
eter. At  all  places  within  this  area,  except  those  near  Cambridge  and  New  Concord,  it  was  described  as  a  single  sound, 
a  sudden  concussion  resembling  thunder  or  the  discharge  of  a  heavy  piece  of  ordnance,  followed  by  a  roar  of  about 
2  seconds  in  continuance.  A  merchant  of  Marietta,  happening  to  be  at  dinner,  suspected  it  was  the  explosion  of  a 
powder  magazine  in  his  store  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  The  Parkersburg  News  says : ' '  The  houses  shook  as  with 
an  earthquake."  In  the  counties  of  Washington,  Morgan,  Noble,  Monroe,  and  Belmont,  and  in  places  along  the  Vir- 
ginia side  of  the  Ohio  River  from  Parkersburg  to  Wheeling,  those  who  were  within  doors  very  generally  attributed  it 
to  an  earthquake.  The  windows  rattled,  and  local  papers  state  that  the  door  of  an  engine  house  was  jarred  open  at 
Bellair,  near  Wheeling.  The  lines  of  direction  of  the  sound  from  all  sides,  as  distinguished  by  those  who  happened  to 
be  out  of  doors,  cross  each  other  in  the  southern  (not  far  from  the  central)  part  of  Noble  County,  while  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  region  thought  it  was  overhead.  Professor  Andrews,  giving  the  results  of  personal  inquiries,  says:  "The 
people  of  the  northern  part  of  Noble  County  heard  it  in  a  southern  or  southeastern  direction,  and  not  in  a  northwestern 
direction  toward  New  Concord."  At  Zanesville,  about  12  miles  from  New  Concord,  the  Courier  described  the  noise, 
not  as  a  succession  of  sounds,  but  as  an  "explosion."  These  facts  clearly  indicate  that  the  great  detonation  heard  at 
these  various  places  was  one  and  the  same  sound,  and  that  it  proceeded  from  a  point  over  the  interior  of  Noble  County. 
The  most  probable  location  is  5  or  6  miles  south  of  Sarahsville.  It  was  undoubtedly  the  first  produced,  but  the  last 
heard,  of  the  successive  sounds  described  as  receding  to  the  southeast  by  witnesses  in  the  neighborhood  where  the 
meteoric  stones  fell,  and  it  was  compared  by  them  to  the  roar  of  thunder. 

Again,  Professor  Smith  says:  "As  regards  the  size  of  the  meteorite,  I  have  but  to  refer  to  my  experiments  made  in 
1854,  and  published  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  of  1855,  to  show  the  perfect  fallacy  of  calculating  the  size  of 
luminous  objects  by  their  apparent  discs." 

As  the  above  remark  is  made  in  reference  to  my  estimate  of  the  size  of  the  meteor,  it  is  but  justice  to  myself  to 
say  that  I  had  acknowledged  the  danger  of  error  from  this  source,  and  had  only  insisted  that  if  the  apparent  disc  and 
the  estimated  distance  be  assumed  as  data,  we  shall  obtain  for  the  diameter  of  the  meteor  about  three-eighths  of  a  mile. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  339 

I  may  now  proceed  to  the  discussion  of  the  meteor's  path,  and  first  of  all  I  shall  aim  to  state  the  data  with  as  much 
accuracy  as  possible.  It  is  proper  to  say  that  the  latitudes  and  longitudes  of  places  in  my  first  communication  on  this 
subject  were  inserted  by  the  editors,  apparently  from  common  maps.  I  shall  here  give  latitudes,  longitudes,  and 
relative  distances  of  places  as  nearly  as  they  can  be  determined  from  the  most  reliable  surveys  of  this  part  of  Ohio 
yet  made,  which,  so  far  as  the  distances  are  concerned,  may  be  supposed  near  enough  for  the  purpose  in  view.  The 
accompanying  map  is  on  too  reduced  a  scale  to  be  easily  made  accurate;  but  it  will  aid  the  reader  in  understanding 
the  following  remarks. 

In  my  former  estimates  I  decided  upon  that  path  which  seemed  to  agree  best  with  all  the  observations  then  known 
to  me.  After  more  thorough  investigation,  it  seems  better  to  give  first  the  results  formed  from  a  few  observations  which 
there  is  now  reason  to  consider  the  most  reliable,  and  then  to  show  how  nearly  the  other  observations  confirm  these. 

The  witnesses  on  whom  I  shall  most  rely  are  William  C.  Welles,  of  Parkersburg,  a  graduate  of  Nassau  Hall,  and 
D.  Mackley,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  of  Jackson,  Ohio.  My  reasons  for  this  selection  are:  First,  the  superior  intelligence  of  the 
witnesses;  secondly,  their  favorable  places  of  observation,  one  at  a  great  distance  from  the  meteor's  path  and  the  other 
comparatively  near;  and  finally,  the  great  pains  taken  by  each  to  note  the  facts  accurately  on  the  spot,  with  a  view 
to  publication.  I  may  add  also  that  I  have  subjected  both  these  witnesses  to  close  examination. 

Mr.  Welles's  place  of  observation  was  in  the  State  of  Virginia  (latitude  39°  17',  longitude  81°  240,  about  3  miles 
east  of  Parkersburg.  His  testimony  is  as  follows:  He  saw  the  meteor  through  an  opening  in  the  clouds,  first  appearing 
about  50°  east  of  north,  and  disappearing  20°  east  of  north.  It  was  in  sight  about  3  seconds.  Its  altitude  when  35° 
east  of  north  was  about  65°.  Of  this  he  is  most  confident.  When  asked  at  what  altitude  its  visible  path  produced 
would  cut  the  meridian  to  the  north  of  him,  he  pointed  from  50°  to  55°.  It  is  important  to  observe  that  Mr.  Wellee's 
judgment  as  to  angles  is  to  be  strongly  relied  upon,  because  he  is  somewhat  accustomed  to  astronomical  observations. 

Mr.  Mackley's  place  of  observation  was  Berlin  (latitude  39°  6',  longitude  82°  23'),  about  6  miles  nearly  northeast 
of  Jackson,  Ohio.  His  testimony  is  as  follows:  He  saw  a  brilliant  meteor  pass  over  a  cloudless  space  from  about  55° 
east  of  north  to  about  40°  east  of  north.  It  was  moving  nearly  parallel  with  the  horizon.  When  it  first  appeared,  ita  alti- 
tude was  about  30°;  at  its  disappearance  it  was  about  2°  lower.  It  was  in  sight  about  6  seconds.  Mr.  Mackley's  account 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  estimated  the  angles  serves  to  strengthen  confidence  in  his  accuracy.  He  says  that  as  nearly 
as  he  could  judge  the  meteor  appeared  at  one-third  of  the  distance  from  the  horizon  to  the  zenith,  and  the  arc  which 
it  described,  when  projected  on  the  horizon,  would  be  one-half  the  altitude.  He  states  also  that  he  visited  the  place 
again  in  order  to  determine,  as  accurately  as  possible,  the  points  of  the  compass. 

In  order  now  to  make  a  first  approximation,  let  us  assume  that  the  path  of  the  meteor,  when  projected  on  the  earth, 
would  pass  through  New  Concord  (latitude  40°  1',  longitude  81°  45'),  on  either  side  of  which  the  heaviest  stones  fell. 
The  bearing  of  this  line,  as  shown  by  the  direction  of  the  route  along  which  the  stones  were  scattered,  by  the  direc- 
tion in  which  different  pieces  are  ascertained  by  Professors  Andrews  and  Smith  to  have  reached  the  ground,  and  by 
the  direction  to  which  the  successive  reports  attending  their  fall  receded,  must  have  been  nearly  northwest.  Let 
us  then  suppose,  by  way  of  trial,  thai  it  was  exactly  northwest.  Mr.  Mackley  saw  the  meteor  from  Berlin  in  a  north- 
east direction.  Now  these  two  directions  being  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  it  follows  that  its  real  path  was  nearly 
parallel  with  the  earth's  surface,  for  otherwise  its  apparent  path  could  not,  under  the  given  conditions,  have  been 
nearly  parallel  with  the  horizon,  as  Mr.  Mackley  declares  it  was.  It  follows  also  that  its  height  above  the  earth  was 
not  far  from  40  miles,  for  the  altitude  given  by  Mr.  Mackley  is  from  28°  to  30°,  and  the  distance  northeast  from  Berlin 
to  the  projection  of  the  supposed  path  upon  the  earth  is  about  70  miles. 

We  may  now  proceed  to  correct  this  first  approximation  by  combining  the  observations  of  Messrs.  Mackley  and 
Welles.  We  may  assume  that  the  path  of  the  meteor  for  a  short  space,  such  as  these  two  observers  saw  it  traverse, 
could  not  have  departed  very  far  from  a  straight  line;  for  it  was  moving  in  the  highest  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  and, 
according  to  any  hypothesis,  with  immense  velocity.  Then  the  line  which  will  best  agree  with  the  observations  of  both, 
and  at  the  same  time,  when  projected  on  the  earth,  pass  through  New  Concord,  runs  40°  west  of  north.  Let  us  first 
consider  Mr.  Welles's  observation — azimuth  35°  eastof  north,  altitude  65°.  The  base  line  in  this  case  (from  Mr.  Welles's 
station  to  the  supposed  projection)  is  19  miles;  the  consequent  height  41  miles  nearly.  This  was  at  a  point  over  the 
eastern  part  of  Washington  County.  Next,  take  Mr.  Mackley's  first  observation — azimuth  55°  east  of  north,  altitude 
30°.  The  base  line  in  this  case  is  68  miles,  and  the  consequent  height  (after  allowing  for  the  curvature  of  the  earth) 
40  miles.  This  was  over  the  southern  part  of  Noble  County.  Next,  consider  Mr.  Mackley's  second  data — azimuth 
40°  east  of  north,  altitude  28°.  The  base  line  is  about  69  miles,  and  the  resulting  height  38  miles  nearly.  This  was 
over  the  northern  border  of  Noble  County.  Now,  by  comparing  the  distances  between  these  stations  with  the  corre- 
sponding differences  of  height,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  are  not  far  from  proportional,  which  gives  a  trajectory  between 
the  above  limits,  not  departing  far  from  a  straight  line  though  descending  somewhat  more  in  the  last  part  than  in  the 
first.  But  if  we  suppose  the  bearing  to  have  been  one  or  more  degrees  greater  or  less  than  40°  west  of  north,  we  shall 
in  like  manner  obtain,  from  the  same  observations,  a  trajectory  departing  from  a  straight  line  altogether  too  rapidly  to 
be  admissible;  in  the  one  case,  indeed,  convex  toward  the  earth,  in  the  other  case  rising  and  falling  successively 
within  the  limits  of  the  atmosphere. 

The  path  now  found  is  consistent  with  Mr.  Welles's  approximate  estimate  of  the  altitude  (from  50°  to  55°)  at  which 
the  arc  described  by  the  meteor  would,  when  produced,  cut  the  meridian.  In  the  statements  of  other  witnesses  we 
find  as  close  agreement  with  those  of  Messrs.  Mackley  and  Welles  as  could  be  expected  from  ordinary  observers  of  sudden 
and  startling  phenomena.  In  the  neighborhood  from  8  to  10  miles  north  of  Marietta  a  considerable  number  of  persons 


340  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

(I  mention  Jacob  Leonhart  and  two  sons,  of  Bear  Creek)  caught  glimpses  of  the  meteor  through  the  clouds,  north  and  a 
little  west  of  north,  at  such  altitudes  as  to  show  that  if  its  course  was  nearly  northwest  its  height  was  not  far  from  40 
miles  over  the  central  and  northern  parts  of  Noble  County.  Many  persons  in  the  eastern  border  of  Athens  County,  west 
of  Marietta,  saw  the  meteor  in  a  northeasterly  direction  passing  from  cloud  to  cloud  at  such  altitudes  as  lead  to  the  same 
conclusion.  Mr.  John  Brabham  and  several  others  undertook  to  show  the  angle  at  which  the  body  was  descending 
toward  the  horizon  and  it  was  such  as  to  give  a  path  not  differing  widely  from  the  above  when  combined  either  with 
Mr.  Welles's  observation  or  with  that  of  Mr.  Mackley.  The  statements  of  different  observers  at  the  same  places  of 
course  vary  somewhat,  but  none  have  been  used  except  those  which  seemed  well  attested.  The  directions  were  taken 
whenever  possible,  as  pointed  out  by  observers  themselves,  from  their  places  of  observation.  Every  case  of  very  wide 
discrepancy  in  testimony  was  by  this  means  made  to  disappear. 

Let  us  now  use  the  data  furnished  by  Messrs.  Welles  and  Mackley  for  estimating  the  velocity  of  the  meteor.  It  is 
to  be  observed,  that  its  bearing,  as  above  estimated,  being  so  nearly  at  right  angles  with  the  lines  of  vision  of  both 
observers,  reduces  the  velocity  almost  to  a  minimum.  Now  Mr.  Welles  saw  the  meteor  pass  from  50°  east  of  north  to 
20°  east  of  north,  a  distance  of  11  miles,  in  about  three  seconds.  This  gives  for  its  velocity  in  the  first  part  of  its  visible 
path  3J  miles  in  a  second.  Mr.  Mackley  estimated  that  the  meteor  was  visible  to  him  for  six  seconds.  The  distance 
in  this  case  is  18  miles;  the  consequent  velocity  3  miles  a  second.  Here  is  as  close  agreement  as  could  be  expected, 
and  in  view  of  the  tendency  to  exaggerate  the  time  we  may  presume  that  neither  of  these  estimates  of  the  velocity  is  too 
great;  but  of  the  two  that  based  on  Mr.  Welles's  observation  should  be  preferred,  since  the  shorter  interval  of  time  is 
the  easier  to  estimate  with  precision. 

There  is  no  strong  evidence  that  the  meteor  was  seen  farther  southeast  than  where  it  first  appeared  to  Mr.  Welles, 
nor  farther  northwest  than  where  it  was  last  seen  by  Mr.  Mackley.  The  distance  between  these  two  points  projected  on 
the  earth  is  about  35  miles.  In  a  former  communication  I  gave  the  testimony  of  Joel  Richardson,  of  Warren,  as  tending 
to  show  that  it  was  seen  over  the  district  where  the  stones  fell ;  but  from  comparison  of  his  statements  with  those  of  others 
in  the  same  neighborhood  I  am  disposed  to  admit  that  he  made  an  error  of  10  or  15  degrees  in  the  direction.  Rumors  of 
persons  in  Morgan  County  having  seen  the  meteor  descend  nearly  to  the  horizon  have,  upon  investigation,  proved 
groundless. 

It  was  a  circumstance  favorable  to  correct  estimates  of  directions,  on  the  part  of  observers,  that  they  saw  the  body 
through  openings  in  the  clouds.  From  the  east  side  of  its  path  it  was  not  seen  at  all,  as  the  sky  was  completely  overcast, 
but  no  pains  have  been  spared  to  collect  and  examine  all  the  observations  from  the  west  side  by  personal  communication 
with  the  witnesses. 

The 'conclusions  which  we  have  derived  from  the  evidence  may  now  be  briefly  summed  up  as  follows:  The  course 
of  the  meteor  was  about  40°  west  of  north.  It  was  first  seen  over  the  eastern  part  of  Washington  County  (about  lat. 
39°  27',  Ion.  81°  8')  at  a  height  of  41  miles,  nearly.  It  was  last  seen  over  the  northwestern  border  of  Noble  County 
(about  lat.  39°  51',  Ion.  81°  34'),  at  a  height  of  38  miles,  nearly.  Its  velocity  relatively  to  the  surface  of  the  earth  was 
from  3  to  4  miles  a  second. 

As  the  time  was  half  past  12,  noon  (May  1),  it  follows  from  the  results  just  given  that  its  velocity  in  the  solar  system 
was  from  20  J  to  21  miles  a  second. 

As  the  data  can  not  be  claimed  to  be  more  than  approximations  to  the  truth  the  conclusions  can  not.  I  have  given 
the  results  found  by  comparing  the  data  of  two  excellent  observers  at  advantageous  posts  as  the  most  likely  to  be  near 
approximations.  These  results  agree  nearly  with  my  first  estimates,  formed  by  a  general  comparison  of  less  select  data, 
before  the  most  material  statements  in  Mr.  Mackley's  testimony  or  any  part  of  the  testimony  of  Mr  Brabham  and  many 
others  were  yet  known  to  me.  Any  attempt  to  establish  a  path  differing  widely  from  that  now  given,  whether  in  the 
bearing  or  in  the  height  above  the  earth,  or  in  the  amount  of  departure  from  parallelism  above  the  earth's  surface 
between  the  points  indicated,  will  cause  the  statements,  not  only  of  Messrs.  Mackley  and  Welles,  but  of  all  the  observers, 
to  clash  hopelessly  with  each  other. 

These  views  are  entirely  inconsistent  with  the  hypothesis  that  the  whole  of  the  blazing  body  described  by  witnesses 
came  to  the  earth  in  Guernsey  County.  If  the  principal  mass  fell  at  all  it  must  have  fallen  at  a  great  distance  beyond. 
Whether  we  suppose  it  was  consumed  in  the  air  or  passed  on  there  is  no  difficulty  arising  from  the  fact  that  it  was  not 
seen  farther  to  the  northwest,  for  there  is  evidence  that  the  sky  along  its  path  was  overspread  with  clouds  not  only  from 
Northwestern  Virginia  to  New  Concord  but  to  a  considerable  distance  beyond;  and  I  have  ascertained  from  meteoro- 
logical reports  recorded  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution  that  there  were  clouds  (early  in  the  afternoon,  May  1)  over  a 
large  part  of  northwestern  Ohio.  Nor  is  there  any  difficulty  in  conceiving  how  different  bodies  of  the  same  density, 
after  entering  the  atmosphere  together  and  moving  through  it  a  great  distance,  could  have  been  so  far  separated.  For 
the  smaller  bodies  having  more  surface  in  proportion  to  their  weight  than  the  larger  (the  surfaces  being  as  the  squares 
of  the  diameters  while  the  solidities  are  as  cubes)  would  encounter  more  resistance  from  the  air.  And  the  smaller  bodies, 
having  once  fallen  below  the  larger,  would  receive  a  still  further  acceleration  to  their  descent  from  the  increased  density 
of  the  air;  for  it  is  an  established  fact  that  through  atmospheric  strata  of  equal  depth  the  increase  in  density  downward 
is  by  a  geometrical  ratio.  In  order,  however,  to  account  for  a  separation  of  over  30  miles  in  a  vertical  line  it  is  necessary 
to  concede  that  the  part  which  passed  over  was  much  larger  than  any  of  those  which  came  to  the  ground.  It  must  also 
be  conceded  that  they  began  to  separate  long  before  crossing  the  Ohio  River,  a  view  which  is  strongly  supported  by  the 
fact  already  stated  that  over  the  southern  part  of  Noble  County  the  stones  which  fell  had  already  descended  far  enough 
to  cause  a  concussion  in  the  lower  atmosphere  that  was  heard  over  a  vast  region. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  341 

Madelung*  gave  the  following  analysis: 

SiO, 40.391 

FeO 18.133 

MgO.  -  - 23. 510 

AljO, 2. 300 

CaO : 2.523 

Fe 5.778 

Ni 0.235 

Fe,O3 5.819 

NiO 0.812 

Mn..  trace 


99.501 
These  ingredients  are  grouped  as  follows: 

Soluble        Insoluble 
Nickel  Iron,     silicates.       silicates. 

SiOj  .................................................        18.944        21.447 

FeO  ..................................................        18.133        ...... 

MgO  ............................................  0.094        15.616          7.800 

A120,  ......................................................          2;300 

CaO  .......................................................          2.523 

Fe  ...............................................  5.778        ............ 

Ni  ..............................................  0.235        ............ 

FejOj  ......................................................         5.819 

NiO  .................................................         0.812        ...... 

trace 


Total  ......................................  6.011        53.505        39.889    =99.405 

Rose  *  mentioned  the  gift  of  an  individual  of  this  fall  weighing  26  pounds  to  the  Berlin 
collection  by  J.  Lawrence  Smith.  He  also  mentions  chondri  3  to  4  lines  in  diameter  and  remarks 
that  the  stones  take  a  good  polish. 

Reichenbach  8  has  a  single  reference  to  the  fall,  describing  a  black  vein  in  one  specimen  as 
follows  : 

The  Muskingum  specimen  in  the  G5ttingen  museum  has  a  black  vein  which  runs  through  the  entire  stone  and  is 
broken  off  in  places,  and  then  affords  upon  five  little  specks  dark  gray  striped  cracks  with  metallic  luster.  A  sixth 
place  of  the  same  sort  and  glistening  is  crossed  at  right  angles  with  the  first. 

Wright  '  obtained  gases  from  a  specimen  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Temperature:  Co,  Co         CH«  H  N      Volume. 

500°  ........................  82.28        2.16        2.26        12.37        0.93        2.06  * 

Red  heat..  .  16.79        8.71        1.66        69.43        3.41        0.93 


Total 59.88        4.40        2.05        31.89        1.78        2.99 

Wadsworth  10  classified  the  meteorite  as  a  peridotite  and  made  the  following  observations: 

A  crystalline  granular  rock  containing  pyrrhotite  and  iron  and  showing  yellowish  brown  spots  of  staining  around 
the  latter. 

Section:  A  light-gray  crystalline  mass  of  olivine,  pyroxene,  and  enstatite,  and  containing  iron  and  pyrrhotite. 
The  groundmass  is  stained  a  yellowish  brown  in  many  places. 

The  enstatite,  pyroxene,  and  olivine  are  in  clear  grains  when  unstained,  and  are  much  fissured  and  broken. 

Some  of  the  enstatite  shows  the  same  structure  as  the  chondri  of  other  meteorites  except  that  it  wants  the  cementing 
base.  That  is,  these  grains  are  formed  from  minute  grains  arranged  in  rodlike  forms  and  lying  side  by  side.  The  iron 
and  pyrrhotite  is  in  irregular  masses  and  granules.  Some  colorless  irregular  patches  were  observed  giving  a  pale  color 
in  polarized  light  and  resembling  nephelite. 

Brezina  "  classified  the  meteorite  in  1885  as  intermediate  chondrite,  but  later13  as  veined 
intermediate  chondrite. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed.  Marietta  College  has  the  103-pound  stone  and  Amherst  the 
51-pound  and  34-pound  stones.  Harvard  has  29.361  grams;  London,  19,519  grams. 


342  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  I860:  ANDREWS,  EVANS,  JOHNSON,  and  SMITH.    An  account  of  the  fall  of  meteoric  stones  at  New  Concord,  Ohio, 

May  1,  1860;  by  Prof.  E.  B.  Andrews,  of  Marietta  College.  With  (2.)  Computations  respecting  the  meteor;  by 
Prof.  E.  W.  Evans,  of  the  same  institution.  To  which  added  further  notices  of  the  same  by  D.  W.  Johnson, 
Esq.,  and  Dr.  J.  Lawrence  Smith.  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  30,  pp.  103-111  (analysis  by  Johnson; 
illustration  of  103-pound  stone.) 

2.  1860:  SHEPARD.    Notices  of  several  American  meteorites. — 4.  Remarks  upon  the  Ohio  stones  of  May  1,  1860. 

Idem,  pp.  207-208. 

3.  1860:  EVANS.    Further  notice  of  the  New  Concord  (Ohio)  meteor,  of  May  1,  1860.     Idem,  p.  296. 

4.  1861 :  SMITH.    The  Guernsey  County  (Ohio)  meteorites,  a  complete  account  of  the  phenomena  attending  their 

fall  with  a  chemical  analysis  of  them.  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  31,  pp.  87-98  (new  analysis,  chart,  and 
table  of  the  weights  of  24  stones  of  103  pounds  to  0.5  pound). 

5.  1861:  EVANS.    On  the  Path  and  Velocity  of  the  Guernsey  County  (Ohio)  meteor  of  May  1,  1860.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  30-38  (chart). 

6.  1862:  MADELUNQ.     Der  Meteorstein  von  New  Concord.    Dissert.  GSttingen,  pp.  41-47. 

7.  1863:  EOSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  25,  85,  93,  98,  and  155. 

8.  1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  25,  p.  431. 

9.  1876:  WRIGHT.    On  the  gases  contained  in  meteorites.     Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  pp.  258,  259,  260, 

and  261;  and  vol.  12,  p.  167. 

10.  1884:  WADSWOBTH.    Studies,  pp.  95-96. 

11.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  181  and  232. 

12.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  246  and  247. 


New  Jersey.    See  Deal. 
Newton  County.    See  Mincy. 


NIAGARA. 

Grand  Forks  County,  North  Dakota. 
Latitude  47°  56'  N.,  longitude  97°  50/  W. 
Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1879;  described  1902. 
Weight,  115  grams  (4  ozs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Preston,1  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  found  2  miles  southeast  of  Niagara,  Grand  Forks  County,  North  Dakota,  in  the  early  part  of  August, 
1879,  by  Mr.  F.  Talbol^  who  discovered  it  while  making  a  collection  of  the  various  rocks  and  minerals  on  his  father's 
ranch. 

It  measured  30  by  40  by  50  mm.  and  weighed  115  grams.  It  was  very  much  oxidized,  of  a  brownish-black  color, 
and  showed  no  trace  of  the  original  crust  whatever.  In  sawing  it  crumbled  into  small  fragments  of  from  2  to  4  or  5 
grams  weight  each.  The  largest  piece  obtained  weighed  26  grams. 

On  etching  two  pieces  composed  of  unoxidized  iron,  an  octahedral  structure  was  strongly  brought  out  in  the  Wid- 
mannstatten  figures,  the  kamacite  plates  being  somewhat  broad,  with  a  second  series  of  markings  of  hairlike  lines 
upon  them  about  the  size  of  the  Neumann  lines  on  the  Biaunau  iron. 

Analysis  (Davison): 

Fe  Ni          Co 

92.67        7.37        0.13    =100.17 

Specific  gravity,  7.12. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1902:  PRESTON.    Journ.  Geol.,  vol.  10,  p.  518. 

NOBLEBORO. 

Lincoln  County,  Maine. 

Latitude  44°  3'  N.,  longitude  69°  28'  W. 

Stone.    Howardite  (Ho)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  4.30  p.  m.,  August  7, 1823;  described  1824. 

Weight,  2  to  3  kgs.  (4  to  6  Ibs.) 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Cleaveland,1  as  follows: 

This  aerolite  fell  at  Nobleboro,  Maine,  August  7,  1823,  between  4  and  5  o'clock  p.  m.,  on  land  belonging  to  John 
and  David  Flogg.  The  following  account  of  the  phenomena  was  received  from  Mr.  A.  Dinsmore,  who  was  at  work 
near  the  place  on  which  the  aerolite  struck. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  343 

Mr.  Dinsmore's  attention  was  excited  by  hearing  a  noise  which  at  first  resembled  the  discharge  of  platoons  of  sol- 
diers, but  soon  became  more  rapid  in  succession.  The  air  was  perfectly  calm;  and  the  sky  was  clear,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  small  whitish  cloud  apparently  about  40  feet  square,  nearly  in  his  zenith,  from  which  the  noise  seemed  to 
proceed.  After  the  explosion,  this  little  cloud  appeared  to  be  in  rapid  spiral  motion  downwards,  as  if  about  to  fall 
on  hi™  and  made  a  noise  like  a  whirlwind  among  leaves.  At  this  moment  the  stone  fell  among  some  sheep  which 
were  thereby  much  frightened,  jumped,  and  ran  into  the  woods.  This  circumstance  assisted  Mr.  Dinsmore  in  finding 
the  spot  where  the  stone  struck,  which  was  about  40  paces  in  front  of  the  place  where  he  was  standing.  The  aero- 
lite penetrated  the  earth  about  6  inches  and  there  meeting  another  stone  was  broken  into  fragments.  When  first  taken 
up,  which  was  about  one  hour  after  its  fall,  it  exhaled  a  strong  sulphurous  odor.  The  whole  mass  previous  to  its  frac- 
ture probably  weighed  between  4  and  6  pounds.  Other  fragments  of  the  same  meteoric  stone  are  eaid  to  have  been 
found  several  miles  from  Nobleboro. 

A  chemical  examination  of  a  fragment  of  the  stone  was  made  by  Webster2  and  published  in 
the  Philosophical  Magazine.  His  account  is  as  follows: 

This  aerolite  fell  at  Nobleboro,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  on  August  7, 1823,  between  4  and  5  o'clock  p.  m.  (Here 
follows  an  abstract  from  Professor  Cleaveland's  report  of  an  interview  by  some  second  party — "a  gentleman  of  intelli- 
gence"— with  Mr.  A.  Dinsmore,  who  was  at  work  near  the  place  where  the  aerolite  struck.) 

I  obtained  a  specimen  of  the  meteorite  from  Dr.  Geo.  Hayward.  Externally  the  specimen  was  in  part  covered 
with  a  thin,  semivitrified  crust  or  enamel  of  a  black  color,  the  surface  of  which  was  irregular  and  marked  with  num- 
erous depressions,  presenting  every  appearance  of  having  been  subjected  to  intense  heat.  The  crust  was  hard,  yield- 
ing with  difficulty  to  the  knife.  The  quantity  of  this  crust  afforded  by  the  small  fragments  examined  was  not  suffi- 
cient to  allow  of  any  separate  analysis  of  it. 

The  mass  of  the  specimen  had  a  light  gray  color  interspersed  with  oblong  spots  of  white,  having  the  aspect  of 
decomposed  leucite  and  giving  it  a  porphyritic  appearance.  Throughout  the  stone  minute  points  of  a  yellow  sub- 
stance, resembling  olivine,  were  distributed,  with  microscopic  points  of  a  yellow  color,  which  I  took  for  sulphuretted 
iron.  The  cement  by  which  these  substances  were  united  was  of  an  earthy  aspect  and  soft  texture,  readily  broken 
down  by  the  fingers.  The  general  appearance  of  the  mass  was  precisely  like  that  of  some  of  the  volcanic  tuffaa. 

The  specific  gravity  was  remarkably  low,  being  but  2.08. 

Before  the  blowpipe  it  exhaled  a  sulphurous  odor,  but  was  not  fused. 

The  substance  was  reduced  to  powder  and  subjected  to  a  magnet  of  considerable  power,  but  no  attractable  par- 
ticles were  separated.  A  portion  was  heated  to  redness  on  a  platinum  spoon;  it  emitted  the  sulphurous  odor,  and 
its  weight  was  diminished  rather  more  than  21  per  cent;  the  residue  acquired  a  brown  color;  it  was  again  presented 
to  the  magnet,  but  nothing  was  attracted.  [Here  follows  a  detailed  description  of  the  process  of  analysis.] 

The  composition  of  this  meteoric  mass  is  therefore: 

S          Silex        Al        Lime        Mg         Cr         Fe         Ni         Loss 
18.3        29.5         4.7        trace        24.8        4.0        14.9        2.3          1.5    =100.00 

Brayley 3  remarked  that  the  meteorite  resembled  those  of  Luotolax,  Jonzac,  and  Juvenas. 
Chladni 4  opposed  this  view,  however,  on  account  of  the  presence  of  nickel  in  Nobleboro  and 
other  differences  of  composition. 

Partsch 5  described  the  meteorite  as  very  similar  to  Luotolax.  It  differs  only,  he  says,  in 
being  less  coherent. 

Shepard 8  gave  the  following  description:. 

The  crust  is  a  perfectly  fused  and  shining  glass  similar  to  the  Juvenas  and  Stannern  stones.  The  color  of  the 
interior  is  a  light  ash  gray.  When  examined  by  the  aid  of  a  lens,  it  is  found  to  be  highly  composite  in  character, 
although  the  small  fragment  in  my  possession  shows  neither  nickel-iron  nor  magnetic  pyrites.  The  most  abundant 
ingredient  is  howardite,  through  which  are  disseminated  grains  of  greenish  transparent  olivinoid,  white  particles  of 
anorthite,  black  grains  of  chantonnite,  and  a  red-colored,  vitreous,  hard  mineral  which  appears  to  be  either  garnet  or 
idocrase. 

Buchner 7  gave  the  specific  gravity  3.092,  as  determined  by  Rumler,  and  remarks  that  the 
value  2.08,  given  by  Webster,  is  probably  a  typographical  error  for  3.08.  He  also  doubted  the 
correctness  of  Webster's  analysis. 

Maskelyne 8  gave  the  following  note: 

Since  the  text  was  in  press  I  have  had  an  opportunity,  through  the  civility  of  Professor  Shepard,  of  inspecting  a 
small  fragment  of  the  Nobleboro  stone.  It  is  a  curious  aerolite.  More  like  Bialystok  than  Maessing  or  Manegaum, 
it  is  rich  in  a  very  black  and  opaque  substance  (probably  two  such  substances),  one  of  which  is  like  the  dark  augite 
in  the  Eukritic  aerolites,  and  especially  in  Juvenas.  There  is  much  of  a  colorless  mineral  as  well  as  of  olivine,  of  every 
tint  from  pale  yellow  to  yellowish-brown;  and  the  opaque  white  mineral  above  alluded  to  is  abundant.  There  is  also 
a  small  amount  of  iron,  and  of  what  seems  to  be  troilite.  The  crust  is  an  enamel  with  fine  luster.  The  transparent, 
colorless  mineral  may  possibly  be  a  feldspar  (anorthite?),  but  it  requires  further  scrutiny. 


344  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Rose "  grouped  Nobleboro  with  Luotolax  as  a  howardite,  but  stated  that  the  Berlin  speci- 
mens were  too  small  for  further  study. 

Reichenbach  10  expressed  doubt  of  the  correctness  of  Webster's  analysis  and  described 
Nobleboro  as  holding  a  middle  position  between  two  other  classes,  the  first  of  which  consists  of 
finely  rounded  globules,  the  second  of  angular,  sometimes  sharp-edged,  irregular,  and  more  or 
less  broken  fragments.  Nobleboro  and  others  like  it,  he  says,  are  composed  of  globules  and 
broken  fragments  placed  side  by  side. 

Wadsworth  n  classified  Nobleboro  as  a  peridotite  and  described  it  as  fragmental  in  char- 
acter, closely  resembling  a  trachytic  or  rhyolitic  ash.  He  remarks  that  Webster's  analysis  is 
probably  incorrect  and  that  the  meteorite  ought  to  be  reexamined  chemically  and  studied 
microscopically. 

Brezina 12  grouped  the  meteorite  as  a  howardite. 

Wiilfing 1S  records  the  existence  of  only  78  grams  of  the  meteorite,  of  which  60  grams  are 
possessed  by  the  University  of  Halle.  He  remarks  the  desirability  of  an  analysis. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1824:  CLEAVELAND.    Notice  of  the  late  meteor  in  Maine.    Brunswick,  Oct.  11,  1823.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st 

ser.,  vol.  7,  pp.  170-171. 

2.  1824:  WEBSTER.    Chemical  examination  of  a  fragment  of  a  meteor  which  fell  in  Maine,  August,  1823.    Philos. 

Mag.,  vol.  63,  pp.  16-19.    (Analysis.) 

3.  1824:  BRAYLEY.    Anaccountof  the  principal  phenomena  of  igneous  meteors  which  were  observed  in  the  year  1823; 

forming  part  of  a  Review  of  the  Progress  of  Meteorological  Science  during  that  period;  with  remarks  on  the 
characters  of  certain  meteorites.    Ann.  of  Philosophy,  2d  ser.,  vol.  7,  p.  466. 

4.  1824:  CHLADNI.    Vierter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggeudorff,  Bd.  2,  pp.  153-155. 

5.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Meteoriten,  p.  29. 

6.  1848:  SHEPARD.    Report  on  meteorites. — 6.  Nobleboro,  Maine.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  p.  407. 

7.  1863:  BUCHNER.    Meteoriten,  p.  46. 

8.  1863:  MASKELYNE  and  v.  LANG.    Mineralogical  Notes. — Philos.  Mag.,  vol.  26,  p.  137. 

9.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  26,  27,  107,  and  113. 

10.  1859-1864:  v.  REICHENBACH.    No.  10,  p.  361;  No.  13,  p.  373;  and  No.  23,  p.  369. 

11.  1884:  WADSWORTH.    Studies,  p.  105. 

12.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  174  and  232. 

13.  1897:  WOLFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  260. 


Nuevo  Leon.    See  Coahuila. 


OAKLEY. 

Logan  County,  Kansas. 

Latitude  38°  55'  N.,  longitude  101°  0'  W. 
Stone.    Crystalline  chondrite  (Ck)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1895;  described  1900. 
Weight,  27  kgs.  (61  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Preston,1  as  follows: 

The  aerolite  described  in  this  paper  was  found  15  inilea  southwest  of  Oakley,  Logan  County,  Kansas,  by  Charles 
Hicks,  in  the  spring  of  1895.  He  discovered  it  at  a  depth  of  about  3  feet  below  the  surface,  while  plowing  on  his 
farm. 

Mr.  Hicks  states  that  it  fell  on  February  20,  1894,  about  11  p.  m.,  and  seemed  to  come  from  the  northeast.  It  did 
not  appear  to  burst  before  striking  the  earth,  and,  as  stated  above,  was  found  by  him  the  following  spring.  As  to  the 
date  of  fall  of  this  meteorite  Mr.  Hicks  is  certainly  mistaken,  as  will  be  shown  later  on.  The  mass  passed  from 
Mr.  Hicks  into  the  hands  of  Prof.  G.  H.  Failyer,  of  Manhattan,  Kansas,  from  whom  Prof.  H.  A.  Ward,  of  Chicago,  pur- 
chased it  in  December,  of  1899. 

Its  weight,  when  received  by  Professor  Ward,  was  61  pounds  10  ounces,  and  was  7.5  by  10  by  12  inches  in  its 
greatest  diameters.  One  side  of  the  mass  was  covered  entirely  with  the  original  crust,  a  large  portion  of  it  being  of  a 
dull  black  color,  interspersed  with  numerous  patches  of  yellowish-brown  rust  spots,  due  to  the  oxidation  of  the  iron. 
The  opposite  face  showed  the  interior  of  the  mass,  a  large  flake,  covering  nearly  three-quarters  of  the  surface,  having 
been  broken  off  evidently  at  the  time  the  mass  struck  the  earth,  as  the  surface  was  much  oxidized  and  had  the  appear- 
ance of  a  very  old  break.  Again,  two-thirds  of  the  edges  were  chipped,  showing  old  fractures;  while  a  large  portion 
of  the  face  showing  crust,  with  several  of  the  fractured  surfaces  on  the  edges,  were  coated  with  a  very  thick  deposit  of 
carbonate  of  lime.  This  could  not  have  been  deposited  during  the  time  that  elapsed  between  the  date  of  the  fall,  as 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  345 

given  by  Mr,.  Hicks,  and  the  time  it  was  found  by  him;  on  the  contrary,  it  must  have  lain  in  the  position  where  found 
a  very  long  period  of  time  in  order  to  become  thus  thickly  coated  by  the  lime. 

.     The  larger  surface  of  the  mass  showing  crust  is  very  smooth,  entirely  free  from  the  customary  pittings,  except  on 
one  edge,  of  a  thickness  of  7.5  inches,  where  large  prominent  and  characteristic  pittings  are  present. 

On  slicing  the  meteorite  we  find  that  the  groundmass  is  compact  and  grayish-black  in  color,  more  or  less  spotted 
with  much  darker  blotches  or  streaks,  and  abundantly  flecked  with  bright  iron  grains.  The  largest  of  these  observed 
was  6  mm.  in  diameter;  in  the  center  of  it  is  a  small  troilite  nodule  1  mm.  in  diameter.  On  the  polished  surfaces  num- 
erous grains  of  troilite  are  visible,  which  form  a  strong  contrast  by  their  bronze-yellow  color  to  the  white  nickelif erous 
iron. 

The  sections  have  also  numerous  fissures  extending  across  their  surfaces  following  somewhat  the  rounded  outline 
of  the  exterior  of  the  sections.  These  fissures  were  probably  caused  by  the  contact  with  the  earth's  crust  at  the  time  of 
its  fall. 

By  carefully  powdering  and  repowdering  18  grams  of  this  stone  and  separating  the  iron  from  the  silicates  by  a  magnet 
we  found  the  ratio  of  the  metallic  part  to  the  silicates  as  follows: 

^cM£+£:::::::::::^ 

14.44 
Silicates...  85.56 


100.00 
An  analysis  of  the  metallic  part  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Davison,  of  Reynolds  Laboratory,  gave — 

Fe 89.16 

Ni...  -  10.84 


100.00 

Specific  gravity,  3.7. 

Dr.  Geo.  P.  Merrill,  of  the  United  States  National  Museum,  to  whom  I  sent  a  few  fragments  of  this  stone,  kindly 
made  sections  of  some  and  examined  them  for  me.  ' '  He  found  that  the  stone  belongs  to  the  chondritic  olivine-enstatite 
type,  though  the  chondritic  structure  to  the  unaided  eye  is  somewhat  obscure,  well-defined,  spherical  chondrules  being 
few  and  widely  scattered.  In  general  appearance  it  closely  resembles  the  Pipe  Creek,  Bandera  County,  Texas,  aerolite 
but  is  of  finer  grain.  Under  the  microscope  it  presents  no  features  not  common  to  aerolites  of  this  class — olivine  and 
enstatite  chondrules  embedded  in  a  very  irregularly  granular  groundmass  of  the  same  materials  with  numerous  particles 
of  metallic  iron  and  iron  sulphides.  The  chondri  present  the  characteristic  barrel  (or  grate)  and  fan-shaped  structures 
and  are  often  themselves  fragmental.  The  structure  is  on  the  whole  very  obscure,  and  more  closely  resembles  that  of 
Pipe  Creek,  as  above  mentioned,  than  any  other  of  which  we  have  slides.  No  silicate,  other  than  olivine  and  enstatite, 
could  be  determined  in  the  slides,  but  the  solution  obtained  by  digesting  the  powdered  stone  in  dilute  hydrochloric 
acid  contained  a  trace  of  lime  and  alumina,  suggesting  the  presence  of  a  lime  or  a  lime-soda  feldspar." 

The  stone  would  thus  belong  to  the  Meunier  type  34,  Erxl6benite. 

Its  nearest  prominent  geographical  point  being  Oakley.  It  will  be  designated  as  the  Oakley  meteorite  (Logan  County, 
Kansas). 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed,  but  chiefly  (8,910  grams)  in  the  Ward-Coonley 
collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1900:  PBESTON.    On  a  new  meteorite  from  Oakley,  Logan  County,  Kansas.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  S, 
pp.  410-412. 


Oaiaca.     See  Misteca. 

Old  Fork.    See  Jennies  Creek. 

Oldham  County.     See  Lagrange. 

Ophir.    See  Illinois  Gulch. 


OROVILLE. 

Butte  County,  California. 

Latitude  39°  27'  N.,  longitude  121°  30'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1893. 

Weight,  24  kgs.  (54  Ibs.). 

No  description  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  published.  Wulfing*  notes  it  as 
catalogued  by  Bement.1 

The  main  mass  was  in  the  museum  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  of  San  Francisco  before  the 
fire  of  1906. 


346  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XTTT. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1894:  BEMENT.    Third  rough  list  (MS).  C.  S.  B.  June,  1894. 

2.  1897:  WDLMNO.    Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  404. 


OSCDRO  MOUNTAIN. 

Socorro  County,  New  Mexico. 

Latitude  33°  W  N.,  longitude  106°  35'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 

Pound  1895;  described  1897. 

Three  masses  of  3.5,  3.25,  and  1.25  pounds  weight  (1,467,  1,226,  and  676  gins).    Total,  3.4  kgn.  (8.5  Ibe.). 

This  meteorite  has  been  described  by  Hills1  as  follows: 

The  Oscuro  Mountain  meteorite,  here  described,  is  the  third  independent  occurrence  of  the  kind  recently  announced 
from  south  central  New  Mexico. 

The  Oscuro  iron  waa  discovered  near  the  eastern  base  of  the  Oscuro  Mountains,  a  north  and  south  range  lying  about 
40  miles  west  of  the  Sacramento  Range  and  parallel  with  it.  Nothing  is  known  as  to  the  date  of  the  fall,  though  the 
fresh,  lively  appearance  of  the  surfaces  does  not  suggest  a  great  lapse  of  time. 

For  the  first  intimation  of  its  existence  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  H.  A.  Gross,  superintendent  of  the  New  Mexico 
Development  Co.,  who,  suspecting  its  true  character,  succeeded  in  securing  a  small  piece  which  he  submitted  to  me 
while  on  a  professional  trip  into  that  country  about  a  year  ago.  An  effort  was  then  made  to  obtain  possession  of 
the  balance  of  the  find  and  Mr.  P.  Nicol,  an  intelligent  employee  of  the  company,  was  instructed  to  proceed  to  Three 
Rivers  and  if  possible  negotiate  for  the  remainder.  In  this  he  was  finally  successful. 

Owing  to  pressing  engagements  I  could  not  personally  investigate  the  history  of  the  find  and  requested  Mr.  Gross 
to  do  so.  As  I  have  been  intimate  with  him  for  many  years  I  have  the  utmost  confidence  in  the  results  of  his  careful 
inquiry  into  the  matter.  Writing  under  date  of  July  23,  1896,  he  says: 

"The  discovery  was  made  by  Phillippe  Montoya,  a  Mexican  sheep  herder  living  at  Three  Rivers,  Lincoln  County, 
New  Mexico,  on  or  about  December  10,  1895.  It  consisted  of  three  irregular-shaped  pieces  weighing  about  3.5,  3.25, 
and  1.25  pounds,  respectively,  the  small  piece  having  been  subsequently  cut  in  two  and  somewhat  damaged. 

"The  locality  where  it  was  found  is  in  the  eastern  foothills  of  the  Oscuro  Mountains,  in  Socorro  County,  New 
Mexico,  at  a  point  on  the  south  side  of  a  small  conical  hill  composed  of  gypsum  and  limestone.  This  hill  is  readily 
distinguishable  from  others  in  the  vicinity  in  that  it  has  a  considerably  broken-up  limestone  cap,  about  150  feet  across 
and  nearly  round  and  flat  on  the  top.  It  lies  about  2.5  miles  west  of  the  Lincoln  County  malapais  and  about  10  miles 
due  west  from  the  "  bar  W ' '  ranch  of  the  Carrizoza  Cattle  Co.  The  hill  is  also  somewhat  marked  by  considerable  shallow 
Jigging  and  prospecting  done  by  the  finder  in  search  for  more  of  the  material  which  he  supposed  was  native  silver. 

"The  pieces  were  found  on  the  south  hillside  about  2  feet,  3  feet,  and  5.5  feet  apart  in  a  straight  line  in  nearly  an 
east  and  west  direction — the  largest  piece  being  below  and  the  smallest  piece  above  and  about  20  feet  down  from  the 
top  of  the  hill.  In  conjunction  with  Mr.  P.  Nicol,  who  was  wifh  me  and  had  been  there  before  with  the  finder,  I  looked 
very  closely  around  in  the  vicinity  for  any  more  but  was  unable  to  find  anything  that  might  have  any  relation  to  the 
meteorite. 

"The  first  piece  was  obtained  by  me  on  December  15,  1895.  On.March  27,  1896,  Mr.  Nicol  secured  the  two  large 
complete  specimens  from  Phillippe  Montoya  himself.  About  May  1,  1896,  Mr.  Nicol  got  the  remaining  piece.  I 
consider  we  have  it  all,  as  represented  by  the  Mexican  who  was  strongly  tempted  for  any  more  he  might  find.  Neither 
of  the  small  pieces  had  been  in  possession  of  more  than  the  second  person  before  we  got  them  and  Montoya  says  we  have 
all  he  found  of  it." 

The  several  pieces  weigh  approximately  as  follows: 

No.  1,  1,467  grams;  No.  2,  1,226  grams;  No.  3,  676  grams.  The  first  two  are  practically  intact  except  the  small 
portion  removed  for  analysis.  The  third  is  in  two  fragments,  of  which  the  larger  shows  chisel  marks  and  a  coarsely 
crystalline  surface  of  fracture,  while  the  smaller  shows  chisel  and  vise  marks  and  has  evidently  been  heated ,  presumably 
in  a  forge.  As  the  two  fragments  do  not  fit  together  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  some  portion  is  missing  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  heating  was  resorted  to  in  order  to  facilitate  the  cutting  off  of  small  pieces  for  the  purpose  of  crude  experiment 
intended  to  reveal  the  nature  of  the  substance.  The  quantity  of  the  material  thus  sacrificed  can  hardly  be  conjectured. 
If  the  mass  was  separated  in  the  first  place  into  two  nearly  equal  portions  and  what  was  thought  to  be  the  smaller  was 
subjected  to  further  subdivision,  which  seems  probable,  as  much  as  200  grams  may  have  been  destroyed  or  rendered 
worthless. 

The  form  and  general  appearance,  as  well  as  the  prominence  of  the  "thumb  marks,"  are  well  shown  in  photo- 
etchings  of  the  two  specimens.  The  surfaces  exhibit  no  evidence  of  weathering  and  the  thin  dark-brown  crust  appears 
to  be  intact,  except  that  in  the  depressions  where  it  is  somewhat  tSicker  than  on  the  protuberances  minute  cracks 
are  discernible  with  a  lens.  A  reproduction  of  the  etched  figures,  printed  direct  from  a  small  slice  treated  with 
bichloride  of  mercury  solution,  shows  very  prominently  the  stronger  lines  of  taenite;  while  with  a  lens  the  finer  lines 
present  in  one  of  the  triangular  patches  can  be  detected  even  in  the  print.  Irregular  patches  of  granular  texture 
containing  minute  scales  of  graphite  are  likewise  prominently  distributed  through  the  bands  of  kamacite.  Troilite  was 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  347 

not  observed  in  any  of  the  dices  prepared  but  schreibersite  is  undoubtedly  present,  as  indicated  not  only  by  the  analysis 
but  by  the  presence  in  one  dice  of  a  rectangular  section  of  this  substance  about  3  rnm  across  surrounded  by  a  border 
of  the  graphite-bearing  iron.  A  little  of  the  mineral  which  remained  with  the  companion  slice,  broken  out  in  the  form 
of  powder  by  means  of  a  sharp-pointed  instrument,  afforded  a  heavy  precipitate  of  ammonium  phosphomolybdate  when 
treated  in  the  usual  way. 

The  irregular  lines  noticeable  in  the  etching  are  caused  by  cracks  which  penetrate  more  or  less  deeply  into  the  Tnsutt 
An  analysis  of  shavings  taken  from  one  of  the  specimens  photographed  gave  the  following  result: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  C 

90.79         7.66         0.57         0.27         0.07     =99.36 

The  carbon  is  in  the  form  of  graphite.    The  rather  low  summation  is  doubtless  due  to  the  fact  that  the  edges  of 
the  shavings  were  not  entirely  free  from  traces  of  the  oxidized  material  of  the  crust. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1897:  TTTT.TA     The  Oscuro  Moutain  meteorite.    Proc.  Colorado  ScL  Soc.,  4  pp.    (Figures  show  external  appear- 
ance of  Masses  Nos.  1  and  2  and  etching  figures.) 


Otsego  County.    See  Burlington. 


OTTAWA. 

Franklin  County,  Kaunas. 

Latitude  38°  37'  N.,  longitude  95°  187  W. 

Stone.    Howarditic  chondrite  (Cho)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  Apr.  9,  1896. 

Assignable  weight,  111  grams. 

Ward  states  that  this  meteorite  was  described  in  a  copy  of  the  Ottawa  Weekly  Times  of 
April  16,  1896,  but  the  present  writer  has  not  been  able  to  secure  the  issue.  No  other 
description  seems  to  exist.  Ward  possesses  111  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHT. 

1.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-€oonley  collection,  p.  58. 


PACULA. 

District  of  Jacala,  State  of  Hidalgo,  Mexico. 
Latitude  21°  7'  N.,  longitude  99°  9'  W. 
Stone.    Brecciated  white  chondrite  (Cwb),  of  Brezina. 
Fell  on  the  morning  of  June  18,  1881;  described  1889. 
Weight,  3,361  grams  (7  Ibs.)- 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Castillo,1  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  fell  in  1876  (?)  in  the  environs  of  the  -village  of  Jacala.  There  were  found  three  fragments,  weigh- 
ing 3.361  grams,  of  which  the  largest  weighed  2,115  grams.  These  fragments  are  composed  of  meteoric  feldspar,  red 
olivine,  and  disseminated  meteoric  iron.  All  are  enveloped  by  a  black,  granular,  rugose  crust  at  the  contact  of  which 
is  found  some  troilite.  The  largest  and  smallest  fragments  are  in  the  collection  of  Castillo. 

Brezina 2  gave  the  following  further  description: 

A  white  chondrite,  breccialike;  a  stone  with  an  inclination  toward  Cib,  having  moreover,  the  greatest  similarity 
with  Honolulu  at  all  points  where  the  abundant  armor  face  formation  prevails  over  the  enlarging  of  crust  veins  to  a 
black  zone  of  alteration.  The  crust  is  deep  black,  somewhat  lustrous;  over  an  infiltration  vein  1  cm.  wide  it  has  a  rib- 
like  fluting. 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed;  New  York  possesses  797  grams;  Vienna,  266  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1899:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  12-15. 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  246. 


348  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL. 

PERSIMMON  CREEK. 

Near  Hothouse,  Cherokee  County,  North  Carolina. 

Latitude  35°  6'  N.,  longitude  84°  V  W.  (Ward). 

Iron.    Granular  octahedrite  (Ob),  Tassin;  finest  brecciated  siliceous  octahedrite  (OffbP)  Klein. 

Found  1893;  described  1904. 

Weight,  5  kgs.  (11  Ibs.). 

The  meteorite  was  described  by  Tassin,2  as  follows : 

This  meteorite  was  found  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  W.  W.  Young,  on  Persimmon  Creek,  in  the  southern  part  of  Cherokee 
County,  North  Carolina,  in  the  spring  of  1893.  Mr.  Young  disposed  of  it  to  Mr.  Thorn  Smith,  chemist  of  the  Isabella 
Copper  Company,  Isabella,  Tennessee,  from  whom  it  was  obtained  for  the  U.  S.  National  Museum.  The  date  of  ite 
fall  is  unknown,  but  the  appearance  of  the  mass  is  such  that  it  had  lain  in  the  soil  a  long  time. 

The  weight  of  the  main  mass  was  9  pounds  6  ounces.  From  this  a  fragment  weighing  1  pound  13  ounces  had 
previously  been  broken,  making  the  entire  known  weight  11  pounds  3  ounces,  or  5.014  kgs. 

The  mass  is  roughly  triangular  in  cross  section,  with  its  surface  deeply  indented  and  much  oxidized,  so  that  the 
customary  pittings  are  largely  obliterated. 

Outwardly  the  mass  shows  no  characteristics  of  more  than  ordinary  interest.  In  the  polished  section,  however, 
the  iron  is  seen  to  be  of  an  unusual  type.  This  shows  it  to  be  made  up  of  a  more  or  less  continuous  matrix  of  iron 
containing  troilite,  schreibersite,  and  carbon.  The  troilite  areas  vary  in  their  maximum  diameters  from  1  mm,  to 
1.5  cm.  Certain  of  these  areas  contain  granular  carbon  in  such  quantities  that  the  bronze  yellow  of  the  containing 
troilite  appears  only  as  specks  through  the  carbon.  In  these  graphitic  areas  a  fairly  abundant  olivine  is  found.  This 
silicate  also  occurs  very  sparingly  in  the  nickel  iron  in  minute  granular  aggregates.  Schreibersite  occurs  sparingly, 
in  a  manner  similar  to  the  troilite.  The  largest  of  the  schreibersite  areas  is  3  by  6  mm.  along  its  greatest  diameters, 
and,  like  the  troilite,  it  contains  carbon,  but  does  not  carry  olivine.  This  phosphide  occurs  also  in  very  thin  plates 
bounding  the  iron  masses,  and  between  them  and  the  troilite.  It  occasionally  occurs  in  small  grains  or  plates  in  the 
iron  constituent,  and  is  then  arranged  in  dendritic  or  mosslike  aggregates.  Schreibersite  also  occurs  in  thin  plates 
lineally  arranged  and  resembling  tsenite. 

Etching  the  iron  constituent  develops  a  band  of  bright  white  iron  next  to  the  troilite  and  schreibersite  areas  and 
bounding  them.  This  alloy  may  be  kamacite,  but  it  was  not  possible  to  separate  any  of  it  to  determine  its  compo- 
sition. On  each  side  of  and  bounding  the  white  iron  is  a  very  thin  plate  standing  in  relief,  which  in  certain  instances 
is  known  to  be  schreibersite  and  in  others  tsenite.  The  mass  of  the  iron  constituent  is  made  up  of  a  darker  colored 
alloy  or  eutectic.  In  this  eutectic  are  seen  fine  lines  of  a  tin-white  color,  which  are  in  part  tsenite,  and  which  pene- 
trate the  mass  in  zigzag  shapes.  Examined  under  a  glass  the  dark  iron  appears  to  be  homogeneous,  and  to  be  made  up 
of  minute  octahedrons  arranged  in  fine  lamellae.  The  eutectic  or  dark  iron  does  not  contain  any  chlorides,  and  the 
very  small  amount  of  chlorides  present  was  noted  as  occurring  as  lawrenceite  between  the  bordering  "white-iron  "  alloy. 
The  Persimmon  Creek  iron  may  be  classed  as  a  granular  octahedrite  containing  numerous  troilite  and  some  silicate 
areas.  *  *  * 

Schreibersite  is  present  in  pealike  nodules  and  needles  (rhabdite)  of  a  tin-white  color  and  specific  gravity  of  7.17. 

It  yielded — 

Fe        Ni+Co         P 

69.33  17.26  12.50     =99.09 
The  nickel  iron  gave — 

Fe  Ni+Co  P 

85.00  14.50  1.00     =100.50 

Olivine  occurs  in  small  granules  of  a  yellowish-green  color,  and  yielded — 

Si02        MgO  FeO 

39.10        48.20  12.30        =99.60 

Specific  gravity,  3.39. 

The  carbon  gave  no  evidence  under  the  microscope  of  diamond  or  cliftonite. 
The  portion  of  the  meteorite  soluble  in  acid  yielded — 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu          Mn  P          SiO2         A12O3          Ft  Mg 

94.36        3.723        0.25        0.29        0.01        0.27        0.809         trace         trace         trace     =99.712 

The  phosphorus  may  have  been  derived  from  dissolved  schreibersite,  or  from  an  unknown  phosphide,  or  from 
phosphorus  in  solid  solution  analogous  to  the  conditions  prevailing  in  certain  manufactured  irons.  The  silica  and 
magnesia  were  derived  from  the  olivine.  The  platinum,  alumina,  and  magnesia  contents  were  too  small  to  weigh, 
and  the  first  two  may  have  been  admitted  during  the  analysis. 

An  end  piece  weighing  193  grams  is  thus  described  by  Cohen: l 

First  to  be  noticed  are  numerous,  frequently  ragged  and  bent  particles  of  troilite.  They  surround  spangles  and 
larger  grains  of  nickel  iron,  as  well  as  jagged,  black  particles  which  appear  to  consist  of  a  small-grained  aggregate  of 
silicate  particles  with  intermixed  particles  of  troilite;  a  closer  determination  is  not  possible  without  preparation  of 
thin  sections.  Small  particles  of  the  questionable  silicate,  free  from  troilite,  occur  also,  for  the  most  part  isolated  in 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  349 

the  nkkel  iron,  although  readily  falling  into  groups.  The  nickel  iron  falls  into  very  irregular  masses  often  divided 
from  the  troilite  by  ragged  and  rounded  outlines,  the  size  of  the  concretions  varying  from  a  few  millimeters  to  3.5  cm. 
Such  a  specimen  of  nickel  iron  is  bounded  by  a  conspicuous,  glistening  band  of  kamacite  about  0.2  mm.  wide  bordered 
with  a  film  of  taenite  on  each  side,  from  which  frequently  processes  run  out  into  the  nkkel  iron,  sometimes  in  large 
meandering  coils,  again  in  small  zigzag  lines.  Only  where  these  kamacite-tsenite  bands  border  on  troilite  or  on  mod- 
erate masses  of  schreibersite  is  the  tsenite  so  lacking  that  the  accessory  constituents  are  surrounded  by  an  envelope  of 
kamacite  which  is  bordered  by  tsenite  only  upon  outer  faces.  In  all  aggregates  dense,  dull,  gray  plessite  predomi- 
nates. In  the  smaller  ones  occasionally  also  it  appears  homogeneous  under  the  microscope  and  then  consists  of  tiny 
grains;  frequently,  however,  it  breaks  up  into  minute  lamellae,  which  are  grouped  in  extremely  pleasing  network, 
and  are  apparently  arranged  in  conformity  with  the  octahedrons.  Many  areas  exhibit  to  the  unaided  eye  small  bright 
spangles  or  beautiful  tracery,  each  branch  of  which  consists  of  a  tiny  complete  lamellae.  larger  concrete  masses  con- 
tain in  varying  number — always,  however,  in  subordination — octahedral  lamellae  0.05  mm.  in  breadth  which  some- 
times lie  isolated,  but  are  as  a  rule  grouped  in  bundles.  Such  portions  may  be  compared,  from  their  formation,  with 
Tazewell.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  before-mentioned  silicate  masses  the  octahedral  structure  is  interrupted,  and 
here  especially  are  found  the  twisted  spiral  .kamacite-taenite  bands,  as  if  replacing  the  lamellae. 

Persimmon  Creek  is  a  granular  octahedrite  with  framework  of  finest  lamellae  which  differentiates  itself  from  the 
rest  by  the  peculiar  swathing  of  the  grains,  as  well  as  by  the  troilite,  which  occurs  as  a  sort  of  filling  and  in  common 
with  Copiapo  has  silicate  partkles. 

The  following  further  description  is  given  by  Klein3  of  a  specimen  in  the  Berlin  collection: 

Upon  a  plate  3.4  cm.  long  by  the  same  width,  after  etching,  there  appear  numerous  small  particles  divided  by  a 
black  substance  which  show  the  finest  lamellae  of  an  octahedral  iron.  The  remarkable  thing  about  it  is  that  these 
lamellae  upon  one  field  form  rectangles,  upon  another  rhombic  or  triangular  or  irregularly  four-sided  figures. 

The  octahedral,  nickeliferous  iron  is  therefore  met  with  in  the  individual  portions  and  areas  in  the  form  of  cubes, 
dodecahedrons,  octahedrons,  or  other  forms. 

We  have  here  then  either  a  breccia  with  a  variable  orientation  of  the  individual  portions,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  Muker 
rop,  an  intricate  twinning  according  to  the  octahedral  form.  Closer  investigation  on  a  larger  surface  is  required  to 
distinguish  this. 

The  iron  contains  magnetic  iron  sulphide  (magnetic  pyrites),  in  addition  to  particles  of  rhabdite  and  also  dark, 
apparently  siliceous  inclusions.  These  consist  of  rhombic  and  monoclinic  augite,  doubtless  also  olivine,  which  on  its 
part  lies  in  a  groundmass  of  pyrites  or  iron.  In  so  far  the  iron  resembles  that  of  Netschaevo  on  account  of  its  meso- 
sideritic  inclusions,  and  is  to  be  designated  as  OmN.  It  also  approaches  nearly  to  the  brecciated,  siliceous  iron  Of. 
b.  K  of  Kodaikanal,  but  is  different  from  that  and  must  be  regarded  as  a  new  species — Persimmon  Creek.  In  respect 
to  the  octahedral  irons  it  is  one  with  finest  lamellae  Off.,  while  because  of  the  brecciated  structure  it  is  b,  and  because 
of  the  siliceous  character  and  total  peculiarities  is  P,  or  as  a  whole,  OffbP. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  United  States  National  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1903:  COHEN.    Mitth.  naturwiss.  Verein  Greifswald. 

2.  1904:  TASSIX.    Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  vol.  27,  pp.  955-959  (with  plates  49  and  50). 

3.  1904:  KLEIN.    Sitzber  K.  Preus.  Akad.  Wissensch.,  vol.  32,  p.  572. 

Phillips  County.    See  Long  Island. 
Pine  Bluff.    See  Little  Piney. 

PETERSBURG. 

Lincoln  County,  Tennessee.  • 

Latitude  35°  18'  N.,  longitmde  86°  35'  W. 

Stone.    Howardite  (Ho.)  of  Brezina;  type  47  of  Meunier. 

Fell  3.30  p.  m.  August  5,  1855;  described  1856. 

Weight,  1.7  kgs.  (41bs.). 

The  first  extended  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Shepard  2  as  follows: 

A  brief  account  of  this  stone  is  contained  in  the  Geological  Reconnaissance  of  Tennessee  by  Prof.  James  M.  Safford, 
the  geologist  of  the  State.  I  shall  first  give  the  substance  of  his  account  and  then  subjoin  some  observations  of  my  own 
derived  from  an  examination  of  the  entire  specimen  which,  through  the  kindness  of  Professor  Safford,  I  have  been 
permitted  to  make. 

The  particulars  of  the  fall  were  communicated  by  the  Rev.-  T.  C.  Blake,  of  Cumberland  University.  The  stone, 
which  at  first  weighed  3  pounds,  fell  2  miles  west  of  Petersburg,  in  Lincoln  County,  at  about  3.30  p.  m.  August  5,  1855, 


350  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

during,  or  just  before,  a  severe  rainstorm.  Ita  fall  was  preceded  by  a  loud  report,  resembling  that  of  a  large  cannon,  fol- 
lowed by  four  or  five  less  reports.  These  were  heard  by  many  persons  in  the  surrounding  country.  This  stone  was  seen 
immediately  after  the  reports  to  fall  to  the  ground.  The  observer  of  its  fall  was  James  B.  Dooley,  Esq.  It  approached 
him  from  the  east,  appearing  while  in  progress  to  be  surrounded  by  a  luminous  halo  2  feet  in  diameter.  It  struck  the 
ground  only  150  yards  from  him  and  buried  itself  about  18  inches  in  the  soil.  When  first  removed  it  was  still  too  hot 
to  be  handled.  As  first  described  by  Professor  Safford  it  had  one  edge  broken,  showing  an  ash-gray  color  within,  varied 
by  patches  of  white,  yellowish,  and  dark  colored  minerals,  while  its  surface  was  invested  with  a  very  thin  black  and 
shining  crust  as  if  it  had  been  coated  with  pitch.  One  extremity  of  the  stone  has  an  irregular  rhomboidal  figure  meas- 
uring 2J  by  2J  inches.  Placed  upon  this  end  the  body  presents  the  form  of  a  slightly  oblique  and  tolerably  defined 
oblique  rhombic  prism  4$  inches  long.  The  upper  end,  however,  is  not  well  formed  but  runs  up  to  one  side  in  a  some- 
what flattened  edge.  Three  adjacent  sides,  including  the  base,  are  rough,  being  covered  with  cavities  and  pits,  the  others 
are  smoother  and  rounded.  The  specimen  acts  upon  the  needle;  fragments  of  it  readily  yield  particles  of  nickeliferous 
iron  by  trituration  in  a  mortar.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  entire  mass  is  3.20. 

The  following  are  the  results  of  an  examination  and  analysis  made  upon  fragments  of  the  stone  by  Prof.  J.  L.  Smith, 
of  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Louisville.  "The  minerals  present  are  pyroxene  (the  principal  portion 
of  the  mass),  olivine,  and  orthoclase  (disseminated),  and  nickeliferous  iron  (forming  about  one-half  per  cent  of  the  mass). 
In  addition  to  these  there  are  specks  of  a  black  shining  mineral  not  yet  examined.  The  general  analysis  is  as  follows: 

Silica 49.21 

Alumina 11.  05 

Protox.  iron 20.  41 

Lime 9.  01 

Magnesia 8. 13 

Manganese 04 

Iron 50 

Nickel trace 

Phosphorus trace 

Sulphur 06 

Soda...  .83 


99.23 

I  find  the  glaze  to  resemble,  in  its  thickness  and  general  character,  that  of  the  Stannern  stones,  but  in  its  high 
degree  of  glossiness  it  approaches  also  the  Juvenas  meteorite.  The  figure  is  well  described  above  as  being  that  of  a 
somewhat  oblique  rhombic  prism.  It  might  perhaps  be  added  that  at  its  upper  or  smaller  end  there  is  a  tendency  to  a 
replacement  of  the  two  obtuse  angles,  each  by  a  single  plane,  thus  producing  a  sort  of  dihedral  summit  whose  edge  of 
course  coincides  with  the  longer  diagonal  of  the  base.  The  lateral  planes,  meeting  under  an  obtuse  angle,  agree  in 
being  smooth,  together  with  the  replacing  plane  of  the  angle  at  the  upper  end  of  the  obtuse  edge.  The  corresponding 
planes,  together  with  the  base,  possess  a  totally  different  character,  being  rough  and  deeply  pitted.  This  is  a  property 
so  general  in  meteorites  as  obviously  to  depend  upon  a  general  cause  the  nature  of  which,  however,  it  is  difficult  to 
conjecture.  Sometimes  the  deeply  pitted  or  undulating  surface  is  confined  to  two  sides  in  place  of  extending  to  three 
or  four,  but  it  is  nevertheless  often  visible  upon  at  least  one-third  of  the  general  area  and  occupies  it  without  interruption 
of  patches  of  the  smoother  kind  of  surface.  The  edges  of  the  uneven  planes  are  less  perfectly  defined  than  of  the  other 
planes,  and  this  is  particularly  true  of  the  meeting  of  the  two  larger  ones  in  the  present  instance. 

The  heaviest  end  of  this  stone  is  of  course  toward  its  basal  extremity.  It  is  therefore  natural  to  suppose  that  its 
motion  must  have  been  with  this  end  in  advance.  It  is  curious  to  observe  that  there  exists  a  series  of  delicate  wavy 
lines  traversing  the  crust  of  the  stone  from  its  base  quite  to  its  opposite  smaller  end  as  if  they  had  been  produced  from 
the  friction  of  the  atmosphere  upon  its  liquefied  crust.  Could  the  escape  of  electricity  have  had  any  influence  also  in 
producing  such  an  appearance?  The  fact  of  the  marking,  however,  is  most  obvious  whatever  may  have  been  the  cause. 

Viewed  near  by  the  crust  is  seen  to  be  somewhat  variegated  in  color.  Small  specks  of  a  yellowish  brown  and,  more 
rarely,  of  a  yellowish-white  color  interrupt  very  frequently  the  general  pitchy  hue  of  the  glaze.  These  lighter-colored 
portions  are  translucent  and  are  seen  to  arise  from  the  character  of  the  subjacent  minerals  which  have  undergone  fusion. 

The  fresh  fracture  has  an  ash-gray  color,  with  a  slight  intermixture  of  pearl  gray  for  the  basis  of  the  stone.  Three- 
fifths  of  the  stone  may  be  said  to  have  this  tint.  Diffused  through  this  occur  rounded  and  polygonal  patches  (the  largest 
half  an  inch  in  diameter,  the  smallest  scarcely  distinguishable  by  the  naked  eye)  of  a  highly  crystalline  snow-white 
mineral.  The  former  of  these  minerals  I  take  to  be  anorthite;  the  latter  is  chladnite.  The  anorthite  is  often  in  four- 
sided,  nearly  rectangular  prismatic  crystals  with  blunted  edges  and  sometimes  pitted  faces.  The  largest  of  these  are 
about  one-quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  while  the  smallest  are  less  than  half  a  rice  grain.  Some  of  them  are  purplish- 
gray  in  color.  Very  distinct  crystalline  grains  of  green  pyroxene,  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  are  also 
visible  here  and  there  through  the  stone.  They  present  one  very  distinct  cleavage  like  ordinary  sahlite.  In  color  they 
vary  from  pistachio-green  to  dark  blackish  grass-green.  Olivine  in  grains  of  a  light-yellowish  green  color  and  nearly 
transparent  is  everywhere  disseminated  through  the  mass,  even  through  the  white  patches  of  chladnite  where,  however, 
the  color  fades  to  a  very  pale  wine-yellow  tint.  The  minute  black  pitchy  crystals  were  found  to  exhibit  equilateral 
triangular  faces  and  to  possess  under  the  blowpipe  the  characteristic  reactions  of  chromite.  They  are  very  numerous  and 
occur,  along  with  exceedingly  fine  grains  of  nickeliferous  iron,  in  every  portion  of  the  mass.  The  pyrite,  though  proved 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  351 

by  a  treatment  of  the  powdered  stone  with  hydrochloric  acid  to  be  present,  is  nevertheless  not  to  be  recognized  even 
with  a  glass.  Among  the  other  constituents  of  the  stone  I  noticed  a  single  crystal  (apparently  do.decahedral)  of  a  hard 
red  earthy  mineral,  closely  resembling  the  substance  I  called  garnet  in  the  Nobleboro  (Maine)  meteoric  stone. 

The  stone  breaks  with  rather  more  than  the  usual  facility  of  meteoric  stones.  The  specific  gravity  of  fragments 
=3.23.  The  nickeliferous  iron  separated  by  the  magnet  amounted  to  2.5  per  cent.  The  stone  was  then  finely  powdered 
and  on  digestion  with  strong  hydrochloric  acid  readily  suffered  decomposition  in  the  feldspathic  part  of  its  constitution 
with  the  separation  of  silicic  acid.  The  solution  afforded  the  following  constituents  in  the  ratios  annexed: 

•  Alumina 13. 00 

Lime 4. 00 

Protoxyd  of  iron 1.  80 

Magnesia 50 

which,  coupled  with  the  concurring  mineralogical  and  blowpipe  evidence  of  the  character  of  the  leading  constituent 
of  the  stone,  leaves  no  doubt  of  its  being  true  anorthite.  The  pyroxene,  chladnite,  and  olivine  afforded  each  the  usual 
blowpipe  proofs  of  then-  agreement  with  those  species,  respectively. 

The  following  may  be  taken  as  a  tolerably  close  approximation  of  the  mineral  constitution  of  the  Petersburg  stone: 

Anorthite 82.0 

Chladnite 9. 0 

Olivine 5.0 

Pyroxene 1.0 

Nickeliferous  iron 2.  5 

Chromite  and  pyrites 0.  5 

100.0 

Smith 3  four  years  later  published  a  very  similar  account  of  the  meteorite,  giving  practically 
no  new  information. 

Rose  4  classed  the  meteorite  with  Juvenas,  Stannern,  and  Jonzac  as  a  eukrite  and  described 
it  as  follows : 

The  eukrite  of  Petersburg  is  at  first  glance  a  very  strange  looking  eukrite.  The  mineralogical  museum  possesses  two 
not  very  large  pieces  which  were  obtained  from  Shepard  by  Dr.  Bondi.  The  larger  part  of  the  stone  consists,  so  far  as 
these  show,  of  a  grayish-white,  fine-grained,  friable  mass  which,  examined  with  a  lens,  is  seen  to  be  a  fine  mixture  of 
small  brown  and  snow-white  grains  containing  single  larger  greenish-yellow  grains  of  olivine,  also  small  grains  of  troilite 
and  little  flecks  of  rust  which  come  from  the  nickel  iron,  of  which  one  can  draw  from  the  powder  with  a  magnet  a  not 
inconsiderable  quantity  for  a  eukrite.  In  this  general  mass  lie  portions  a  half  inch  in  diameter  of  a  coarser  mixture  of 
brown  and  white  grains  which  are  plainly  augite  and  anorthite  and  are  very  similar  to  those  seen  in  Juvenas  and  Stan- 
nern. Also  there  are  found  in  the  gray  mass  angular  black  particles  sharply  separated  from  their  surroundings  and 
having  a  flat  dull  fracture.  This  can  not  be  recognized  with  the  lens  as  a  mixture  but  it  may  be,  since  before  the  blow- 
pipe it,  like  the  gray  matter,  melts  on  the  edges  to  a  black  glass  which  is  weakly  attracted  by  the  magnet,  and  which, 
in  salt  of  phosphorus,  leaves  a  skeleton  of  silica  and  a  glass  colored  weakly  green  by  iron.  Externally  the  meteorite  has 
a  black  shining  crust  like  that  of  Juvenas  and  Stannem.  The  eukrite  of  Petersburg  thus  corresponds  with  other 
eukrites  and  differs  from  them  only  in  the  addition  of  olivine  and  a  somewhat  greater  quantity  of  nickel  iron. 

Reichenbach  5  gave  the  following  description  of  the  occurrence  of  what  he  believed  to  be 
pure  sulphur  in  the  meteorite: 

A  specimen  of  the  Petersburg  meteorite,  2  ounces  in  weight,  exhibited  just  under  the  crust  a  pale  yellow  inclusion 
of  the  size  of  a  transverse  section  of  a  lentil.  It  is  of  a  scaly  crystalline  structure  upon  the  fracture,  pure  sulphur-yellow 
in  color,  easily  friable  under  the  knife,  and  crushes  under  the  teeth  with  the  peculiarity  of  sulphur.  I  was  not  in  a 
position  to  push  the  analysis  further  but  hazard  the  guess  that  the  sulphur-yellow  substance  can  be  nothing  else  but 
pure  sulphur. 

Rammelsberg  6  gives  the  following  analysis  of  Petersburg:  "Augite  68.6  per  cent,  eukrite 
(anorthite)  30.0  per  cent,  magnetic  pyrites  0.6  per  cent."  The  composition  of  these  is  as 

follows : 

Anorthite  (eutritc). 

SiO2        A1203        CaO         Na2O 

12.90  11.05          5.28        0.83     =  30.06 

42.91  36.76        17.56        2.77     =100 

Augite. 

Si02         FeO         MgO        CaO 

36.31        20.41          8.13        3.73     =  68.58 

52.94        29.76        11.86        5.44    =100 


352  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Sorby 7  made  the  following  mention  of  the  structure  of  the  meteorite: 

Passing  from  the  structure  of  individual  crystals  to  that  of  the  aggregate  we  find  that  in  some  cases  we  have  a 
structure  in  every  respect  analogous  to  that  of  erupted  lavas,  though  even  then  there  are  very  curious  differences  in 
detail.  By  methods  like  those  adopted  by  Daubree  there  ought  to  be  no  more  difficulty  in  artificially  imitating  the 
structure  of  such  meteorites  than  in  imitating  that  of  our  ordinary  volcanic  rocks.  It  is,  however,  doubtful  whether 
meteorites  of  any  considerable  size  uniformly  possess  this  structure.  The  best  examples  I  have  seen  are  only  fragments 
inclosed  in  the  general  mass  of  the  Petersburg  meteorite  which,  like  many  others,  has  exactly  the  same  kind  of  structure 
as  that  of  consolidated  volcanic  tuff  or  ashes. 

Wadsworth 8  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  basalt.  Tschermak  •  continued  Rose's  classification 
as  a  eukrite,  but  Brezina  10  grouped  it  as  a  howardite. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed  but  Wiilfing  u  lists  only  399  grams,  of  which  Berlin  possesses 
73  grams  and  the  British  Museum  53  grams.  Ward  "  possesses  224  grams,  in  addition  probably 
to  that  listed  by  Wulfmg. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1856:  SMITH.    (In  Safford's  report  of  the  geology  of  Tennessee  for  1855).    Geol.  Reconnoissance  Surv.  Tennessee, 

Nashville,  1856. 

2.  1857:  SHEPARD.    Notice  of  a  nteteoric  stone  which  fell  at  Petersburg,  Lincoln  County,  Tennessee,  August  5, 1855. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  24,  pp.  134-137.    (Analysis  by  J.  L.  Smith.) 

3.  1861:  SMITH.    Description  of  three  new  meteoritea. — Lincoln  County  meteoric  stone  which  fell  in  August,  1855. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  31,  pp.  264-265. 

4.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  30,  126, 135-137, 156. 

5.  1859-1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  20,  p.  620. 

6.  1870:  RAMMELSBEBO.    Meteoriten,  pp.  127,  and  129-131. 

7.  1877:  SORBY.    On  the  structure  and  origin  of  Meteorites.     "Nature,"  vol.  15,  p.  496. 

8.  1884:  WADSWORTH.    Studies,  p.  196. 

9.  1883-1885:  TSCHERMAK.    Photographien,  pp.  6  and  7. 

10.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  174  and  232. 

11.  1897:  WULPING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  275-276. 

12.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  p.  59. 


PIPE  CREEK. 

Bandera  County,  Texas. 

Latitude  29°  43'  N.,  longitude  98°  507  W. 

Stone.    Veined  crystalline  chondrite  (Cka);  Erxl^benite  (type  34)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1887;  described  1888. 

Weight,  13.5  kgs.  (30  Ibs). 

The  first  and  principal  account  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Ledoux  *  as  follows : 

The  meteorite  presented  herewith  was  found  by  a  farmer  named  J.  W.  Scott  in  December,  1887,  on  the  lands  owned 
by  the  firm  of  F.  W.  Gross  &  Co.  near  Pipe  Creek,  Bandera  County,  Texas,  35  miles  southwest  of  San  Antonio.  It  was 
supposed  to  be  an  ore  of  some  kind  and  was  broken  up  and  a  piece  sent  to  my  firm  to  be  assayed.  Unfortunately  the 
specimen  was  not  particularly  scrutinized  but,  like  other  samples  constantly  coming  in  for  assay,  was  handed  to  a  man 
to  pulverize  who  succeeded  in  breaking  up  a  large  portion  of  it.  The  difficulty  which  he  experienced  in  pulverizing 
it  led  to  his  bringing  it  to  me  and  to  my  giving  it  a  more  careful  examination,  when  I  saw  that  it  was  of  meteoric  origin. 
After  considerable  correspondence  I  have  obtained  the  whole  of  the  specimen.  It  originally  weighed  30  pounds  and  as 
described  by  the  farmer  who  found  it  its  shape  was  "like  a  loaf  of  baker's  bread."  It  is  essentially  a  spheroid, 
flattened  on  the  side  which  struck  the  earth.  When  it  fell  it  was  clearly  in  a  semifluid  or  pasty  condition  and 
flattened  out.  The  locality  is  prairie  land  and  the  finder  was  attracted  by  the  stone  slightly  protruding  from  the 
hard  clay  soil  quite  near  a  roadway,  down  which  he  had  often  passed  without  previously  observing  the  meteorite. 

There  is  upon  the  exterior  an  oxidized  crust,  showing  the  effect  of  heat  and  weathering.  The  interior  has  a  some- 
what crystalline  appearance  to  the  eye,  thickly  dotted  with  pellets  or  irregularly  shaped  nodules  of  soft  iron,  none  of 
them  larger  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Near  the  surface  they  are  all  rounded  by  the  heat  action.  Exami- 
nation of  the  fragments- with  a  microscope,  and  of  a  polished  surface,  shows,  in  addition  to  the  metallic  particles,  iron' 
pyrites,  occasionally  in  perfect  octahedra,  and  olivine — both  yellow  and  green  varieties — with  amorphous  silica  or 
silicates.  *  *  * 

I  have  given  our  fellow  member,  Mr.  George  F.  Kunz,  a  portion  of  the  specimen  for  micro-petrographic  study  of 
a  thin  section.  I  believe  he  intends  to  give  you  the  result  of  his  examination  in  the  fall. 

An  examination  of  the  fractured  mass  shows  it  to  be  of  the  ordinary  type  of  stone  meteorites.  The  color  is  gray 
and  the  luster  somewhat  vitreous.  The  metallic  particles  are  quite  evenly  distributed  through  the  mass. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  353 

A  chemical  analysis  was  made  as  follows: 

The  metallic  portion,  by  attrition  and  with  the  magnet,  was  freed  from  the  stony  matrix.    The  mass  consisted 
by  weight  of:  Metallic  portion  (30.89  per  cent),  stony  portion  (69.11  per  cent). 
The  metallic  portion  contained — 

Fe  Ni 

90. 94        9. 00     =99. 94 
The  stony  part  contained — 

Silica 36. 61 

Sulphur 3. 45 

Lime 2.  25 

Magnesia 15. 09 

Phosphorus 0. 25 

•  Iron  (combined)  with  a  little  AL,O, 12. 15 


68.80 

While  this  analysis  is  not  complete,  it  serves  to  show  the  matrix  to  consist  (besides  the  pyrites)  of  silicates.  The 
metallic  portion  is  the  usual  nickel  iron  combination  of  which  Caille  is  perhaps  the  best  type.  The  silicates,  besides 
olivine,  seem  to  have  iron  as  the  chief  basic  constituent. 

Brezina 2  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  veined  crystalline  chondrite,  and  remarked  concerning 
it  as  follows: 

Has  a  coarse  interrupted  crust  not  very  different  from  the  rest  of  the  dark  mass.  Shows  an  emphatically  crystal- 
line structure  with  a  fine  metallic  vein  of  the  form  of  a  folia  bent  at  an  obtuse  angle. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  with  the  largest  quantity  (3,965  grams)  in  the  Ward-Coonley 
collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1888-1889:  LEDOUX.    The  Pipe  Creek  Meteorite.    Trans.  New  York  Acad.  Sci.,  VoL  8,  pp.  186-187  (Analysis). 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  261. 


PITTSBURGH. 

Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Here  also  Millers  Run. 

Latitude  40°  30/  N.,  longitude  80°  (K  W. 

Iron.    Coarsest  octahedrite  (Ogg),  of  Brezina. 

Found  about  1850. 

Weight,  132  kgs.  (292  Ibs),  mostly  wrought  up. 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Silliman,1  as  follows: 

The  second  mass  of  iron  noticed  by  Professor  Silliman  was  found  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  near  the  city  of 
Pittsburgh.  The  attention  of  Professor  Silliman  was  called  to  this  mass  by  Mr.  George  Weyman,  a  student  in  the 
analytical  laboratory  of  Yale  College,  and  through  him  all  the  details  of  its  history  have  been  obtained  which  can  now 
be  hoped  for  from  Mr.  John  H.  Bailey,  of  Pittsburgh.  Professor  Silliman  then  read  extracts  from  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Bailey,  dated  June,  1850,  from  which  it  appears  that  this  mass  of  meteoric  iron  was  found  in  a  field  upon  Millers  Run, 
in  Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania,  near  Pittsburgh.  A  farmer  was  ploughing  in  the  field,  where,  seeing  a  snake, 
he  seized  a  stone,  as  he  supposed,  to  destroy  the  animal,  but,  finding  it  remarkably  heavy,  he  was  attracted,  after  com- 
pleting his  purpose,  to  examine  the  body  which  possessed  such  remarkable  weight.  It  was  carried  to  Pittsburgh, 
where  it  wao  found  to  be  very  malleable,  and  unfortunately  wrought  into  a  bar,  which  has  since  been  lost  sight  of. 
The  mass  was  of  an  ovoidal  figure,  almost  6  or  7  inches  in  diameter,  and  weighed  nearly  292  pounds.  It  is  greatly  to 
be  regretted  that  only  a  very  small  portion  of  this  large  mass  has  been  preserved.  A  qualitative  examination  of  it 
has  shown  that  it  is  rich  in  nickel,  and  possesses  only  a  very  inconsiderable  portion  insoluble  in  acids.  Professor  Silli- 
man stated  that  he  would  present  a  complete  analysis  of  the  mass  when  he  had  received  the  portion  still  remaining, 
which  is  now  on  its  way  from  Mr.  Bailey. 

Shepard  2  gave  the  specific  gravity  as  7.380. 

Reichenbach s  included  it  among  the  irons  with  Widmanstatten  figures  showing  a  beau- 
tiful development  of  tsenite  and  glanzeisen. 
716°— 15 23 


354  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Genth's 4  account  of  it,  as  copied  in.  the  American  Journal  of  Science  from  the  Report  of 
the  Geological  Survey  of  Pennsylvania,  was  as  follows : 

A  chemical  examination  of  the  Pittsburgh  meteorite  yielded  the  following  results :  Its  specific  gravity,  which 
Shepard  gave  as  7.380,  was  found  to  be  7.741,  the  average  of  three  closely  corresponding  determinations  by  Dr.  Koenig, 
Dr.  Headden,  and  myself.  After  polishing  and  etching  with  dilute  nitric  acid  it  presents  Widmanstatten  figures, 
which  are  produced  by  inclosed  schreibersite.  In  the  section  which  has  been  made  it  happens  that  most  of  the 
exceedingly  minute  schreibersite  crystals  are  cut  across  and  are  seen  as  small  dots  on  a  frosted  surface;  some  appear 
as  minute  needles,  arranged  in  parallel  lines  like  the  trees  in  an  orchard.  A  few  elongated  patches  of  a  whiter  nickel- 
iron  alloy  are  also  visible. 

The  analysis  of  a  somewhat  oxidized  piece  gave  the  following  composition: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  Mn  S  P 

92.809        4.665        0.395        0.034        0.141        0.037        0.251     =98.332 

Brezina,5  in  1885,  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  hexahedrite  with  twinning  lamellae,  also  show- 
ing cubic  cleavage  and  Neumann  lines.  With  it  he  placed  Lime  Creek,  Coahuila,  Braunau,  etc. 
He  had,  however,  only  a  piece  of  2  grams  for  investigation. 

Cohen7  investigated  the  99-gram  specimen  of  this  iron  in  the  Gottingen  University  col- 
lection. He  described  it  as  follows : 

It  was  a  very  irregular  piece  with  ragged  edges,  and  had  evidently  been  cut  with  a  chisel  from  the  mass  and  from 
the  peripheral  portion  of  the  latter,  since  there  seemed 'to  be  small  flat  parts  of  the  border  of  the  original  surface  of  the 
meteorite.  By  cutting,  a  surface  of  4  sq.  cm.  was  obtained. 

Etching  proved  that  Millers  Run  is  actually,  as  Reichenbach  stated,  an  octahedrite.  The  coarse  lamellae  are  for 
the  most  part  of  an  irregular  lumpy  form,  sometimes  also  elongated  and  regularly  bounded.  Some  of  the  bands  lie 
immediately  upon  one  another,  others  are  divided  by  a  minute  cleft;  between  many  of  them,  however,  a  distinct 
tsenite  band  is  found,  which  at  the  point  where  several  lamellae  cluster  together  broadens  out  into  somewhat  large, 
triangular  portions.  That  no  schreibersite  is  present  is  easily  proven  by  testing  the  ductility  with  a  fine  needle.  As 
usual  in  coarse  octahedrites,  plessite  is  very  inconspicuous;  the  tiny  little  portions  are  rich  in  combs. 

The  kamacite  acts  differently.  At  some  distance  from  the  original  surface  of  the  mass  it  is  coarse-grained,  shows 
distinct  hatching  marks  and  numerous  uniformly  distributed  etching  pits;  the  more  granular  it  is  the  less  prominent 
are  the  hatchings,  while  the  etching  pits  remain  about  the  same  in  amount.  In  a  few  bands  numerous  small,  brightly 
glistening  rods  are  found,  which  appear  to  be  schreibersite. 

An  outer  zone  of  from  1  to  nearly  1.5  cm.  in  breadth,  whose  border  runs  in  a  wavy  or  serrated  outline,  but  which 
is  abruptly  cut  off  and  does  not  coincide  with  the  boundaries  of  the  lamellae,  appears  much  altered.  It  is  duller  and 
darker  than  the  interior  of  the  meteorite,  and  the  kamacite  is  spotted,  while  very  irregular  particles  as  much  as  0.5 
mm.  in  size  are  distinctly  differentiated  from  one  another  by  a  lively  oriented  luster,  though  not  sharply  separated. 
The  coarse  granulation  of  the  bands  is  obscured  or  entirely  disappears. 

This  is  undoubtedly  a  zone  of  alteration;  whether  it  is  original  or  not,  or  whether  the  piece  under  investigation 
was  partially  heated  in  the  working  up  of  the  main  mass  and  then  cut  off,  must  remain  uncertain.  The  latter  may 
be  more  probable,  since  in  the  case  of  so  large  a  mass  (132.5  kg.)  a  considerably  narrower  zone  of  alteration  is 
usually  met  with,  unless,  indeed,  this  should  be  a  tonguelike  projection. 

The  only  accessory  material  observed  was  a  few  small  particles  of  schreibersite. 
The  analysis  by  Hildebrand  gives  the  following  figures: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu          Mn          Cr  S  P          Chromite 

93.38        5.89        1.24        0.05        0.00        0.02        0.07        0.15  0.07     =100.87 

This  gives  the  following  mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel  iron 98.  78 

Schreibersite 0.  96 

Troilite 0. 14 

Daubr6elite 0. 05 

Chromite..  0.07 


100.  00 


As  stated  by  Silliman,1  only  a  little  of  the  mass  has  been  preserved.     Wiilfing  lists  592 
grams,  of  which  the  Yale  collection  possesses  213  grams,  and  the  British  Museum  208  grams. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1850:  SILLIMAN.    Notice  of  two  meteoric  irons.    Proc.  Amer.  Assoc.  Adv.  Sci.    Fourth  meeting  held  at  New  Haven 

(1850),  p.  37. 

2.  1851:  SHEPAHD.    On  Meteorites. — 6.  Specific  gravities  of  two  meteoric  irons:  "Meteoric  iron  of  Pittsburg,  Pa., 

7.380."    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  11,  p.  40. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  355 

3.  1861:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  16,  p.  261;  No.  18,  p.  487. 

4.  1875:  GENTH.    On  the  Pittsburg  Meteoric  Iron.    Kept.  Geol.  Surv.  Pennsylvania,  1875,  vol.  6,  p.  7?.    (Analysis.) 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  218  and  234. 

6.  1897:  WOITOJO.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  279-280. 

7.  1903:  COHEN.    Mitth.  Naturwiss.  Verein.    Neu-Vorp.  und  Rugen,  Bd.  35,  4  pp. 


PLYMOUTH. 

Marshall  County,  Indiana. 

Latitude  41°  21'  N.,  longitude  86°  17'  tt  . 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1893,  described  1895. 

Weight,  uncertain;  about  3  kgs.  (6  Ibs.)  known. 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Ward,1  as  follows: 

The  Plymouth  meteorite  was  found  in  the  year  1893  by  Mr.  John  Jefferson  Kyser,  while  plowing  in  a  field  on 
his  farm  about  5  miles  southwest  of  the  town  of  Plymouth,  Mar^E-ll  County,  Indiana.  Mr.  Kyser  had,  about  the  year 
1872,  found  in  the  same  field  another  larger  mass  of  the  same  iron.  This  mass  was  pear-shaped,  about  4  feet  in  length 
by  3  feet  in  its  widest  diameter,  narrowing  to  6  or  8  inches  at  its  upper  end.  It  lay  for  a  year  or  two  so  near  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground  as  to  be  seriously  annoying  in  plowing  the  field.  On  that  account  Mr.  Kyser,  aided  by  his  son, 
dug  a  deep  hole  by  the  side  of  the  mass  and  buried  it  to  the  depth  of  1.5  to  2  feet  beneath  the  surface,  where  it  should 
henceforth  do  no  damage.  The  account  of  this  I  had  last  June  from  the  son,  Mr.  John  M.  Kyser,  now  city  clerk  of 
Plymouth.  Mr.  Kyser  well  remembers  the  circumstance  of  the  finding  of  the  large  piece  and  assisting  his  father  in 
burying  the  same;  and  he  further  thought  that,  notwithstanding  the  removal  of  certain  landmarks  (a  fence  and  tree) 
in  the  field,  he  would  still  be  able  to  locate  it  very  closely.  Thia  he  subsequently  undertook  to  do  by  trenching,  but 
was  unsuccessful  in  finding  the  mass.  I  was  myself  present  and  assisted  in  a  further  search  for  it  in  September  last, 
using  a  surveyor's  magnetic  needle  with  the  hope  of  the  same  being  attracted  to  the  mass  and  discovering  it,  but  all 
to  no  purpose.  Mr.  Kyser  seems  to  feel  very  confident  of  his  knowledge  of  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  mass  where 
he  buried  it  22  years  ago,  but  is  unable  to  prove  its  presence  by  rediscovery.  Nor  has  he  the  aid  of  another  eyewitness, 
his  father  having  died  soon  after  the  original  finding  and  burying  as  above  mentioned. 

The  smaller  piece,  which  was,  as  before  said,  found  in  1883,  was  presented  by  Mr.  Kyser,  ST.,  to  Mr.  W.  S.  Adams, 
who  at  that  time  kept  a  plow  factory  in  the  city  of  Plymouth.  It  was  retained  in  their  family  until  last  November, 
when  it  was  brought  to  Ward's  Natural  Science  Establishment,  in  Rochester,  New  York,  by  Mrs.  Adams,  from  whom 
I  procured  it. 

The  mass  is  a  lengthened  tonguelike  form,  not  unlike  a  rude  mound  builder's  ax.  Its  greatest  length  was  12.5 
inches;  its  width  7|  inches;  its  thickness  in  the  middle  about  2  inches,  from  which,  in  the  greater  part  of  its  length, 
it  slopes  in  a  somewhat  even  manner  to  a  thin,  rounded  edge. 

Its  surface  is  deeply  eroded  by  oxidation,  so  that  although  sound  and  free  from  scales,  it  shows  no  signs  of  an 
original  crust.  The  characteristic  pittings  of  meteorites  are  also  lessened  from  the  same  cause,  although  they  are  still 
quite  clearly  visible.  We  have  cut  quite  a  number  of  thin  slices  from  the  mass.  These  etched  in  dilute  nitric  acid 
give  very  clear  Widmannstatten  figures.  There  are  further  several  small  nodules  of  troilite. 

Analysis  by  J.  M.  Davison  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co         Cu  P          Graphite          S 

88.67        8.55        0.66       0.24        1.25  0.11  0.07    =99.55 

This  iron,  herein  briefly  noticed,  is  interesting  in  many  ways,  and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  large  mass, 
of  which  the  record  seems  to  be  entirely  reliable,  can  not  be  rediscovered. 

Brezina2  gave  an  account  of  the  structure  as  follows: 

Plymouth  shows  upon  a  section  through  the  entire  iron  upon  the  one  long  side  a  flat  contour  with  a  weakly 
defined  crust  zone  and  a  half -melted  nodule  of  troilite  the  size  of  a  hazelnut;  the  opposite  long  side  is  of  a  bent-shield 
form,  marked  at  the  apex  with  numerous  hollows,  outwardly  even,  inwardly  ragged,  which  are  filled  with  bright  yel- 
low concentrically  marked  coatings  of  iron  enamel;  on  this  side  there  is  visible  a  2  to  6  mm.  thick  lustrous  zone  of 
alteration.  Another  piece  shows  on  one  of  the  small,  naturally  bounded  surfaces  many  fusion  hollows  of  ragged  inte- 
rior filled  with  bright  gray  fused  crust  on  a  sparkling  alteration  zone  1  to  5  mm.  thick.  On  the  other  long  side  there 
is  a  lump  of  troilite,  melted  to  one-third  its  proper  size,  which  shows  peculiar  fine  cracks.  The  lamellae  are  1  to 
1.2  mm.  thick,  puffy,  somewhat  crumpled;  taenite  is  well  developed,  the  fields  are  predominant,  almost  entirely  filled 
with  ridges  having  the  aspect  of  lamellae;  the  kamacite  is  dull  and  contains  numerous  isolated  crystals  of  cohenite. 

Cohen3  states  that  Plymouth  shows  a  more  or  less  strong  permanent  magnetism  and 
gives  the  specific  gravity  as  7.7125. 

The  Bement  Collection  is  stated  to  have  acquired  the  principal  mass. 


356  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1895:  WARD.    Preliminary  notice  of  the  Plymouth  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  49,  pp.  53-65. 

(Cut  of  the  mass  and  of  an  etched  section). 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  285. 

3.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreiaen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  90. 


Polk  County.     See  Fisher. 


PONCA  CREEK. 

Holt  County,  Nebraska. 

Here  also  Dakota  and  Dacotah. 

Latitude  42°  52'  N.,  longitude  98°  30'  W. 

Iron.    Coarsest  octahedrite  (Ogg)  of  Brezina;  Braunite  (type  3)  of  Meunier. 

Described  1863. 

Weight,  45  kgs.  (100  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  chiefly  by  Jackson,1  as  follows : 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1863, 1  received,  througn  Messrs.  John  W.  Shaw  &  Co.  of  this  city,  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from 
John  B.  Hoffman,  Esq.,  United  States  Indian  agent  for  the  Ponca  Tribe  of  Indians.  This  mass  of  metal  was  supposed 
by  Mr.  Hoffman  to  be  some  native  alloy  of  silver  and  it  was  sent  here  to  be  assayed  for  that  metal. 

The  mass  in  my  possession  weighs  10  pounds  10  ounces,  and  is  6  inches  long,  5  inches  wide,  and  about  2  inches 
thick,  but  is  of  an  irregular  form,  the  weathered  or  exterior  surface  being  much  indented  or  wavy  and  pitted,  while  its 
opposite  side  is  columnar,  a  natural  fissure  having  existed  between  it  and  the  large  mass  from  which  it  was  detached  by 
the  aid  of  a  sledge  hammer.  It  is  stated  that  this  piece  was  broken  from  a  lump  of  the  same  kind  which  was  estimated 
to  weigh  100  pounds. 

It  was  found  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  in  the  Dakota  Indian  territory,  90  miles  from  any  road  or  dwelling. 

Where  it  has  been  rubbed  and  partially  polished  the  iron  has  a  silvery  appearance,  and  hence  the  mistake  enter- 
tained as  to  its  probable  nature. 

Excepting  on  the  exterior  of  the  columnar  portions,  which  have  a  steel-like  crust,  the  metal  is  very  soft  and  saws  or 
files  easily.  It  has  a  bright  surface  when  cut.  No  earthy  or  stony  matter  has  been  found  in  it,  and,  judging  from  its 
great  density,  it  appears  to  be  solid  in  its  interior.  Pieces  were  sawed  off  in  different  places  and  these  were  polished 
and  tested  with  dilute  nitric  acid  for  the  production  of  Widmannstatten  figures,  but  none  have  thus  far  been  produced. 
Only  a  scaly-like  structure,  quite  fine,  is  developed  by  the  acid,  or  when  a  lump  of  the  iron  is  dissolved  ridges  and  fine 
projecting  points  are  left  on  the  undissolved  metal.  I  noticed  the  singular  phenomenon  of  the  indifferent  state  of  the 
iron  to  nitric  acid  while  dissolving  this  metal.  After  a  rapid  boiling  effervescence  with  a  rush  of  red  fumes  of  nitric 
acid  the  chemical  action  suddenly  ceased  and  could  not  be  renewed  by  the  addition  of  more  nitric  acid  nor  by  a  boiling 
heat,  but  on  inclining  the  glass  beaker  so  as  to  cause  the  metal  to  come  in  contact  with  the  other  side  of  the  glass  tumul- 
tuous chemical  action  instantly  commenced  and  the  solution  went  on  rapidly.  This  seems  to  show  that  the  electrical 
state  of  the  metal  and  of  the  glass  is  concerned  in  the  indifferent  state  of  the  metal  to  the  acid. 

Qualitative  examination  soon  demonstrated  the  existence  of  nickel,  phosphorus,  tin,  cobalt,  and  chromium  in 
this  meteorite. 

Its  specific  gravity,  taken  with  much  care,  was  found  to  be  7.952.  Its  hardness  that  of  the  softest  malleable  iron, 
except  on  the  exterior  of  the  columnar  portions,  which  were  as  hard  as  case-hardened  iron,  resisting  the  saw  and  causing 
a  sharp  cry  under  the  file.  No  carbon  was  found. 

The  quantitative  analysis  was  effected  on  two  separate  pieces,  sawed  from  two  of  the  columns,  and  the  proportion 
of  nickel  was  twice  determined,  the  iron  in  both  cases  being  removed  as  a  succinate  by  the  well-known  processes. 

By  blowpipe  examination,  tin  in  metallic  grains  was  obtained,  and  the  presence  of  small  proportions  of  cobalt 
and  chrome  were  proved.  Phosphoric  acid  was  found  by  molybdate  of  ammonia,  and  was  in  the  analysis  separated 
in  the  state  of  pyrophosphate  of  magnesia. 

Although  the  analysis  is  not  quite  complete,  yet  it  is  enough  so  for  our  present  purpose  in  demonstrating  the 
meteoric  nature  of  this  metallic  mass  under  examination. 

The  following  are  the  percentage  results  of  my  analyses,  executed  on  a  gram  in  each  trial: 

1  2 

Metallic  iron 91.  735  91.  735 

Metallic  nickel 6.  532  7. 080 

Tin 0.  063  0. 063 

Phosphorus 0. 010  0. 010 

98.  340        98.  888 

The  cobalt  was  proved  by  the  blue  color  the  nickel  gave  with  the  borax  bead;  chrome,  as  shown  by  the  bead  of 
the  nickel  oxide  in  microcosmic  salt,  the  green  color  being  persistent  in  the  reducing  flame  and  coming  out  as  the  red 
color  produced  by  the  nickel  in  the  hot  bead  faded.  Chlorine  was  searched  for  in  a  solution  of  53.7  grains  of  the 
meteorite,  but  none  was  discovered. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  357 

I  have  requested  Mr.  Hoffman  to  procure  and  send  to  me  the  remainder  of  this  interesting  meteorite,  and  also  to 
inquire  of  the  Indians  for  other  specimens  and  to  procure  them  if  possible.  Though  of  no  economical  value,  these 
specimens  from-  beyond  OUT  world  are  of  great  interest  to  science,  and  if  our  friends  on  the  Pacific  shore  will-  look  for 
them  I  have  no  doubt  many  larger  masses  of  meteoric  iron  may  be  found  there. 

Haidinger  *  recorded  the  receipt  of  pieces  of  the  meteorite  weighing  }  loth  from  Jackson, 
but  made  no  further  observations  regarding  it  except  to  remark: 

Its  hardness  is  that  of  soft  malleable  iron,  except  on  the  exterior  of  the  columnar  portions,  which  are  as  hard  as 
case-hardened  iron,  resisting  the  saw  and  causing  a  sharp  cry  under  the  file. 

Rose  *  remarked  concerning  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

I  received  from  Professor  Shepard  one  of  the  pieces  cut  by  Doctor  Jackson.  It  is  in  part  bounded  on  one  edge  by 
the  natural  surface  and  here  shows  a  thin  border  of  iron  oxide.  The  iron  shows  etching  lines  which  run  over  the  whole 
surface  as  in  the  iron  of  Braunau.  Likewise  the  small  intergrown  rhabdite  crystals  which  characterize  this  small  divi- 
sion of  iron  meteorites  which  consist  of  one  individual  without  subdivision  appear  here.  On  crushing  cubic  cleavages 
were  also  observable.  Besides  the  rhabdite,  schreibersite  in  uncommonly  large  masses  occurs,  in  one  place  aggregated 
together. 

Meunier 4  classed  the  meteorite  as  braunite  and  stated  that  this  iron  gave  only  disconnected 
etching  figures  here  and  there  as  if  an  originally  regular  figure  had  been  disarranged  and  broken. 
Also  *  he  said: 

The  etched  surface  shows  the  ordinary  characteristics  of  braunite,  inclosing  here  and  there  small  grains  of  rhabdite, 
many  of  which  show  distinctly  their  quadratic  sections.  There  is,  besides,  a  great  mass  of  schreibersite  which  is  not 
without  suggestion  of  many  arvaites.  The  resemblance  with  this  latter  type  is  further  increased  by  the  presence  of 
many  fine  cracks  lined  with  carbonaceous  matter  and  inclosing  in  their  axes  bright  minerals,  a  part  of  which  are  readily 
referable  to  troilite,  the  rest  to  schreibersite.  Crystallized  carbon  may  perhaps  be  found  there.  A  large  nodule  of 
troilite  is  seen  not  far  from  the  mass  of  schreibersite. 

Brezina  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  hexahedrite  in  both  the  1885  5  and  1895  7  catalogues. 
Farrington 8  proposed  the  name  Ponca  Creek  for  the  meteorite,  as  follows: 

The  writer  proposes  the  name  of  Ponca  Creek  for  the  meteorite  usually  known  as  Dakota.  The  reasons  for  the 
change  are  as  follows:  The  original  account  by  Jackson  states  that  the  fragment  which  he  described  was  given  him  by 
the  United  States  Indian  agent  for  the  Ponca  Tribe  of  Indians,  and  further  that  the  mass  was  found  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground  ''in  the  Dakota  Indian  territory,  90  miles  from  any  road  or  dwelling."  In  the  repetition  of  this  statement  by 
foreign  authorities  a  comma  came  to  be  inserted  after  Dakota,  so  that  the  locality  was  known  as  Dakota,  Indian  Territory. 
There  is  no  such  locality,  however,  and  Indian  Territory  is  several  hundred  miles  removed  from  the  place  where  the 
meteorite  was  found.  Moreover,  the  original  territory  of  Dakota,  within  which  the  meteorite  may  have  been  found,  is 
now  subdivided  into  North  and  South  Dakota,  and  neither  name  would  designate  the  locality  in  a  sufficiently  limited 
way.  The  reservation  of  the  Ponca  Indians,  who  were  a  tribe  of  the  Dakotas  and  from  whose  agent  the  meteorite  was 
obtained  by  Jackson,  was  at  that  time  located  along  Ponca  Creek  in  Nebraska.  It  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
meteroite  was  found  in  the  vicinity  of  this  creek,  and  the  name  Ponca  Creek  has  the  additional  advantage  of  containing 
that  of  the  tribe  by  some  member  of  which  the  meteorite  was  probably  originally  found.  For  the  meaningless  name 
Dakota,  therefore,  that  of  Ponca  Creek  may  well,  in  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  be  substituted. 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed,  but  only  in  small  quantities.  The  whereabouts  of 
the  main  mass  is  unknown. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1863:  JACKSON.    Meteoric  iron  from  Dakota-Territory. — Description  and  analysis,    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser., 

vol.  36,  pp.  259-261. 

2.  1863:  HATDIXGER.    Ueber  ein  bisher  unbekanntes  Meteoreisen.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  119, 

pp.  642-643. 

3.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  149-150  and  152. 

4.  1884:  MEUXTER.    Meteorites,  p.  38. 

5.  1885:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  218  and  234. 

6.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  meieoriques,  pp.  15  and  18. 

7.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung.  pp.  290  and  303. 

8.  1907:  FAKRIXGTON.    Meteorite  Studies  II.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  Ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  125-126. 


Poplar  Camp.    See  Poplar  Hill. 


358  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

POPLAR  HILL. 

Giles  County,  Virginia. 

Here  also  Cranberry  Plains  and  Poplar  Camp. 

Latitude  37°  13'  N.,  longitude  80°  47'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of),  of  Brezina;  Lockportite  (type  16),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1852. 

Weight.    Only  89  grams  are  known. 

Little  or  nothing  seems  to  be  known  of  the  history  of  this  meteorite.  It  was  first  listed 
by  Meunier  *  under  the  name  of  Poplar  Camp.  Brezina 2  lists  it  as  Cranberry  Plains,  a  name 
which  has  been  generally  used  since,  but  as  Poplar  Hill  is  a  post  office  in  Virginia  this  name 
would  seem  preferable. 

Huntington8  remarked  concerning  the  structure  as  follows: 

This  iron  shows  a  very  perfect  octahedral  structure.  The  lines  on  the  faces  of  some  of  these  octahedrons  illus- 
trate a  phenomenon  of  frequent  occurrence,  namely,  curved  plates  intermixed  with  perfect  regular  and  parallel  plates. 
These  curved  plates  must  have  originally  formed  through  the  liquid  mass  as  true  planes,  like  their  neighbors,  and 
have  been  bent  in  the  subsequent  solidifying  of  the  remaining  material.  Otherwise,  if  they  had  been  distorted  by 
an  exterior  force,  the  regularity  of  the  octahedron  would  have  been  at  the  same  time  destroyed. 

Huntington  shows  these  figures  in  a  cut. 

Meunier,4  in  1893,  grouped  the  meteorite  as  Lockportite,  the  characteristics  of  which  are 
"Mixture  of  kamacite  predominating  in  finely  hatched  bands  and  of  plesite.  Structure  octa- 
hedral." With  this  meteorite  he  groups  Cambria,  Prambanan,  and  Losttown.  From  Hunt- 
ington's  and  Meunier's  descriptions  and  figures,  Cohen 6  drew  the  conclusion  that  the  meteorite 
should  be  regarded  as  a  fine  octahedrite  and  placed  it  with  the  Prambanan  group. 

Little  of  the  meteorite  is  preserved.  Wulfing 5  lists  89  grams,  of  which  Harvard  possesses 
the  largest  quantity  (36  grams). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Me"t4orites,  p.  116. 

2.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  254. 

3.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  Structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  p.  300.     (Cut  of  a  slice  with 

crumpled  etching  figures.) 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me't&iriques,  pp.  47  and  48. 

5.  1897:  WULFINQ.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  91. 

6.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  p.  346. 


PORT  ORFORD. 

Curry  County,  Oregon. 

Latitude  42°  46'  N.,  longitude  124°  28'  W. 

Pallasite  (P). 

Found  1859;  described  1860. 

Weight,  estimated  at  10,000  kgs.  (22,000  Ibs.). 

Little  is  known  of  this  meteorite.  The  first  accounts  of  it  were  given  by  Jackson,1  but 
they  are  very  meager.  They  are  to  be  found  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Nat- 
ural History,  and  are  as  follows : 

Jackson  reported  to  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  October  5,  1859,  that — 

among  some  specimens  recently  received  from  Oregon  Territory  was  a  piece  of  a  meteorite  containing  crystals  of  oli- 
vine,  yielding  9  per  cent  of  nickel.  It  was  identical  in  appearance,  and  probably  in  composition,  with  the  Pallas 
meteorite  of  Siberia;  he  thought  it  not  improbable  that  pieces  may  have  fallen  in  the  same  meteoric  shower  in  both 
countries,  as  has  happened  in  other  instances  though  less  widely  separated. 

At  the  meeting  of  November  2,  1859,  he — 

read  a  letter  from  Doctor  Evans,  of  Oregon  Territory,  confirming  his  opinion  that  the  meteorite  recently  found  in  that 
Territory  is  identical  with  the  Pallas  meteorite  of  Siberia. 

November  16,  1859,  he- 
read  some  letters  from  Doctor  Evans  concerning  the  meteorite  discovered  by  him  in  Oregon  Territory:  the  mass,  about 
3  feet  of  which  was  above  ground,  was  in  the  mountains,  about  40  milea  from  Port  Orford,  on  the  Pacific,  and 
easily  accessible  by  mules.    He  hoped  the  society,  as  a  body  or  individually,  would  take  speedy  and  proper  meas- 
ures to  secure  its  deposition  by  the  Government  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  359 

April  18,  1860,  he- 
read  letters  from  Doctor  Evans  and  Professor  Henry,  of  Washington,  in  relation  to  the  great  Oregon  meteorite;  though 
individuals  of  the  society  had  written  on  the  subject,  it  was  feared  that  from  want  of  a  memorial  from  the  society  the 
appropriation  necessary  to  obtain  it  would  not  be  inserted  in  the  congressional  bill. 

On  motion,  it  was  voted  that  a  committee  be  appointed  with  full  powers,  to  see  what  can  be  done  in  the  matter, 
and  to  take  any  steps  which  may  seem  likely  to  secure  the  whole  or  a  portion  of  this  valuable  specimen  for  the 
museum  at  Washington.  The  president  appointed  Drs.  C.  T.  Jackson,  Bacon,  and  Shaw,  to  whom  the  president 
was  afterwards  added. 

May  2,  1860— 

Dr.  C.  T.  Jackson  announced  that  a  memorial  had  been  sent  to  Congress  by  the  committee  appointed  at  the  last  meet- 
ing in  relation  to  the  Oregon  meteorite,  praying  that  it  might,  in  whole  or  in  part,  be  placed  in  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution, and  be  thence  distributed  to  scientific  bodies. 

Haidinger 2  stated  to  the  Vienna  Academy  in  1860  that  he  had  received  information  from 
N.  Holmes  of  a  great  meteoric  iron  mass  found  by  Dr.  John  Evans  on  his  latest  expedition  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  Oregon.  He  stated  that  it  was  partly  embedded  in  the  earth  and  was 
larger  than  the  Siberian  Pallas  iron.  He  says: 

It  lies  in  the  Rogue  River  Mountains,  not  very  far  from  Port  Orford,  on  the  Pacific,  about  in  42°  35'  north  lati- 
tude and  123°  to  124°  west  longitude. 

In  1861s  he  gave  a  further  account  of  it  as  follows: 

Of  the  iron  mass  from  Oregon,  mentioned  in  the  session  of  July  5  of  last  year,  news  of  which  was  obtained  from  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Nathaniel  Holmes,  of  St.  Louis,  I  have  the  honor  to  place  in  the  Imperial  Mineral  Cabinet  a  piece 
weighing  3.530  grams,  which  I  owe  to  the  friendly  offices  of  Dr.  Charles  T.  Jackson,  of  New  York  City.  His  analysis 
was  published  in  the  Mining  Magazine  of  New  York  City  for  February,  1860,  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society, 
the  American  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  and  elsewhere. 

Dr.  John  Evans,  Government  geologist  for  the  territories  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  discovered  the  mass  4  or  5 
feet  in  horizonal  dimension  and  exposed  3  or  4  feet  high  in  the  Rogue  River  Mountains,  about  40  miles  from  Port  Orford 
He  separated  little  pieces,  of  which  Doctor  Jackson  received  about  an  ounce.  Unfortunately  Doctor  Evans  died  on  April 
13  (1860),  and  search  for  the  mass  is  thus  rendered  very  difficult  if  its  occurrence  is  not  even  placed  in  question. 
It  was  hoped  that  efforts  would  be  made  to  place  this  great  mass,  of  which  over  200  ctr.  are  visible,  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  in  Washington,  but  the  latest  reports  do  not  indicate  that  anything  is  being  done  in  this  direction. 

The  meteorite  belongs,  as  Jackson  has  already  stated,  in  the  class  of  Pallas  irons,  since  it  has  a  compact  groundmase 
and  large  included  olivine  crystals.  Etching  produces,  not  the  straight  Widmannst&tten  figures,  but  figures  like  those 
of  the  Pallas  iron,  Brahin,  and  others.  The  fragment  shows  yet  some  of  the  fine  original  fusion  crust,  so  that  the  mass, 
although  exposed,  has  not  been  oxidized  since  its  arrival  on  the  earth. 

Some  further  details  regarding  the  location  of  the  meteorite  were  given  by  Jackson  *  in  a 
biographical  sketch  of  Doctor  Evans.  They  are  as  follows: 

One  of  the  most  interesting  scientific  discoveries  made  by  Doctor  Evans  during  his  explorations  in  Oregon  was  that 
of  an  enormous  mass  of  meteoric  iron  containing  an  abundance  of  chrysolite  or  olivine  embedded  in  it.  During  the  Indian 
war  in  that  region  Doctor  Evans  ascended  Bald  Mountain,  one  of  the  Rogue  River  Range,  which  is  situated  from  35  to  40 
miles  from  Port  Orford,  a  village  and  port  of  entry  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  obtained  some  pieces  of  metallic  iron  which 
he  broke  off  from  a  mass  projecting  from  the  grass-covered  soil  on  the  slope  of  the  mountain.  He  was  not  aware  of  its 
meteoric  nature  until  the  chemical  analysis  was  made,  but  the  singularity  of  its  appearance  caused  him  to  observe  very 
closely  its  situation,  so  that  when  his  attention  was  called  to  the  subject  he  readily  remembered  the  position,  form, 
appearance,  and  magnitude  of  the  mass,  and  manifested  the  most  lively  interest  in  procuring  it  for  the  Government 
collection  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington,  a  duty  I  doubt  not  he  would  have  been  commissioned  to 
perform  had  his  life  been  spared. 

By  the  aid  of  information  contained  in  letters  to  me  perhaps  some  traveler  in  those  regions  may  be  able  to  find  this 
very  interesting  meteorite,  and  I  shall,  therefore,  transcribe  what  he  says  of  it.  In  reply  to  my  inquiry,  whether  he 
felt  confident  he  could  again  find  this  mass  of  meteoric  iron,  he  says  in  his  letter  of  May  1,  1860: 

"There  can  not  be  the  least  difficulty  in  my  finding  the  meteorite.  The  western  face  of  Bald  Mountain,  where  it 
is  situated,  is,  as  its  name  indicates,  bare  of  timber,  a  grassy  slope,  without  prejecting  rocks  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  meteorite.  The  mountain -is  a  prominent  landmark,  seen  for  a  long  distance  on  the  ocean,  as  it  is  higher  than 
any  of  the  Surrounding  mountains.  It  would  doubtless  be  best  and  most  economical  to  make  a  preliminary  visit  to  the 
locality,  accompanied  only  by  the  two  voyagers  alluded  to  in  my  last  letter."  (Two  of  the  Canadian  Frenchmen  in 
employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.) 

' '  Arrangements  might  then  be  made  with  the  Indians  for  its  purchase  and  the  best  plan  selected  for  its  removal.  It 
would  be  expedient  to  procure  the  men  and  animals  necessary  in  the  Umpqua  Valley,  east  of  the  Coast  Range  of  moun- 


360  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

tains,  as  Port  Orford  at  present  is  quite  a  small  settlement  although  a  'port  of  entry.'    The  meteorite  might  be  shipped 
in  the  California  steamer  to  San  Francisco  and  from  that  port  in  a  sailing  vessel  round  the  Horn  to  Boston." 

********* 

In  another  letter  Doctor  Evans  says:  "As  to  the  dimensions  of  the  meteorite  I  can  not  speak  with  certainty,  as  no 
measurements  were  made  at  the  time.  But  my  recollection  is  that  4  or  5  feet  projected  from  the  surface  of  the  mountain, 
that  it  was  about  the  same  number  of  feet  in  width  and  perhaps  3  or  4  feet  in  thickness;  but  it  is  no  doubt  deeply  buried 
in  the  earth,  as  the  country  is  very  mountainous,  generally  heavily  timbered,  and  subject  to  washings  from  rains  and 
melting  of  snow  in  the  spring,  so  that  in  a  few  years  these  causes  might  cover  up  a  large  portion  of  it.  The  mass  exposed 
was  quite  irregular  in  shape." 

Buchner 5  stated  that  Evans  estimated  the  weight  of  the  portion  above  ground  at  10,000  kgs., 
also  states  that  Jackson  found  by  analysis: 

Fe  Ni          Sn  and  some  Si02 

89          10.29  0.729  =100.019 

Buchner's  authority  for  these  statements  does  not  appear  in  the  references  which  he  quotes, 
which  are  those  of  Jackson  and  Haidinger  already  given. 

Brezina  8  in  1885  grouped  it  as  a  pallasite  and  described  it  as  follows: 

It  shows  enveloping  kamacite  bands  small  (0.5  mm.),  slightly  puffy,  and  fields  3  to  10  mm.  in  size  with  a  few  bands 
near  the  border  measuring  0.2  to  0.3  mm.,  the  balance  having  a  fine  luster.  The  Vienna  specimen  also  possesses  a 
fusion  crust. 

A  photograph  of  the  Vienna  specimen  is  given  by  Brezina  and  Cohen  7  and  the  following 
description: 

It  shows  the  swathing  kamacite  small  (0.5  mm.),  against  the  field  less  swollen  than  against  the  olivine.  The  field 
is  exceptionally  large  in  comparison  to  the  breadth  of  the  swathing  kamacite,  is  generally  filled  with  shimmering  plesaite, 
and  contains,  near  the  edge,  some  small  bands  0.2  mm.  wide,  which  originate  from  the  swathing  kamacite  or  in  one  place 
seem  to  lie  free  in  the  plessite.  In  the  photograph  a  tongue  of  troilite  with  kamacite  border  projects  into  the  field. 
Here  and  in  the  upper  half  of  the  swathing  kamacite  some  small,  elongated  schreibersite  may  also  be  recognized. 
Tsenite  is  weak.  As  far  as  can  be  determined  from  so  small  a  piece  Port  Orford  corresponds  with  no  other  pallasite. 

In  1895  Brezina 8  remarked: 

It  is  somewhat  different  from  Krasnojarsk  and  Arizona,  the  enveloping  kamacite  being  less  puffy,  thinner,  more 
angular,  and  more  easily  etched,  so  that  it  does  not  appear  so  different  from  plessite  and  does  not  remain  blank. 

Only  4  grams  of  the  meteorite  are  known  to  be  preserved.    This  is  in  the  Vienna  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1860:  JACKSON.    Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  7,  pp.  161,  174,  175-176,  279,  and  289. 

2.  1860:  HAIDINOEH.    Einige  neuere  Nachrichten  fiber  Meteoriten,  namentlich  die  von  Bokkeveld,  New-Concord, 

Trenzano,  die  Meteoreisen  von  Nebraska,  voni  Brazos,  von  Oregon,  Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  41,  p.  572. 

3.  1861:  HAIDINGER.    Meteoreisen  von  Rogue  River  Mountain  in  Oregon  und  von  Taos  in  Mexico,  gesandt  von  Hrn. 

Dr.  Charles  T.  Jackson.     Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  44  II,  pp.  29-30. 

4.  1861:  JACKSON.    Biographical  sketch  of  the  late  John  Evans,  M.  D.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp. 

313-314. 

5.  1863:  BacHNER.    Meteoriten,  p.  131. 

6.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  206  and  233. 

7.  1886:  BREZINA  and  COHEN.    Photographien,  pi.  6. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  264. 


Port  Tobacco.    See  Nanjemoy. 


PRAIRIE  DOG  CREEK. 

Decatur  County,  Kansas. 

Latitude  39°  35'  N.,  longitude  100°  20'  W. 

Stone.    Crystalline  spherical  chondrite  (Cck)  of  Brezina.  ,  ; 

Known  since  1893;  described  1895. 

Weight,  2.9  kgs.  (7  Ibs.). 

The  first  description  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Weinschenk,1  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  was  discovered  upon  a  farm  belonging  to  N.  E.  Miller,  north  of  the  north  branch  of  Prairie  Dog 
Creek,  Decatur  County,  Kansas.  It  was  found  for  the  most  part  buried  in  the  soil.  I  examined  several  small  frag- 
ments. These  were  somewhat  weathered  and  had  a  rough  thick  crust  of  a  brownish-gray  color. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  361 

The  composition  of  this  Btone  is  very  different  from  that  of  Long  Island.  Chondri  were  especially  numerous  even 
macroecopically,  so  that  a  place  in  the  spherical  chondrites  is  required.  The  color,  so  far  as  can  be  determined  from 
the  small  rusty  pieces  afforded  for  examination,  is  unusually  dark  and  the  stone  very  compact  and  hard.  Under  the 
microscope,  the  richness  in  forms  of  the  chondri  which  form  most  of  the  stone  is  noticeable.  Between  these  the 
groundmass  appears  to  be  opaque  on  account  of  the  deposit  of  iron  rust;  and  even  after  treatment  with  nitric  acid  to 
remove  the  rust,  no  glimpse  can  be  had  into  the  structure,  since  it  is  for  the  most  part  broken  up  by  the  treatment. 
After  etching,  only  grains  and  small  crystals  of  pyroxene,  as  well  as  of  a  black  opaque  material,  apparently  chromite, 
remain. 

The  composition  of  the  chondri  is  more  easily  studied  than  that  of  the  groundmass.  Besides  chondri  were  noted 
several  large  well-formed  crystals  of  olivine  containing  large  inclusions  of  dark  glass.  The  mineral  content  of  the 
chondri  shows  chrysolite,  bronzite,  augite,  iron,  magnetic  pyrites,  and  chromite,  besides  infrequent  grains  of  plagio- 
clase.  Small  fragments  of  silicates  and  large  grains  of  iron,  magnetic  pyrites,  and  chromite  are  scattered  between  the 
chondri.  The  size  of  the  chondri  varies  from  the  tiniest  up  to  2  mm.  in  diameter,  their  form  being  usually  perfectly 
round,  judging  from  the  numerous  roundish  imprints. 

Well-formed  crystals  of  separate  minerals  occur  occasionally  in  the  chondri,  but  much  more  abundant  are  skeleton 
forms,  indicating  rapid  crystallization.  The  chrysolite  especially  occurs  in  imperfect  forms  having  great  similarity 
with  certain  artificial  enamels,  and  a  glassy  substance  often  very  rich  in  inclusions  and  injections.  Individual  chondri 
consist  usually  of  an  undivided  crystal  mostly  of  a  very  imperfect  growth.  Small  nickel-iron  chondri  also  appear. 
Most  of  the  chondri  are  porphyritic.  They  contain,  for  the  most  part,  large  olivine  skeletons,  besides  bronzite  and 
augite,  the  latter  often  with  twin  laminae .  Besides  these  crystalline  constituents  glass  is  almost  always  present ,  usually 
forming  a  strongly  receding  base;  frequently,  however,  it  occurs  also  in  larger  masses;  in  the  latter  case  it  contains 
skeleton  crystals  or  is  rich  in  crystalline  formations.  Spherical  glass  globules  are  not  infrequent.  The  spherical 
chondri  are  usually  unitary  and  imperfectly  formed,  or  they  consist  of  aggregates  of  spherulites.  The  latter  are  at 
times  so  finely  radiated  that  they  become  almost  opaque  and  disguise  their  mineral  composition;  they  pass  over, 
however,  into  tolerably  coarse-rayed  aggregates  of  bronzite.  Many  chondri  are  shattered  and  with  unusual  frequency 
show  roundish  impressions  due  to  several  chondri  touching  one  another  in  the  stages  of  their  formation. 

In  some  cases  several  chondri  are  melted  together,  and  in  one  case  a  small  chondrule  had  lodged  upon  a  larger  one 
and  was  partly  melted  over  the  surface  of  the  latter. 

Brezina 2  gave  the  following  observations  upon  the  meteorite. 

Like  most  crystalline  spherical  chondri,  Prairie  Dog  Creek  is  a  very  peculiar  stone.  A  longish  fragment,  about 
the  fourth  part  of  a  single  stone,  has  a  broad  side  which  belongs  to  the  front  face  and  possesses  distinctly  marked, 
regular  lines  of  flow ;  one  long  and  one  short  side  of  small  dimensions  are  covered  with  a  side  crust  which  encroaches 
over  from  the  front;  the  interior  shows  a  high  degree  of  rusting  without  any  loosening  of  the  very  firm,  half 
crystalline  structure;  here  and  there  broken  chondri  are  visible,  in  addition  to  entire  ones,  the  former  attaining 
the  diameter  of  3  mm.  and  are  sometimes  complete  individuals.  On  one  place,  which  has  a  loose,  limonitish  appear- 
ance, numerous  entire,  smooth,  round  chondri  of  as  much  as  1.2  mm.  diameter  may  be  seen. 

Wulfing s  states  the  stone  in  Kunz's  possession  weighed  2.9  kgs. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1895:  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoritenstudien  II. — 5.  Prairie  Dog  Creek,  Decatur  County,  Kansas.    Tsch.  Min.  u.  Pet. 

Mitth.  Bd.  14,  pp.  473-475. 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  260. 

3.  1897:  WtJuiNG.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  283. 

PRICETOWW. 

Highland  County,  Ohio. 

Latitude  33°  11'  N.,  longitude  83"  44'  W. 

Stone.    White  chondrite  (Cw)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  February  13,  1893. 

Weight,  about  900  grams  (2  Ibs.). 

No  data  regarding  this  meteorite  seem  to  have  been  published.  Apparently  a  single  stone 
came  into  the  possession  of  Bement  or  Kunz,  the  larger  part  of  which  (700  grams)  is  now  in 
the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History. 

Brezina l  and  Wulfing 2  mention  a  Pricetown  iron  which  is  undoubtedly  an  imperfect 
reference  to  the  above  stone.  In  Ward's s  Catalogue  the  classification  is  given  as  white 
chondrite  and  the  date  of  fall  as  above. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wienet  Sammlung,  pp.  307  and  359.  , 

2.  1897:  WULPIXG.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  404. 

3.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  p.  60. 


362  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

PUTNAM  COUNTY. 

Putnam  County,  Georgia. 

Latitude  33°  18'  N.,  longitude  83°  35'  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina;  Dicksonite  (type  12)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1839;  described  1854. 

Weight,  32.5  kgs.  (72  Ibs.).  , 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Willet,1  as  follows: 

This  interesting  meteoric  iron,  the  first  that  has  been  found  in  Georgia,  was  presented  to  Mercer  University  by 
John  A.  Cogburn  in  the  fall  of  1852. 

The  circumstances  of  its  discovery,  as  detailed  by  Mr.  Cogburn,  are  briefly  these:  The  iron  was  first  observed  by 
his  overseer  in  1839  in  a  field  which  had  been  cultivated  for  several  years,  but  was  supposed  to  be  the  common  black 
rock  of  that  region.  Mr.  Cogburn  first  noticed  it  in  March,  1840,  and  attempting  to  raise  it  from  the  ground,  found  it 
so  heavy  that  he  carried  it  to  his  blacksmith  shop  to  have  it  broken.  Its  weight  at  that  time  was  72  pounds,  and  the 
mass  was  coated  deeply  with  a  brown  scaly  crust.  He  attempted  to  break  it  upon  an  anvil,  but  could  remove  only 
the  outside  crust,  including  a  large  blister,  the  place  of  which  is  now  indicated  by  a  deep  fissure.  Finding  it  so  untract- 
able,  he  threw  it  into  his  yard,  where  it  lay  neglected  until  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  led  me  to  request  him  to  send  it 
to  the  University  for  examination.  He  states  further  that  he  supposes  it  to  have  been  originally  buried  and  brought 
to  the  surface  of  the  earth  by  cultivation  and  the  action  of  rains;  that  there  is  no  tradition  of  its  fall;  and  that  no  simi- 
lar pieces  have  been  found  in  the  neighborhood. 

Its  weight,  when  it  was  brought  to  the  University,  was  about  60  pounds.  In  shape  it  represents  a  rude  triangular 
pyramid,  with  its  base  and  edges  rounded,  and  its  faces  exposing  many  knobs  and  depressions. 

Most  of  the  crust  has  been  removed  by  the  rough  handling  which  it  has  received.  The  outer  layers  of  what 
remains  separate  in  thin  scales  of  no  regular  shape;  the  inner  portions  break  into  rhombohedral  masses,  which,  under 
the  influence  of  a  magnet,  become  permanently  magnetic,  showing  that  the  iron  has  been  converted  into  magnetic 
oxide.  The  mass  of  iron  exhibits  no  magnetism. 

In  removing  a  dab,  the  iron  was  found  to  be  remarkably  tough  and  compact.  The  torn  edges  oxidized  rapidly 
and  developed  the  crystalline  structure  before  the  application  of  acid;  the  oxidation  proceeded  inwardly  from  the 
edges,  following  the  lines  of  cleavage  first,  and  afterwards  spreading  over  the  inclosed  areas.  The  sawn  surfaces, 
after  a  few  days  exposure,  were  found  bedewed  with  drops  of  a  liquid,  supposed  to  be  chloride  of  iron.  After  longer 
exposure  the  exudation  ceased — a  point  of  striking  similarity  with  the  Texas  iron.  The  polished  surface  is  uniform, 
without  markings,  and  with  few  flaws. 

Hydrochloric  acid  applied  to  the  heated  slab  attacks  it  with  a  rapid  evolution  of  hydrogen  bubbles,  but  develops 
only  a  few  of  the  larger  bars,  and  the  crystalline  structure  of  the  mass  might  be  overlooked  with  the  action  of  this  acid 
alone.  Nitric  acid,  however,  brings  out  the  Widmannstatten  figures  most  beautifully.  The  etched  surface  is  a  perfect 
miniature  copy  of  the  Texan  iron;  the  largest  bars  of  the  Putnam  County  iron  corresponding  with  those  of  medium 
size  in  the  Texas  iron,  and  thence  diminishing  to  bundles  of  strise  hardly  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  The  triangles  and 
parallelograms  are  proportionally  small.  Query:  Are  the  crystalline  figures  of  meteoric  irons  in  any  degree  proportional 
to  the  meteoric  masses?  If  so,  may  we  not  infer  from  the  size  of  them  whether  the  iron  be  an  entire  mass  or  a  fragment 
of  a  large  one? 

Neutral  sulphate  of  copper  produces  no  precipitate  of  metal  on  the  iron,  the  slightest  addition  of  acid  causes  the 
deposit  of  copper.  Moreover,  I  find  that  if  the  film  of  copper  be  wiped  off  as  soon  as  formed,  the  sulphuric  acid  has 
etched  out  the  figures  superficially  but  very  imperfectly.  Liquid  sulphuric  acid  when  cold  has  no  effect  upon  the 
surface. 

In  addition  to  the  above  description,  I  subjoin  an  interesting  note  from  Professor  Shepard,  containing  an  analysis  of 
the  iron,  which  he  has  very  kindly  furnished  at  my  request. 

"  In  comparing  the  Putnam  County  meteoric  iron  with  specimens  from  other  localities,  I  notice  a  striking  similarity 
in  its  structure  to  that  of  the  Texan  mass.  Like  it,  your  iron  is  compact,  nearly  free  from  pyrites,  and  but  slightly  dis- 
posed to  rust  on  exposure  to  the  air.  But  the  resemblance  between  the  two  is  seen  to  the  greatest  ad  vantage,  when  etched 
samples  are  compared  with  one  another.  The  Putnam  County  iron  exhibits  figures  of  the  same  shape  and  size  as  the 
Texas,  viz,  triangles  and  oblique-angled  parallelograms  bounded  by  slightly-raised  edges  which  are  often  wavy,  and 
sometimes  not  continuously  of  the  same  thickness,  but  here  and  there  bulging  out  into  beads  or  knobs.  The  pyrites 
in  my  specimens  is  scarcely  to  be  recognized,  except  in  one  or  two  very  limited  patches  which  are  irregular  and 
veinlike. 

"  The  iron  appears  to  have  suffered  a  very  remarkable  disintegration  to  the  depth  of  half  an  inch  or  more  below  the 
thick,  scaly  crust  with  which  the  mass  was  coated,  in  consequence  of  which  it  cleaves  very  regularly  like  the  Cocke 
County,  Tennessee,  iron  into  tetrahedral  and  rhomboidal  fragments. 

"The  specific  gravity  of  the  fresh  internal  portions  of  the  mass  is  7.69.  A  single  analysis  gave  me  the  following 
result: 

Iron 89.52 

Nickel,  with  traces  of  cobalt 8.  82 

Tin,  phosphorus,  sulphur,  magnesium,  and  calcium *  .     1.  66 

100.00 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  363 

Reichenbach  *  emphasized  the  fineness  and  regularity  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures, 
saying:  "Putnam  appears  as  fine  as  the  grain  of  pear  wood  on  the  side  of  the  mirror."  He 
mentions  also  pale-blue  plessite,  infrequent  combs,  absence  of  swollen  kamacite,  bronze-colored 
iron  sulphide,  and  iron  glass. 

Rose  *  called  attention  to  the  regularity,  fineness,  and  beauty  of  the  figures  and  noted  the 
presence  of  troili te  mixed  with  nickel  iron. 

Brezina s  gave  the  following  observations: 

Putnam  is  especially  rich  in  combe  which  are  definitely  distinguished  from  the  system  of  bands.  The  troilite 
frequently  has  daubreelite  bands  parallel  to  one  another.  The  troilite  is  crystallized  in  hexagonal  pyramids  and  the 
daubreelite  laminae  lie  parallel  to  their  bases,  as  I  first  observed  them  in  Coahuila. 

Huntington  •  gave  a  figure  of  an  etched  octahedron  broken  out  from  the  Putnam  County 
meteorite.  He  states : 

This  iron  appears,  by  oxidation  of  the  surface,  to  break  up  into  octahedrons  and  acute  rhombic  prisms.  The 
octahedron  represented  in  the  figure  was  so  loose  in  ita  structure  that  it  was  necessary  first  to  mount  it  in  pitch  before 
grinding  the  face  in  order  to  prevent  the  plates  from  splitting  off.  Here  the  character  is  much  the  same  as  in  De  Kalb 
except  that  the  plates  are  smaller  and  at  points  the  iron  is  perfectly  granular,  showing  no  signs  of  crystallization. 
Moreover,  the  groundmass,  instead  of  containing  the  combs  above  mentioned,  has  been  broken  up  by  a  series  of  irregular 
cracks  into  coarse  grains  very  much  like  a  mass  of  crackled  glass. 

Meunier 7  note  the  following: 

This  iron  is  entirely  analogous  to  that  of  Charlotte,  with  still  more  abundant  plessite.  The  taenite  frequently 
forms  needles  broken  in  two  parts  which  meet  at  an  octahedral  angle. 

A  specimen  in  the  Paris  Museum  shows  a  figure  very  strongly  etched  upon  which  are  very  distinctly  visible  several 
somewhat  irregular  laminae  of  schreibersite.  Outside  of  this  figure  appear  grains  of  pyrrhotine  showing  crystal- 
line markings  and  several  laminae  of  daubreelite. 

Brezina 8  in  1895  remarked  that  Putnam  resembled  Buckeberg,  but  showed  somewhat  less 
puffy  kamacite. 

Cohen  10  gave  the  following  observations : 

The  lamellae  are  long,  straight,  isolated  or  crowded  together,  sometimee  granular  and  not  puffy.  The  tsenite  seams 
are  very  distinct,  fields  well  represented  and  quite  prominent.  Brezina  states  that  the  kamacite  is  hatched,  but  I  have 
on  two  sections  of  very  different  crystallographic  orientation  and  under  various  degrees  of  etching  observed  no  trace 
of  hatching.  On  the  contrary  there  has  been  an  exceptionally  uniform  fine-grained  structure  (grains  scarcely  0.003 
mm.  in  size).  In  consequence  of  this  the  luster  in  reflected  light  is  merely  dull.  A  small  portion  of  the  fields,  including 
a  few  of  the  larger  as  well  as  the  smaller,  consist  of  dense,  very  dark  plessite  which  under  a  high  magnifying  power 
reveals  a  few  tiny  uniformly  distributed  spangles.  The  predominant  fields  are  brighter  and  are  composed  of  grains 
measuring  at  most  0.15  mm.  in  size,  irregular  in  form,  reflecting  simultaneously,  and  sharply  defined  from  one  another. 
They  contain  roundish  taenite  disks  as  much  as  0.02  mm.  in  size  quite  uniformly  embedded  throughout  the  parent  grains. 
These  grains,  which  are  sometimes  roundish,  sometimes  walnut-shaped,  and  again  quite  irregular  in  form,  show  again 
in  their  turn  a  fine-grained  structure  and  resemble  exactly  the  kamacite  of  the  bands.  There  is  no  repetition  of  the 
structure  on  a  large  scale,  however,  since  no  trace  of  tsenite  border  bands  and  small  fields  crowded  between  was  observed. 
The  fine  dark  veins  which  apparently  divide  the  grains  consist  of  slightly-etched  grooves.  A  field  is  sometimes  found 
which  is  composed  of  complete  lamellae  and  a  little  dense  plessite  compacted  between  them.  The  latter  are  consider- 
ably more  soluble  in  acid  than  the  granular  portions  and  accordingly  the  fields  filled  with  it  after  strong  etching  appear 
considerably  deepened. 

Schreibersite  appears  to  be  sparingly  present  in  macroscopic  particles.     It  was  only  observed  in  a  few  small  grains; 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  natural  surface  some  magnetite  is  present. 
Analysis  by  R.  Knauer  and  O.  Berger: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Cr  S  P 

90.28        7.89        0.79        0.07        0.17        0.25        0.11     =99.56 
Composition: 

Nickel  iron 98.  69 

Schreibersite 0.  72 

Daubreelite 0.47 

Troilite...  0.11 


100.00 

Putnam  takes  on  strong  permanent  magnetism;'  the  specific  magnetism  was  determined  by  Leick  at  2.40  absolute 
units  per  gram. 


364  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  principal  mass  of  the  meteorite  (30  pounds)  is  in  the  Amherst  collection.     In  addition 
Wulfing  lists  about  4  kgs.,  of  which  the  Harvard  collection  has  about  one-half. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1854:  WILLET.    Description  of  meteoric  iron  from  Putnam  County,  Georgia.     Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol. 

17,  pp.  331-332.    (Analysis  by  Shepard.) 

2.  1858-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  p.  638;  No.  6,  p.  448;  No.  7,  p.  552;  No.  9,  pp.  162, 174, 175,  and  182;  No. 

10,  p.  359;  No.  12,  p.  457;  No.  15,  pp.  110,  113, 114, 124,  and  128;  No.  16,  pp.  250,  261,  and  262;  No.  17,  pp.  266 
and  272;  No.  18,  pp.  478  and  484;  No.  20,  p.  622;  and  No.  21,  pp.  585  and  589. 

3.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  65  and  153. 

4.  1869:  MEUNIER.    Recherches.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  p.  35. 

5.  1885:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  208-209  and  233. 

6.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  p.  289.     (Illustration  of  an  etched 

plate.) 

7.  1893;  MEUNIEH.    Revision  des  fers  meteoriques,  pp.  42-43. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  269. 

9.  1895.:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.    Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  85. 
10.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  343-345. 


Ranchito.     See  Bacubirito. 


RANCHO  DE  LA  PILA. 
Durango,  Mexico. 

Here  also  Durango  of  Partsch  and  Pila. 
Latitude  24°  2'  N.,  longitude  104°  36'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1882. 
Weight,  46.5  kgs.  (102.3  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  the  meteorite  known  to  be  from  this  locality  was  given  by  Hapke,3  as 
follows: 

In  the  spring  of  1882  an  iron  was  found  by  plowing  in  a  field  belonging  to  Rafael  Brancho  at  Rancho  de  la  Pila,  9 
leagues  east  of  Durango.  The  soil  of  thia  field  contains  considerable  limestone.  According  to  the  view  of  the  finder 
and  owner,  the  mass  must  have  fallen  since  the  last  plowing  of  the  field  the  year  before,  since,  as  it  was  only  25  or  30 
centimeters  deep,  it  could  hardly  have  been  overlooked  in  plowing. 

Hilmer  Wilmanns,  a  merchant  of  Durango,  with  whom,  when  in  Durango  in  1877,  I  had  talked  regarding  Mexican 
meteorites,  obtained  a  piece  of  this  iron  and  sent  it  to  his  associate,  Julius  Hildebrand.  The  latter  in  1882  sent  me  five 
pieces  of  this  iron,  which  together  weighed  15J  grams  and  showed  a  well-marked  crystalline  structure.  These  pieces 
were  strongly  magnetic,  so  that  they  were  not  only  attracted  by  the  magnet  but  themselves  attracted  iron  filings.  The 
largest  piece  weighed  4  grams,  which,  like  the  others,  had  a  dark  crust,  showed  on  cutting  a  hardness  almost  like  that  of 
steel  and  a  tin-white  color,  Since,  also,  on  etching  with  moderately  dilute  nitric  acid  very  beautiful  Widmanstatten 
figures  were  produced,  the  meteoric  nature  of  the  substance  was  considered  certain.  Herr  Hildebrand  accordingly 
had  sent  on  the  whole  mass,  which  arrived  in  Bremen  in  April.  The  meteorite  was  brought  to  the  session  of  the  acad- 
emy of  April,  1883,  and  compared  with  examples  of  other  meteorites  in  the  museum.  By  the  efforts  of  Dr.  W.  O.  Ficke, 
a  cast  of  the  original  was  made  for  the  mineralogical  division  of  the  museum.  A  second  was  made  for  the  mining  school 
here  and  another  for  the  Vienna  Museum. 

The  mass  is  of  a  prismatic-pyramidal  shape,  weighs  46.4  kilos,  has  a  length  of  30  centimeters,  a  breadth  of  23J 
centimeters,  and  a  height  of  18  centimeters.  A  dark  gray  or  brown  shining  crust  envelops  the  mass  except  where 
pieces  have  been  broken  off.  The  crust  is  shown  by  a  stroke  of  the  file  to  be  very  thin,  supporting  the  view  of  the 
finders  that  the  iron  had  not  lain  very  long  in  the  earth.  A  file  stroke  shows  further  a  tin- white  co  lor  and  a  homogeneous 
mass.  The  mass  is  penetrated  by  four  parallel  clefts  which  indicate  that  the  foliated  crystalline  structure  extends 
into  the  interior.  The  surface  of  the  mass  shows  many  depressions  in  which,  here  and  there,  occur  fine  striae.  On  one 
side  there  is  a  round  depression  1J  centimeters  deep  and  2  or  3  centimeters  wide.  On  the  opposite  side  there  are  two 
of  these,  one  large  and  one  small,  not  so  irregular  as  the  first.  The  octahedral  structure  and  the  parallel  foliated  appear- 
ance are  well  shown  without  etching  and  more  strongly  by  etching.  The  foliated  or  banded  structure  characterized  by 
equilateral  triangles  and  parallelograms  shows  fine  parallel  striations  and  hackly  fracture,  with  single  small  crystals 
projecting.  On  placing  a  polished  and  etched  surface  for  a  second  time  in  a  more  concentrated  acid  the  luster  became 
duller,  and  under  the  lens  there  could  be  distinguished  parallel  striae  and  granular  portions.  The  crust  in  other  places 
was  likewise  dissolved  by  nitric  acid.  Here,  also,  the  iron  showed  a  tin-white  color  and  granular  portions  which  distin- 
guished themselves  from  the  more  deeply  attacked  portions.  The  specific  gravity  of  a  piece  weighing  4.25  grams, 
almost  without  crust,  was  found  to  be  7.89,  while  that  of  a  flat  piece,  almost  entirely  covered  with  crust,  was  found  to 
be  7.74.  Dr.  Janke  obtained  the  following  composition  by  analysis: 

Fe  Ni          Co          P  and  C 

91.78        8.35        0.01          traces      =100.14 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  365 

The  large  mass  was  purchased  by  the  British  Museum. 

Brezina,4  under  the  name  of  Rancho  de  la  Pila  1804,  grouped  the  meteorite  among  the 
Caille  division  of  the  medium  octahedrites  and  described  it  as  follows : 

It  is  free  from  troilite,  the  specks  of  kamacite  are  quite  fine,  and  the  bands  0.8  mm.  wide.  The  more  definite 
indication  of  the  locality  of  discovery  is  taken  from  a  newly  discovered  piece  procured  from  the  British  Museum. 
Like  the  older  ones,  it  shows  distinctly  the  weathering  out  of  octahedral  skeletons. 

Fletcher  *  connected  with  the  Rancho  de  la  Pila  mass  one  mentioned  by  Partsch  *  in  1843, 
obtained  from  Karawinsky.     His  reasons  for  combining  these  are  given  as  follows: 

A  fragment  of  meteoric  iron  was  acquired  in  1834  from  Freiherr  von  Karawinsky  for  the  Vienna  collection;  he 
had  brought  it  with  him  from  Mexico,  and  according  to  his  statement  to  Partsch,  it  had  been  severed  from  a  mass 
which  weighed  several  hundred  pounds  and  lay  in  the  plain  northeast  of  Durango.  There  is  no  statement  that  Kara- 
winsky had  himself  seen  the  original  mass;  nor  does  he  mention  the  distance  from  Durango  city. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Weidner,  when  discussing  the  Mercado,  remarked  in  1858  that  the  fragments  given  to 
Humboldt  as  Durango  iron  might  very  well  have  been  brought  from  Durango  and  at  the  same  time  have  been  either 
got  from  the  "Labor  de  Guadalupe,  an  estate  near  Durango  city,"  or  from  one  of  the  two  big  masses  which  were  lying 
at  "Conception  and  Rio  Florida."  . 

We  infer  that  in  1858  it  was  regarded  by  Weidner  as  a  recognized  fact  that  metallic  iron,  not  comparable  in  size 
with  the  Chihuahua  masses,  had  been  really  found  at  the  Labor  de  Guadalupe;  a  search  for  a  definite  statement  of 
the  discovery  of  metallic  iron  on  that  estate  has  been  unsuccessful. 

But  I  am  informed  by  Dr.  Carlos  Santa  Maria,  of  Durango,  that  the  above  extensive  estate  begins  at  5  leagues 
northeast  of  the  city;  and  this  is  the  very  direction  which  was  assigned  by  Karawinsky  for  the  locality  of  the  mass  of 
which  he  sent  fragments  to  Vienna  in  1834;  hence  it  is  extremely  probable  that  the  Karawinsky  mass  is  the  one  which 
Weidner  had  in  mind,  when  in  1858  he  referred  to  the  iron  of  the  Labor  de  Guadalupe.  No  other  record  of  the  dis- 
covery of  a  Durango  mass  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city  before  1858  can  be  found. 

A  mass  weighing  46.4  kgs.  was  turned  up  by  a  plow  in  1882  at  the  rancho  of  La  Pila,  9  leagues  east  of  Durango. 
Dr.  Carlos  Santa  Maria  sends  me  the  information  that  the  rancho  is  part  of  the  estate  called  La  Labor  de  Guadalupe, 
which  begins  5  leagues  northeast  of  Durango  and  extends  as  far  as  La  Pila,  close  to  the  hacienda  of  La  Punta  shown  in 
Garcia  Cubas'  map  as  10  leagues  southeast  of  Durango.  *  *  * 

The  specimen  is  now  in  the  British  Museum  collection. 

Confirmation  of  the  above  suggestion  as  to  the  site  of  the  Karawinsky  mass  is  found  in  the  statement  of  Brezina, 
that  the  etching  figures  of  the  mass  were  identical  with  those  of  the  one  plowed  up  at  La  Pila. 

Mourner"*  grouped  the  meteorite  as  Caillite,  giving  it  the  name  of  Rancho  de  la  Pila,  1804. 
He  described  it  as  follows : 

The  specimens  in  the  Paris  museum  from  this  fall  are  labeled,  some  Durango,  others  Cacaria,  but  they  are  identical 
in  every  respect.  They  come  from  a  locality  called  Rancho  de  la  Pila.  Etching  gives  an  entirely  normal  figure,  in 
which  the  kamacite  forms  elongated  bands,  slightly  bent.  The  tsenite  occurs  in  very  slender  filaments  and  the  pies- 
site  includes  well  marked  ridges. 

Brezina,7  in  1895,  remarked  further  concerning  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

Pila  has  the  greatest  similarity  with  Descubridora  and  should  in  fact  be  identified  with  the  latter  except  for  the 
fact  that  the  localities  are  separated  by  4  degrees  of  longitude.  To  Pila  belong  the  pieces  which  were  procured  for 
the  Vienna  Museum  in  1834  by  Karawinsky  and  which,  according  to  Fletcher,  came  from  the  small  estate  of  Labor  de 
Guadalupe,  which  begins  5  leagues  northeast  of  the  state  of  Durango.  This  same  one  was  known  already  in  1804, 
when  Humboldt  visited  the  country.  Here  also  belongs  a  mass  of  46.4  kgs.  weight  which  was  plowed  up  on  the 
Rancho  de  la  Pila  in  1882  and  came  into  the  possession  of  the  British  Museum.  This  iron  agrees  perfectly  with  the 
old  Durango  iron,  the  fields  in  both  being  entirely  filled  with  spotted  combs.  Both  the  old  and  the  new  Durango 
iron  show  very  markedly  the  weathering  out  of  the  octahedral  laminae.  To  Pila  also  doubtless  belongs  the  piece  indi- 
cated as  Toluca  which  was  brought  by  Humboldt  to  Bergmann,  at  Berlin. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  (46,512  grams)  preserved  in  the  British  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Meteoriten,  pp.  113-114  (Karawinsky's  Mass). 

2.  1856:  BURKART.    Fundorte  I.    Neues  Jahrb.  Min.,  1856,  pp.  282-283  (Karawinsky'a  Mass). 

3.  1884:  HAPKE.    Beitrage.    Abh.  naturw.  Verein  Bremen  Bd.  8,  pp.  513-515  and  517.    (Analysis  by  Janke.) 

4.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  155,  213,  and  234. 

5.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  104,  152-154,  and  156. 

6.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  metdoriques,  pp.  52  and  53. 

7.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  276. 


366  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XTTT. 

RANCHO  DE  LA  PRESA. 

District  of  Zenapecuaro,  State  of  Michoacan,  Mexico. 
Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1899. 

The  only  mention  of  this  meteorite  known  to  the  present  writer  is  that  in  Ward's *  cata- 
logue, where  the  locality  given  above  is  recorded  and  the  statement  made  that  the  meteorite  is 
a  stone.  The  year  1899  is  given  as  that  of  the  fall  or  find. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  p.  86. 

RED  RIVER. 

Texas. 

Latitude  32°  7'  N.,  longitude  95°  KK  W. 

Here  also  Cross  Timbers,  Gibbs  meteorite,  Louisiana,  and  Texas. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina.    Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Made  known  1818. 

Weight,  740  kge.  (1,635  Ibs.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  in  Bruce's  Mineralogical  Journal,1  as  follows : 

There  is  at  present  in  this  city  a  mass  of  iron,  which  •was  sent  hither  a  short  time  since  from  New  Orleans  by  Mr. 
G.  Johnson,  and  which  from  its  size  and  weight  has  excited  considerable  attention.  Its  form  is  irregular.  Its  length 
is  3  feet  4  inches,  and  its  greatest  width  2  feet  4.5  inches.  It  weighs  upward  of  3,000  pounds.  Its  surface,  which 
is  covered  by  a  blackish  crust,  is  greatly  indented,  from  which  it  would  appear  that  this  mass  had  been  in  a  soft  state. 
On  removing  the  crust,  the  iron  on  exposure  to  moisture  soon  becomes  oxidated.  Specific  gravity,  7.400. 

It  appears  to  consist  entirely  of  iron  which  possesses  a  high  degree  of  malleability,  experiments  having  been 
made  without  detecting  nickel  or  any  other  metal.  This  enormous  mass  of  iron  is  said  to  have  been  found  near  the 
Red  River.  We  regret  that  we  are  unable  to  say  much  as  to  its  geognostic  situation  or  origin,  whether  native, 
meteoric,  or  artificial.  We  hope,  however,  from  the  inquiries  we  have  instituted,  to  have  it  in  our  power  shortly  to 
lay  before  our  readers  some  satisfactory  information  respecting  this  interesting  object. 

In  1824  there  was  published  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  under  the  initials  C.  H., 
an  account  of  the  meteorite,  which  included  Doctor  Bruce's  account  and  "  additional  facts  and 
remarks  drawn  from  the  following  sources":  1.  A  letter  from  Judge  Johnson,  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States;  2.  A  letter  from  Mr.  William  Darby,  the  well-known  geographer; 
3.  A  letter  from  Doctor  Sibley,  Indian  agent  at  Natchitoches ;  4.  The  manuscript  journal  of  John 
Maley,  an  erratic  adventurer;  and  5.  The  manuscript  journal  of  Captain  Glass  and  company. 

The  account  states  that  the  iron  had  become  the  property  of  Colonel  Gibbs  and  had  been 
deposited  in  the  collection  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  and  continues  as  follows : 

In  the  year  1808,  while  Capt.  Anthony  Glass  was  trading  among  the  Pawnee  and  Hietan  Nations,  he  was  informed 
concerning  a  curious  mineral  which  had  been  discovered  on  the  territory  of  the  Hietans  by  one  of  the  Pawnees.  The 
mineral  could  not  have  been  discovered  long  antecedent  to  that  time,  as  Captain  Glass  saw  the  Indian  who  claimed 
the  honor  of  its  discovery.  Captain  Glass  and  several  of  his  party  went,  in  company  with  some  Hietans  and  Pawnees, 
and  saw  the  mass  in  situ.  He  does  not  mention  whether  the  natives  entertained  any  particular  opinions  respecting 
its  origin;  they,  however,  regarded  it  with  much  veneration,  and  ascribed  to  it  singular  powers  in  the  cure  of  diseases. 
They  informed  him  that  they  knew  of  two  other  smaller  pieces,  the  one  about  30  and  the  other  about  50  miles  distant. 

This  intelligence,  announced  on  the  return  of  Captain  Glass,  excited  no  little  curiosity;  and  confident  hopes  pre- 
vailed that  the  mineral  would  prove  to  be  platina,  or  something  else  of  much  value. 

In  1810,  two  rival  parties  were  made  up  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  this  metal — one  at  Natcbitoch.es,  consisting 
of  George  Schamp,  who  had  been  with  Captain  Glass,  and  nine  associates;  the  other  at  Nacogdoches,  consisting  of 
John  Davis,  who  also  had  been  with  Captain  Glass,  and  eight  or  ten  associates. 

The  Nacogdoches  party  first  arrived  at  the  place  of  destination;  but,  having  in  their  hurry  to  anticipate  the  rival 
party,  made  no  preparations  for  carrying  away  the  metal,  they  hid  it  under  a  flat  stone  and  went  away  to  procure 
wheels  and  draft  horses. 

The  Natchitoches  party  arrived  a  few  days  afterwards,  and  after  searching  several  days  succeeded  in  finding  their 
object.  Being  provided  with  tools,  they  made  a  truck  wagon,  to  which  they  harnessed  six  horses,  and  set  off  with  their 
prize  toward  the  Red  River.  They  crossed  the  Brasses  without  much  difficulty;  but  a  straggling  party  of  Indians 
having  one  night  stolen  all  their  horses,  they  were  detained  until  two  of  their  party  could  go  to  Natchitoches  for  more 
horses.  On  arriving  at  the  Red  River,  some  of  their  party  went  down  in  a  boat  with  the  iron,  while  others  took  the 
horses  down  by  land.  From  Natchitoches  the  metal  was  taken  down  the  Red  River  and  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans, 
whence  it  was  shipped  to  New  York. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  367 

In  February,  1812,  John  Maley,  a  man  who  with  a  roving  disposition  appears  to  have  possessed  a  strong  and  in- 
quiring though  uncultivated  mind,  went  with  a  few  associates  up  the  Red  River,  with  a  view  to  explore  the  country, 
trade  with  the  Indians,  and  (if  practicable)  to  bring  away  the  two  remaining  masses  of  metal.  He  saw  one  or  both  of 
the  masses;  but  being  unable  to  make  the  remuneration  for  them  demanded  by  the  Indians,  he  continued  his  tour 
farther  west.  Returning  he  contracted  to  barter  for  the  pieces  of  metal  a  certain  quantity  of  merchandise,  to  procure 
which  he  returned  to  Natchitoches  and  proceeded  to  New  Orleans. 

On  his  second  expedition  up  the  Red  River,  in  1813,  he  and  his  associates,  being  robbed  by  a  party  of  Osages  of 
their  merchandise  and  horses,  were  compelled  to  return  on  foot,  relinquishing  their  object. 

Undoubtedly,  therefore,  two  masses  at  least  of  thid  metal  still  remain  in  that  region,  and  will  probably  at  some 
future  time  enrich  some  cabinet  of  natural  history.  Their  precise  situation  is  not  so  well  known  as  could  be  wished. 
The  following  hints  are  subjoined,  as  they  may  afford  some  aid  to  any  who  may  hereafter  explore  these  regions: 

Some  hundred  miles  above  Natchitoches,  on  the  banks  of  the  Red  River,  is  a  Pawnee  village;  southwest  of  which, 
about  50  or  60  miles,  are  the  probable  localities  of  this  metal.  The  distances,  however,  of  this  village  above  Natchi- 
toches and  of  these  localities  from  the  village  are  variously  stated. 

"We  are  informed  by  the  Indians,"  says  Captain  Glass,  "of  a  remarkable  piece  of  metal  some  days'  journey  to  the 
southward  (of  the  Pawnee  village)  on  the  River  Brasses,"  but  he  subsequently  speaks  of  proceeding  south  and  west  in 
going  to  the  mass.  "The  Indians  informed  me  that  they  knew  of  two  other  smaller  pieces,  the  one  about  30,  the  other 
about  50  miles  distant"  (probably  from  the  Pawnee  village).  Captain  Glass  gives  no  estimate  of  the  whole  distance 
from  Natchitoches  to  the  Pawnee  village;  but,  from  intermediate  distances  mentioned,  he  seems  to  have  considered 
it  about  400  miles. 

Doctor  Sibley  frequently  conversed  with  Captain  Glass  and  others  of  the  party  which  went  in  quest  of  this 
metal.  He  states  the  distance  from  Natchitoches  to  the  place  where  the  transporting  party  lost  their  horses,  which 
must  be  about  the  distance  from  Natchitoches  to  the  Pawnee  village,  as  nearly  400  miles  by  land;  and  the  distance 
bv  water  from  the  place  of  embarkment  to  Natchitoches  as  nearly  1,000  miles. 

John  Maley  traveled  in  these  regions  subsequently  to  the  removal  of  the  large  mass,  but  visited  one  or  more 
smaller  masses.  "Crossing  the  river,"  he  says,  "at  the  Pawnee  village,  we  took  a  southwest  course  over  large  ledges 
of  limestone,  and  extensive  prairies.  After  a  journey  of  three  days,  we  were  conducted  by  the  Indians  to  this  metal. 
It  lay  a  few  miles  from  the  mountain  which  appeared  to  be  the  same  that  I  have  before  described  as  running  parallel 
to  the  Red  River."  He  does  not  state  whether  he  saw  one  piece  or  more,  but  he  afterwards  stipulated  for  "the  two 
pieces  of  metal."  The  Pawnee  village,  he  says,  is  1,500  miles  above  the  confluence  of  the  Red  River  with  the 
Mississippi. 

Judge  Johnson,  being  in  company  with  Mr.  Maley  some  years  since,  entered  into  conversation  on  this  subject. 
According  to  his  recollection  he  was  informed  by  Maley  that  "the  pieces  were  found  in  the  midst  of  an  open  sterile 
plain  lying  near  each  other  and  appearing  as  if  broken  and  scattered  in  the  fall  of  one  entire  mass."  "The  place  was 
described  by  Maley  as  about  200  (400?)  miles,  a  little  north  of  west  from  Natchitoches,  on  (near?)  the  ridge  between 
the  waters  of  the  Red  River  and  the  Rio  Bravo." 

The  readers  of  this  journal  will  recollect  some  "Notices  of  the  geology,  etc.,  of  the  regions  around  the  Mississippi 
and  its  confluent  waters,"  by  L.  Bringier,  Esq.,  of  Louisiana,  who  traveled  in  this  region  in  1812. 

Mr.  Schoolcraft,  who  states  that  the  large  mass  was  found  about  "one  hundred  miles  above  Natchitochee,"  must 
have  been  misinformed  concerning  the  distance. 

The  following  hints  given  by  Mr.  Win.  Darby,  to  whose  travels  the  public  are  indebted  for  much  important  infor- 
mation concerning  the  western  part  of  our  country,  are  probably  as  definite  as  can  at  present  be  obtained.  "  If  with 
one  of  Mr.  Melish's  maps  of  the  United  States  in  your  hand  you  run  your  eye  up  Red  River  to  the  Pawnee  village  you 
will  perceive  a  small  creek  entering  Red  River  a  short  distance  below  the  village.  This  creek  is  called  by  the  French 
hunters  and  traders  Bayou  Bois  d' Arc.  It  was  at  its  mouth  that  the  transporting  party  reached  Red  River  with  their 
prize.  Continue  your  glance  upon  the  map  a  little  south  of  west,  to  the  headwaters  of  the  River  Brasses  a  Dios,  and  you 
will  find  the  words  Haywa  Wandering.  Through  the  latter  you  will  perceive  a  small'  creek  represented  flowing  south 
into  the  Brassos.  From  comparing  the  account  of  their  journey  from  Red  River  and  of  their  return  to  that  stream  I  am 
induced  to  believe  that  the  latter  creek  flows  from  or  near  the  place  where  the  mass  of  iron  was  found.  The  place  is 
about  latitude  32°  207  north,  and  longitude  20°  West  from  Washington  City.  They  must  have  advanced  across  the 
upper  streams  of  the  Trinity  in  their  expedition.  That  part  of  Mr.  Melish's  map  was  constructed  almost  entirely  from 
my  papers.  When  the  manuscript  lent  me  by  Doctor  Sibley  was  in  my  possession  I  collated  it  as  carefully  as  waa  in 
my  power  with  draughts  of  the  country  which  I  had  previously  collected,  and  upon  my  map  traced  as  nearly  as  possible 
the  route  which  the  party  pursued.  I  can  not,  it  is  true,  guarantee  the  accuracy  of  the  delineation,  as  I  never  was 
myself  upon  Red  River  above  the  limits  of  Louisiana,  but  from  the  pains  I  took  to  arrive  at  correct  results  I  think  that 
the  general  representation  may  be  depended  upon  with  much  confidence." 

Aided  by  these  directions  alone  a  traveler  might  experience  some  difficulty  in  finding  the  masses  now  remaining  in 
that  region,  but  it  will  probably  never  be  difficult  to  obtain  guides  from  among  the  Indians.  A  mineral  substance  so 
remarkable  generally  engages  their  attention  and  often  their  veneration.  These  masses  of  iron  before  they  were  visited 
by  our  countrymen  were  among  the  Indians  objects  of  notoriety,  and  it  is  by  no  means  probable  that  their  notoriety  has 
diminished  since  adventurers  have  manifested  such  earnestness  to  obtain  them. 

Some  interesting  remarks  upon  the  native  iron  of  Louisiana  by  Colonel  Gibbs  are  published  in  Brace's  Journal ,  page 
218,  with  a  concise  account  of  similar  masses  from  other  countries.  Colonel  Gibbs  was  the  first  to  make  the  interesting 
observation  of  the  occurrence  of  crystals  in  native  iron ;  he  discovered  two  of  an  octahedral  form  in  the  iron  of  Louisiana. 


368  MEMOIKS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  the  huge  masses  of  malleable  iron  from  Louisiana  are  of  meteoric  origin,  and  thus 
their  history  is  rendered  extremely  interesting.  All  who  have  seen  them  in  situ  agree  that  they  appear  to  have  been 
deposited  in  consequence  of  some  extraordinary  natural  occurrence  and  that  it  is  impossible  they  should  be  the  product 
of  art.  The  similar  composition  of  the  various  masses  of  malleable  iron  which  have  been  found  in  different  parts  of  the 
world,  on  or  just  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth,  affords  almost  decisive  proof  of  their  common  origin.  The  experiments 
mentioned  in  the  notice  quoted  from  Doctor  Bruce  would  indicate  that  the  large  mass  in  New  York  forms  an  excep- 
tion to  thia  similarity  of  composition,  but  experiments  instituted  more  recently  by  Professor  Silliman  and  stated  by 
Colonel  Gibbs  in  the  notice  already  alluded  to,  have  detected  nickel  in  this  mass.  There  is  much  reason  to  believe, 
therefore,  that  it  had  a  common  origin  with  numerous  other  masses  found  in  various  places  and  containing  malleable 
iron  and  nickel,  some  of  which  are  known  to  have  proceeded  from  meteors. 

Shepard  *  gave  in  1829  a  detailed  description  of  his  analysis  of  the  meteorite  which  yielded: 

Fe  Ni 

90.020        9.674     =99.694 

From  the  similarity  in  composition  to  the  meteorite  of  Santa  Rosa  he  concluded  that  "they 
were  derived  from  one.  and  the  same  meteorite  which  traversed  the  atmosphere  of  our  planet  in  a 
direction  lengthwise  of  the  American  Continent."  He  also  gives  a  determination  of  the  specific 
gravity  as  7.543. 

Notice  of  the  gift  of  the  meteorite  to  Yale  College  and  dimensions  of  the  mass  were  given 
in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  in  1835,6  as  follows: 

The  history  of  this  iron  has  been  given  in  this  journal . 3  The  first  notice  of  it  was  published  in  Doctor  Bruce's  Journal 
in  1810  and  it  was  there  stated  that  it  contained  no  nickel;  a  subsequent  examination  by  Professor  Silliman  detected 
that  metal,  and  a  more  exact  analysis  by  Mr.  Charles  IT.  Shepard  *  ascertained  the  existence  of  9.67  per  cent  of  nickel 
in  this  very  remarkable  mass.  It  was  for  many  years  deposited  in  trust  in  the  Museum  of  the  Lyceum  of  New  York 
by  the  late  Colonel  Gibbs,  who  had  early  purchased  the  specimen.  That  gentleman's  lamented  death  was  mentioned 
in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  vol.  25,  p.  214.  Recently  his  respected  lady,  Mrs.  Laura  Gibbs,  with  the  appro- 
bation of  those  concerned,  has  generously  presented  this  magnificent  mass  to  the  cabinet  of  mineralogy  of  Yale  College, 
thus  causing  it  to  be  associated  with  the  splendid  collection,  the  Gibbs  Cabinet,  which  was  amassed  by  the  labor  and 
munificence  of  him  whose  name  it  bears  and  to  whose  memory  we  trust  it  will  long  continue  to  do  honor.  In  this 
collection,  unrivaled  in  the  United  States  and  surpassed  in  few  other  countries,  the  meteoric  iron  of  Louisiana  is, 
without  doubt,  the  most  important  specimen. 

A  more  particular  notice  of  it  may  be  given  on  another  occasion.  Its  length  is  3  feet  4.5  inches,  its  greatest  breadth 
2  feet  4  inches,  and  its  greatest  height  16  inches.  Its  weight  is  1,635  pounds,  being  more  than  that  of  the  mass  found  by 
Professor  Pallas  in  Siberia  which  is  now  in  the  Imperial  Museum  at  St.  Petersburg. 

The  Gibbs  meteoric  iron  is,  therefore,  the  largest  piece  in  any  collection  in  the  world,  although  there  are  masses 
many  times  larger  lying  in  the  wild  regions  of  Mexico  and  Peru  and  perhaps  elsewhere. 

Shepard  a  quotes  an  observation  of  the  artisan,  Mr.  Abbot,  who  polished  the  face  of  the 
mass  at  Yale  College,  to  the  effect  that  in  the  process  of  polishing  the  dust  abraded,  especially 
when  rendered  pasty  by  oil  or  water,  arranged  itself  in  lines  resembling  the  outline  of  mountain 
ranges.  Shepard  ascribes  this  to  lines  of  magnetic  iron  in  the  mass  and  stated  that  he  found 
by  solution  of  the  Texas  iron  that  it  contained  magnetic  oxide  of  iron. 

Partsch  7  describes  several  pieces  in  the  Vienna  collection  as  hard  compact  iron  mixed  with 
pyrrhotite,  showing  complete,  finely  striated  Widmannstatten  figures  on  etching;  on  fracture 
showing  a  foliated  structure. 

Silliman  and  Hunt  8  made  a  study  of  the  meteorite,  and  gave  their  results  as  follows: 

After  this  mass  was  presented  to  the  collection  in  Yale  College  by  Mrs.  Laura  Gibbs  (widow  of  Col.  George  Gibbs, 
so  well  known  to  all  cultivators  of  mineralogy),  a  portion  of  the  smaller  end  was  sawn  off  with  much  difficulty,  which 
when  reduced  to  a  smooth  surface,  gave  a  brilliantly  polished  face  about  8  inches  in  diameter,  on  which  is  engraved 
an  inscription  commemorative  of  Colonel  Gibbs  and  the  donor,  and  the  weight  of  the  mass,  1,635  pounds.  This  sec- 
tion revealed  in  a  very  perfect  manner  the  crystalline  structure  of  the  mass,  by  the  broad  octahedral  cleavages  which 
appeared  at  one  or  two  points  where  a  fracture  was  made.  By  a  planing  machine,  the  surface  of  the  portion  which 
was  removed  was  rendered  quite  smooth  and  level,  and  after  being  well  polished,  it  was  washed  with  dilute  nitric 
acid.  The  lines  of  crystallization  at  once  made  their  appearance  in  the  most  beautiful  manner.  The  action  of  the 
acid  was  continued  until  the  lines  were  etched  boldly  enough  to  take  ink  and  give  an  impression.  The  mass  was  so 
imbedded  in  type  metal  as  to  be  capable  of  passing  the  copper  plate  press,  and  the  impressions  were  then  taken,  of 
which  the  accompanying  plate  is  one.  This  mode  of  proceeding,  causes  the  iron  to  record  its  own  crystalline  char- 
acter in  the  most  faithful  manner.  This  crystalline  structure  of  metoeric  iron  is  found  in  most  but  not  in  all  the  speci- 
mens of  such  iron  which  have  been  examined.  Those  who  have  seen  the  work  of  Schreibers  will  remember  the 
beautiful  structure  of  the  Agram  iron,  and  many  others  developed  by  the  acids.  The  Alabama  meteoric  iron  has, 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  369 

however,  no  distinct  crystalline  structure.    The  Columbia,  South  America,  has  very  little;  and  the  supposed  meteoric 
iron  from  Oswego,  or  Scriba,  in  New  York,  has  none. 

The  Texas  mass  is  a  magnet;  its  greatest  diameter  is  nearly  in  the  magnetic  meridian,  as  it  is  now  placed,  and  in 
this  situation  it  possesses  true  polarity.  One  of  the  artisans  employed  in  finishing  up  the  polished  face  noticed  that 
the  filings  of  the  iron  arranged  themselves  on  the  face  in  lines  parallel  to  the  crystalline  planes,  as  if  influenced  by 
magnetic  attraction.  No  large  masses  of  pyrites  were  observed  in  this  mass,  though  so  abundant  in  the  Lockport  iron. 
This  mineral  is,  however,  not  entirely  wanting  in  the  Texas  iron,  as  is  shown  by  chemical  examination;  and  one  or  two 
small  lumps  of  pyrites  were  encountered  by  the  saw  in  cutting  the  section  before  mentioned. 

Very  soon  after  the  section  was  made,  both  of  its  opposite  faces  were  observed  to  be  bedewed  with  moisture. 
This  was  washed  off  with  distilled  water  and  the  washings  tested  for  chlorine  by  nitrate  of  silver,  with  abundant  evi- 
dence of  the  presence  of  this  element.  This  exudation  soon  ceased,  and  the  chippings  of  the  iron  examined  by  solu- 
tion in  pure  nitric  acid,  and  testing  with  nitrate  of  silver,  gave  no  further  evidence  of  the  presence  of  chlorine.  We 
conclude,  therefore,  that  this  iron  probably  contains  in  its  interior  parts  a  small  portion  of  chlorine,  which  has  escaped 
from  its  surface,  and  hence  only  the  deep  section  of  the  mass  gave  evidence  of  its  presence. 

********* 

When  this  iron  is  dissolved  in  hydrochloric  acid  (A)  a  very  small  amount  of  insoluble  matter  remains,  being  only 
about  5  per  cent.  This  residue  is  a  black  powder  (B)  interspersed  with  some  scales  of  a  leaden  gray  and  containing 
numerous  brilliant  metallic  plates  of  a  silvery  whiteness.  It  is  almost  entirely  magnetic  iron,  the  brilliant  scales  being 
either  metallic  nickel  or  an  alloy  of  iron  with  a  large  portion  of  nickel. 

The  hydrochloric  solution  (A)  afforded  no  precipitate  when  treated  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen;  and  the  iron 
being  thrown  down  from  a  portion  of  it  by  ammonia,  the  filtrate  was  examined  in  vain  for  cobalt,  manganese,  and  zinc. 

The  insoluble  black  powder  (B),  when  digested  in  aqua  regia,  was  partly  dissolved,  while  another  portion  remained. 
consisting  of  flakes  of  graphite,  or  at  least  of  a  very  incombustible  carbon  containing  a  little  iron.  Sulphuretted 
hydrogen  passed  through  the  solution  gave  a  yellowish  brown  precipitate,  which  was  dissolved  by  hydroeulphuret  of 
ammonia  (C),  leaving  only  a  trace  of  sulphuret  of  copper.  The  soluble  portion  (C)  was  precipitated  by  acetic  acid, 
and  its  color  appeared  to  be  orange,  but  was  somewhat  obscured  by  free  sulphur.  The  results  obtained  from  ita  exam- 
ination were  anomalous  and  rather  unsatisfactory.  It  fused  with  niter  and  carbonate  of  soda,  forming  a  mass  which 
was  soluble  in  water  without  residue,  and  whose  solution  nitric  acid  did  not  sensibly  affect.  Treated  with  nitrate  of 
silver  and  a  dilute  solution  of  ammonia,  with  reference  to  the  detection  of  arsenic  acid,  it  gave  a  white  precipitate  in 
place  of  the  red-brown  of  the  arseniate  of  silver.  A  part  of  the  solution  was  treated  with  acetate  of  lead,  and  the  pre- 
cipitate obtained,  when  reduced  before  the  blowpipe,  have  a  globule  of  lead,  which  at  a  red  heat  evolved  white 
inodorous  fumes  resembling  antimony.  A  want  of  sufficient  material  prevented  any  further  examination,  and  the 
question  of  its  true  nature  is  consequently  yet  unsettled.  Antimonic  acid  is  precipitated  from  ita  salts  by  any  strong 
acid,  which  was  not  the  reaction  of  the  substance  under  examination.  If  not  antimony,  it  is  probably  a  new  body 
hitherto  unexamined.  although  such  a  conclusion  requires  further  evidence  to  warrant  its  correctness. 

The  analysis  of  100  parts  of  this  residue  (B)  gave — 

Iron v •. 31.2 

Nickel 42. 8 

Phosphorus 4. 0 

Carbon 5. 0 

Antimony  (?)  and  copper 9. 3 

92.3 

The  iron  in  (B)  is  doubtless  in  the  state  of  magnetic  oxide,  and  as  such  would  make  up  the  deficiency  in  this 
analysis. 

The  proportion  of  nickel  and  iron  in  the  Texas  meteorite  seems  to  vary. '  The  mean  of  several  analyses  gives  us — 

Iron 90.911 

Nickel 8.462 

Insoluble  (phosphurets,  etc.) 0. 500 


99.873 

The  nickeliferous  iron,  or  that  part  of  the  mass  most  rich  in  nickel,  seems  to  have  been  segregated  from  the  gen- 
eral mass,  and  forms  the  elevated  lines  of  brilliant  whiteness  which  appear  on  etching  a  polished  surface  of  metal. 

Rose  9  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  fine-grained,  alloyed,  uniform,  and  malleable  iron. 
Wright 10  gave  the  following  account  of  an  examination  of  the  meteorite  for  gases: 
The  first  trial  was  made  with  a  piece  of  meteoric  iron,  which  is  a  fragment  of  the  great  Texas  meteorite,  in  the 
cabinet  of  Yale  College.    This  meteorite,  of  which  adescription  has  been  published,  is  a  large  mass  weighing  742  kgs., 
having  the  following  composition: 

Fe 90. 91 

Ni 8.46 

Insoluble  portion,  containing  some  carbon 0. 50 

99.87 
716°— 15 24 


370  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  chipa  produced  by  the  borer  were  mostly  very  small  particles.  Much  of  the  metal  was  reduced  to  powder, 
and  the  coarser  portions  were  crushed  in  the  process  of  boring,  so  as  to  destroy  the  solidity  of  the  iron  and  break  up 
its  structure.  A  quantity  of  the  borings  representing  0.384  ccm.  of  the  solid  iron  were  placed  in  the  glass  tube,  which 
was  then  fastened  in  its  place.  The  stopcock  was  closed  and  the  pump  set  in  operation.  When  the  gauge  stood  at  17  mm. 
the  cock  was  momentarily  opened,  and  then  closed.  The  gauge  rose  to  about  100  mm.,  and  when  the  pump  had 
brought  it  down  again  to  17  mm.  the  spectroscope  was  applied  to  the  vacuum  tube.  The  red  hydrogen  line  was  seen 
bright,  the  rest  of  the  spectrum  having  the  ordinary  banded  structure  due  to  nitrogen  and  oxygen.  As  the  exhaus- 
tion proceeded  the  other  hydrogen  lines  appeared,  and  when  the  tension  was  reduced  to  4  mm.  both  Ha  and 
H/J  were  bright  and  distinct.  H;-  was  visible,  though  less  prominent.  The  carbon  bands  also  were  distinctly 
seen.  At  2.5  mm.  pressure  the  stopcock  was  opened,  causing  the  gauge  to  rise  12.5  mm.,  after  which  it  remained 
nearly  stationary  for  15  minutes,  although  the  pump  was  in  action.  A  simple  calculation  shows  that  the  first  rise  of 
12.5  mm.  is  just  what  should  have  been  produced  by  the  air  contained  in  the  tube  with  the  iron.  But  the  fact  that 
the  gauge  maintained  this  position  for  a  considerable  time,  while  the  pump  was  continually  withdrawing  the  air, 
shows  that  the  iron  gave  off  a  portion  of  its  gas  without  the  application  of  heat,  and  it  was  repeatedly  observed  in  other 
experiments  that  when  the  stopcock  was  open  and  the  pump  not  in  action,  the  gauge  continued  to  rise  very  slowly, 
sometimes  as  much  as  2  mm.  in  an  hour  or  two. 

A  gentle  heat  was  now  applied  to  the  tube  containing  the  iron  by  means  of  a  Bunsen  burner.  This  brought  the 
gauge  in  a  few  minutes  to  about  6  mm.,  and  produced  a  marked  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  vacuum  tube,  which 
before  had  the  appearance  of  an  ordinary  hydrogen  tube.  The  light  in  the  broad  portion  became  a  straight,  hazy 
stream  of  a  dull  greenish-white  color,  very  similar  to  that  given  by  a  tube  containing  either  of  the  oxides  of  carbon. 
After  the  tube  had  been  exhausted  to  2  mm.,  heat  was  again  applied  rather  more  strongly  than  before,  but  still  below 
redness,  carrying  the  gauge  to  9  mm.  in  about  10  minutes,  the  effect  upon  the  spectrum  being  merely  to  increase  the 
intensity  of  the  carbon  bands.  The  tube  was  now  wrapped  with  copper  foil,  and  the  temperature,  by  means  of  a 
Bunsen  flame,  carried  to  low  redness,  so  that  the  glass  softened  and  began  to  yield.  But  a  small  quantity  of  gas  was 
given  off,  the  gauge  at  the  end  of  10  minutes  standing  at  5  mm.  The  stopcock  being  closed,  the  exhaustion  was  con- 
tinued to  1.5  mm.  At  this  point  the  spectrum  was  nearly  the  same  as  before,  but  was  somewhat  less  brilliant. 
Certain  other  lines  appeared  in  the  spectrum,  of  which  mention  will  be  made  in  a  later  paragraph. 

Some  months  later  Wright  u  stated  the  amount  of  gases  obtained  from  the  meteorite  to 
be  as  follows: 

Temperature        C02         CO  H  Volumes 

500°  9.76          8.43        81.81  1.10 

Red  heat  2.18  48.58        49.24  0.19 

Brezina  "  classed  the  meteorite  with  the  Murfreesboro  group  of  the  medium  octahedrites 
and  remarked  concerning  it  as  follows: 

The  deeply  etched  specimen  in  the  Vienna  museum  does  not  show  hatching,  while  in  all  other  respects  it  corre- 
sponds with  the  characteristics  of  the  group.  The  breadth  of  the  laminae  is  0.6  mm. 

Meunier 1S  classed  it  as  caillite  and  described  the  etching  as  follows: 

The  etching  figures  are  quite  normal,  kamacite  bands  medium  width  and  fine  grained;  taenite  well  defined  and 
the  plessite,  moderately  abundant,  often  contains  granulations  plainly  due  to  the  presence  of  schreibersite. 

Various  names  have  been  applied  to  the  meteorite  according  to  the  places  of  its  find.  Of 
these  Cross  Timbers  would  be  most  nearly  in  accord  with  present  usage,  but  Farrington  " 
raised  objection  to  this  as  follows: 

There  are  three  "Cross  Timbers"  in  Texas,  occurring  in  Denton,  Harris,  and  Johnson  Counties,  respectively. 
None  of  these  is  near  the  locality  latitude  32°  7'  N.,  longitude  95°  lO'  W.,  at  which  this  meteorite  is  reported  to  have 
been  found.  It  is  true  this  locality  is  a  long  distance  from  the  Red  River  as  well,  but  this  name  has  historic  usage. 

Accordingly,  the  name  Red  River  is  here  adopted. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  Q,635  pounds)  in  the  Yale  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1810-1814:  BRUCE.    Mass  of  malleable  iron.    Amer.  Min.  Journ.,  vol.  1,  p.  124. 

2.  1812-1814:  GIBBS.    Observations  on  the  mass  of  iron  from  Louisiana.    Amer.  Min.  Journ.,  vol.  1,  pp.  218-221. 

3.  1824:  C.  H.    Notice  of  the  malleable  iron  of  Louisiana.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  8,  pp.  218-225. 

4.  1829:  SHEPARD.    Analysis  of  the  meteoric  iron  of  Louisiana,  and  discovery  of  the  stanniferous  columbite  in  Mas- 

sachusetts.   Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  16,  pp.  217-219.    (Analysis.) 

5.  1835:  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  27,  p.  382.    (Great  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from  Louisiana.) 

6.  1842:  SHEPARD.    Analysis  of  meteoric  iron  from  Cocke  County,  Tennessee,  with  some  remarks  upon  chlorine  in 

meteoric  iron  masses.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  43,  pp.  358-359. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  371 

7.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Meteoriten,  pp.  111-112. 

8.  1846:  Snj.nfAM  and  HUNT.    On  the  meteoric  iron  of  Texas  and  Lockport.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  2,  pp. 

370-374.    (Analysis  and  illustration  of  etched  plate.) 

9.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  26,  57,  64,  and  153. 

10.  1875:  WRIGHT.    Spectroscopic  examination  of  gases  from  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  9,  p. 

296. 

11.  1876:  WRIGHT.    On  the  gases  contained  in  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  ScL,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  p.  257. 

12.  1885:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammhing,  pp.  210  and  233. 

13.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fera  me'teoriques,  pp.  52  and  54. 

14.  1903:  FARRINGTON.    Catalogue  of  the  Collection  of  Meteorites:  Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  2, 

p.  93. 


Red  River,  1875.    See  Wichita  County. 


RED  WILLOW  COUNTY. 

Nebraska. 

Latitude  40°  22'  N.,'  longitude  100°  307  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  later  than  1898. 

Weight,  2.77  kgs.  (6.13  Ibs.). 

This  iron  is  described  by  B  arbour  *  as  found  in  Red  Willow  County,  Nebraska,  later  than 
the  York  County  specimen.  Barbour  gives  two  figures  showing  the  shape,  which  is  somewhat 
elongated  and  polygonal.  One  face  is  said  to  have  been  severely  pounded  with  a  hammer. 
Etching  brings  out  indistinct  figures  which  are  also  illustrated  by  Barbour. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1903:  BARBOUR.    Report  Nebraska  Geol.  Survey,  vol.  1,  p.  184.    (Cut  of  mass  and  figures.) 


REED  CITY. 

• 

Osceola  County,  Michigan. 

Latitude  43°  52'  N.,  longitude  85°  32'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1895. 

Weight,  19.8  kgs.  (43  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Preston,1  as  follows: 

For  the  early  history  of  this  meteorite  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  Walter  B.  Barrows,  of  the  Michigan  State  Agricul- 
tural College,  and  a  clipping  written  by  Professor  Barrows  from  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  Record,  published 
by  the  same  institution. 

This  meteorite,  according  to  Professor  Barrows'  statement,  was  found  by  Mr.  Ernest  Ruppert,  a  small  fanner  and 
junk  dealer,  on  his  farm  in  Osceola  County,  near  Reed  City,  Michigan,  while  plowing  in  Spetember,  1895. 

The  meteorite  was  later  displayed  in  a  hotel  window  in  Reed  City,  where  Professor  Barrows  saw  it  in  December, 
1898,  and  was  told  there  had  been  a  dispute  as  to  the  origin  of  the  specimen,  some  claiming  that  it  was  a  meteor  from 
the  skies,  others  that  it  was  a  lump  of  ordinary  iron.  Professor  Barrows  saw  at  a  glance  from  its  general  character  that 
it  was  a  genuine  meteorite,  and  at  that  time  made  an  unsuccessful  effort  to  obtain  it  for  the  college  museum.  Other 
attempts  were  equally  unsuccessful  until  recently,  when  the  iron  was  purchased  by  the  college. 

In  January  of  this  year  Prof.  Henry  A.  Ward,  of  Chicago,  visited  Professor  Barrows  to  see  if  he  could  make  arrange- 
ments to  obtain  a  portion  of  the  mass  for  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection  of  Meteorites  now  on  deposit  in  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History  in  New  York.  In  consequence  of  thin  visit  the  mass  was  sent  to  Rochester,  New  York, 
for  slicing. 

The  meteorite  on  reaching  Rochester,  before  cutting,  was  a  semicircular  or  ham-shaped  mass,  10  by  21  by  26.5  cm. 
in  its  greatest  diameters,  of  which  one  side  is  a  comparatively  smooth  convex  surface,  showing  no  distinct  pittings. 
The  opposite  side  is  much  more  irregular  in  form,  slightly  concave,  with  three  prominent  and  numerous  small  char- 
acteristic pittings.  On  the  upper  edge  of  this  face  is  a  hackly  fracture,  oblong  in  shape,  4.5  by  10  cm.  in  diameter, 
where  a  piece,  less  than  a  pound  according  to  Professor  Barrows,  was  broken  off  by  the  finder  in  an  effort  to  discover 
what  made  the  "stone  "  so  heavy.  The  surface  of  this  fracture,  like  that  of  the  entire  mass,  being  much  oxidized,  so 
that  the  nickeliferous  iron  is  not  visible.  On  one  edge  there  is  a  large,  irregular  pitting  some  10  cm.  long  and  5  cm.'' 
deep.  The  whole  mass  is  of  a  reddish-brown  hue,  intermingled  with  large  irregular  patches  of  an  ochreous-vellow 
color.  On  no  part  of  the  iron  was  the  true  crust  observed.  Its  weight  was  43  pounds  11  ounces,  or  19.8  kilograms. 


372  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Following  the  directions  of  Professor  Ward,  a  few  cuts  were  made  parallel  to  one  of  the  edges  and  commencing 
just  within  the  edge  of  the  deep  pitting  mentioned  above.  On  polishing  and  etching  these  cut  surfaces  we  found  that 
the  iron  was  octahedral  in  structure,  with  well-marked  Widmannstatten  figures.  A  feature  of  this  iron  is  the  fact  that 
it  etches  so  readily  that  the  Widmannstatten  figures  were  slightly  outlined  on  an  ordinary  polished  surface,  without 
the  use  of  acid  or  any  other  solvent. 

The  etched  surfaces  have  numerous  fissures  from  0.5  to  1.5  mm.  in  width  and  from  5  to  65  mm.  in  length,  partly 
filled  with  troilite  but  mainly  with  schreibersite.  These  fissures  occur  at  various  angles  toward  each  other,  thus  break- 
ing to  some  extent  the  regularity  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  and  are  invariably  entirely  surrounded  by  kamacite 
bands.  The  kamacite  bands  average  from  1.5  to  2  mm.  in  width,  with  the  broadest  bands  generally  surrounding  the 
schreibersite-filled  fissures.  The  plessite  patches  which  are  quite  prominent  on  the  etched  surfaces  show  clearly  the 
alternating  layers  of  kamacite  and  tsenite  (so-called  Laphamite  lines),  a  feature  that  was  first  distinguished  in  another 
Michigan  iron,  that  of  Grand  Rapids.  On  no  section  were  rounded  troilite  nodules,  so  characteristic  of  iron  meteorites, 
found. 

The  character  of  the  etched  surface  of  this  meteorite  in  many  respects  resembles  that  of  Cuernavaca,  but  the  kama- 
cite blades  are  much  broader  and  longer  than  in  Cuernavaca,  thus  making  the  figures  much  more  prominent. 

An  analysis  of  this  meteorite,  made  for  Professor  Ward  by  Prof.  J.  E.  Whitfield,  of  Philadelphia,  gave  the  fol- 
lowing results: 

Fe , ...  89.  386 

Ni '....     8.180 

97.  566 
•  Specific  gravity,  7.6. 

From  the  close  proximity  of  the  farm,  on  which  this  meteorite  was  found,  to  Reed  City  we  will  designat3  it  as  the 
"Reed  City  Meteorite." 

The  main  mass  of  this  iron  was  returned  to  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  while  the  smaller  end  and  one  slice, 
weighing  2.9  kilograms,  were  added  to  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection  of  Meteorites. 

Brezina 2  grouped  the  meteorite  with  Cacaria  and  Hammond  as  a  Hammond  octahedrite, 
the  characteristic  of  which  is  "lamellae  blended  with  dark  or  black  points." 

Cohen 3  regards  the  members  of  this  group  as  octahedrites  which  have  received  their  peculiar 
structure  through  softening.  This  he  states  has  occurred  only  in  a  moderate  degree  in  Reed 
City.  He  also  remarks  that  Reed  City  is  peculiar  in  an  alteration  zone  found  along  the  natural 
border  which  has  originated  subsequent  to  the  latter.  This  alteration  zone  is  darker  and  duller 
than  the  interior  which  retains  a  weak  oriented  sheen. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  at  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1903:  PRESTON.    Reed  City  meteorite.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  83-91.     (With  plate.)    AlsoJourn. 

Geol.,  vol.  11,  pp.  230-233. 

2.  1904:  BREZINA.    The  Ward-Coonley  collection  of  meteorites,  p.  102. 

3.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  399  and  400. 

Rensselaer  County.    See  Tomhannock  Creek. 


RICHMOND. 

Chesterfield  County,  Virginia. 

Latitude  37°  33'  N.,  longitude  77°  25'  W. 

Stone.    Crystalline  spherical  chondrite  (Cck.)  of  Brezina;  Richmondite  (type  39)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  8.30  a.  m.,  June  4. 1828. 

Weight,  one  stone  of  about  2  kgs.  (4  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Cocke,1  as  follows: 

The  fact  that  stones  have  fallen  from  the  atmosphere  is  now  universally  admitted  by  men  of  science,  but  as  there 
may  still  be  some  persons  not  acquainted  with  the  evidence  who  may  entertain  doubts  on  the  subject  it  may  not  be 
amiss  to  make  known  the  facts  connected  with  an  instance  of  this  sort  that  occurred  in  Chesterfield  County,  Virginia, 
about  7  miles  southwest  of  Richmond,  on  the  4th  of  June  last — this  case  is  as  well  attested  aa  any  of  the  kind  I  ever 
recollect  to  have  heard  of. 

Being  in  Richmond  at  the  time  and  hearing  of  the  fall,  I  made  some  inquiry  and  obtained  a  piece  of  the  stone 
about  the  size  of  a  pigeon's  egg.  This  resembled  so  much  the  only  specimen  of  a  meteoric  stone  I  had  ever  seen  that  my 
anxiety  to  see  the  whole  stone  and  to  learn  the  facts  relating  to  its  fall  was  increased.  It  was  very  much  like  a  fragment 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  373 

• 

in  your  cabinet  which  was  part  of  a  atone  that  fell  in  Connecticut  many  years  ago,  an  account  of  which  is  published  in 
the  American  edition  of  Rees's  Cyclopedia.  After  some  inquiry  I  obtained  the  greater  part  of  the  stone  weighing  3 
pounds  3  ounces  avoirdupois.  Most  of  the  exterior  is  of  a  dark  gray  color,  about  one-third  is  covered  with  a  black 
crust.  The  fracture  Ls  granular  and  of  a  light  gray,  interspersed  with  white  metallic  points  which  yield  easily  to  the 
knife.  For  several  days  after  the  stone  was  taken  from  the  earth  it  retained  a  strong  scent  of  sulphur.  The  exterior 
exhibited  several  cavities  from  the  size  of  a  pea  to  that  of  a  mustard  seed,  many  of  these  are  filled  with  earth  and  with 
fibers  of  the  turf  through  which  it  passed  on  striking  the  earth .  The  -whole  stone,  when  entire,  waa  said  to  have  weighed 
about  4  pounds.  Its  form  is  nearly  spheroidal  and  its  specific  gravity  about  4. 

The  facts  in  relation  to  its  fall,  as  I  obtained  them  from  a  friend  who  visited  the  spot  on  the  7th  of  June,  the  day 
after  I  got  possession  of  the  stone,  are  as  follows: 

An  overseer  and  several  negroes  were  at  work  in  a  field  belonging  to  Mr.  Matthew  Winfree  about  9  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  4th.  An  explosion  was  heard  in  the  direction  of  Richmond  toward  the  northeast  which  was  at  first 
mistaken  for  the  report  of  a  cannon,  and  in  a  short  time  after  there  was  a  noise  which  was  thought  at  first  to  be  the 
rumbling  of  a  carriage  on  a  neighboring  stony  road .  In  a  few  seconds,  however,  it  was  perceived  to  be  rapidly  approach- 
ing and  presently  after  seemed  to  be  just  overhead,  when  it  passed  beyond  and  ended  by  a  sound  resembling  the  fall 
of  a  heavy  body  on  the  earth.  The  persons  hastened  toward  the  place  from  which  the  stroke  proceeded  and,  after  con- 
siderable search,  found  a  hole  in  the  turf  which  seemed  to  have  been  made  by  the  entrance  of  a  ball;  they  dug  and 
got  the  stone  above  described.  The  stone  had  buried  itself  about  12  inches;  the  distance  of  the  hole  from  the  point 
where  the  persons  were  standing  when  the  stroke  was  heard  was  found  by  measurement  to  be  260  paces. 

The  person  who  gave  the  above  account  saw  the  hole  the  third  day  after  it  had  been  made.  The  bed  from  which 
the  stone  was  taken  was  entire  when  he  was  there  and  of  the  size  and  shape  of  the  body  said  to  have  been  taken  from  it. 

A  specimen  will  be  submitted  to  the  professor  of  chemistry  at  our  university  as  soon  as  possible.  J  should  have 
great  pleasure  in  sending  it  for  your  inspection  but  for  the  difficulty  of  getting  it  to  New  Haven. 

A  later  detailed  description  and  account  was  given  by  Shepard,2  as  follows: 

Since  collections  of  meteoric  stones  have  begun  to  be  formed  and  a  more  nice  attention  to  be  bestowed  upon  their 
differences  and  resemblances  our  information  concerning  their  nature,  as  might  have  been  expected,  has  been  greatly 
augmented ;  and  although  we  may  still  be  far  from  solving  the  curious  problem  of  the  origin  of  these  singular  bodies  we 
are,  nevertheless,  certain  that  a  minute  observation  of  all  the  facts  connected  with  the  subject  affords  the  only  rational 
promise  of  our  ultimately  attaining  so  desirable  an  object. 

In  giving  a  description  of  the  Virginia  aerolite  I  shall  in  the  first  place  consider  the  specimen  before  me  in  relation 
to  its  compound  character,  or,  so  to  speak,  as  a  rock;  and  afterwards  I  shall  attempt  to  point  out  the  nature  of  the  indi- 
vidual substances  of  which  it  is  composed. 

The  weight  of  the  fragment  is  a  little  short  of  2  pounds,  which  is  about  half  that,  as  we  are  informed,  of  the  mass 
from  which  it  was  detached.  That  portion  of  the  external  surface  which  remains  in  the  specimen  indicates  that  the 
entire  piece  was  less  oval  in  its  figure  than  is  usual  in  these  stones.  Besides  this  difference  in  general  shape  the  surface 
exhibits  hollow  and  circular  cavities,  some  of  which  are  half  an  inch  in  diameter  and  about  the  same  in  depth;  and  is 
invested  with  the  black  coating  which  always  accompanies  such  bodies,  although  this  is  interrupted  in  a  few  places 
and  nowhere  appears  to  have  resulted  from  a  very  perfect  fusion. 

Its  interior  at  first  glance  reminds  one  forcibly  of  certain  volcanic  rocks.  Its  color  is  a  bluish  ash-gray,  interspersed 
with  a  sprinkling  of  white,  and  here  and  there  with  specks  of  brownish  rust.  It  contains  numerous  ovoidal,  irregular- 
shaped  cavities,  varying  in  size  from  one-tenth  to  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  which  are  lined  in  many  instances  with 
brilliant  metallic  crystals.  Its  compound  character  becomes  sufficiently  obvious  on  bringing  it  near  the  eye,  when  it 
appears  to  be  composed  principally  of  a  bluish-gray  substance,  in  globular  masses,  from  the  size  of  a  mustard  seed  to  that 
of  a  pea,  and  a  white  loosely  cohering  mineral,  the  former  in  much  the  largest  proportion.  After  these,  on  closer  inspec- 
tion, are  visible,  minute-hook  shaped,  and  sometimes  slightly  flattened  globular  masses  of  a  metallic  nature  which  are 
often  partially  coated  by  rust,  and  minute  steel-gray  grains  and  crystals,  which  for  the  most  part  occupy  the  cavities 
before  mentioned,  and  are  sometimes  arranged  so  as  to  resemble  the  characters  used  in  the  eastern  languages.  Besides 
these,  by  the  aid  of  a  microscope,  we  discover  occasionally  a  greenish  transparent  laminated  substance,  and  more 
rarely  a  honey-yellow  mineral  in  minute  grains. 

In  comparing  it  in  its  general  aspect  with  such  meteoric  specimens  as  the  cabinet  of  this  college  embraces,  we  observe 
in  it  a  considerable  resemblance  to  the  Weston  aerolites.  Like  these,  the  two  substances  of  which  it  is  chiefly  composed 
are  in  masses  sufficiently  large  to  appear  quite  distinct  to  the  naked  eye,  although  from  the  description  already  given 
it  will  be  perceived  that  it  differs  considerably  even  from  them  by  its  numerous  cavities  and  their  crystallized  contents. 
It  differs  very  essentially  from  the  Maryland  stones  which  are  almost  wholly  made  up  of  a  white  feldspathic  substance, 
as  well  as  from  those  of  1' Aigle  and  Stannem,  the  former  of  which  being  quite  compact  and  homogeneous,  and  the  latter 
abounding  mostly  in  albite. 

The  firmness  of  the  Virginian  stone  is  superior  to  that  of  either  of  those  above  mentioned  except  perhaps  those  of 
1' Aigle,  it  requiring  a  pretty  smart  blow  of  the  hammer  to  produce  a  fracture  and  the  small  masses  refuse  to  separate 
by  the  mere  strength  of  the  fingers.  Its  specific  gravity,  as  determined  in  two  fragments,  one  weighing  82.3  grams  and 
the  other  38.5,  was  3.29  and  3.31. 

After  these  observations  upon  the  general  character  of  the  specimen  under  examination  I  proceed  to  the  separate 
description  of  the  minerals  it  contains. 


374  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII 

i 

1.  Chrysolite. 

•  The  globular-shaped  bodies  which  compose  the  chief  part  of  the  Virginia  aerolite  are  thus  denominated,  because 
in  their  mineralogical  characters  they  approach  very  closely  our  species  of  chrysolite.  I  offer  the  following  description 
of  its  characters: 

External  shape  spheroidal,  or  subangular. 

Structure  lamellar,  cleaving  in  two  directions;  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  or  as  nearly  so  as  the  perfection  of  the 
planes  will  allow  us  to  observe.  One  of  these  cleavages  is  effected  with  greater  ease  than  the  other  and  presents  imper- 
fect horizontal  striae.  The  lamellar  structure  is  often  interrupted  by  a  subconchoidal  fracture. 

Luster  vitreous  and  splendent  in  the  most  perfect  cleavable  masses,  but  glimmering  only  on  the  conchoidal  surfaces. 
Color  gray,  often  with  a  tinge  of  blue,  and  rarely  olive  green.  Translucent  on  the  edges,  and  in  a  few  instances  trans- 
parent. 

Hardness  equal  to  that  of  crystallized  adularia,  the  one  impressing  the  other  only  when  great  mechanical  violence 
is  exerted.  It  scratches  the  crystallized  pyroxene  of  Mussa. 

Specific  gravity  was  determined  upon  a  mass,  which  before  its  fracture  into  two  pieces,  weighed  6.1  grams;  the  entire 
mass  gave  3.3  and  the  largest  fragment  3.33.  Another  mass  weighing  3.4  grams  gave  a  specific  gravity  of  3.90.  The 
mean  of  the  three  experiments  is  3.259. 

Chemical  examination. — Before  the  blowpipe,  in  small  fragments,  with  the  most  intense  heat  that  could  be  urged,  it 
fused  with  ebullition  upon  its  thinnest  edges  into  a  shining  black  glass,  and  the  fragment  became  immediately  attracted 
by  the  magnet.  With  borax,  in  powder,  it  dissolved,  forming  a  greenish  transparent  glass.  With  carbonate  of  soda  it 
entered  into  fusion  with  difficulty,  becoming  transparent  or  nearly  so  in  the  full  heat  of  the  blowpipe,  but  immediately 
turning  dark-reddish  brown  and  becoming  opaque,  on  being  removed  from  the  flame  and  finally  changing  to  white. 
With  microcosmic  salt  it  dissolves  with  readiness  and  the  glass  assumes  a  deep  straw-yellow  color  which  on  cooling 
becomes  a  paler  tinge  and  contracts  a  degree  of  cloudiness. 

******#** 

Analysis. — A.  17.8  grams  reduced  to  powder  were  mingled  with  double  their  weight  of  potash  and  10  grams  of 
nitrate  of  potash.  The  mixture  was  kept  at  a  red  heat  in  a  silver  crucible  for  one  hour.  The  calcined  mass  which  had 
evidently  undergone  fusion  presented  a  yellowish-green  color  which  it  communicated  to  its  solution  in  water.  On  the 
addition  of  nitric  acid  the  fused  mineral  became  perfectly  soluble,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  white  flocculi  of  silex 
which  were  seen  floating  through  the  solution. 

B.  The  nitric  solution  was  evaporated  to  dryness,  in  which  state  it  was  kept  at  a  heat  of  212°  for  upward  of  half 
an  hour  to  ensure  the  complete  decomposition  of  the  nitrate  of  iron  and  the  separation  of  the  silex.    The  dried  mass, 
which  was  reduced  to  the  state  of  a  powder  and  frequently  stirred,  assumed  throughout  a  deep  reddish-brown  color. 
Warm  water  was  now  affused  and  the  oxide  of  iron  and  silex  separated  by  means  of  the  double  filter. 

C.  This  solution  (B),  reduced  by  evaporation  to  a  convenient  bulk,  was  boiled  for  upward  of  an  hour  with  an  excess 
of  carbonate  of  soda.    The  precipitate  which  ensued  was  washed,  dried,  and  heated  to  ignition  in  a  platina  crucible 
for  twenty  minutes,  after  which  its  weight  was  5.5  grams.    Its  color  was  pure  white,  and  upon  the  addition  of  dilute 
sulphuric  acid  it  was  wholly  taken  up  with  the  exception  of  a  few  flocculi  of  silex  whose  weight  it  wSs  not  attempted 
to  ascertain.    The  solution  was  partially  reduced  by  evaporation  and  set  aside  to  crystallize.    In  two  days  it  shot  into 
crystals  of  Epsom  salt. 

D.  The  insoluble  oxide  of  iron  and  silex  (B)  was  heated  to  redness  in  a  close  platina  crucible  over  an  alcoholic 
lamp,  after  which  they  weighed  11.62  grams.    The  mixture  was  now  digested  with  hydrochloric  acid  until  the  oxide 
of  iron  was  wholly  dissolved ;  the  silica  remained  behind  in  white  flocks,  and  was  separated  by  the  double  filter,  washed, 
dried,  and  ignited.    Its  weight  was  7.53  grams.    This  amount  deducted  from  11.62  grams  gives  4.09  grams  peroxide  of 
iron,  which  reduced  by  calculation  to  the  protoxide,  the  condition  in  which  it  probably  exists  in  the  mineral,  equals 
3.68  grams.  . 

The  constituents  of  this  mineral,  therefore,  appeared  to  be  in  this  instance — 

Silex ,. 7.53 

Magnesia • 5. 50 

Protoxide  of  iron 3. 68 

Soda,  oxide  of  chrome,  sulphur,  and  loss 1. 09 


17.80 
or  per  hundred — 

Silex 42. 30  containing  oxygen    21. 27 

Magnesia 31. 46  containing  oxygen    12. 17 

Protoxide  of  iron 20. 67  containing  oxygen      4. 59 

Soda,  oxide  of  chrome,  sulphur,  and  loss 5. 57 

100.00 

Considering  the  soda  and  oxide  of  chrome  as  accidental,  the  preceding  analysis,  it  will  be  observed,  agrees  very 
well  with  the  supposition  that  the  present  variety  of  chrysolite  is  a  compound  of  one  atom  bisilicate  of  iron,  with  three 
atoms  silicate  of  magnesia,  and  its  coincidence  with  the  mineralogical  formula  fS2+3MS  will  be  still  more  striking,  if 
we  suppose  the  oxygen  of  the  iron  is  estimated  a  little  too  high,  in  consequence  of  the  probable  union  of  a  small  portion 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  375 

of  that  metal  with  sulpuhr,  to  form  the  proto-sulphuret  of  iron,  a  substance  whose  mechanical  admixture,  in  a  Blight 
degree,  with  thi«  mineral  was  sufficiently  evinced  by  our  first  experiments. 

I  am  aware  that  the  difference  in  composition  between  the  specimens  just  examined,  and  those  of  the  chrysolite 
analyzed  by  Klaproth  and  Stromeyer  may  seem  opposed  to  the  idea  of  their  specific  identity;  perhaps  it  might  really 
be  so  in  a  chemical  system,  but  their  strong  affinity  in  natural  properties  certainly  proves  them  to  belong  to  the  same 
mineralogical  species — the  only  difference  between  the  common  chrysolite  and  the  present  substance  being  that  the 
former  possesses  a  livelier  color,  a  higher  luster,  and  in  general  a  more  perfectly  conchoidal  fracture,  though  even  this 
disagreement  is  not  always  observable  for  fragments  are  occasionally  met  with  in  the  Virginia  aerolite  which  it  would 
be  impossible  to  distinguish  from  the  most  strongly  marked  specimens  of  chrysolite.  . 

The  proportion  formed  by  this  mineral  in  the  Virginia  stone  does  not  fall  short  of  two-thirds  of  its  entire  bulk.  I 
find  it  also  constitutes  the  principal  ingredient  in  the  Weston  meteorites  and  is  occasionally  seen  in  those  from  Mary- 
land. In  endeavoring  to  ascertain  if  the  small  black  grains  disseminated  through  the  Stannem  meteoric  stones  might 
not  be  this  substance,  I  was  led  to  conjecture  from  their  easy  fusibility  before  the  blowpipe  that  they  were  pyroxene,  a 
mineral,  from  the  researches  of  G.  Rose,  well  ascertained  to  exist  in  aerolites. 

2.  Feldspar. 

Under  this  name  I  allude  to  one  of  the  most  common  ingredients  of  meteorites,  although  in  the  present  specimen 
it  forms  somewhat  less  than  one-fourth  of  the  mass.  It  is  everywhere  dispersed  through  the  stone,  filling  up  little 
interstices  and  investing  the  chrysolite  in  thin  coatings. 

Mineralogical  description. — External  shape,  exceedingly  minute  grains,  possessed  of  feeble  degrees  of  coherence, 
and  appearing  like  powder  to  the  naked  eye.  Structure  lamellar,  and  visible  only  with  a  microscope.  Hardness 
such  as  not  to  allow  of  its  impression  with  the  point  of  a  knife.  Luster  vitreous:  color  white,  rarely  with  a  faint  tinge 
of  green;  translucent. 

Chemical  characters. — It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  pure  pieces  of  sufficient  size  could  be  obtained  for  blowpipe 
trials.  A  thin  scale  in  the  most  powerful  heat  of  this  instrument  melted  down  into  a  pearly  white  translucent  glass 
or  enamel.  With  microcosmic  salt  it  appeared  to  dissolve,  with  the  greatest  reluctance,  into  a  transparent  colorless 
glass,  leaving  behind  small  skeletonlike  masses  of  eilex.  With  borax  it  dissolved  with  difficulty  and  without  effer- 
vescence into  a  transparent  and  colorless  glass. 

The  present  mineral  appears  to  correspond  with  that  alluded  to  by  Rose  in  the  memoir  before  mentioned,  and 
which  he  found  to  compose  nearly  half  of  the  Juvenas  meteorite.  He  ascertained  that  it  contained  0.60  per  cent 
of  soda:  a  quantity  so  small,  that  he  suggests  unless  it  be  a  new  mineral,  it  belongs  to  his  species — labradorite,  a  sub- 
stance better  known  generally  under  the  name  of  labrador  feldspar.  Its  general  aspect,  however,  as  it  appears  in  the 
Virginia  stone,  would  render  it  more  probable  that  it  belonged  to  the  variety  albite  than  to  the  labradorite. 

It  also  forms  a  large  proportion  in  the  Maryland  and  Stannern  aerolite,  and  exists  in  the  stones  of  L'Aigle  and  Wes- 
ton,  though  in  the  last  in  but  very  small  proportions. 

3.  Phosphate  of  Lime. 

The  only  remaining  earthy  mineral  distinguishable  in  the  Virginia  stone,  I  take  to  be  the  above-mentioned  sub- 
stance. Its  proportion  in  the  mass  is  so  trifling  that  it  is  scarcely  perceptible  without  the  aid  of  a  microscope,  and 
even  then  only  in  a  few  points.  When  a  fragment  of  the  stone  is  broken  down,  however,  we  rarely  fail  to  distinguish, 
a  few  grains  -which  are  at  once  recognized  by  their  color. 

Mineralogical  description. — External  shape,  globular  and  reniform.  Structure,  lamellar.  Brittle;  fracture 
conchoidal. 

Luster,  vitreous.  Color,  honey  yellow,  transparent.  Hardness  such  as  to  scratch  crystallized  arragonite  from 
Bilin,  but  not  asparagus  stone;  is  scratched  itself  by  the  knife. 

Chemical  characters. — Before  the  blowpipe  upon  charcoal  it  phosphoresces  with  great  distinctness,  and  becomes 
rounded  on  the  edges  without  undergoing  any  perceptible  ebullition  and  without  loss  of  transparency.  With  micro- 
cosmic  salt  it  forms  a  transparent  glass,  at  first  with  a  tinge  of  yellow,  but  becoming  colorless  when  cold.  Compara- 
tive experiments  were  made  with  the  asparagus  stone  attended  by  similar  results. 

Several  small  angular  fragments  were  put  into  a  flask,  to  which  colorless  nitric  acid  was  added,  and  a  slight  heat 
applied  for  nearly  an  hour,  when  their  complete  solution  was  effected. 

I  was  the  more  particular  in  my  examination  of  this  substance,  not  being  aware  that  phosphate  of  lime  had  ever 
before  been  detected  in  these  stones;  and  I  regret  that  the  smallness  of  the  quantity  prevented  me  from  making  still 
farther  experiments,  by  means  of  which  my  conclusion  concerning  its  nature  might  have  been  rendered  quite  certain. 

4.  Meteoric  Iron. 

This  hitherto  nearly  invariable  ingredient  of  meteoric  stones  is  not  wanting  in  the  present  instance.  Its  pro- 
portion, however,  is  very  small,  as  may  be  judged  of  from  the  fact  that  I  did  not  find  above  8  grains  in  breaking  down 
nearly  half  a  pound  of  stone. 

Its  form  was  for  the  most  part  that  of  rounded  grains  slightly  flattened,  the  largest  of  which  did  not  exceed  a  mus- 
tard seed  in  size.  It  also  existed  in  little  hook-shaped  masses,  as  well  as  in  the  most  delicate  filaments,  resembling 
the  finest  wire,  and  capable  of  being  straightened  out  in  single  pieces  to  a  length  exceeding  half  an  inch.  Its  color 
was  of  a  silvery  whiteness,  except  in  those  instances  where  the  fragment  was  situated  in  a  large  cavity,  when  it  was 
partially  invested  by  rust  and  in  some  cases  by  a  thin  coating  of  the  protoeulphuret  of  iron. 


376  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIIL. 

Analysis. — 'From  the  foregoing  trials  I  inferred  that  the  meteoric  iron  was  alloyed  with  nickel  only,  and,  accord- 
ingly, I  endeavored  to  form  an  estimate  of  the  relative  proportions  o!  these  metals  by  determining  the  weight  of 
peroxide  of  iron  afforded  by  a  certain  quantity  of  the  compound.  For  this  purpose,  3  grams  of  the  mineral  were  dis- 
solved as  usual  in  nitro-muriatic  acid.  The  solution  was  perfect,  with  the  exception  of  0.05  gram  earthy  matter,  which 
remained  undissolved.  Ammonia  was  added,  and  the  liquid  heated  for  a  few  moments.  The  precipitate,  separated, 
washed,  dried,  and  ignited,  amounted  to  3.96  grams,  equal  to  2.77  metallic  iron;  thus,  leaving  by  deduction,  0.18 
gram  nickel  in  2.95  grams  of  the  alloy,  or  per  100 — 

Iron 93. 90 

.     Nickel...  6.10 


100.00 
5.  Protosulphuret  of  iron. 

This  is  the  only  remaining  constituent  of  the  Virginia  aerolite  I  have  to  describe.  Although  everywhere  dis- 
seminated through  the  stone,  and  almost  completely  lining  its  cavities  in  little  grains  and  semifused  crystals,  yet  such 
is  their  minuteness  that  it  scarcely  forms  a  more  considerable  ingredient  than  the  meteoric  iron. 

Mineralogical  description. — Form:  Distinct  crystals,  of  which  I  obtained  three,  of  sufficient  dimensions  to  enable 
me,  with  the  aid  of  a  magnifier,  to  ascertain  their  shape,  and  to  determine  the  value  of  their  principal  angles  by  the 
reflective  goniometer.  The  most  perfect  of  the  three,  offered  only  the  sides  M.  M',  and  their  four  adjoining  pyramidal 
planes  c,  c,  c',  and  c',  with  the  truncature  a,  as  seen  in  the  annexed  diagram;  the  other  planes  of  the  figure  were 
inferred  from  the  relation  of  these,  the  regular  six-sided  prism  being  known  to  be  the  fundamental  form  of  the  species. 

M,  onM' 120° 

—  on  c 153.  20' 

c,  on  a 117. 3(X 

Structure:  Cleavage  imperfect.  Brittle.  .Luster  steel-like  and  splendent.  Color,  steel-gray  upon  the  crystalline 
faces;  copper  yellow  on  fractured  surfaces.  Extremely  subject  to  tarnish,  of  which  the  steel  blue  and  red  form  the 
most  frequent  colors. 

Hardness:  Not  impressible  by  steel. 

Chemical  characters. — Before  the  blowpipe,  on  charcoal,  it  enters  into  immediate  fusion,  emitting  at  the  same 
time  sulphurous  fumes;  the  globule  formed  assumes  a  deep  red  color  while  hot,  but  turns  to  a  dull  black,  and  becomes 
strongly  magnetic  on  cooling. 

To  0.4  gram  in  powder  was  added  hydrochloric  acid.  The  flask  was  fitted  with  a  tube  dipping  into  a  solution  of 
acetate  of  lead.  An  action  immediately  commenced,  on  slightly  warming  the  fluid,  and  a  copious  precipitate  of  sul- 
phur et  of  lead  ensued. 

The  difference  in  magnetic  properties  between  the  meteoric  protosulphuret  of  iron  and  the  same  mineral  belong- 
ing to  our  globe,  led  M.  Rose  to  examine  the  former  for  nickel;  conceiving  that  as  the  sulphuret  of  nickel  of  Johann 
Georgenstadt  is  not  magnetic,  a  portion  of  this  metal  combined  with  our  mineral,  might  perhaps  be  the  cause  of  its 
not  affecting  the  needle.  He  was  unable,  however,  to  detect  the  smallest  trace  of  nickel  in  the  pyrites  of  the  Stan- 
nem  stone.  Nevertheless,  as  the  common  magnetic  pyrites  possesses  but  feeble  and  very  variable  degrees  of  magne- 
tism, the  slight  discrepancy  here  observed  between  the  two  substances  in  question  does  not  interfere  in  any  force 
with  the  idea  of  their  specific  agreement. 

A  further  account  of  the  apatite  was  given  by  Shepard,4  as  follows: 

M.  Kumler,  in  a  recent  number  of  Poggendorff,  in  enumerating  certain  ingredients  in  meteorites,  after  the  men- 
tion of  phosphoric  acid,  adds,  "For  Shepard 's  discovery  of  this  acid  in  the  meteoric  stone  of  Richmond,  is  still 
doubtful  (denn  Shepard's  Entdeckung  dieser  Saure  in  Meteorsteine  von  Richmond  ist  noch  zweifelhafl)."  Although  this 
observation  occasioned  in  me  no  surprise,  since  I  had  stated  at  the  conclusion  of  my  remarks  on  the  mineral,  my 
regret  "that  the  smallness  of  the  quantity  prevented  me  from  making  still  further  experiments  by  means  of  which 
my  conclusion  concerning  its  nature  might  have  been  rendered  certain,"  still  it  determined  me  to  make  new  trials  for 
placing  the  subject,  if  possible,  beyond  dispute. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Professor  Silliman,  who  possesses  nearly  the  whole  of  the  Richmond  stone,  I  was  per- 
mitted to  detach  a  fresh  fragment  which  brought  into  view  several  points  of  the  yellow  mineral  in  question.  The 
most  perfect  of  these,  having  the  size  of  half  of  a  pin's  head,  was  crushed  to  powder  on  a  small  piece  of  clean  platinum 
foil,  previously  fitted  to  the  bottom  of  an  agate  mortar.  The  foil  with  the  crushed  mineral  thereon  was  then  shaped 
into  a  little  cup,  and  a  freshly  cut  piece  of  potassium  pressed  into  it,  so  as  to  be  in  immediate  contact  with  the 
powder.  The  platinum  cup  and  its  contents  were  then  forced  to  the  bottom  of  the  test  tube  (0.25  inch  in  diameter 
and  2.5  inches  long);  and  after  heating  the  tube  in  contact  with  a  live  coal,  until  a  slight  flash  of  light  was  witnessed 
in  the  platinum  cup,  a  few  drops  of  water  were  let  fall  into  the  tube.  On  holding  the  open  end  of  the  tube  beneath 
the  nose,  a  distinct  odor  of  phosphuretted  hydrogen  was  recognized.  A  few  drops  of  dilute  nitric  acid  were  subse- 
quently added;  and  after  digestion  for  a  few  moments  and  neutralization  by  ammonia,  oxalate  of  ammonia  threw  down 
an  evident  precipitate. 

The  foregoing  experiment  clearly  establishes  the  presence  of  phosphoric  acid  in  the  mineral ;  and  the  precipitate 
with  oxalate  of  ammonia,  taken  with  all  the  circumstances  detailed  in  my  mineralogical  account  of  the  substance, 
leave  scarcely  a  doubt  of  its  being  combined  with  lime,  in  the  form  of  phosphate  of  lime. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  377 

Partsch  5  described  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Groundmass  dark  gray,  sprinkled  with  light  gray  and  rusty  brown  spots.  The  groundmass  contains  minute  cavi- 
ties and  shows  numerous  spherical  aggregates  some  of  which  are  dull  green.  Pyrrhotite  is  present  in  quantity  in 
minute  grains,  and  as  in  many  other  meteorites  shows  more  plainly  on  a  broken  than  on  a  polished  surface.  Iron  is 
moderately  abundant.  Some  of  the  cavities  are  coated  with  pyrrhotite  of  spherical  form  and  variegated  color.  In 
one  depression  an  iron  grain  is  visible.  The  crust  is  dult,  porous,  and  apparently  easily  separable.  It  is  a  remark- 
able meteorite  and  has  a  characteristic  appearance. 

An  additional  note  by  Shepard  •  was  as  follows: 

This  small  and  highly  interesting  stone  seems  to  have  been  but  imperfectly  invested  by  the  customary  black 
crust.  The  natural  outside  of  the  fragments  examined  possessed  the  usual  smoothness  of  surface,  but  were  only  par- 
tially melted.  It  does  not  appear  that  any  more  perfect  coating  has  ever  been  attached  to  the  surface.  Within,  the 
general  color  is  a  dark  ash-gray.  Interspersed  through  the  mass,  however,  are  freckles  of  a  whitish  mineral,  which  is 
probably  howardite.  The  gray  portion  consists  of  olivinoid  and  forms  at  least  nine-tenths  of  the  earthy  portion  of  the 
stone. 

Rose  7  classed  Richmond  among  the  trachytic  olivine-bearing  coarse-grained  stone  meteor- 
ites. He  also  disagreed  with  Partsch's  observation  that  pyrrhotite  was  more  abundant  than 
nickel  iron  in  the  meteorite,  stating  that  the  piece  in  the  Berlin  collection  was  of  an  opposite 
character. 

Rammelsberg  "  made  two  analyses  with  results  as  follows: 

I.  II. 

Soluble  portion.  Insoluble  portion.  Soluble  portion.  Insoluble  portion. 

SiO, 39.27  52.37  39.30  53.74 

AljO, 4.97  5.32 

FeO 18.85  13.%  18.21  13.17 

MgO 41.88  23.28  41.69  22.23 

CaO...  5.43  0.80  5.54 


100  100  100  100 

From  which  he  deduced  the  following  composition: 

Nickel  iron 8. 22 

Iron  sulphide 4. 37 

Chrysolite 45. 73 

Insoluble  silicates. . .  .  41. 68 


100 

The  insoluble  silicates  he  regarded  as  augite  with  bronzite  and  perhaps  diopside. 
Brezina,  in  1885,1*  classed  Richmond  among  the  crystalline  chondrites  with  the  following 
remarks : 

The  Richmond  stone  holds  a  peculiar  place,  since  its  structure  is  firm  but  not  solid  as  are  the  other  crystalline 
chondrites.  It  forms  a  somewhat  higher  grade  of  crystalline  structure  in  which  the  individual  constituents  may  be 
completely  separated.  It  might  almost  as  well  be  placed  among  the  spherical  chondrites,  since  the  chondri,  upon 
breaking  the  mass  in  two,  sometimes  remain  whole  and  sometimes  break. 

Cohen  "  remarked  that  Shepard's  drawing  of  the  crystals  of  iron  sulphide  in  the  Rich- 
mond stone  were  a  copy  of  Rose's.  Also  that  the  influences  which  produced  the  crust  zone 
had  in  this  meteorite  affected  broader  areas,  giving  rise  to  a  black  groundmass. 

Brezina  18  in  1895  transferred  Richmond  to  the  group  of  spherical  crystalline  chondrites. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Yale  possessing  305  grams,  the  British  Museum  169,  and 
Amherst  155. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1829:  COCKE.    Virginia  aerolite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  15,  pp.  195-196. 

2.  1829:  SHEPARD.    A  mineralogical  and  chemical  description  of  the  Virginia  aerolite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser., 

vol.  16,  pp.  191-203. 

3.  1830:  VON  HOFT.    Siebenter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  18,  pp.  186-187. 

4.  1843:  SHEPARD.    On  phosphate  of  lime  (apatite),  in  the  Virginia  meteoric  stone.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol. 

45,  pp.  102-103. 

5.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Meteoriten,  p.  40. 


378  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

6.  1848:  SHEPARD.     Report  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  ScL,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  p.  411. 

7.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  27,  85,  86,  88,  89,  139,  147,  and  154. 

8.  1858-1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  5,  p.  481;  No.  6,  p.  452;  No.  9,  pp.  159,  161,  169,  179;  No.  11,  p.  295;  No. 

12,  p.  454;  No.  13,  p.  361;  No.  20,  p.  626;  No.  23,  p.  369;  and  No.  25,  p.  606. 

9.  1865:  BUCHNER.    Zweiter  Nachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  124,  p.  574. 

10.  1867:  GOEBEL.    Kritische  Uebersicht.    Melanges  phys^chim.,  Bd.  7,  p.  325. 

11.  1870:  RAMMELSBERO.    Beitrage  zur  Kenntnis  der  Meteoriten. — 3.  Die  Analyse  der  Silikate. — C.  Die  Chondrite 

von  Pultusk,  Richmond  u.  Iowa. — II.  Richmond.     Mon.-Ber.  Berlin.  Akad.,  1870,  pp.  453-457.    (Analysis.) 

12.  1870:  RAMMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  pp.  103,  105,  106,  139,  and  140. 

13.  1879:  RAMMELSBERG.    Meteoriten,  pp.  24  and  25. 

14.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  pp.  74,  79,  85,  93,  95,  97,  238-239  (illustration),  and  395. 

15.  1883-1885:  TSCHERMAK.    Photographien,  pp.  4  and  19. 

16.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  191  and  233. 

17.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  pp.  200,  283,  and  317. 

18.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  259  and  260. 


RICH  MOUNTAIN. 

Jackson  County,  North  Carolina. 
Latitude  35°  2'  N.,  longitude  83°  2'  W. 
Stone.  Veined  intermediate  chondrite,  Cia. 
Fell  2  p.  m.  June  30,  1903;  described  1907. 
Weight,  668  grams  (1.2  Ibs). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Merrill  *  as  follows : 

The  meteorite  described  below  was  received  at  the  United  States  National  Museum  from  Prof.  H.  H.  Brimley, 
curator  of  the  State  Museum  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  To  him  I  am  also  indebted  for  most  of  the  information  relative 
to  its  fall. 

The  exact  date  of  fall  can  not  be  given  but  it  is  stated  as  "about  the  20th  of  June,  1903,  and  2  o'clock  in  the  day." 
Concerning  the  phenomena  of  the  fall,  the  following  is  gleaned  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  E.  A.  Cook,  of  Rich  Mountain,  to 
Mr.  Brimley: 

"It  [the  meteorite]  was  going  nearly  due  south;  I  did  not  see  it,  though  it  passed  directly  over  my  place.  It 
made  a  rumbling  sound  something  like  a  tornado  of  wind  or  the  pouring  of  water."  The  explosion  Mr.  Cook  compares 
to  a  "large  blast,"  the  first  and  loudest  being  followed  by  lesser  sounds  compared  to  the  shooting  of  a  self-acting  pistol. 
Reports  from  the  adjacent  parts  of  South  Carolina  were  to  the  effect  that  the  passage  of  the  stone  was  heard  and  seen 
there  and  it  created  great  excitement.  It  was  also  seen  by  people  living  10  miles  northwest  of  Rich  Mountain,  who 
reported  it  as  looking  like  a  ball  of  fire  the  size  of  a  flour  barrel.  The  single  piece  secured  passed  through  the  top  of  a 
green  tree,  cutting  off  the  leaves  and  small  limbs,  and  struck  the  ground  not  more  than  40  feet  from  a  man  standing  in 
a  field,  who  dug  it  up  and  gave  it  to  Mr.  Cook.  Other  fragments  were  reported  to  have  been  found  across  the  State  line 
in  South  Carolina.  Such,  however,  have  not  come  into  the  possession  of  the  writer,  nor  has  he  been  able  to  get  track 
of  them.  The  single  piece  which  has  thus  far  come  to  light  weighed  668  grams;  actual  size,  122  mm.  in  length,  76  mm. 
in  breadth  by  44  mm.  in  thickness.  This  is  obviously  a  freshly  broken  piece  from  a  larger  mass,  the  crust  on  the  flat 
surface  being  very  thin,  not  nearly  equal  to  that  on  the  rounded  surface.  There  is  no  fluting  or  grooving  to  indicate 
the  orientation  during  flight,  but  the  smoothness  of  the  rounded  point  suggests  at  least  that  this  formed  the  nose  or 
breast  of  the  stone  in  its  passage  through  the  air.  The  proximity  of  this  locality  to  that  of  the  Hendersonville  meteorite 
recently  described  by  the  writer  might  at  first  suggest  that  it  represented  a  part  of  the  same  fall.  The  testimony  of 
eyewitnesses  to  the  phenomenon  and  the  freshness  of  the  sample  as  compared  with  the  last  named,  however,  preclude 
any  such  conclusion.  The  close  similarity  of  the  stone  to  that  of  Bath  Furnace,  Kentucky,  as  described  by  Ward,  is 
also  worthy  of  note,  although  there  is  an  interval  of  over  six  months  between  the  dates  of  fall. 

The  black  crust  is  dull  and  somewhat  rough.  On  the  recently  broken,  flat  surface,  where  the  crust  is  thinnest,  and 
on  the  rounded  surface  the  metallic-iron  particles  project,  seemingly  having  resisted  the  frictional  heat  of  the  atmos- 
phere more  than  did  the  silicate  portions.  A  cut  surface  shows  a  gray,  compact,  indistinctly  chondritic  structure,  with 
gray  and  more  rarely  white  "kugels"  and  an  about  medium  scattering  of  metallic  iron  and  troilite.  The  texture  is 
coarser,  less  compact,  and  in  color  a  lighter  gray  than  that  of  the  Hendersonville  stone,  but  closely  like  that  of  Bath 
Furnace.  The  stone  is  traversed  by  numerous  fine,  threadlike,  black  veins,  often  branched,  and  without  common 
orientation.  Although  sought  for  with  care,  no  certain  indication  of  movement  along  these  lines  could  be  discovered. 
Indeed,  the  evidence  was  almost  wholly  to  the  contrary,  the  veins  sometimes  passing  directly  through  the  chondri 
without  evident  relative  displacement  of  the  portions  thus  separated. 

Under  the  microscope  the  structure  is  somewhat  obscure,  the  chondrules  being  often  fragmental  and  not  strongly 
differentiated  from  the  fine,  pulverulent  ground.  Olivine  and  enstatite,  the  latter  prevailing,  with  an  occasional 
monoclinic  pyroxene,  are  the  principal  silicate  constituents,  the  first  named  in  chondrules  of  the  polysomatic  and 
barred  type,  and  in  scattered  granules;  the  enstatite  in  cryptocrystalline  radiate  forms,  granules,  and  occasional  rela- 
tively large,  almost  colorless  and  clear  plates.  Interspersed  with  these  are  minute  colorless  areas,  showing  no  crystalline 
outlines,  cleavage,  or  other  evidences  of  crystal  structure,  little  relief  and  polarizing  only  in  light  and  dark  colors. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


379 


These  areas  are  at  times  BO  abundant  as  to  form  the  base  in  which  the  other  constituents  are  embedded.  They  are 
evidently  composed  of  a  single  mineral,  the  optical  properties  of  which  are  BO  ill-defined  as  to  make  a  satisfactory  deter- 
mination impossible.  At  times  it  is  quite  isotropic,  but  more  commonly  it  shows  a  faint  double  refraction,  and  in  a 
very  few  instances  the  attempt  at  obtaining  an  interference  figure  resulted  in  a  very  indistinct  dark  brush,  suggestive 
of  a  biaxial  mineral.  Between  crossed  nicols,  if  not  always  dark,  it  shows  no  definite  extinction  plane,  but  the  dark 
wave  sweeps  over  the  surface  much  as  in  an  iaotropic  mineral  in  a  condition  of  strain.  In  a  single  instance  one  of  these 
areas  adjoined  and  partially  inclosed  a  minute  particle  showing  the  parallel  twin  bands  of  a  plagioclase  feldspar.  The 
mineral  is  regarded  as  unquestionably  the  same  as  that  so  common  under  similar  conditions  in  the  meteorite  of  Alfianello, 
Italy,  and  which  has  been  considered  by  V.  Toullon  as  maekelynite,  a  conclusion  adopted  by  Tschermak.  The  present 
writer  also  noted  its  occurrence  in  the  recently  described  meteoric  stone  from  Coon  Butte,  Arizona.  Compared  with 
terrestrial  rocks,  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  similar  structures  and  associations  of  pyroxene  or  olivine,  and  what  are 
unquestionably  feldspars,  are  found  in  peridotites  of  the  wehrlite  type,  as  described  by  the  writer  some  years  ago  from 
the  Red  Bluff  region  of  Montana. 

In  addition  to  the  above  is  an  occasional  plate  of  a  colorless  silicate  likewise  of  a  doubtful  nature.  The  plates  are 
of  irregular  outline,  faintly  gray  or  almost  completely  colorless,  and  show  very  faint,  short,  sharp  cleavage  lines,  and 
rarely  any  inclosures  of  other  minerals  which  are  so  conspicuous  a  feature  of  the  maskelynite.  The  surface  viewed 
under  a  high  power  has  a  peculiar  roughness,  in  which  also  it  differs  from  the  above.  Between  crossed  nicols  it  gives 
weak  polarization  colors,  and  is  optically  biaxial,  though  good  interference  figures  are  not  obtainable.  The  description, 
given  by  Tschermak  of  a  mineral  referred  to  as  possibly  monticellite  would  apply  equally  well  to  this,  though  the  present 
writer  confesses  to  a  considerable  feeling  of  doubt  as  to  its  true  nature. 

The  structure  and  composition  of  the  stone,  as  a  whole,  is  comparable  with  those  of  Lancon,  France,  and  Bath 
Furnace,  Kentucky  (Cia).  It  will  be  known  as  the  Rich  Mountain  meteorite. 

CHEMICAL  ANALYSIS  BY  MR.  WIRT  TASSIN. 

A  very  small  portion  of  the  meteorite,  5.8  grams  in  all,  was  available  for  analysis.  This  was  treated  in  the  usual 
way,  the  native  metals  (I),  sulphur  (II),  phosphorus  (III),  soluble  and  insoluble  silicates  (IV  and  V),  and  the  alkalies 
(VI),  each  being  determined  in  separate  portions.  The  values  obtained  are  as  follows: 

{Fe 7.07 
Xi 73 
Co 031 

II.   S 1.42 

III.   P 03 

Si02 i 18. 28 

FeO , 9.06 

IV.sAlA 50 

Cab 99 

MgO 18.16 

Si02 23.00 

FeO 4.92- 

A12O3 2.10 

V  J  CaO 1. 51 

MgO 8.27 

Fe3O4  (magnetite) 15 

C  (graphite) 015 

VI  /K30 16 

'  IXajO 68 

From  these  several  values  the  approximate  composition  of  the  mass  may  be  arrived  at  as  given  below: 

Iron .' 7.070 

Nickel 730 

Cobalt 031 

Troilite 3.890 

Schreibersite 200 

Olivine 46. 990 

Insoluble  silicates 40. 670 

Magnetite 150 

Graphite 015 


99.736 

In  the  analyses  above  given  the  absence  of  copper  in  the  native  metals  and  chromite  among  the  compounds  is  to 
be,  noted.  Attention  is  also  to  be  called  to  the  presence  of  carbon  as  graphite,  occurring  as  graphitic  chondrules,  which 
may  or  may  not  be  contained  in  or  surrounding  particles  of  the  native  metals.  The  occurrence  of  the  graphite  is 
especially  interesting,  since  the  relatively  large  amounts  of  it  do  not  appreciably  affect  the  color  of  the  groundmass. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  in  the  possession  of  the  United  States  National  Museum. 


380  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


1.  1907:  MERRILL.    On  the  meteorite  from  Rich  Mountain,  Jackson  County,  North  Carolina.    Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus., 
vol.  32,  pp.  241-244.    (Cut  of  stone.) 


Robertson  County.     See  Coopertown. 
Robinson  Station.     See  Cynthiana. 


ROCHESTER. 

Fulton  County,  Indiana. 

Latitude  41°  5'  N.,  longitude  86°  15'  W. 

Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc  of  Brezina);  Montrejite  (type  38)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  8.45  p.  m.,  December  21,  1876. 

Weight,  one  stone  of  340  grams  (0.9  lb.). 

The  first  account  of  the  meteor  which  produced  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Newton  *  as 
follows : 

On  the  evening  of  Thursday,  December  21,  1876,  a  meteor  of  unusual  size  and  brilliancy  passed  over  the  States 
of  Kansas,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Ohio.  In  many  respects  it  is  worthy  of  special  record.  From  newspaper 
notices  that  we  have  been  able  to  collect,  from  a  few  private  letters,  and  from  some  letters  kindly  sent  us  by  Professor 
Henry  from  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  we  are  able  to  give  a  general  account  of  the  body. 

It  was  first  seen,  so  far  as  known,  over  the  State  of  Kansas,  and  probably  as  far  west  as  the  center  of  the  State. 
It  passed  nearly  over  and  probably  north  of  the  cities  of  Topeka  and  Leavenworth,  being  there  at  an  altitude  of  about 
60  miles.  It  crossed  the  Mississippi  between  Hannibal  and  Keokuk,  but  nearer  to  the  former  place.  Over  the  center 
of  the  State  of  Missouri  one  or  more  explosions  occurred,  and  shortly  after  crossing  the  Mississippi  it  broke  into  sev- 
eral fragments.  The  breaking  up  continued  while  it  was  crossing  the  States  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Ohio.  A  loud 
explosion  is  reported  as  far  east  as  Concord  and  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  The  meteor  consisted  in  fact  of  a  large  flock  of 
brilliant  balls  chasing  each  other  across  the  sky,  the  number  being  variously  estimated  at  from  a  score  to  a  hundred. 
This  flight  is  of  peculiar  interest  because  of  the  long  continued  violent  disintegration. 

The  region  round  Chicago  was  overcast,  and  though  the  clouds  were  lighted  up  in  a  most  remarkable  manner,  no 
sound  seems  to  have  been  heard.  In  like  manner  no  sound  is  reported  from  St.  Louis.  But  over  all  the  region  of 
central  Illinois  between  these  two  cities  a  terrific  series  of  explosions  was  heard.  In  Keokuk,  Iowa,  it  was  heard, 
but  not  elsewhere  in  that  State,  so  far  as  appears  from  the  accounts.  A  rumbling  is  reported  as  far  south  of  the  track 
as  Bloomington,  Indiana,  120  miles  distant,  but  whether  it  was  caused  by  the  meteor  is  doubtful.  Yet  over  the 
northern  part  of  Indiana  the  passage  of  the  body  was  followed  by  loud  explosions. 

Whether  a  portion  of  the  body  pursued  its  way  onward  over  New  York  State  and  out  of  the  atmosphere  is  doubt- 
ful. The  path  was.  nearly  parallel  to  the  earth's  surface  and  might  easily  be  in  its  latter  part  upward.  But  if  the 
sky  was  then  clear  over  western  New  York  the  meteor  would  in  such  case  certainly  have  been  seen  in  that  region. 

The  path  was  about  N.  75°  E.,  and  was  nearly  or  quite  a  straight  line  and  not  less  than  1,000  miles  long.  The 
duration  of  flight  was  of  course  variously  estimated  from  15  seconds  up  to  3  minutes,  and  yet  no  one  probably  saw  the 
body  through  more  than  a  fraction  o  f  its  path. 

It  entered  the  air  in  a  course  differing  only  about  30°  from  the  earth's  motion  and  was  overtaking  the  earth.  Its 
real  motion  made  therefore  a  still  smaller  angle  with  that  of  the  earth.  But  the  relative  velocity  was  so  slow,  prob- 
ably not  over  10  or  15  miles  per  second,  that  the  earth's  attraction  had  changed  its  direction  greatly.  It  must  have 
been  coming  previous  to  that  change  from  a  point  near  to  and  a  little  south  of  the  ecliptic,  in  the  eastern  or  southern 
part  of  the  constellation  Capricornus.  There  appears  to  be  no  known  meteor-radiant  at  that  time  near  that  part  of  the 
heavens. 

Following  Newton,  an  account  was  given  by  Shepard,2  as  follows: 

A  fall  of  a  meteoric  stone  took  place  at  about  8.45  Thursday  evening,  December  21,  1876.  The  circumstances 
connected  therewith  are  drawn  from  several  communications.  The  first  is  from  Prof.  Daniel  Kirkwood,  of  Bloom- 
ington, Indiana,  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  Indiana  State  University,  as  published  in  the  Indianapolis  Journal. 
Professor  Kirkwood 's  account  says: 

"Last  evening,  December  21,  about  8.45  o'clock,  our  citizens  witnessed  a  meteoric  display  of  extraordinary  bril- 
liancy. A  fireball,  described  by  many  observers  as  surpassing  the  moon  in  apparent  magnitude,  followed  by  a  great 
number  of  smaller  meteors,  was  seen  in  the  eastern  heavens,  moving  in  an  easterly  direction.  Its  first  appearance 
was  at  a  point  12°  or  15°  north  of  west  and  about  10°  above  the  horizon.  A  remarkable  feature  of  the  meteoric  group 
was  the  slowness  of  its  apparent  motion.  The  time  of  flight  was  variously  estimated.  Most  observers,  however,  think 
it  could  not  have  been  less  than  3  minutes.  Many  of  the  meteors  following  in  the  train  of  the  principal  bolide  were 
larger  than  Venus  or  Jupiter.  No  attempt  was  made  to  count  them,  but  their  number  was  certainly  nearly  one  hundred. 
Some  minutes  after  the  disappearance  a  rumbling  noise  was  heard,  which  was  supposed  to  result  from  the  meteor's 
explosion." 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  381 

The  second  is  from  the  Columbus  (Ohio)  State  Journal:  "A  meteoric  display,  which,  for  singularity  and  beauty, 
few  persons  in  a  lifetime  have  the  good  fortune  to  behold,  was  witnessed  by  six  or  seven  persons,  myself  included,  on 
the  evening  of  December  21,  1876,  at  just  9  o'clock.  Four  of  us  were  in  the  caboose  car,  and  two  or  three  others  on 
the  engine  of  the  freight  train,  due  in  Columbus  at  9.20  p.  m.,  on  the  Cleveland,  Mount  Vemon  and  Columbus  Rail- 
road, and  within  about  4  miles  of  the  depot.  At  that  point  the  track  runs  nearly  north  and  south.  The  cluster  or 
flock  of  meteors,  from  40  to  60  in  number,  varying  in  apparent  size  from  a  water  bucket  to  that  of  large  apples,  were 
seemingly  huddled  together  like  a  flock  of  wild  geese  and  moved  with  about  the  same  velocity  and  grace  of  regularity. 
The  color  of  their  light  was  a  yellowish-red,  resembling  the  light  from  the  red  balls  of  fire  thrown  out  by  the  explo- 
sions of  certain  kinds  of  rockets.  There  was  no  illumination,  nimbus,  or  trail  from  them.  The  display  was  a  little 
below  an  angle  of  45  degrees  from  our  point  of  observation,  and  seemed  not  over  a  quaiter  of  a  mile  distant  from  the 
rear  end  of  our  train.  The  course  was  from  west  to  east,  crossing  the  railroad  at  nearly  right  angles.  The  party  on 
our  engine,  and  our  conductor,  who  was  looking  out  of  the  rear  window  of  our  car,  made  the  discovery  at  about  the 
same  moment,  in  a  westerly  direction.  When  seen  by  the  rest  of  us,  the  meteors  were  just  passing  over  the  track  and 
very  slowly  approaching  the  earth.  I  can  not  pretend  to  put  this  statement  in  scientific  form,  having  witnessed  it 
from  a  moving  train,  but  simply  state  the  facts  as  they  appeared  to  myself  and  others  as  worthy  of  note." 

The  third  notice  attended  one  of  the  specimens  sent  me  and  consists  of  a  letter  addressed  to  Professor  Kirkwood 
from  Mr.  A.  J.  Norris,  the  finder  of  this  stone:  "Inclosed  you  will  find  a  specimen  of  the  meteorite.  The  circum- 
stances under  which  the  stone  was  found  are  these:  Hearing  a  rumbling  noise,  I  stepped  out  of  the  house  and  heard 
the  stone  fall.  I  marked  the  direction  of  the  sound,  and  the  next  morning  repaired  to  the  field  whence  it  had  pro- 
ceeded ,  where  I  discovered  it  lying  upon  the  snow.  Lsaw  two  places  where  it  had  previously  struck  and  from  whence 
it  had  bounded  to  its  resting  place.  No  appearance  of  any  other  stone  was  visible  in  the  region.  Its  weight  was  about 
three-quarters  of  a  pound." 

The  following  is  a  letter  (dated  Bloomington,  Indiana,  January  19)  from  Professor  Kirkwood  to  myself:  "You 
were  kind  enough  to  express  a  wish  that  I  would  furnish  some  notes  in  regard  to  the  meteor.  I  have  wiitten  many 
letters  of  inquiry  to  some  of  which  I  have  received  replies.  I  have  also  a  number  of  newspaper  accounts  of  the  phe- 
nomenon. I  regret  to  say,  however,  that  many  of  the  statements  made  by  observers  are  so  inaccurate  and  contra- 
dictory as  to  be  of  little  value.  Being  busy  with  other  matters,  I  placed  nearly  all  of  them  in  the  hands  of  Professor 
Wylie."  The  following  conclusions,  derived  from  the  observations  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  and  Wooster,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  can  be  relied  upon  as  nearly  correct: 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Wylie,  professor  of  natural  philosophy  in  the  Indiana  State  University,  noticed  the  point  in  a  tree  appar- 
ently passed  by  the  meteor.  The  angle  of  elevation  was  subsequently  measured  and  found  to  be  about  15  degrees. 
But  the  meteor  passed  the  meridian  131  miles  north.  These  data,  making  allowance  for  the  curvature  of  the  earth's 
surface,  give  about  38  miles  as  the  height  of  the  body  when  passing  the  boundary  line  between  Pulaski  and  Fulton 
Counties.  Indiana.  At  Wooster,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  the  meteor  apparently  passed  a  particular  point  of  the  steeple 
of  a  public  building.  From  this  observation  the  apparent  altitude  when  over  Lake  Erie,  immediately  north  of  the 
city,  was  found  by  Prof.  Samuel  J.  Kirkwood  to  have  been  about  24  degrees,  corresponding  to  a  true  height  of  28  or  29 
miles.  The  most  western  point  from  which  I  received  a  report  is  Emporia,  Kansas.  It  passed  that  place  a  few  degrees 
southeast  of  the  zenith.  He  thinks  the  meteor  became  visible  over  the  northwest  comer  of  Texas,  at  an  elevation  of 
70  or  80  miles.  The  estimates  of  time  for  the  meteor  are  so  discordant  that  it  seems  impossible  to  determine  whether 
it  was  moving  in  an  ellipse,  a  parabola,  or  an  hyperbola. 

It  belongs,  by  way  of  eminence,  to  my  order  of  Oolitic,  of  the  class  Litholites,  and  resembles  most  closely  the  Pegu 
(Indian)  stone  of  December  27,  1857,  particularly  in  the  character  of  its  crust  and  in  its  pisiform  external  structure. 
The  two  stones  are  not  unlike  in  color  and  the  facility  with  which  they  may  be  broken,  both  yielding  to  separation 
when  in  small  masses  under  the  mere  strength  of  the  fingers.  The  thickness  of  the  crust  in  each  is  double  that  in  the 
majority  of  litholites.  The  general  tint  of  color  is  also  the  same  in  both.  In  the  Rochester  stone,  however,  the  shade 
is  less  gray,  from  the  greater  prevalence  of  an  almost  pulverulent,  nearly  white  mineral,  in  which  the  dark  ash-gray 
globules  are  imbedded.  This  white  mineral  forms  less  than  one-tenth  of  the  mass.  The  globules  vary  in  size  from  a 
millet  seed  up  to  that  of  a  peppercorn.  Their  shape  is  almost  perfectly  spherical,  and  plainly  indicates  an  origin  from 
fusion,  the  surfaces  of  many  of  them  being  obviously  mammillary,  while  internally  they  present  a  porcelaineous, 
compact  structure. 

The  globules  are  probably  forsterite,  of  a  variety  nearly  identical  with  boltonite.  This  appears  the  more  likely 
from  the  circumstance  that  those  situated  just  below  the  crust  have  the  yellowish  tint  acquired  by  boltonite  after  its 
subjection  to  heat  with  access  of  air;  and  it  is  presumable  that  this  alteration  of  the  globules  in  the  meteorite  took  place 
on  its  entrance  into  our  atmosphere  when  the  fusion  of  the  surface  occurred. 

The  white  semi-pulverulent  basis  of  the  stone  I  take  to  be  chladnite  (MgjSi3).  In  one  of  my  specimens  it  shows 
itself  in  its  characteristic  loosely  crystalline  structure  and  there  closely  resembles  this  species  as  seen  in  the  Bishopsville 
(March  25, 1843)  meteorite. 

The  metallic  iron  (chamasite?),  as  in  the  Pegu  stone,  is  very  obvious,  and  rather  evenly  distributed  though  probably 
not  exceeding  1  per  cent  in  quantity.  In  place  of  being  shapeless  grains  or  points,  or  in  curved  wirelike  fibers,  it  is 
semicrystalline  in  structure,  showing  occasional  rectangular  and  triangular  facets.  Troilite  is  barely  visible  at  two 
minute  points  in  the  specimens  thus  far  examined.  Two  distinct  grains  of  chrysolite  of  the  size  of  half  a  rice  grain  are 
present,  showing  in  each  case  the  cleavage,  color,  and  luster  of  this  species  as  existing  in'Krasnojarsk  meteoric  iron. 
Moreover,  these  grains  have  not  the  perfect  spherical  form  of  the  forsterite  globules. 


382  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  specific  gravity  of  a  fragment  whose  surface  was  one-third  crust  is  3.65.  It  may  be  added  in  conclusion  that 
the  inspection  of  this  rather  peculiar  stone  strongly  suggests  the  idea  that  the  pisiform  globules  were  produced  by  the 
sudden  fusion  of  what  was  originally  a  chladnitic  material  (similar  to  the  Bishopville  stone),  amid  particles  of  chamasite 
attended  by  access  of  oxygen,  whereby  the  silicate  of  magnesia  became  converted  into  the  more  fusible  double  silicate 
of  magnesia  and  iron. 

Kirkwood  *  described  the  meteor  as  follows: 

On  Thursday  evening,  December  21,  1876,  about  seventeen  minutes  before  9  o'clock,  Bloomington  time,  a  meteor 
of  extraordinary  magnitude  passed  over  the  States  of  Kansas,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  and 
New  York.  I  have  received  communications  descriptive  of  the  phenomena  from  Prof.  F.  W.  Bardwell,  of  Lawrence, 
and  Rev.  J.  L.  Gay,  of  Parsons,  Kansas;  Prof.  Joseph  Ficklin,  Columbia,  Missouri;  Prof.  S.  W.  Burnham,  Chicago, 
Illinois;  Profs.  D.  E.  Hunter,  Brookston,  and  J.  B.  Roberts,  Indianapolis,  Indiana;  Prof.  Samuel  J.  Kirkwood, 
Wooster,  Ohio;  and  others  in  the  different  States  over  which  the  meteor  passed.  At  Bloomington,  Indiana,  it  was 
observed  by  Profs.  T.  A.  Wylie,  D.  D.,  H.  B.  Boisen,  and  C.  F.  McNutt;  also  by  Rev.  James  Garrison,  Messrs.  D.  0. 
Spencer,  J.  Graham,  and  many  others.  A  discussion  of  the  observations  furnished  by  the  correspondents  named  gives 
the  following  as  the  meteor's  track  through  the  atmosphere. 

The  body  when  first  visible  was  about  70  or  75  miles  above  the  earth's  surface,  at  a  point  southwest  from  Emporia, 
Kansas,  and  not  far  from  the  southern  border  of  the  State.  It  passed  Emporia  a  few  degrees  southeast  of  the  zenith, 
entered  Missouri  near  the  southwest  corner  of  Jackson  County;  passed  very  nearly  over  the  towns  of  Lexington,  Keytes- 
ville,  and  Oakdale,  Missouri;  Quincy,  Lewiston,  Peoria,  and  Lorain,  Illinois;  Winamac,  Rochester,  and  Auburn, 
Indiana;  Bryan  and  Toledo,  Ohio;  crossed  Lake  Erie  to  a  point  a  few  miles  south  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  disappeared 
over  southwestern  New  York.  This  track  is  not  represented  by  a  straight  line  drawn  on  the  map,  but  by  one  somewhat 
curved  toward  the  north  or  northwest.  Its  length  is  between  1,000  and  1,100  miles,  one  of  the  longest  meteoric  tracks 
on  record.  The  body  passed  the  meridian  of  Bloomington,  Indiana,  131  miles  north  of  the  city,  and  its  apparent 
elevation  as  determined  by  Prof.  T.  A.  Wylie,  was  15°.  This,  taking  into  account  the  curvature  of  the  meridian, 
gives  about  38  miles  as  the  altitude  of  the  meteor  when  over  the  western  part  of  Fulton  County,  Indiana.  Data  fur- 
nished by  Prof.  Samuel  J.  Kirkwood,  of  Wooster,  Ohio,  show  the  height  when  over  Lake  Erie,  nearly  directly  north 
of  that  city,  to  have  been  29  miles.  The  estimated  altitudes  at  other  points  of  the  track  are  less  satisfactory. 

Some  observers  in  Missouri  report  an  explosion  of  the  meteor  when  passing  over  the  central  part  of  the  State.  At 
Bloomington,  Indiana,  Prof.  n.  B.  Boisen,  who  saw  the  meteor  when  due  west  and  watched  it  till  it  disappeared  near 
the  eastern  horizon,  observed  it  separate  into  several  parts  when  nearly  northwest,  or  in  the  direction  of  Peoria,  Illinois. 
Rev.  James  Garrison,  who  resides  1  mile  south  of  Bloomington,  noticed  by  his  clock  tie  time  of  the  meteor's  disappear- 
ance and  also  that  of  the  subsequent  rumbling  sound,  together  with  the  violent  jarring  of  his  house.  The  interval  was 
15  minutes,  indicating  a  distance  of  185  miles.  The  sound  and  jar  of  the  explosion  were  heard  and  felt  by  hundreds 
throughout  Monroe  County,  and  by  many  ascribed  to  an  earthquake.  In  regard  to  the  sounds  following  the  meteor's 
passage  through  the  atmosphere,  the  Monthly  Weather  Review  for  December,  1876,  says:  "No  reliable  accounts  speak 
of  any  noise  heard  during  the  visibility  of  the  meteor,  but  in  from  two  to  five  minutes  after  its  passage  a  shock  resem- 
bling thunder  was  heard,  which,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  was  described  as  tremendous,  shaking  the  ground  and  the 
houses,  and  was  especially  alarming  to  those  who,  on  account  of  the  prevailing  cloudiness,  were  unable  to  see  the  pre- 
ceding meteor.  The  uniform  character  of  the  sound  heard  at  all  the  stations  shows  that  it  was  not  due  to  any  violent 
explosion  (properly  so-called),  but  was  a  peculiar  acoustic  phenomenon,  depending  on  the  fact  that  that  portion  of  the 
line  described  by  the  meteor  when  nearest  to  any  observer,  became,  as  it  were,  instantaneously  along  a  length  of  several 
miles,  the  origin  of  a  series  of  simultaneous  sounds  which,  although  in  themselves  comparatively  feeble,  were  concen- 
trated into  a  violent  sound  when  they  reached  the  observer's  ear."  The  view  here  expressed  is  not  sustained  by  the 
observations  in  Monroe  and  the  adjacent  counties,  as  a  sound  from  the  nearest  point  of  the  meteor's  track  would  have 
reached  Bloomington,  if  at  all,  in  10  or  11  minutes. 

When  crossing  Indiana  the  principal  fireball  was  followed  by  a  train  or  group  of  smaller  meteors,  many  of  which 
were  superior  in  apparent  magnitude  to  Venus  or  Jupiter.  The  breadth  or  apparent  diameter  of  this  cluster,  as  seen 
from  Bloomington,  was  3  degrees,  and  its  length  at  least  20  degrees.  Its  true  diameter  was,  therefore,  5  miles,  and  its 
length  about  4  miles.  These  smaller  meteors  were  chiefly  the  results  of  the  explosions  over  central  Illinois.  A  final 
disruption  occurred  over  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  several  minor  explosions  having  taken  place  during  the  passage 
over  Indiana  and  Ohio. 

A  fragment  of  the  meteorite  fell  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Andrew  J.  Morris,  3  miles  northwest  of  Rochester,  Fulton 
County,  Indiana.  Mr.  M.,  on  hearing  the  meteoric  explosion,  had  left  his  house,  when  he  noticed  a  heavy  body  strike 
the  earth  at  no  great  distance.  Designating  the  spot  as  nearly  as  he  could  by  a  mark  in  the  snow  (which  was  six  inches 
deep),  he  returned  in  the  morning  and  soon  found  where  the  meteorite  had  struck  in  the  snow,  rebounded,  and  again 
fallen  close  by.  The  whole  fragment  weighed  about  12  ounces.  A  part  of  it  was  secured  by  the  writer  and  forwarded 
to  Prof.  Chas.  Upham  Shepard,  of  Amherst  College,  Massachusetts.  A  fragment  was  also  obtained  by  Mr.  W.  A.  Roeb- 
ling,  of  New  York,  and  a  third  was  sent  by  Prof.  E.  T.  Cox  to  Dr.  J.  Lawrence  Smith,  of  Louisville.  No  analysis,  how- 
ever, has  yet  been  published.  The  body  is  peculiar  in  its  structure,  being  pisolitic  and  remarkably  friable.  The  fact 
that  other  portions  of  the  mass  have  not  been  discovered  may  perhaps  be  owing  to  its  complete  disintegration. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  383 

The  observations  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  and  Wooster,  Ohio,  indicate  that  in  a  flight  of  200  miles  eastward  from 
Rochester  the  altitude  diminished  from  38  to  29  miles.  The  elevation  when  over  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  was 
almost  certainly  less  than  30  miles,  probably  not  more  than  25.  After  the  explosion,  near  the  southwestern  border  of 
New  York,  the  meteor  became  almost  immediately  extinct.  In  view  of  these  facts  it  seems  extremely  improbably  that 
any  part  of  the  mass  could  have  escaped  out  of  the  atmosphere.  What  became  of  the  dissevered  fragments,  or  why 
none  have  been  hitherto  found  near  the  terminus  of  the  track,  may  be  difficult  of  explanation. 

I  have  not  learned  that  the  time  of  the  meteor's  visibility  was  by  anyone  accurately  measured.  The  slowness  of 
the  apparent  motion  was,  however,  very  remarkable,  being  compared  by  many  to  that  of  a  flock  of  wild  geese.  Several 
observers  estimated  the  duration  of  flight  at  nearly  two  minutes.  The  velocity  with  reference  to  the  earth's  surface 
was  probably  between  8  and  12  miles  per  second,  and  with  reference  to  the  sun,  between  25  and  30. 

Smith  s  described  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

The  passage  of  this  meteorite  through  the  earth's  atmosphere  has  left  but  a  small  souvenir  of  its  visit.  It  was  well 
observed  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  latitude  39°  12'  N.,  longitude  36°  32^  W.,  by  the  distinguished  astronomer  Pro- 
fessor Kirkwood,  who  communicated  to  me  at  the  time  his  observations;  and  he  has  subsequently  given  them  more 
in  detail  to  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  with  the  observations  he  had  collected  from  others.  I  will  therefore 
simply  give  a  summary  of  the  phenomena  attending  upon  its  flight  before  describing  the  chemical  and  mineralogical 
characteristics  of  the  stone  which  fell. 

The  bolide  made  its  appearance  about  9  o'clock  p.  m.,  December  21, 1876,  and  was  of  extraordinary  magnificence. 
It  passed  eastward  over  the  States  of  Kansas,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  and  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York.  Although  no  observations  were  made  in  the  two  last-mentioned  States,  still  Professor  Kirkwood  is  doubtless 
correct  in  defining  this  as  its  course.  At  Bloomington  its  elevation  was  15  degrees.  According  to  the  calculation, 
the  length  of  its  observed  track  was  from  1,000  to  1,100  miles,  one  of  the  longest  on  record.  Its  height  is  supposed  to 
have  been  38  miles  above  the  place  where  the  small  fragment  fell  from  it. 

In  various  parts  of  its  track  it  threw  off  fragments,  accompanied  with  the  usual  rumbling  noise  and  commotion 
in  the  atmosphere  common  to  the  flight  of  these  bodies.  When  crossing  Indiana,  the  main  body  was  followed  by  a 
train  of  smaller  bolides,  many  of  them  of  the  apparent  size  of  Venus  or  Jupiter.  Its  velocity  in  reference  to  the  earth's 
surface  appeared  to  be  from  8  to  12  miles  per  second.  The  pyrotechnic  display  is  said  to  have  been  transcendently 
beautiful,  hardly  equalled  or  surpassed  by  any  previous  occurrence  of  the  kind.  The  cause  of  this  brilliancy  lay  in 
the  physical  structure  of  the  body,  which  will  be  detailed  farther  on. 

The  fragment  which  fell. — The  only  fragment  of  this  bolide  known  to  have  fallen  was  one  found  on  the  farm  of  Mr. 
Morris,  3  miles  northwest  of  Rochester,  Indiana,  latitude  41°  N.,  longitude  86°  W.  This  farmer  heard  the  explosion, 
and  shortly  afterwards  noticed  a  body  strike  the  ground  not  far  from  him  There  were  6  inches  of  snow  upon  the 
ground,  and  on  the  following  morning  he  found  the  stone,  which  had  rebounded  to  a  short  distance  from  the  place 
where  it  first  fell,  it  not  having  penetrated  the  ground.  The  entire  stone  did  not  weigh  400  grams;  and,  as  we  have 
not  heard  of  the  fall  of  any  other  mass,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  was  dissipated  into  very  minute  fragments 
and  dust,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Hessle  stones  and  other  similar  falls. 

The  manner  in  which  the  molten  matter  of  the  exterior  of  many  of  these  meteorites  is  swept  over  their  surfaces, 
in  shining  streaks,  covering  freshly  broken  surfaces,  shows  clearly  that  this  disintegration  is  constantly  and  rapidly 
going  on  in  these  bodies  during  their  passage  through  the  air.  I  have  in  my  collection  many  fine  examples  illustrating 
this  fact. 

Professor  Kirkwood  is  of  the  opinion  that  this  bolide  never  passed  out  of  our  atmosphere,  which  is  in  accord  with 
my  general  view  on  this  subject,  viz,  that  a  bolide  rarely,  if  ever,  gets  entangled  in  our  atmosphere  without  being 
entirely  reduced  to  fragments  or  powder. 

The  stone  has  been  broken  up  into  many  small  fragments,  of  which  I  have  fortunately  secured  a  good  portion. 
Others  have  been  lost  and  a  few  have  found  their  way  into  collections.  With  the  exception  of  the  largest  specimen 
in  my  collection,  weighing  95  grams,  hardly  any  other  fragment  weighs  over  30  grams.  It  is  important  to  treasure 
these  specimens,  small  as  they  are,  for  it  is  a  remarkable  stone  of  its  type.  It  is  of  the  pisolitic  variety,  very  friable, 
of  a  gray  color,  easily  crushed  under  the  fingers  into  light  powder  (some  of  it  to  fine  dust),  and  to  small  globules,  some 
of  them  perfectly  spherical,  of  which  I  have  specimens  2  mm.  in  diameter.  It  resembles  more  closely  the  Aussun 
stone  than  any  other  I  know  of,  although  much  more  friable.  This  peculiar  structure,  so  often  seen  in  many  parts 
of  meteoric  stones,  has  recently  attracted  much  attention,  Professor  Tschermak,  of  Vienna,  having  recently  published 
an  interesting  paper  on  the  subject. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone,  taken  with  several  average  specimens,  is  3.55.  There  is  nothing  peculiar  about 
the  coaling  on  the  specimens  I  have  examined;  it  is  of  a  dull  black  and  quite  rough. 

Chemical  examination. —The  stony  part  of  the  meteorite,  separated  almost  perfectly  from  the  metallic  part,  still 
contained  a  notable  portion  of  troilite  that  could  not  be  separated  mechanically.  The  amount  of  sulphur  found  in 
that  part  of  the  meteorite  indicated  the  amount  of  troilite  present,  viz,  3.31. 


384  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  stony  material,  when  treated  with  chlorhydric  acid  over  a  water  bath,  aSords  soluble  part  47.80  per  cent, 

insoluble  52.20  per  cent,  and  is  constituted  as  follows: 

Soluble  part.  Insoluble  part. 

Silica 34.55  57.81 

Iron  protoxide 27.75  11.04 

Alumina trace  0. 23 

Lime trace  5.31 

Magnesia 36.38  24.97 

Chromium  oxide 0. 10 

Soda. .  0. 46  0. 84 


99. 14  100.  30 

I  separated  some  of  the  globules  perfectly  free  from  the  intervening  matrix,  which  is  easily  done  by  rubbing  a 
piece  of  the  stone  between  the  fingers.  Very  minute  specks  of  iron  could  be  distinguished  upon  them,  and  when 
pulverized  and  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid  they  give  about  the  same  result  as  the  matrix,  viz,  soluble  46.80  per 
cent,  insoluble  53.20  per  cent,  and  the  magnesia  in  the  soluble  part  was  34.48  per  cent,  showing  clearly  that  they  were 
merely  concretions  of  the  matrix  of  the  stone. 

The  nickeliferous  iron,  which  was  separated  mechanically,  is  composed  of — 

Iron 94.  49 

Nickel 4  12 

Cobalt..  .51 


99.12 

The  quantity  of  iron  was  too  small  for  an  examination  of  the  other  constituents,  as  phosphorus  and  copper,  but 
they  were  no  doubt  both  present. 

Mineral  constituents  of  the  stone. — -Careful  examination  under  the  microscope  of  the  broken  surface,  as  well  as  of 
a  section  rubbed  down  very  thin,  shows  the  stone  to  be  composed  of  the  unisilicates  and  bisilicates  usually  found  in 
these  bodies,  mixed  with  nickeliferous  iron  and  troilite;  nothing  like  anorthine  is  distinguishable.  The  first  two 
minerals  constitute  the  bulk  of  the  stone,  and  there  is  possibly  more  than  one  variety  of  each  of  these  minerals  present. 
The  nickeliferous  iron  is  quite  abundant,  though  Professor  Shepard  states  that  from  a  casual  observation  he  estimates 
it  at  1  per  cent.  By  the  careful  method  adopted  for  separating  it,  I  find  in  two  average  specimens  over  10  per  cent. 
The  particles  of  iron  are  very  bright  and  lustrous,  looking  as  if  they  were  covered  with  plumbago,  although  there  is 
no  evidence  of  the  presence  of  the  latter  mineral.  The  troilite  is  not  detected  so  readily  by  the  eye  as  it  is  by  chlor- 
hydric acid.  One  of  the  spherules  was  rubbed  down  to  a  thin  section  and  examined  by  polarized  light,  and  in  this 
way  it  was  found  to  contain  both  classes  of  silicates  referred  to,  a  fact,  as  already  stated,  sustained  by  chemical  exam- 
ination. I  consider  the  mineral  constituents  of  the  Rochester  stone  to  be  about  as  follows: 

Bronzite  and  pyroxene  minerals 46.  00 

Olivine  minerals 41.  00 

Nickeliferous  iron 10.  00 

Troilite 3.  00 

Chrome  iron 15 

Meunier 6  classes  the  meteorite  as  Montrejite,  and  Brezina 7  as  spherical  chondrite. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Harvard  possessing  the  largest  quantity,  75  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1877:  NEWTON.    Meteor  of  December  21,  1876.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  13,  pp.  166-107. 

2.  1877:  SHEPARD.    On  the  meteoric  stone  of  Rochester,  Fulton  County,  Indiana.     Idem,  pp.  207-211. 

3.  1877:  SMITH.    Note  of  the  recent  fall  of  three  meteoric  stones  in  Indiana,  Missouri,  and  Kentucky.     Idem,  p.  243. 

4.  1877:  KIRKWOOD.    The  meteor  of  December  21,  1876.    Amer.  Philos.  Soc.,  vol.  4,  pp.  592-595. 

5.  1877:  SMITH.    A  description  of  the  Rochester,  Warrenton,  and  Cynthiana  meteoric  stones,  which  fell  respectively 

December  21, 1876,  January  3, 1877,  and  January  23, 1877,  with  some  remarks  on  the  previous  falls  of  meteorites 
in  the  same  regions. — 1.  Rochester  (Indiana)  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  14,  pp.  219-222. 

6.  1884:  MEUNIER.    M6teorites,  pp.  231,  237-238,  and  494-495. 

7.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  185  and  233. 


Rockingham  County.     See  Smith's  Mountain. 
Rockwood.     See  Crab  Orchard. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  385 

RODEO. 

State  of  Durango,  Mexico. 

Latitude  25°  2CK  N.,  longitude  104°  W  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1852. 

Weight,  44.1  kgs.  (97  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Farrington l  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  is  an  iron  mass  found  about  1852  by  a  goat  herder  in  an  arroya  north  of  the  Xazas  River,  12  km. 
northwest  of  the  hamlet  of  Rodeo,  State  of  Durango,  Mexico.  The  location  is  approximately  25°  207  north  latitude, 
104°  40'  west  longitude.  Upon  the  discovery  of  the  iron  it  was  made  to  do  duty  as  an  anvil  at  a  forge  for  many  years. 
As  received  at  the  Field  Columbian  Museum  evidence  of  its  industrial  use  was  to  be  seen  in  its  having  been  beaten  flat 
and  smooth  on  one  side.  The  surface  so  treated  was  apparent  by  its  smoothness  and  turned  over  edges.  The  meteorite 
as  a  whole  is  irregular  in  form  and  without  marked  orientation.  Ita  extreme  dimensions  are  12  by  9  by  8  inches  (30  by 
23  by  20  cm.).  Its  weight  when  received  was  97  pounds  (44.1  kgs.).  An  attempt  had  evidently  been  made  at  some 
time  to  cut  off  a  portion  of  the  mass  with  a  cold  chisel,  and  above  this  a  small  surface  appears  that  was  filed  smooth 
for  etching.  In  other  respects  the  surface  of  the  meteorite  has  the  natural  contours.  The  surface  in  general,  though 
irregular,  is  everywhere  rounded,  showing  no  angular  or  sharp  edges.  There  are  many  partially  defined  pittings  of 
various  depths  and  diameters,  the  largest  of  these  having  an  elliptical  outline  and  being  4  inches  (10  cm.)  in  length,3 
inches  (8  cm.)  in  width,  and  about  1.5  inches  (4  cm.)  in  depth.  In  color  the  surface  of  the  meteorite  is  darkened  by 
exposure,  but  it  has  nowhere  rusted  deeply,  and  in  several  places  the  nickel-white  color  of  the  metal  is  visible.  In 
such  places  Widmanstatten  figures  often  can  be  seen  also.  On  any  polished  surface  of  the  meteorite,  too,  the  figures 
appear  nearly  as  plainly  as  after  etching. 

Several  complete  sections  of  the  meteorite  were  made  in  order  to  determine  its  interior  structure.  All  show  on 
etching  well-defined  figures,  octahedral  in  character.  The  bands  (Balken)  are  more  numerous  than  the  meshes  (Felder), 
yet  the  latter  occupy  a  considerable  amount  of  the  total  area.  Through  a  belt  about  2  inches  (5  cm.)  in  width,  running 
across  the  middle  of  most  of  the  sections,  a  minutely  dotted  appearance  is  presented,  resembling  that  described  by 
Brezina  as  characterizing  Charcas.  and  referred  by  him  tentatively  to  inclusions  of  troilite.  An  examination  of  the 
dots  in  Rodeo  shows  them  to  be  minute,  shallow,  saucer-shaped  pits.  They  are  scattered  irregularly  along  the  bands 
of  kamacite  and  are  to  be  seen  in  some  of  the  swathing  kamacite,  but  never  in  the  plessite.  The  tendency  of  the  iron 
to  rust  at  these  points  is  greater  also  than  at  others.  They  appear,  therefore,  to  mark  the  occurrence  of  some  more 
soluble  ingredient  in  the  kamacite.  The  lamellae  of  the  meteorite  may  be  grouped  into  two  classes,  one  about  a  milli- 
meter in  width,  swollen,  and  with  wavy  outlines,  and  the  other  about  half  as  wide,  and  with  more  nearly  rectilinear 
outlines.  As  a  rule  these  two  kinds  of  lamellae  have  a  different  orientation  as  compared  with  each  other.  The  kamacite 
is  granular,  much  lighter  in  color  than  the  plessite.  A  considerable  quantity  of  swathing  kamacite  is  present.  While 
in  general  it  follows  the  outline  of  the  inclusions  and  forms  a  narrow  border  to  them,  at  times  its  outer  border  is  quite 
independent  of  the  shape  of  the  inclusions  and  it  covers  relatively  broad  areas.  The  tsenite  is  well  developed,  silver- 
white  in  color,  and  displays  the  color  of  a  section  brilliantly  on  holding  one  at  an  angle  to  the  light.  The  plessite  is  not 
depressed  by  etching  as  is  the  kamacite.  At  times  it  occupies  the  meshes  alone,  while  again  the  meshes  may  display 
elaborate  combs  resulting  from  skeleton  growths  of  tenite.  Scattered  irregularly  through  the  sections  and  forming  an 
important  feature  in  the  structure  of  the  meteorite,  occur  numerous  inclusions  of  schreibersite.  The  form  of  these  inclu- 
sions, especially  those  of  large  size,  is  in  general  elongated,  and  rectangular  and  spindle-shaped.  Some  of  the  smaller 
inclusions,  however,  are  star-shaped,  while  others  have  no  well-defined  form.  The  largest  inclusion  noted  has  a  length 
of  1.5  inches  (4  cm.)  and  a  width  of  0.25  inch  (0.5  cm.).  The  schreibersite  is  tin-white  in  color,  brittle,  and  magnetic, 
and  affords  the  usual  blowpipe  and  chemical  tests  for  that  mineral.  The  inclusions  are  always  bordered  by  a  band  of 
swathing  kamacite  about  1.5  mm.  in  width.  The  inclusions,  while  having  no  apparent  regularity  of  arrangement  among 
themselves,  are  usually  disposed,  especially  the  elongated  ones,  parallel  to  the  Widmanstatten  figures;  or  in  other  words, 
the  octahedral  structure  of  the  meteorite.  Another  inclusion  of  an  interesting  character  found  in  one  of  the  sections 
was  a  nodule  about  1  cm.  in  diameter,  of  a  black,  amorphous,  friable  substance,  resembling  graphite.  The  form  of  the 
nodule  in  the  direction  of  the  section  is  nearly  circular,  but  in  the  third  dimension  its  extent  is  unknown,  as  it  pene- 
trates into  the  main  body  of  the  meteorite,  which  has  not  yet  been  cut.  No  band  of  swathing  kamacite  surrounds  the 
nodule,  it  being  set  bodily  into  the  mass  of  the  iron.  In  appearance  and  physical  properties  the  substance  of  the 
nodule  resembles  graphite  fully,  but  it  is  magnetic  and  fuses  in  the  reducing  flame  at  about  4.  Mixed  with  potassium 
nitrate  it  deflagrates  readily,  but  throws  out  incandescent  sparks  in  addition  to  the  flaming  usual  to  graphite.  Potas- 
sim  carbonate  results  from  the  reaction.  Oxidation  with  sulphuric  and  chromic  acids  according  to  the  French  method 
affords  an  appreciable  quantity  of  CO2.  On  heating  in  oxygen  the  substance  glows  and  becomes  of  a  red-brown  color. 
It  was  found  to  be  little,  if  any,  attacked  by  ordinary  acids.  After  a  long  treatment  with  aqua  regia,  however,  and 
addition  of  ammonia  to  the  solution,  a  slight  precipitate  of  iron  hydroxide  was  obtained.  When  powdered  and  added  to 
a  copper  sulphate  solution,  copper  was  reduced  by  the  substance.  Its  specific  gravity  (obtained  by  Thoulet's  solution) 
was  2.38.  On  account  of  the  above  properties  it  would  appear  that  the  substance  is  chiefly  graphite,  but  contains  in 
addition  some  form  of  iron,  probably  a  carbide,  intimately  mixed  with  it.  Such  a  mixture  should  exhibit  the  proper- 
ties of  magnetism,  reductions  from  copper  sulphate,  and  insolubility  in  acids,  which  are  possessed  by  this  substance. 
Such  properties  seem  not  to  have  been  possessed  by  graphite  which  has  been  described  from  other  meteorites.  *  *  * 
716°— 15 25 


386  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

An  analysis  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols.  Material  for  analysis  was  secured  by  drilling  a  half- 
inch  hole  to  a  depth  of  seven-eighths  of  an  inch,  and  rejecting  the  drillings  from  the  crust  portion.  The  analysis  gave 
the  following  results: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P  S  C 

89.84        8.79        0.28        0.07        0.80        0.02        C.09     =99.89 

The  composition  of  the  meteorite  is  thus  seen  to  be  that  usual  to  medim  octahedrites,  with  a  high  percentage  of 
phosphorus.  From  the  large  amount  of  schreibersite  visible  in  the  sections,  such  a  content  of  phosphorus  would  be 

expected. 

*»**»** 

Cohen,3  apparently  without  knowledge  of  Farrington's  account,  gave  the  following: 

This  meteorite  was  first  mentioned  by  Ward  in  1904  in  his  catalogue;  data  concerning  the  circumstances  of  dis- 
covery, form,  weight,  etc. ,  are  lacking  as  yet.  According  to  a  brief  note  from  Ward  the  lamellse  are  bent  in  places  where 
there  is  a  pitting  of  the  surface  and  the  bending  follows  the  form  of  the  pit.  The  usually  short  bands  are  straight,  puffy, 
frequently  considerably  grouped,  not  granular,  and  with  very  strongly  marked  tsenite  edges.  The  numerous  but 
always  somewhat  inconspicuous  fields  are  quite  small;  they  attain  a  size  of  13  sq.  mm.  only  in  very  exceptional  cases. 
The  kamacite  appears  under  the  magnifying  glass  to  be  uniformly  fine-grained;  under  the  microscope  it  appears  to 
consist  of  sharply-defined  grains  of  very  various  and  irregular  forms,  attaining  on  the  one  hand  a  size  of  0.05  mm.  and  on 
the  other  hand  falling  to  greater  fineness,  and  the  larger  number  of  them  showing  at  the  same  time  a  brilliant,  oriented 
luster.  Under  a  much  higher  power  there  appears  between  these  portions,  dull  black  iron  in  the  form  of  a  very  fine 
vein,  and  it  seems  as  if  each  grain  was  itself  composed  of  tiny  granules.  Most  of  the  fields  are  composed  of  dense,  dark 
plessite,  which  in  the  case  of  the  smaller  ones  uniformly  fills  the  entire  field;  in  the  case  of  the  larger,  only  a  small 
border  band  is  so  dark,  while  the  interior,  because  of  a  shading  in  color,  appears  brighter,  owing  to  the  presence  of  toler- 
ably large,  evenly  inlaid  shiny  scales.  Then  follow. a  few  fields  which  consist  of  the  same  kamacite  as  the  principal 
bands,  and  which  are  filled  with  combs,  which  as  a  rule  run  out  only  from  two  adjacent  sides;  thereby  arises  a  similarity 
with  such  fields  as  consist  of  small  entire  lamellee,  in  which  case,  however,  each  small  band  lies  in  its  own  tsenite  pouch. 
Occasionally  a  field  shows  partly  the  one  partly  the  other  formation. 

Schreibersite  occurs  abundantly  and  in  considerable  size.  The  crystals  are  sometimes  hieroglyphic  in  form  and 
as  much  as  2  cm.  in  size,  sometimes  they  are  small  and  elongated  and  then  attain  a  length  of  4  cm.  and  a  thickness  of 
2  mm.  Compact  isometric  individuals  also  occur  in  isolation.  The  swathing  kamacite  is  entirely  like  the  kamacite  of 
the  lamellse.  Troilite  was  wanting  entirely  in  a  plate  250  cm.  square.  Magnetite  occurs  occasionally  as  a  filling  of 
crevices  quite  deep  in  the  interior. 

Bella  Roca  and  Rodeo  seem  quite  similar,  but  are  distinguished  by  more  thorough  study,  on  the  one  hand  because 
of  the  formation  of  the  kamacite,  which,  in  the  case  of  Bella  Roca  even  upon  very  great  enlargement,  still  remains 
exceptionally  fine-grained,  and  on  the  other  hand  by  the  occurrence  of  combs  in  Rodeo. 

Analysis  by  Dr.  O.  Burger: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  Cr  P  S  Residue 

86.95        11.27        1.20        0.01        0.03        0.25        0.01  0.07     =99.79 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  Field  Museum. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  p.  21. 

2.  1905:  FARRINGTON.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  3,  No.  1,  pp.  1-6,  plates  1-4. 

3.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  297-299. 


Rogue  River  Mountains.    See  Port  Orford. 


ROSARIO. 

Northern  Honduras,  Central  America. 
Latitude  14°  40'  N.,  longitude  88°  45'  W. 
Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina. 
Known  1895;  undescribed. 
Weight,  ? 

This  meteorite  is  mentioned  in  Berwerth's  *  and  Ward's  2  catalogues,  and  in  Ward's  cata- 
logue it  is  stated  that  the  main  mass  is  in  the  Bement  collection,  undescribed.  No  further 
information  at  present  is  available  regarding  the  meteorite.  The  piece  in  the  Bement  collec- 
tion, now  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  weighs  1,567  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1903:  BERWERTH.    Verzeichniss,  p.  76. 

2.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  pp.  21  and  87. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  387 

RUFFS  MOUNTAIN. 

Lexington  County,  South  Carolina. 

Latitude  34°  16'  N.,  longitude  81°  25'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1844;  described  1850. 

Weight,  53  kgs.  (117  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  iron  was  by  Shepard,1  as  follows: 

We  owe  the  discovery  of  the  present  highly  interesting  iron  mass  to  Dr.  Thomas  Wells.  From  several  communi- 
cations with  which  I  have  been  favored  from  this  gentleman,  I  learn  that  he  has  but  recently  come  into  possession  of 
the  mass,  and  that  he  is  still  unacquainted  with  the  particulars  of  its  discovery.  It  would  appear,  however,  that  it 
had  been  until  very  recently  lying  in  a  neglected  state,  near  the  house  of  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  the  spot  where  it 
was  first  found. 

The  figure  is  irregular  and  ovoidal,  being  truncate  at  both  extremities.  Its  greatest  length  is  31.5  inches,  while 
its  breadth  is  29.75  inches.  It  weighed  117  pounds.  Judging  from  the  specimen  I  have  seen,  it  would  appear  that 
the  mass  was  coated  with  a  black  crust,  thicker  than  is  usual  in  these  bodies;  and  accordingly  the  specific  gravity 
varies  somewhat,  as  the  fragments  by  which  it  was  determined  comprehended  more  or  less  of  the  coating.  Two  of  these 
gave  5.97  and  6.80,  while  portions  seemingly  free  from  the  oxidated  crust  have  7.01  and  7.10. 

I  found  the  following  composition  in  a  specimen  of  very  clean  turnings,  obtained  in  making  a  division  of  the  mass 
by  Doctor  Wells: 

Iron 96. 000 

Nickel 3. 121 

Chromium,  sulphur,  cobalt,  and  magnesium traces 


99.121 

The  etched  surface  upon  a  large  slab  of  the  mass,  which  has  been  forwarded  for  the  inspection  of  the  meeting  by 
Doctor  Wells,  shows  it  to  be  highly  crystalline  throughout,  to  belong  to  my  sections  of  closely  crystalline,  alloyed, 
homogeneous,  malleable  irons.  It  exhibits  an  etched  pattern  which,  on  the  whole,  more  nearly  resembles  those  of 
the  Texas,  and  the  Carthage,  Tennessee,  meteoric  iron ;  although  it  presents  peculiarities  distinguishing  it  from  those, 
and  from  every  other  iron  I  have  yet  seen.  It  has,  for  instance,  over  much  of  its  surface  the  rather  broad  raised  spaces 
situated  between  the  sharp  raised  lines  (which  spaces  are  usually  dull  and  black),  completely  filled  with  closely  aggre- 
gated shining  polygonal  areas,  resembling  the  top  figures  at  the  extremities  of  basaltic  columns.  A  few  narrow  gashes, 
each  about  1  inch  long,  of  a  brilliant  pinchbeck  red  pyrites  appear  near  one  extremity  of  the  slab.  The  peculiar 
color  of  this  sulphuret,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  resists  the  action  of  acids,  lead  to  the  suspicion  that  it  may  prove 
to  be  an  hitherto  unobserved  species. 

The  present,  therefore,  is  the  second  well-authenticated  discovery  of  meteoric  iron  within  the  State  of  South 
Carolina;  and  both  masses  have  been  brought  to  light  within  the  space  of  a  single  year.  The  other  mass  referred  to 
is  that  of  Chester  district,  of  which  I  presented  a  brief  notice  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  soon  after  the  dis- 
covery was  made.  A  fuller  account  of  the  same  is  reserved  for  a  future  occasion.  Suffice  it  to  remark  here,  that  there 
is  no  such  resemblance  between  the  two  as  to  evince  that  they  came  from  the  same  meteor,  although  they  evidently 
belong  to  the  same  section  and  order  of  meteoric  irons. 

A  later  note  on  the  probable  date  of  fall  was  given  by  Shepard  a  as  follows: 

This  highly  interesting  mass  (weight  117  pounds),  first  brought  into  notice  by  Dr.  Thomas  Wells,  and  described 
by  me  at  the  Charleston  meeting  of  this  association,  appears  to  have  been  one  of  very  recent  date.  It  was  brought 
to  the  office  of  Doctor  Wells,  in  Columbia,  in  the  winter  of  1844,  with  the  account  that  it  was  incidentally  met  with  by 
a  person  out  upon  a  hunting  excursion  in  a  somewhat  unfrequented  place;  the  position  of  the  mass  being  that  of  entire 
isolation,  upon  a  flat  surface  of  rock.  This  circumstance,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  the  exterior  is  fresh  on  all  sides 
and  perfectly  clean  from  the  hydrated  peroxide  of  iron,  seems  to  justify  the  inference  that  it  could  not  have  occupied 
this  situation  for  any  length  of  time;  the  more  especially  when  it  is  observed  that  freshly  cut  portions  are  prone  to 
oxidation,  even  when  carefully  protected  from  air  and  moisture. 

Under  the  title  ''Potassium  in  the  meteoric  iron  of  Ruffs  Mountain,  South  Carolina," 
Shepard s  recounted  an  experiment  with  the  iron  as  follows: 

This  iron,  it  should  here  be  mentioned,  was  not  found  on  that  part  of  the  mountain  situated  in  Newberry,  as 
formerly  supposed,  but  in  the  contiguous  county  of  Lexington.  Having  noticed  a  peculiarity  in  the  manner  in  which 
this  iron  acquires  rust,  even  when  kept  in  a  dry  air,  I  suspected  that  it  proceeded  in  part  from  the  oxidation  of  potas- 
sium. The  broad  flat  face  of  the  56-pound  mass  figured  rusts  upon  one  margin  to  the  depth  of  nearly  2  inches, 
and  at  times  obviously  gathers  moisture,  while  the  rest  of  the  surface  retains  its  dryness  and  polish.  (The  mass  meas- 
ures 8.75  inches  in  height  and  7.5  inches  horizontally  across  the  polished  face.)  Turmeric  paper  applied  to  the 
moistened  spots  was  immediately  browned.  This  led  me  to  subject  2  ounces  of  the  rusted  turnings  of  the  iron, 
obtained  in  making  sections  of  the  mass,  to  a  heat  of  near  redness  in  a  double  crucible  for  half  an  hour,  and  to  test 


388  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

the  water  boiled  upon  it  with  reddened  litmus  and  turmeric.  It  gave  an  alkaline  reaction  in  both  instances,  which 
under  the  circumstances  sufficiently  proves  that  a  fixed  alkali  was  present.  The  deliquescence  observed  renders  it 
probable  that  it  was  owing  to  the  carbonate  of  potassa,  rather  than  to  the  carbonate  of  soda,  although  there  is  nothing 
to  disprove  the  presence  of  the  latter  alkali  also.  The  condition  in  which  potassium  is  present  is  of  course  only  con- 
jectural. It  probably  exists  as  an  alloy  with  some  of  the  other  metals,  which  is  not  uniformly  distributed  throughout 
the  mass.  Indeed,  the  artisan  who  superintended  the  division  of  the  iron  informed  me  that  he  detected  a  marked 
difference  in  the  softness  and  malleability  of  the  metal  in  particular  portions  of  the  mass. 

Rammelsberg 6  gave  a  determination  of  nickel  in  filings  from  the  iron.  In  those  dissolved 
in  hydrochloric  acid  he  found  7.6  per  cent  Ni,  in  those  dissolved  in  chloride  of  mercury  he 
found  9.65  per  cent  Ni.  The  mean  amount  of  Ni  he  gives  as  8.62  per  cent. 

Brezina 7  gave  a  positive  and  negative  figure  of  an  etched  plate  of  the  iron,  showing  Reich- 
enbach  lamellae,  and  remarked : 

Widmannstatten  figures  of  medium  width;  metallic  sheen;  schreibersite  abundant  in  the  band  iron  and  accom- 
panying the  Reichenbach  lamellae.  A  lamella  17  mm.  long  is  accompanied  by  much  schreibersite,  and  is  partially 
inclosed  by  kamacite. 

Brezina,8  in  1885,  classified  the  meteorite  in  the  Caille  group,  and  remarked  concerning  it 
as  follows: 

Ruffs  Mountain  is  a  very  distinguished  iron.  The  kamacite  is  quite  spotted  and  granular,  the  borders  of  the 
grains  forming  at  the  same  time  the  borders  of  the  spots  (in  the  majority  of  cases).  Tsenite  is  subordinate;  schreiber- 
site  is  present  as  ribs  in  the  kamacite;  troilite  occurs  as  Reichenbach  lamellae  and  as  nodules,  the  latter  quite  dark 
gray,  apparently  from  the  presence  of  graphite  in  abundance.  Laminae  0.85  mm.  wide. 

Meunier  10  classified  the  iron  as  caillite,  and  remarked  concerning  it  as  follows : 

This  iron  is  slightly  remote  from  the  type,  but  only  in  secondary  characteristics.  The  kamacite  occurs  in  very 
elongated  bands,  and  is  often  more  or  less  bent.  Plessite  is  very  abundant  and  the  tsenite  constitutes,  between  the 
other  two  alloys,  single  continuous  bands. 

Brezina,11  in  1895,  gave  a  cut  showing  the  etching  figures  of  the  iron  and  described,  as 
follows,  a  section  through  the  entire  mass  acquired  from  the  Kunz  collection : 

Bands  long,  straight,  little  grouped,  puffy;  tsenite  well  developed;  fields  predominating,  filled  with  a  mixture  of 
plessite  and  tsenite  which  resembles  kamacite,  the  tsenite  mostly  in  the  form  of  scattered  particles.  The  kamacite 
and  fields  are  very  much  spotted,  especially  on  the  fresh  interior  of  the  section,  while  the  slightly  attacked  borders 
are  dull  for  a  depth  of  about  1  to  2  cm.;  grains  and  ribs  of  cohenite  are  abundant  in  the  kamacite.  Reichenbach 
lamellae  are  abundant;  there  is  also  a  lenticular  appearance  of  gray  troilite.  .In  the  Siemaschko  collection  there  is  a 
specimen  labeled  Seneca  Falls,  and  weighing  about  15  grams,  which  doubtless  belongs  to  Ruffs  Mountain.  It  shows 
the  bands  straight,  grouped,  somewhat  puffy;  kamacite  much  spotted,  somewhat  granular;  cohenite  loose  and  occur- 
ing  as  ribs  in  the  kamacite;  fields  full  of  combs  and  much  spotted  like  the  kamacite. 

Cohen  12  found  the  iron  not  capable  of  acquiring  magnetism. 

The  principal  mass  of  this  meteorite  is  in  the  Amherst  collection  (54  pounds),  the  remainder 
(11,300  grams)  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1850:  SHEPARD.    Meteoric  iron  of  Ruffs  Mountain,  Newberry,  South  Carolina.    Proc.  Amer.  Assoc.  Adv.  Sci., 

1850,  pp.  152-154;  and  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  10,  p.  128. 

2.  1852:  SHEPARD.    On  the  probable  date  of  the  fall  of  the  Ruffs  Mountain  meteoric  iron.    Proc.  Amer.  Assoc. 

Adv.  Sci.,  1851,  pp.  189-191. 

3.  1853:  SHEPARD.    Notice  of  meteoric  iron  near  Lion  River,  Great  Namaqualand,  South  Africa;  and  of  the  detection 

of  potassium  in  meteoric  iron. — 2.  Potassium  in  the  meteoric  iron  of  Ruffs  Mountain,  South  Carolina.    Amer. 
Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  15,  pp.  5-6. 

4.  1855:  BOOKING.    Dissert.  Gottingen,  pp.  10-15.    (Analysis;  transparent  blue  grains.) 

5.  1858-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  p.  638;  No.  6,  pp.  448,  452;  No.  7,  p.  552;  No.  9,  pp.  162, 174, 181;  No.  10, 

pp.  359,  364;  No.  12,  p.  457;  No.  15,  pp.  114,  124,  126;  No.  16,  pp.  255,  261,  262;  No.  17,  pp.  266,  272;  No.  18, 
pp.  484,  487;  No.  19,  pp.  150,  155,  156;  and  No.  20,  p.  622. 

6.  1870:  RAMMELSBERG.    Beitrage  zur  Kenntnis  der  Meteoriten.    A.  Meteoreisen.— I.  Ruffs  Mountain,  Newberry 

(or  Lexington  County),  Siidcarolina.    Mon.-Ber.  Berlin.  Akad.,  1870,  p.  444  (new  analysis). 

7.  1880:  BREZINA.    Reichenbach 'sche  Lamellen.    Denkschr.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  43,  p.  16  (illustration  of  etching). 

8.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammhmg,  pp.  200,  213-214,  and  234. 

9.  1887:  SORBY.    On  the  microscopical  structure  of  iron  and  steel.    Journ.  Iron  and  Steel  Inst.,  1887,  pp.  255-288. 

10.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  52  and  55. 

11.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  277  and  278. 

12.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  83  and  85. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  389 

RUSHVILLE. 
Franklin  County,  Indiana. 
Here  also  Brookville. 

Latitude  39°  35'  N.,  longitude  85°  25*  W. 
Stone.    Gray  chondrite,  brecciated  (Cgb),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1866. 
Weight  ? 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  is  made  in  Wulfing's  catalogue  *  under  the  name  Brook- 
ville. Ward  '  states  that  the  meteorite  is  undescribed. 

The  main  mass  was  acquired  by  Bement  and  is  now  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  New  York  City. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1897:  WCLFING.    Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  398.    (Brookville.) 

2.  1903:  BERWERTH.    VerzeichnisB,  p.  76. 

3.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  pp.  61  and  87. 


RUSSEL  GDLCH. 
Gilpin  County,  Colorado. 
Here  alto  "The  Colorado  meteorite." 
Latitude  39°  45'  N.,  longitude  105°  407  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 
Found  1863;  described  1866. 
Weight,  ISkgs.  (291bs.). 

The  first  description  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Smith  *  as  follows: 

I  have  known  of  the  existence  of  a  new  meteoric  iron  from  Russel  Gulch  in  Colorado,  for  about  two  years,  but  it 
was  only  recently  that  it  passed  into  my  hands.  I  first  heard  of  it  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Fisher,  of  New  York,  who 
subsequently  turned  it  over  to  Prof.  C.  F.  Chandler,  of  Columbia  College,  New  York,  who  kindly  submitted  it  to  me, 
as  I  am  furnished  with  the  necessary  means  for  cutting  up  and  scrutinizing  thoroughly  tfrig  class  of  bodies. 

The  mass  of  iron  is  accompanied  with  the  following  label:  "Meteoric  iron  found  in  Russel  Gulch,  February  18, 
1863,  by  Mr.  Otho  Curtice.  Weight,  29  pounds.  Brought  to  New  York,  February,  1864." 

The  mass  measures  in  its  extreme  length,  breadth,  and  thickness  8.5  by  7.25  by  5.5  inches.  It  is  perfect  in  all 
parts  except  at  one  extremity,  and,  as  stated  above,  weighs  29  pounds. 

This  iron  is  one  of  medium  hardness,  with  a  density  7.72,  and  when  cut  through  was  found  to  contain  a  few  small 
nodules  of  iron  pyrites.  It  is  attacked  readily  by  nitric  acid,  and  gives  bold  Widmannstatten  figures  without  very 
sharp  angles.  It  resists  the  action  of  air  and  moisture  very  well,  and  is  consequently  but  little  altered  on  the  surface. 
No  siliceous  minerals  could  be  traced  in  any  of  the  crevices.  On  analysis  its  composition  was  found  to  be — 

Iron 90. 61 

Nickel 7. 84 

Cobalt .78 

Copper , minute  quantity 

Phosphorus .02 

99.25 
Brezina 2  remarked  regarding  the  Vienna  specimen  as  follows : 

There  are  two  entirely  different  specimens  in  the  Vienna  Museum  labeled  Russel  Gulch.  The  principal  one, 
obtained  from  Lawrence  Smith,  is  undoubtedly  authentic;  another  one  comes  from  the  Calcutta  collection  and 
belongs  to  the  Trenton  group  of  medium  octahedrites.  The  authentic  one  is  entirely  different  from  the  four  other 
specimens  of  Brezina's  class  Ofch,  on  account  of  the  almost  entire  absence  of  ridges  or  the  perfect  uniformity  of  the 
bands. 

Meunier  4  stated : 

This  iron  is  a  typical  caillite  and  especially  analogous  to  Kenton  County,  that  is,  with  excess  of  kamacite.  The 
tsenite  and  the  kamacite  are  normal.  Inclusions,  more  or  less  irregular  in  form,  are  numerous;  no  pyrrhotine  is  vis- 
ible; but  schreibersite  is  not  wanting. 

Cohen  5  described  the  structure  as  follows : 

The  somewhat  bunched  lamellae  are  long  and,  according  to  Brezina,  0.15  mm.  broad  and  usually  bent,  although  in 
very  irregular  manner  and  degree;  the  curvature  is  considerable.  In  the  illustration  of  a  section  the  bending  is 
exceptionally  small  and  is  wanting  entirely  in  most  of  the  lamellae.  Tasnite  appears  distinctly  upon  some  sections, 
very  sparingly  upon  others.  The  large  and  abundant  fields  are  somewhat  less  prominent  than  the  bands. 


390  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  kamacite  is  much  broken  up  into  grains  by  meandering,  fine  crevices  and  appears  at  the  same  time  to  be  striped 
and  flecked,  causing  a  peculiar  fibrous  appearance  and  dull  silken  sheen.  The  stripes  are  not  due  to  hatching,  as  was 
formerly  supposed,  since  under  a  very  strong  magnifying  power  numerous  black,  pointlike  inclusions  become  visible, 
and  their  irregular  distribution  causes  the  flecked  and  striped  appearance.  Only  a  few  tiny  fields,  scarcely  visible  to 
the  naked  eye,  consist  of  compact,  dull  dark  plessite.  The  rest  are  composed  of  bands  0.05  to  0.2  mm.  thick  of  varying 
and  irregular  form  which,  under  the  microscope,  resemble  the  principal  lamellae.  Those  under  consideration  are 
distinguished  from  similar  areas  in  other  meteoric  irons  by  the  fact  that  the  bands  are  in  immediate  contact  with  one 
another  and  no  trace  of  teenite  seams  or  inclosed  compact  plessite  is  discernible.  In  rare  instances  the  tsenite  sends 
forth  from  the  extreme  edge  thorny  processes  into  the  area,  or  there  appear  in  the  interior  a  few  isolated,  glistening 
scales  which  may  be  taken  for  tsenite  or  schreibersite.  Schreibersite  occurs  sparingly  in  rounded  crystals  enveloped 
in  kamacite,  then  comes  troilite  in  isolated  grains  up  to  1  cm.  in  size,  and  iron-glass  in  small  dark  specks. 

Russel  Gulch  is  characterized  by  a  marked  and  manifold  bending  of  most  of  the  lamelte,  a  dull,  silken  luster,  and 
the  almost  identical  appearance  of  the  bands  and  fields.  An  etched  surface,  therefore,  has  an  unusually  peculiar 
appearance  and  very  distinctly  marked,  as  in  the  case  of  La  Grange. 

Analysis  by  0.  Burger: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Cr  S  P 

92.34        7.43        0.66        0.04        0.01        trace        0.13    =100.61 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  but  the  largest  quantity  (11.25  pounds)  is  in  the  possession 
of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.6 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1866:  SMITH.    A  new  meteoric  iron,  "the  Colorado  meteorite,"  from  Russel  Gulch,  near  Central  City,  Colorado 

Territory.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  42,  pp.  218-219.     (Analysis.) 

2.  1885:  BKBZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  208-209. 

3.  1887:  BREZINA  and  COHEN.     Photographien,  plate  21. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  52  and  57. 

5.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  360-362. 

6.  1906:  American  Museum  Journal,  vol.  6,  p.  125. 


Rutherford  County,  1847.    See  Murfreesboro. 
Rutherford  County,  1880.     See  Colfaz. 

SACRAMENTO  MOUNTAINS. 

Eddy  County,  New  Mexico. 

Here  also  Badger. 

Latitude  32°  55'  N.,  longitude  104°  W  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1896. 

Weight,  237  kgs.  (523  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Foote  l  as  follows : 

On  nearing  Fort  Stanton,  Arizona  Territory,  while  on  a  westward  journey  in  1876,  Mr.  M.  Bartlett  of  Florence,  Ari- 
zona Territory,  saw  a  meteor  pass  through  the  heavens  in  a  southerly  direction  and  fall,  with  a  report  like  that  of  a 
cannon,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Sacramento  Mountains. 

The  above  account  was  given  by  Mr.  Bartlett  to  Mr.  C.  R.  Biederman,  and  to  the  latter  gentleman  is  due  the  credit 
of  securing  the  specimen  to  science  and  furnishing  the  historical  data  here  given. 

Continued  inquiry  in  the  Pecos  country  was  fruitless  until  by  chance  a  small  sample  of  native  iron  was  presented 
to  Mr.  Biederman,  for  assay,  and  proving  to  be  meteoric,  led  to  the  locating  of  the  mass  through  the  first  finder,  a 
shepherd,  named  Beckett. 

The  latter,  in  a  sworn  statement,  says  that  he  found  it  while  herding  in  the  lower  foothills  of  the  Sacramento 
Mountains,  Eddy  County,  New  Mexico,  about  23  miles  southwest  of  a  place  called  Badger.  It  rested  on  top  of  a  lime- 
stone hill,  where  it  had  made  a  depression,  and  was  partly  buried.  He  could  find  no  other  pieces.  Mr.  Biederman, 
heading  a  search  party,  found  the  mass  at  the  place  indicated,  and  with  much  labor  dragged  it  6  miles  over  the  desert 
to  a  wagon  road.  A  long  search  was  made  by  the  party,  but  nothing  else  could  be  found.  It  is  complete,  save  for  about 
500  grams  of  fragments,  broken  off  by  Beckett,  and  a  piece  of  1,500  grams  sawed  off  after  it  came  into  the  possession  of 
the  firm  of  Dr.  A.  E.  Foote.  Its  appearance  indicates  that  no  rupture  occurred  through  an  explosion  during  its  flight 
nor  by  the  force  of  the  fall.  The  small  fragments  mentioned  were  employed  in  analysis  and  the  making  of  a  knife. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  391 

It  is  a  typical  example  of  the  class  of  siderites,  weighing  complete  about  237  kgs. ,  with  general  dimensions  of  about 
80  by  60  by  20  cm.  The  exterior  exhibits  in  a  splended  manner  the  characteristic  markings  of  meteoric  iron.  On  the 
flat  side,  shown  in  a  plate,  are  two  cup-shaped  pits  of  10  to  12  cm.  diameter  which  constitute  a  remarkable  feature;  the 
smaller  depressions  or  "  thumb-marks  "  of  3  to  4  cm.  diameter,  which  cover  the  remainder  of  the  surface,  are  also  repro- 
duced in  minute  detail. 

At  the  point  where  the  fragments  were  removed  the  octahedral  cleavage  and  lines  of  crystallization  are  noticeable 
to  a  degree  rarely  seen  in  iron.  It  is,  however,  on  the  etched  surface  prepared  through  treating  a  polished  slab  with  dilute 
nitric  acid,  in  the  usual  manner,  that  the  beauty  of  the  crystalline  structure  is  best  seen.  In  this  respect  it  ranks  among 
the  finest  of  recorded  irons,  the  Widmannstatten  figures  being  exceptionally  regular  and  distinct.  An  accompanying 
print  was  made  directly  from  the  etched  surface.  The  broad  bands  of  kamacite  are  symmetrical,  the  prominence  of 
the  interlacing  of  shining  white  threads  of  the  nickeliferous  iron  being  especially  remarkable,  and  distinguishing  it 
from  the  ElCapitan  meteoric  iron,  weighing  about  28  kgs.,  and  found  in  1893  about  90  miles  north  of  the  Sacramento 
Range.  In  the  latter  iron  the  percentage  of  iron  is  less  and  nickel  greater,  phosphorus  also  being  present.  For  a  careful 
quantitative  analysis  the  writer  is  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  Edward  Whitfield  (with  Booth,  Garrett  &  Blair,  of  Philadelphia), 
who  obtained  the  following  results: 

Iron 91.39 

Nickel 7.86 

Cobalt...  .52 


99.77 

The  mass  is  perfectly  preserved,  there  being  no  sign  of  disintegration  or  exudation  of  lawrencite.  The  sawing 
done  shows  it  to  be  quite  soft  and  generally  homogeneous.  The  entire  lack  of  surface  alteration  proves  that  it  fell  at  a 
comparatively  recent  date  and  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  the  meteor  seen  to  fall  by  Mr.  Bartlett,  whose  account 
led  to  the  discovery. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1897:  FOOTE.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  65-66.    (With  cut  of  exterior  and  etched  surface.) 


Saint  CroLx  River.    See  Hammond. 
Saint  Elizabeth.    See  Lucky  Hill. 


SAINT  FRANCOIS  COUNTY. 

Missouri. 

Here  alto  Southeastern  Missouri. 

Latitude  37°  49'  N.,  longitude  89°  55'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina;  Arvalte  (type  7),  of  Meunier. 

Described  1869. 

Weight,  2,418  grams  (5  Ibej. 

This  iron  was  first  described  by  Shepard  l  as  follows : 

For  my  knowledge  of  this  iron  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  B.  F.  Shumard,  of  St.  Louis,  who  sent  me  a  specimen  of  it 
several  years  ago,  but  through  an  accident  it  failed  to  reach  me  until  lately.  He  wrote  me  under  date  of  November 
4,  1868,  as  follows:  "The  specimen  is  from  one  in  the  collection  of  the  St.  Louis  Academy  of  Sciences,  which  I  found 
among  minerals  that  belonged  to  the  old  Western  Academy  of  Sciences  of  St.  Louis.  The  label  with  it  gives  only 
'  S.  E.  Missouri '  as  the  locality.  Its  meteoric  character  was  unknown  until  I  examined  it."  In  reply  to  my  request 
for  further  "information  Professor  Shumard  has  favored  me  (December  18)  with  the  following  additional  particulars: 

"The  specimen  in  the  Academy's  collection  is  irregularly  lozenge-shaped,  3.3  inches  long,  1.5  wide,  and  1.1 
inches  thick.  The  extremities  and  upper  face  are  rough  and  irregular,  one  lateral  piece  is  smooth  with  a  wavy  sur- 
face, the  other  has  been  cut  to  supply  specimens  to  Professors  Silliman,  Haidinger,  and  yourself. 

"The  under  side  is  rough  near  one  end,  while  the  remainder  of  it  has  been  smoothed  by  hammering.  The  speci- 
men bears  the  appearance  of  having  been  heated.  Its  present  weight  is  9  ounces,  and  if  you  will  add  to  this  what  has 
been  taken  to  furnish  the  specimens  referred  to  above  you  will  probably  not  be  far  from  the  truth  in  calling  the  origi- 
nal weight  12  ounces.  Nothing  has  been  published  concerning  the  specimen.  I  discovered  it  in  the  museum  of  the 
academy  during  the  year  1863." 

In  respect  to  the  figures  developed  by  etching  it  belongs  to  my  order  of  megagrammic  irons,  and  most  resembles 
those  of  Arva  and  Cocke  County.  It  is  rich  in  schreibersite.  insomuch  that  when  long  exposed  to  acid,  this  mineral 
projects  in  thick  lamina  above  the  surface,  resembling  mica  on  certain  weathered  coarse-grained  granites.  The  bars 
and  spaces  which  are  intermediate,  however,  are  not  traversed  by  those  delicate  lines  of  the  same  substance,  so  gen- 
erally occuring  in  other  irons. 


392  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Specific  gravity,  7.015  to  7.112.     It  appears  to  contain  no  chlorine.    It  gave — 

Fe 92. 096 

Ni 2.604 

Schreibersite 5. 000 

Cr,  Co,  Mg,  and  P traces 

Residue  of  Fe2O3,  Si  02,  and  C. 

99.700 

Brezina,3  in  1885,  grouped  the  meteorite  in  the  Arva  group,  and  remarked  that  it  resem- 
bled Wichita,  since  it  showed  hatching. 

Meunier 4  classed  the  meteorite  as  arvaite.     He  remarked  concerning  it  as  follows : 

The  museum  possesses  only  a  small  specimen  of  the  meteoric  iron  found  in  1863  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
State  of  Missouri,  but  the  specimen  suffices  to  show  the  identity  of  its  substance  with  that  which  forms  arvaite. 

The  schreibersite  is  much  less  abundant  than  in  the  Sarepta  iron,  but  it  has  in  the  main  the  same  disposition  and 
the  same  characteristic  kamacite  bands  of  the  arvaite  type.  Pyrrhotine  is  visible  here  and  there,  and  in  its  neighbor- 
hood are  found  graphitic  lamellae  which  complete  the  resemblance  to  the  type. 

Cohen5  remarked  that  cohenite  was  probably  present  in  the  meteorite.  He  gives  the  name 
St.  Francois  County  as  a  synonym  of  southeast  Missouri. 

Brezina,8  in  1895,  also  used  the  name  St.  Francois  County  with  southeast  Missouri  as  a  syn- 
onym, but  does  not  give  the  origin  of  the  name  St.  Francois  County.  He  states  that  a  plate 
was  acquired  which  gives  a  complete  section  through  the  iron.  He  says: 

It  shows  a  regular  structure.  The  lamellae  are  long,  straight,  grouped,  but  slightly  puffy.  Tsenite  is  very  scarce, 
field  subordinate,  very  like  the  bands;  ribs  of  cohenite  quite  numerous  in  the  kamacite  in  the  form  of  individual 
grains;  kamacite  very  uniformly  grouped. 

Wiilfing7  grouped  St.  Francois  County  and  southeast  Missouri  together,  quoting  Cohen 
and  Brezina.     He  notes  a  total  weight  of  2,418  grams. 
Cohen 8  made  a  study  of  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

Although  Shumard  gives  the  weight  of  the  original  southeastern  Missouri  at  340  grams,  Bement,  Ward,  and 
Vienna  possess  2  kgs.  of  St.  Francois  County,  so  that  a  second  larger  piece  must  have  been  found  later,  which  under 
the  name  of  St.  Francois  County,  as  it  seems  given  by  Kunz,  was  brought  into  commerce  without  a  notice  of  it  hav- 
ing been  made  in  literature.  A  brief  note  from  Brezina  informs  me  that  the  pieces  of  St.  Francois  County,  in  Vienna, 
were  obtained  through  Kunz  from  the  Bement  collection  and  correspond  completely  with  the  older  southeastern 
Missouri.  Two  pieces  were  placed  in  my  hands  for  investigation  of  the  structure;  one  from  the  Vienna  Museum  weigh- 
ing 288  grams  and  the  second  from  the  Griefswald  collection  weighing  30  grams.  The  following  points  may  be  noticed 
in  addition  to  the  characteristics  stated  by  Brezina:  Besides  some  few  fields  made  up  of  little  kamacite  rods  and 
intercalated  tsenite  folise  occur  portions  of  a  field-like  appearance  which,  however,  consist  of  short  puffy  lamellae  with 
etched  lines  running  in  a  single  direction.  They  are  evidently  what  Brezina  designated  as  bands  resembling  fields. 
It  may  be  questioned  whether  such  portions  should  be  referred  to  fields.  They  may  be  kamacite  individuals  in  which 
occur  short  combs  which  are  intergrowths  of  the  bordering  taenite,  which  is  not  the  case  in  the  normal  bands.  As  was 
shown  by  Brezina,  and  as  is  usual  in  coarse  octahedrites,  the  fields  of  St.  Francois  County  are  subordinate.  The  tro- 
ilite  mentioned  by  Ward  and  Meunier  is  lacking  in  my  sections,  also  the  graphite-like  lamellae  mentioned  by  Meunier. 
The  distribution  of  these  accessory  constituents  is  evidently  thus  very  unequal.  On  the  other  hand,  the  ribs  of  cohen- 
ite mentioned  by  Brezina  occur  in  the  bands  in  the  form  of  grains  and  small  prisms  7  mm.  long  and  .6  mm.  broad; 
also  large  schreibersites  which  do  not,  like  the  former,  lie  with  their  principal  direction  parallel  to  the  bands.  In  the 
immediate  neighborhood  of  the  largest  schreibersite  occurs  a  zone  4  to  6  mm.  broad  of  granular  kamacite,  the  size  of 
the  grains  rising  to  1.5  mm.  Since  granular  kamacite  does  not  occur  elsewhere,  the  schreibersite  has  probably  influ- 
enced the  crystallization  of  the  nickel  iron.  The  cohenite  ribs  are  smaller  and  more  sparingly  present  than  are  the 
crystals  composed  directly  of  cohenite  in  Magura,  Beaconsfield,  Bendego,  and  related  irons.  Most  of  the  bands  lack 
them  entirely.  Rhabdite  occurs  in  crystals  from  0.003  to  0.04  mm.  thick.  It  can  not  be  directly  observed,  but 
remains  behind  on  dissolving  pieces  in  dilute  acid.  Where  the  plates  have  a  natural  surface,  black,  hard  portions 
extend  into  the  nickel  iron  which  resemble  the  so-called  iron  glass.  A  piece  weighing  14.082  grams  was  analyzed  by 
Fahrenhorst,  with  the  following  result: 

H20 12. 28 

Fe20, 93. 52 

NiO+CoO 7. 76 

113.56 

This  shows  a  mixture  of  iron  hydroxide  with  nickel  iron,  and  indicates  a  rust  crust  which  has  penetrated  by 
clefts  into  the  nickel  iron. 


.     METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  393 

The  analysis  of  the  meteorite  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Cr  Cl  8  P          Silicate 

92.68        6.97        0.52        0.02        0.00        0.03        0.01        0.34          0.01  =100.58 
This  indicates  the  following  mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel  iron 97. 71 

Schreibersite 2. 20 

Troilite 0. 03 

Lawrencite 0. 05 

Silicate  grains 0. 01 

100. 

On  solution  in  aqua  regia  only  a  slight  residue  of  silicate  grains  was  left.  The  brown  flocculent  residue  usual 
where  cohenite  is  present  was  lacking  altogether  so  that  in  the  piece  analyzed  no  cohenite  was  probably  present. 

The  specific  gravity  was  determined  by  Leiok  at  7.7460  at  16°  centigrade  on  a  piece  weighing  270  grams.  This 
gives,  with  the  removal  of  the  accessory  constituents,  7.7728  as  the  specific  gravity  of  the  nickel-iron.  In  order  to 
determine  whether  the  cohenite  was  absent  only  from  the  piece  used  for  analysis  (which  did  not  contain  large  crys- 
tals) or  whether  the  crystals  appearing  like  cohenite  were  in  fact  all  schreibersite,  a  larger  piece  weighing  9.1  grams 
relatively  rich  in  the  constituent  was  dissolved.  This  showed  much  more  resistance  to  attack  by  hydrochloric  acid 
than  any  meteoric  iron  I  have  ever  seen.  A  mixture  of  one  part  acid  and  one  part  water  had  finally  to  be  employed, 
but  even  then  the  solution  went  on  slowly.  Besides  0.21  per  cent  of  tsenite  and  0.48  per  cent  of  some  angular  pieces, 
schreibersite  with  some  rhabdite  was  observed,  amounting  together  to  3.18  per  cent.  In  addition  there  was  0.15  per 
cent  calculated  from  the  phosphorus  contained  in  the  solution-.  This  shows  that  shcreibersite  occurs,  like  cohenite, 
imbedded  in  kamacite;  and  also,  what  I  have  often  declared,  that  these  two  minerals  can  not  be  distinguished  without 
a  careful  study  of  isolated  crystals. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed.     Ward  possesses  753  grams;  Vienna  641  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1869:  SHEPARD.    Notices  of  new  meteoric  irons  in  the  United  States. — 2.  Meteoric  iron  from  southeastern  Missouri. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  47,  pp.  233-234.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1881:  BREZINA.    Bericht  III,  Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.  Bd.  84  I,  pp.  279,  280. 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  207,  215,  216,  and  234. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fere  meteoriques,  pp.  29  and  32. 

5.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  p.  115. 

6.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  286. 

7.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  301  and  302. 

8.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-studien  XI.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  pp.  369-371. 


SAINT  GENEVIEVE  COUNTY. 

Missouri. 

Latitude  37°  47'  N.,  longitude  100°  207  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of )  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1888. 

Weight,  244J  kgs.  (539  Ibs). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Ward,1  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  discovered  in  the  autumn  of  1888  in  the  extreme  western  portion  of  St.  Genevieve  County,  Missouri, 
at  a  point  about  1  mile  west  of  Punjaub,  a  little  hamlet  no  longer  existing.  We  have  decided  in  the  lack  of  closer 
possible  location  to  give  it  the  name  of  the  county,  whose  county  seat  of  the  same  name  lies  some  15  miles  to  the 
eastward. 

It  was  found  by  Mr.  Zeb  Murphy,  a  surveyor,  who  retained  it  in  his  possession  for  several  years,  showing  it  at  county 
fairs,  etc.  It  was  subsequently  bought  from  Mr.  Murphy  by  Mr.  F.  P.  Graves,  the  secretary  and  assistant  superintend- 
ent of  the  Doe  Run  Lead  Company,  whose  headquarters  are  in  the  town  of  Doe  Run,  Missouri.  Mr.  Graves  has  been 
a  life-long  collector  of  the  minerals  in  this  part  of  Missouri,  and  this  St.  Genevieve  meteorite  has  been  for  some  years 
past  a  crowning  piece  in  his  fine  cabinet.  From  him  it  was  obtained  by  the  present  writer  in  January,  1900. 

The  shape  of  the  St.  Genevieve  siderite  is  an  elongated  spheroid,  considerably  flattened  upon  one  side  with  a 
rudely  crescent-shaped,  shallow  depression  in  the  middle  part.  Its  greatest  length  is  20  inches,  its  two  other  dimensions 
are  each  15.5  inches.  Its  weight  when  I  first  obtained  it,  before  any  part  had  been  cut  from  it,  was  539  pounds. 

The  exterior  of  the  mass  shows  no  sharp  distinct  pittings,  although  having  several  shallow  depressions  that  appear 
to  have  been  prior  to  the  oxidation  which  has  largely  covered  the  surface  and  which  has  quite  destroyed  any  trace  of 
outer  crust  or  skin,  if  such  ever  existed. 


394  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  V.OL.  XIII. 

The  present  color  of  the  mass  is  a  dull  reddish  brown,  with  patches  of  brighter  iron  showing  here  and  there.  By 
slicing  the  mass  into  a  number  of  sections,  the  surfaces  of  which  are  about  1  foot  by  1  foot,  4  inches  in  diameter,  there 
were  revealed  troilite  nodules,  few  in  number  and  of  small  size  (from  4  to  9  mm.  in  diameter),  but  which  lacked  the 
border  of  schreibersite  that  so  prominently  surrounds  these  nodules  in  the  majority  of  irons. 

The  Widmannstatten  figures  are  brought  out  by  etching  sharp  and  clear,  and  are  of  very  even  size  and  character 
throughout  the  entire  mass.  They  are  typically  octahedral.  On  the  numerous  plessite  patches  the  alternating  taenite 
and  kamacite  blades  (Laphamite  markings)  are  well  developed,  the  ttenite  standing  out  prominently  in  relief.  The 
chemical  composition  of  this  meteorite  has  been  determined  by  J.  Edward  Whitfield.  His  analysis  is  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni          Co  Si  P  O  C  Specific  gravity 

91.58        7.98        0.29        0.023        0.20        trace        none    =100.073  7.756 

The  main  part  of  this  great  mass,  weighing  106.56  kgs.,  has  taken  its  final  position  in  the  Ward-Coonley  Meteorite 
Collection  now  on  deposit  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York  City. 

Cohen 2  described  the  structure  of  the  iron  as  follows: 

In  the  sections  before  me  the  lamellae  are  long,  straight,  much  granulated,  slightly  puffy,  and  seldom,  and  then  only, 
slightly  bunched,  tsenite  borders  slightly  prominent,  fieldss  ubordinate  and  indistinct.  The  kamacite  has  a  twofold 
structure.  In  one  portion  of  the  bands  it  shows  distinct  and  sharp  hatching  and  a  few  etching  pits;  the  oriented  luster 
is  lively,  and  the  isolated,  unusually  large  etching  pits  attain  a  diameter  of  0.015  mm. ;  then,  upon  greater  enlargement, 
there  often  appears  an  irregular  dark  veining,  which  I  consider  to  be  etching  rills.  In  other  bands  the  pittings  and 
questionable  etching  grooves  are  more  numerous,  and  there  also  appear  black  dustlike  particles  which  finally,  especially 
in  the  central  portion,  hold  the  field  alone.  The  bands  are  dull  and  dark  colored,  but  under  the  microscope  brighter 
line  systems  are  visible,  which  seem  to  be  half-covered  etching  lines.  Frequently  there  is  a  smaller  border  of  this  second 
group  composed  of  bright  and  glistening  bands,  since  there  are  no  dark  inclusions  and  only  isolated  pittinga  here.  The 
plessite  is  composed  of  small  lamellae  of  exceedingly  various  and  irregular  forms.  These  show  the  same  structure  as  the 
principal  lamellae;  that  is,  they  are  very  granular  and  are  in  places  free  from  the  above-mentioned  dustlike  inclusions, 
while  again  some  places  are  filled  with  them,  indeed,  these  occasionally  increase  to  such  an  extent  that  the  entire  field 
seems  comparatively  dark,  except  for  a  few  small,  isolated  shiny  places.  Minor  constituents  were  wanting  entirely  from 
the  sections  examined. 

Characteristic  for  St.  Genevieve  is  the  alternation  of  dull  and  brightly  glistening  bands,  plessite  corresponding 
with  these  bands  and  therefore  but  slightly  prominent,  and  the  occasionally  smooth  outer  zone  of  kamacite,  which 
lends  to  the  etching  surface,  in  certain  positions  with  reference  to  direct  light,  an  irregular  appearance.  Not  all  of 
these  phenomena  appear  with  equal  distinctness  upon  all  section  surfaces. 

The  principal  portion  of  the  meteorite  is  in  the  Ward-Coonley  collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1901:  WARD.    The  St.  Genevieve  meteorite:  Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  65-66.    (With  plates.) 

2.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  372-374. 


Salem.     See  Smithland. 


SALINE. 

Saline  township,  Sheridan  County,  Kansas. 

Latitude  39°  22'  N.,  longitude  100°  29/  W. 

Stone.    Crystalline  spherulitic  chondrite  (Cck)  of  Brezina. 

Fell  9.30  p.  m.,  November  15,  1898;  found,  fall  of  1901;  described,  1902. 

Weight,  31  kgs.  (68  Ibs.) 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Farrington,1  as  follows: 

The  Field  Columbian  Museum  has  recently  received  a  meteorite  seen  to  fall  in  Saline  township,  Sheridan  County, 
Kansas.  The  chief  observer  of  the  fall  was  Mr.  S.  A.  Sutton,  of  Hoxie,  Kansas,  and  he  was  also  the  finder  of  the  mass. 
The  fall  took  place  November  15,  1898,  at  about  9.30  p.  m.,  the  circumstances  being  thus  described  by  Mr.  Sutton: 
On  the  date  mentioned  he  was  about  to  retire  for  the  night  when  a  great  light  seemed  to  flash  in  his  house  accompanied 
by  a  rushing  noise.  He  supposed  a  large  lamp  in  an  adjoining  room  was  exploding,  but  on  hurrying  to  the  room 
saw  instead  a  great  fiery  mass  passing  the  window  near  him.  Its  path  was  nearly  horizontal  and  the  direction  of  motion 
northwesterly.  The  light  given  off  was  white  and  intense  like  that  of  an  electric  light,  and  a  fiery  trail  several  hundred 
feet  long  with  sparks  of  various  colors  followed  in  its  wake.  The  whole  made  a  beautiful  as  well  as  awe-inspiring  spec- 
tacle. The  light  was  so  intense  as  to  illuminate  the  entire  house  and  was  noticed  by  other  members  of  the  family  besides 
Mr.  Sutton. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  395 

Whether  it  was  noticed  by  others  in  the  region  has  not  been  positively  ascertained  aa  yet,  but  as  the  territory  is 
sparsely  populated  it  may  be  that  no  other  observer  will  be  found. 

Mr.  Sutton,  being  a  surveyor  by  profession,  at  once  began  to  form  as  accurate  estimates  as  possible  of  the  speed, 
direction  of  motion,  etc.,  of  the  mass,  in  order  to  enable  him  to  discover  where  it  would  be  likely  to  strike  the  earth. 
The  speed  he  estimated  at  1  mile  per  second,  the  angle  with  the  horizon'as  25°  and  that  with  the  meridian  as  20°  west 
of  north.  These  estimates  led  him  to  conclude  that  the  point  of  fall  would  be  about  4  miles  from  his  home,  but  all 
subsequent  searching  in  that  region  proved  futile.  At  the  end  of  nearly  three  years,  however,  he  made  a  recalculation  in 
which  he  assigned  a  greater  speed  to  the  meteorite  than  he  had  before  done.  This  indicated  that  the  point  of  fall  might 
have  been  about  8  miles  away.  Seeking  in  this  locality  his  efforts  were  rewarded  in  the  fall  of  1901  by  finding  the 
meteorite  in  the  bank  of  a  "draw."  It  had  penetrated  the  soil  to  an  underlying  limestone  stratum  on  which  it  lay. 
The  thickness  of  soil  at  the  time  of  excavation  was  considerable,  but  this  might  have  undergone  considerable  change 
since  the  fall  of  the  meteorite.  Great  credit  is  certainly  due  Mr.  Sutton  for  the  skill  and  persistence  with  which  he 
followed  up  his  observations. 

The  mass  as  received  at  the  museum  has  the  form  of  an  irregular,  somewhat  tabular  polyhedron  bounded  by  eight 
approximately  plane  surfaces.  Its  weight  is  68  pounds  10  ounces.  It  is  covered,  except  where  a  few  small  fragments 
have  been  broken  off,  with  a  thick  black  crust  contrasting  in  color  to  the  dark -gray  hue  of  the  interior.  The  crust  is 
stippled  with  protruding  metallic  grains,  for  the  most  part  coated  with  a  black  oxide  of  iron,  but  occasionally  showing 
bright,  and  nickel  white  in  color.  One  of  these  protruding  grains  reaches  a  diameter  of  5  mm.,  the  others  are  smaller. 
Cracks  through  the  crust  give  the  meteorite  a  "baked"  appearance.  There  are  numerous  characteristic  pittings,  for 
the  most  part  oval  in  shape  and  having  a  length  of  about  2  cm.  A  slight  coating  of  carbonate  of  lime  occurs  in  places 
over  the  surface,  doubtless  formed  upon  the  meteorite  while  it  lay  in  the  soil,  but  aside  from  this  the  mass  has  a  remark- 
ably fresh  and  unoxidized  appearance.  The  texture  of  the  stone  is  quite  firm  and  compact.  Even  to  the  naked  eye 
a  chondritic  structure  is  apparent  and  chondri  about  2  mm.  in  diameter  can  be  broken  out. 

A  brief  chemical  and  microscopical  examination  shows  the  chief  constituent  minerals  to  be  chrysolite,  bronzite, 
and  nickel-iron,  a  fuller  account  of  which  will  be  given  in  a  future  museum  publication  The  specific  gravity  is  3.62. 
Having  fallen  in  Saline  township,  this  will  be  the  name  used  for  designating  the  meteorite.  The  region  in  which  if  fell 
is  one  which  has  already,  within  an  area  of  85  by  120  miles,  yielded  five  and  possibly  six  distinct  finds  of  meteorites  of 
such  character  that  they  must  be  considered  separate  falls.  Now  that  an  observed  fall  has  taken  place  in  the  region, 
it  would  seem  that  some  reason  must  be  sought  for  the  large  number  other  than  mere  coincidence  or  the  fact  that  the 
area  is  not  forested.  A  further  feature  of  interest  in  connection  with  the  fall  is  the  fact  that  it  occurred  at  the  time  of 
the  Leonid  showers.  Only  two  such  instances  have  hitherto  occurred  within  this  period,  these  two  being  the  falls  of 
Werchne  Tschirskaja  and  Trenzano.  These  are  both  veined  spherical  chondrites  and  the  present  indications  are  that 
Saline  township  belongs  in  the  same  category. 

Later  an  account  was  given  by  the  same  author  of  the  finding  of  free  phosphorus  in  the 
meteorite  as  follows: 

On  drilling  into  the  Saline  Township  meteorite  recently  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  off  a  piece,  a  white  "smoke" 
was  observed  by  the  writer  to  rise  from  the  drill  hole  when  a  depth  of  a  little  over  2  inches  (5.5  cm.)  had  been 
reached.  This  "smoke  "  had  a  pungent,  garliclike  odor  which  was  recognized  as  similar  to  that  of  white  phosphorus. 
It  was  more  pungent  and  resembled  the  odor  of  burning  arsenic  to  some  extent,  but  on  the  whole  suggested  that  of 
phosphorus  more.  It  was  at  once  surmised  that  phosphorus  might  exist  in  the  free  state  in  the  meteorite,  and  the 
supposition  was  soon  confirmed  by  the  following  tests: 

1.  On  shielding  the  eyes  from  the  light  and  looking  into  the  drill  hole,  a  luminous  spot  could  plainly  be  seen  at 
the  bottom.    This  spot  on  further  observation  showed  itself  to  be  actually  made  up  of  two.    One  of  these  was  fixed 
and  central  and  the  other  moved  around  it,  mat-ing  a  revolution  every  two  or  three  seconds.    This  motion  corresponded 
to  the  swirling  movement  with  which  the  fumes  rose  from  the  hole  and  doubtless  represented  the  manner  of  supply  of 
air  to  fresh  portions  of  the  phosphorus. 

2.  On  holding  a  strip  of  paper  saturated  with  silver  nitrate  in  the  fumes  it  turned  black  in  a  few  moments. 

3.  On  treating  some  of  the  powder  from  the  drilling  with  nitric  acid  and  adding  the  solution  so  obtained  to 
ammonium  molybdate,  the  familiar  yellow  precipitate  of  ammonium-phospho-molybdate  was  produced. 

The  fumes  continued  to  rise  from  the  hole  for  about  two  hours,  when  they  gradually  diminished  in  volume  and 
disappeared.  The  odor  could,  however,  be  detected  IS  hours  afterwards.  These  observations  were  confirmed  by 
several  of  my  associates.  No  effort  has  as  yet  been  made  to  obtain  a  quantitative  determination  of  free  phosphorus 
in  the  meteorite,  nor  is  it  likely  that  results  of  any  particular  value  could  thus  be  gained.  Two  holes  were  drilled  the 
same  depth  as  the  first  in  other  parts  of  the  stone,  but  from  neither  was  any  repetition  of  the  above-named  phenomena 
observed.  The  phosphorus  is  (or  was)  probably,  therefore,  only  locally  distributed  and  in  small  quantity.  The  stone 
where  broken  at  the  end  of  the  hole  first  drilled  shows  a  spot  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter  differing  considerably 
in  color  from  the  rest  of  the  stone,  being  brownish  white  in  contrast  to  the  greenish-black  hue  of  the  remainder.  This 
portion  may  prove  on  further  examination,  therefore,  to  be  differently  constituted.  The  properties  above  described 
are  those  of  free  phosphorus,  however,  and  the  observations  leave  no  doubt  that  it  existed  in  the  meteorite.  This 
seems  to  be  the  first  known  instance,  then,  of  finding  this  element  existing  in  the  free  state  in  nature. 

Klein  3  remarked  beautiful  eccentrically  radiated  chondri  of  enstatite  in  the  meteorite. 


396  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

A  further  account  of  the  meteorite  was  given  by  Farrington,4  as  follows: 

Some  further  observations  may  here  be  added  to  the  brief  account  of  this  meteorite  given  by  the  writer  in  1902. 
The  approximate  place  of  find  of  the  meteorite  was  kindly  indicated  to  the  writer  by  Mr.  S.  A.  Sutton,  and  shown  in 
a  plate.  No  other  observations  of  the  fall  than  those  already  made  by  Mr.  Sutton  and  reported  by  the  writer  seem 
to  be  known.  The  shape  of  the  meteorite  may  be  described  as  approximately  that  of  a  truncated,  four-sided  pyra- 
mid. The  base  of  the  pyramid  was  plainly  the  rear  side  of  the  meteorite  in  falling.  It  is  the  broadest  surface  of  the 
mass,  and  has  an  area  of  about  144  square  inches  (900  sq.  cm.).  In  outline  it  is  roughly  circular.  Mr.  Sutton  states 
that  this  was  the  surface  on  which  the  meteorite  rested  when  found,  but  this  position  could  have  been  brought  about 
by  an  overturn  when  striking.  It  was  more  heavily  coated  with  carbonate  of  lime  when  received  at  the  museum  than 
any  of  the  other  surfaces.  It  is  nearly  flat,  though  slightly  concave,  and  shows  the  broad,  shallow  pits  characteristic 
of  these  surfaces  of  meteorites.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  meteorite  a  surface  having  the  form  of  a  long  and  narrow 
isosceles  triangle  runs  nearly  parallel  to  it  and  the  thickness  of  the  meteorite  between  the  two  surfaces  ranges  from  7  to 
8  inches  (18  to  20  cm.).  From  the  parallel  surface  the  meteorite  slopes  away  at  angles  of  40°,  50°,  60°,  and  90°, 
approximately.  Three  of  these  surfaces  are  approximately  plane,  the  others  are  rounded.  The  plane  surfaces  show 
practically  no  pits,  the  others  are  more  or  less  irregularly  pitted.  The  more  symmetrical  of  these  pits  are  oval  in  form, 
from  0.5  to  0.75  inches  in  their  longest  diameter;  and  have  a  depth  about  one-fourth  as  great.  All  the  edges  produced 
by  the  meeting  of  different  surfaces  of  the  meteorite  are  rounded. 

Except  where  it  has  scaled  off  in  small  areas  the  meteorite  is  covered  with  a  firmly  adherent,  dull  brown-black 
crust,  rough  from  the  protrusion  of  thickly  scattered  metallic  grains.  These  grains  are  darker  in  color  than  the  rest  of 
the  crust,  probably  from  a  coating  of  iron  oxide.  When  this  coating  is  scraped  away,  however,  the  bright  nickel- 
white  color  of  the  metallic  grains  is  seen.  One  of  the  grains  showed  bright  when  the  meteorite  was  received,  but  it 
may  perhaps  have  become  so  through  handling.  It  is  the  largest  single  grain  to  be  seen.  It  has  a  hemispherical  form 
and  a  diameter  of  5  mm.  The  shapes  of  the  other  metallic  grains  as  they  protrude  are  various.  Some  are  elongated, 
some  nearly  circular,  and  others  form  small  connecting  groups.  For  the  most  part  the  grains  are  independent  of  each 
other,  but  there  are  two  well-defined  groups  of  them  extending  in  irregular  lines  and  standing  out  like  veins.  These 
are  not  straight  in  their  course  but  nearly  so.  The  extent  of  each  is  about  6  cm.  (2.5  inches).  One  runs  from  the 
large  grain  mentioned  above,  the  other  is  nearly  parallel  to  it  7  inches  (18  cm.)  distant. 

Besides  being  broken  by  the  protrusion  of  the  metallic  grains,  the  crust  is  seamed  and  fissured  by  numerous  cracks 
extending  in  all  directions  and  varying  in  extent  and  depth.  The  largest  has  a  length  of  6  inches  (15  cm.),  and  from 
this  to  the  minutest  fissures  all  gradations  occur.  The  course  of  most  of  the  cracks  is  straight  toward  the  interior  of  the 
meteorite,  but  some  run  so  as  to  tend  to  scale  off.  They  give  the  exterior  of  the  meteorite  a  "baked  "  look,  and  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  they  are  the  result  of  differential  expansion  through  heat  of  the  interior  as  compared  with  the 
exterior.  Scaling  of  the  crust  had  occurred  at  various  points  when  the  mass  reached  the  museum.  Many  of  these 
scalings  must,  on  account  of  their  freshness,  have  occurred  very  shortly  before  the  meteorite  struck  the  earth  or  from 
the  force  of  impact.  Most  of  the  surfaces  thus  exposed  were  covered  with  an  adherent  coating  of  carbonate  of  lime 
when  the  stone  was  received  at  the  museum.  The  lime  undoubtedly  deposited  more  readily  here  on  account  of  the 
increased  capillary  attraction  afforded  by  such  surfaces.  The  color  of  these  surfaces  was  for  the  most  part  rusty 
brown  from  exposure,  but  a  few  were  of  a  greenish-gray  color  where  the  carbonate  of  lime  was  freshly  removed.  In 
addition  to  these  wholly  uncrusted  surfaces  one  about  3  inches  square  had  a  very  thin  black  crust,  much  thinner  than 
the  average  crust.  It  is  evident  that  at  this  point  a  piece  scaled  off  from  the  meteorite  during  its  passage  through  the 
air  and  time  sufficed  for  only  a  partial  fusing  of  the  freshly  exposed  surface. 

Internally  the  substance  of  the  meteorite  when  freshly  broken  is  of  a  greenish-gray  color  and  firmly  coherent  tex- 
ture so  that  it  takes  a  good  polish.  Enough  weathering  has  taken  place,  however,  to  give  the  interior  in  large  part  a 
dark-brown  color.  The  percentage  of  metallic  grains  seen  on  a  polished  surface  is  large,  so  as  to  seemingly  constitute 
about  one-fourth  the  mass.  The  metal  is  uniformly  distributed  but  the  grains  vary  in  size  and  shape.  Some  having 
a  diameter  of  4-5  mm.  are  discernible.  At  times  they  aggregate  into  veinlike  lines.  Under  the  microscope  all  the 
striking  characters  of  the  spherical  chondrites  are  presented  by  the  meteorite.  Chondri  of  great  variety  of  size  and 
structure  make  up  the  principal  mass.  For  the  most  part  the  chondri  are  spherical  in  form  but  some  are  oval  and 
others  of  unsymmetrical  outline.  Besides  complete  chondri,  fragments  of  chondri  are  to  be  seen.  As  was  stated 
in  the  writer's  first  paper  on  the  meteorite,  enstatite  and  olivine  either  singly  or  in  combination  chiefly  compose 
the  chondri.  Diameters  of  from  0.3  to  0.6  mm.  are  presented  as  a  rule  by  the  enstatite  chondri,  but  one  3  mm.  in 
diameter  was  seen  in  one  section.  Several  of  the  half-glassy  chondri  show  rounded  depressions  as  if  made  by  the 
pressure  of  another  chondrus.  The  olivine  chondri  are  both  monosomatic  and  polysomatic,  also  porphyritic  and 
lamellar.  In  dimension  they  vary  as  widely  as  do  the  enstatite  chondri  and  between  about  the  same  limits.  The 
porphyritic  individuals  of  the  chondri  show,  as  a  rule,  well-marked  prismatic  outlines.  Crust  sections  under  the 
microscope  fail  to  show,  except  for  an  outer  fusion  zone,  well-marked  zones  such  as  are  common  in  the  more  porous 
chondrites.  The  fusion  zone  is  of  a  dark,  nearly  opaque,  somewhat  blebby  and  glassy  nature,  and  has  a  thickness  of 
about  0.08  mm.  Succeeding  this,  toward  the  interior  of  the  meteorite,  a  zone  about  0.4  mm.  in  thickness  shows 
scattered  opaque  impregnations  interspersed  among  unaltered  olivine  crystals.  This  zone  is  not  uniform  in  occurrence, 
however,  and  can  be  seen  only  at  intervals. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  in  the  possession  of  the  Field  Museum. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  397 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1902:  FARRINGTON.    A  new  meteorite  from  Kansas.    Science,  n.  s.,  vol.  16,  pp.  67-68. 

2.  1903:  FARRDJOTON.    An  occurrence  of  free  phosphorus  in  the  Saline  township  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  ScL,  4th 

ser.,  vol.  15,  pp.  71-72. 

3.  1904:  KLEIN.    Berlin  Sammlung.    Sitzber.  Berlin  Akad.,  p.  147. 

4.  1907:  FARKINGTOJJ.    Meteorite  Studies  II,  Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.,  Geol.  Ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  126-128. 


Saltillo.     See  Coahuila. 


SALT  LAKE  CITY. 

Between  Echo  and  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
Latitude  40°  48'  N.,  longitude  111°  36'  W. 
Stone.    Brecciated  gray  chondrite  (Cgb)  of  Brezina. 
Found,  1869;  described  1886. 
Weight,  875  grama  (2  Ibs). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Dana  and  Penfield  l  as  follows : 

In  the  summer  of  1869  this  meteoric  stone  now  described  was  found  by  Mr.  Clarence  King  in  Utah,  on  the  open 
prairie  between  Salt  Lake  City  and  Echo.  It  was  given  by  Mr.  King  to  Professor  Brush  and  he  presented  it  to  the 
Yale  College  collection. 

Nothing  is  known  in  regard  to  the  circumstances  or  time  of  its  fall ;  in  that  dry  climate  it  may  well  have  lain  exposed 
on  the  surface  of  the  ground  for  a  long  time  without  disintegration,  especially  as  it  was  well  protected  by  its  crust. 

Its  weight  is  875  grams;  it  is  oblong  in  shape,  about  12  cm.  long,  and  9  cm.  in  its  greatest  width;  one  edge  is  sharp 
and  wedgelike,  and  one  end  is  relatively  sharp,  the  other  rounded.  The  surface  is  comparatively  smooth  and  shows 
only  a  few  broad  and  shallow  pittings.  A  uniform  crust,  smooth,  except  for  minute  angular  elevations  on  certain 
portions  and  not  very  thick,  covers  it  almost  completely.  The  color  of  the  crust  is  reddish  black,  in  consequence  of  the 
partial  rusting  of  the  fused  material.  A  small  portion  of  the  mass  has  been  broken  from  one  end  to  give  material  for 
study. 

The  interior  of  the  stone  is  of  a  dark  bluish-gray  color,  distinctly  mottled  by  its  chondritic  character,  and  showing 
a  rather  large  proportion  of  iron  irregularly  distributed  through  it,  with  minute  patches  of  troilite.  The  small  portions 
of  the  interior  of  the  stone  which  had  been  exposed  are  much  stained  by  the  oxidation  of  iron,  but  this  change  has 
penetrated  comparatively  little  into  the  mass,  and  the  stone  as  a  whole  is  exceptionally  hard  and  firm. 

The  nature  of  the  mineral  substance  which,  together  with  the  metallic  parts,  makes  up  the  mass  can  be  only  imper- 
fectly made  out  by  mere  microscopic  examination;  thin  sections,  however,  under  the  microscope  show  this  very  satis- 
factorily. The  olivine  is  the  most  prominent  constituent.  This  appears  frequently  in  spherules  or  "chondrules"  of 
the  size  of  very  small  shot ;  these  are  made  up  of  a  multitude  of  individual  grains  having  a  distinct  rounded  outline  and 
each  with  its  own  optical  orientation.  These  granular  chondrules  are  sometimes  inclosed  by  an  iron  border,  and  as  the 
grains  of  olivine  are  fresh  and  clear  and  give  brilliant  polarization  colors  they  form  very  beautiful  objects  under  the 
microscope.  The  separate  grains  in  these  cases  are  closely  packed  together,  but  sometimes  show  a  little  intermediate 
glassy  matter.  The  olivine  also  appears  in  relatively  large  fragments,  much  fractured,  but  showing  by  the  common 
optical  orientation  that  all  belongs  to  a  single  individual.  Still  again  the  olivine  is  seen  in  chondri  which  have  a  distinct 
coarsely  fibrous  structure  in  consequence  of  the  inclusions  of  dark-colored  glass. 

The  bronzite  (enstatite)  appears  in  irregular  crystal  fragments  scattered  through  the  mass;  also  in  chondri  with 
fine  fibrous  structure  usually  eccentric.  These  have  sharp  angular  outlines  in  many  cases  and  appear  to  be  but  frag- 
ments of  the  original  spherules;  in  this  as  in  some  other  respects  the  stone  has  a  marked  brecciated  character.  To  the 
bronzite  also  are  to  be  referred  occasional  large  spherules  having  a  coarsely  fibrous  or  columnar  structure.the  fibers  lying 
in  several  directions  within  the  limits  of  the  same  individual. 

Plagioclase  feldspar  seems  to  be  present  in  crystalline  fragments,  showing  distinct,  though  not  sharp,  twinning 
structure.  Especial  interest  attaches  to  this  constituent  of  the  stone  because  it  shows  most  clearly  the  brecciated 
character  just  alluded  to.  One  piece,  for  example,  has  been  broken  transversely  a  number  of  times  and  then  cemented 
by  the  groundmass  so  that  it  still  preserves  in  general  its  original  outlines  though  made  up  of  separate  sections.  This 
feldspar  is  rich  in  black  inclusions  lying  parallel  to  the  twinning  lines.  A  number  of  patches  of  an  isotropic  mineral, 
which  is  probably  to  be  referred  to  maskelynite,  were  also  observed. 

The  specific  gravity  of  this  meteorite  was  found  to  be  3.66. 

A  careful  chemical  analysis  by  Penfield  gave  the  following  results.  It  was  divided  in  the  first  place  into  the 
nickeliferous  iron,  17.16  per  cent,  and  the  mineral  part,  including  the  troilite  and  silicates,  82.84  per  cent. 

The  analysis  of  the  iron  yielded : 

Fe 91.32 

Ni 8.04 

Co 0.60 

Cu 0.04 

100.00 


398  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  mineral  portion  was  divided  into: 

ITroilite  Fe(Ni)S 6.  70  (with  NiS=0.62) 

Soluble  in  HCl|silicates 48  85 

Insoluble  in  HCl,  including  chromite 43. 97 

Water...  1.14 


100. 66 
The  analyses  of  the  soluble  and  insoluble  portions  gave  further: 

Soluble  in  HCl.  Insoluble  in  HCl. 

SiO2 19.70          40.33  24.11          54.83 

A12O3 0.25           0.51  2.12           4.82 

FeO 10.42          21.33  3.80           8.64 

MgO 17.17          35.15  10.80         24.56 

CaO 0.81           1.66  1.47           3.34 

Na-jO 0.16           0.33  0.87           1.98 

K20 0.02           0.04  0.05           0.12 

P205 0.32  0.65  

Chromite...                                                                 0.75            1.71 


48.85        100.00  43.97        100.00 

Specific  gravity,  3.66. 

The  molecular  ratio  of  the  silica  to  bases  in  the  soluble  portion  is  1  : 1.72,  so  that  besides  the  olivine  the  glassy 
portion  is  probably  here  included.  The  composition  of  the  insoluble  part  implies  that  it  is  made  up  largely  of  bronzite 
with  a  little  plagioclase.  Among  the  stones  in  the  Yale  College  collection  that  from  Chantonnay  seems  to  bear  the 
closest  resemblance  to  this  new  stone. 

Brezina 2  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  brecciated  gray  chondrite  and  remarked  that  this  stone 
has  many  white  chondri  in  a  gray  and  white  fine  groundmass. 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed,  but  the  Yale  collection  possesses  the  largest  amount, 
834  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1886:  DANA  and  PENFIELD.    On  two  hitherto  undescribed  meteoric  stones. — 1.  Meteorite  from  Utah.    Amer. 

Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  226-229.    (Analysis  by  Penfield.) 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  251. 

SALT  RIVER. 

Twenty  miles  below  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

Latitude  37°  58'  N.;  longitude  85°  38'  W. 

Iron.    Finest  octahedrite  (Off)  of  Brezina;  Braunite  (type  3),  of  Meunier. 

Found  ?;  described,  1850. 

Weight,  4  kgs.  (8  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  B.  Silliman,  jr.,1  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  found  by  Mr.  Jacob  Walters,  of  Louisville,  on  Salt  Kiver,  a  tributary  of  the  Ohio,  about  20  miles 
below  Louisville,  Kentucky.  The  mass  which  Professor  Silliman  exhibited  weighed  about  8  pounds  when  it  came 
into  his  hands.  It  had  been  heated  in  a  forge  by  its  original  proprietor,  to  remove  a  portion,  and,  in  this  process,  the 
original  form  is  somewhat  defaced.  Nothing  is  known  of  the  time  and  of  its  fall.  Iron  of  the  same  mass  is  said  to  be 
in  the  hands  of  some  person  whose  name  has  not  yet  reached  me. 

The  meteoric  character  of  the  mass  is  apparent  from  its  peculiar  crystalline  structure — the  hard  external  crust — 
the  masses  of  magnetic  pyrites  which  are  scattered  in  large  rounded  nodules  through  it;  but  especially  by  its  chemical 
constitution,  as  is  seen  in  the  following  analysis,  made  under  my  direction  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Brewer,  of  the  analytical 
laboratory  in  Yale: 

Eight  grams  were  dissolved  in  HCl,  NO,H  added,  filtered  from  the  insoluble  part,  the  filtrate  divided  in  six  parts, 
four  containing  each  1  gram  in  solution,  the  other  two  containing  each  2  grams.  Iron  and  nickel  were  determined 
in  each  of  the  first  four;  the  other  two  tested  for  Al,  Mg,  and  Co.  The  nickel  was  separated  from  the  iron  by  means 
of  succinate  of  ammonia. 

Iron 90.23        90.51          91.07          91.14 

Nickel 9.68          9.05  9.68  9.05 

Magnesium  and  sodium trace          trace 

Insoluble...  .26  .26  .26  .26 


100.17        99.82        101.01        100.45 

The  amount  of  insoluble  matter  obtained  from  the  8  gms.  was  0.21  gr.,  which,  after  long  burning,  weighed  0.16 
gr.    The  loss  was  assumed  as  carbon.    The  residue,  fused  with  carb.  soda,  gave  traces  of  silica  and  iron,  very  distinct, 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  399 

and  nickel  (?).    The  original  meteorite  also  contained  traces  of  sulphur.    The  amount  of  insoluble  matter  varied  in 
different  trials. 

From  these  analyses  it  is  evident  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  meteoric  irons  yet  examined,  in  the 
large  amount  of  nickel  which  it  contains,  being  nearly  10  per  cent.  A  very  careful  qualitative  examination  of  the  in- 
soluble residue  failed  to  detect  appreciable  quantities  of  those  numerous  various  substances,  i.  e.,  cobalt,  chromium, 
copper,  manganese,  which  are  often  found  in  meteoric  irons,  as  was  first  shown  by  Berzelius,  and  confirmed  by  many 
others.  The  peculiar  form  of  carbon,  however,  which  Berzelius  first  noticed,  is  found  in  small  quantity  in  this  speci- 
men, and  the  remainder  of  the  insoluble  matter  appears  to  have  been  a  compound  of  silicon,  nickel,  and  iron. 

Shepard  2  gave  the  specific  gravity  as  6.835. 

According  to  Reichenbach,3  Salt  River  consists  of  a  gray,  amorphous,  fine-grained  ground- 
mass  which  yields  no  figures  upon  etching  (apparently  plessite)  with  numerous  intermingled 
fine  needles  and  points  of  lighter  color  (Glanzeisen)  unaffected  by  acids,  to  which  he  traces, 
here  as  in  the  case  of  the  Cape  iron,  the  high  percentage  of  nickel.  Cracks  filled  with  graphite 
are  mentioned  and  an  ingrowth  of  iron  glass. 

Rose  4  distinguishes  a  gray,  dull,  groundmass  and  light  elongated  portions  inclosed  therein, 
which  are  arranged  somewhat  regularly  according  to  the  sides  of  an  almost  equilateral  triangle 
and  inclose  longish,  glistening  shapes.  According  to  the  illumination  after  weak  etching  one- 
half  of  the  section  appears  lighter  than  the  other.  Disregarding  the  regular  position  of  the 
lighter  portions,  Salt  River  may  according  to  him  be  compared  with  Senegal. 

In  1884,  Meunier5  described  Salt  River  as  a  mixture  of  taenite  with  iron  carbide  (camp- 
belline) ,  which  yields  very  irregular  figures  by  etching  and  established  the  fact  of  a  carbon  con- 
tent. In  1893,7  he  explained  that  only  braunine  is  present  with  schreibersite  and  rhabdite, 
and  remarked  a  high  percentage  of  phosphorus  as  characteristic.  He  did  not  furnish  a  new 
analysis,  and  neither  his  older  nor  newer  characterization  agreed  with  the  results  of  Brewer's 
analysis. 

In  1885,  Brezina  *  placed  Salt  River  in  the  same  group  of  hexahedral  irons  which  in  the 
arrangement  of  inclusions  of  schreibersite  shows  a  uniform  orientation  throughout  the  entire 
mass  (Chesterville  group).  He  remarked  the  surface  of  the  meteorite  covered  with  a  rough 
bark  in  places. 

Cohen 8  described  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Salt  River  is  distinguished  by  a  very  rich  content  of  schreibersite,  and  in  this  respect  is  surpassed  only  by 
Tocavita.  This  occurs  sometimes  in  rounded  grains  0.05  to  0.25  mm.  in  size,  sometimes  in  elongated  individuals, 
which,  however,  are  not  bounded  by  such  straight  lines  as  is  usually  the  case  with  typical  rhabdite.  The  latter  are 
as  a  rule  only  0.25  to  0.5  mm.  long,  but  in  exceptional  cases  attain  a  length  of  4  mm.  Where  smaller  individuals  pre- 
vail, they  are  massed  in  large  numbers,  closely  compacted  and  quite  evenly  distributed;  in  the  neighborhood  of  large 
columnar  crystals  their  number  diminishes  and  the  distribution  is  irregular.  Such  particles,  poor  in  schreibersite, 
viewed  at  some  distance,  come  out  quite  distinctly  as  dark,  dull  spots  upon  the  prevailing  mass  rich  in  schreibersite 
and  of  a  lighter,  more  lustrous  appearance. 

The  schreibersite  is  almost  without  exception  completely  surrounded  with  gray  kamacite  and  tsenite  lamella,  the 
size  of  which  stands  in  direct  relation  to  the  size  of  the  grains.  Then  follow  still  other  lamellae  of  similar  constitution 
without  schreibersite  inclusions;  and  since  such  lamellae  are  frequent  I  do  not  consider  their  occurrence  accidental. 
The  lamellae  free  from  inclusions  have  a  breadth  of  some  0.02  to  0.15  mm.  and  consist  of  an  extremely  fine-grained 
kamacite;  the  others,  inclusive  of  the  inclosed  schreibersite,  attain  a  breadth  of  0.4  mm.,  and  where  these  dimen- 
sions are  approximated — which  is  only  very  seldom  the  case — a  considerably  coarser  kamacite  occurs,  which  shows  a 
distinctly  oriented  luster  in  each  individual  grain.  The  light,  brightly  glistening  taenite  borders  are  narrow,  but  under 
the  microscope  are  more  sharply  divided  off  from  the  kamacite.  Between  the  lamellae  lies  a  grayish-black,  dull  plessite, 
in  which  appear  under  the  glass  tiny  lustrous  spangles.  At  about  200  diameters  it  shows  a  finely  netted  structure, 
and  it  seems  that  the  plessite  is  entirely  made  up  of  tiny  lamellae  of  the  same  or  very  similar  character  with  the 
larger  ones  already  described.  In  the  portions  poor  in  schreibersite  the  plessite  forms  a  coherent  background,  in 
which  the  lamellae  lie  isolated;  in  the  portions  rich  in  schreibersite  they  occur  in  isolated  constricted  particles* 

Analysis  by  Dr.  J.  Fahrenhorst: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  C  S  P 

90.89        8.70        0.85        0.04        0.02         trace        0.34    =100.84 

Mineralogical  composition  (estimated): 

Nickel  iron 97. 80 

Schreibersite 2. 19 

Troilite..  0.01 


100.00 
Specific  gravity  (Leick),  7.6648  at  23.5°  C.    Nickel  iron  (estimated),  7.6786. 


400  MEMOIKS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  relatively  high  content  of  copper  and  low  specific  gravity  is  also  remarked  by  Cohen. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed.     The  Yale  collection  has  985  grams,  the  British  Museum  524 
grams,  and  the  Harvard  collection  304  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1850:  SILLIMAN.    Notice  of  two  American  meteoric  irons.    Proc.  Amer.  Assoc.  Adv.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  36-37. 

(Analyses). 

2.  1851:  SHEPARD.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  11,  p.  40.    S.  auch  Liebig-Kopp,  Jahresber.,  1850,  p.  826. 

3.  1859-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  9,  pp.  162,  175, 176,  182;  No.  11,  p.  291;  No.  15,  p.  'lOO;  No.  17,  pp.  268,  269; 

No.  18,  p.  488;  No.  21,  pp.  578,  588. 

4.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  70  and  153. 

5.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Me'te'orites,  pp.  99,  131,  and  132. 

6.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  203,  219,  and  234. 

7.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  dee  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  15  and  18. 

8.  1900:  COHEN.    Meteoreisenstudien  X.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien.,  vol.  15,  pp.  74-77. 

9.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  275-278. 


SAN  ANGELO. 

Tom  Green  County,  Texas. 

Latitude  31°  20'  N.,  longitude  100°  20'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1897. 

Weight,  88  kgs.  (194  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Preston  *  as  follows: 

The  San  Angelo  siderite  is  oblong  in  shape  and  was,  previous  to  cutting,  51  cm.  long  by  29  cm.  wide  and  14  cm. 
thick.  Its  weight  was  194  pounds,  or  88  kgs.  A  considerable  portion  of  this  siderite  was  obtained  by  Prof.  H.  A.  Ward, 
chief  of  Ward's  Natural  Science  establishment,  through  the  courtesy  of  Prof.  Geo.  P.  Garrison  of  the  University  of 
Texas,  Austin,  Texas,  and  he  is  indebted  to  Mr.  James  Abe  March  of  San  Angelo,  Texas,  for  the  facts  in  reference  to  its 
locality,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  was  found. 

It  was  discovered  by  Mr.  John  Johnson  on  the  prairie  7  miles  south  of  San  Angelo,  Tom  Green  County,  Texas,  about 
July  1, 1897.  The  prairie  on  which  the  meteorite  was  found  is  called  "  Lipan  Flats, "  a  body  of  land  entirely  devoid  of 
vegetation,  without  even  mesquite  trees.  The  meteorite  was  partially  buried  in  the  soil,  and  Mr.  Johnson  discovered 
it  while  riding  horseback  in  search  of  cattle,  and  states  that  unless  one  rode  over  it,  it  would  not  have  been  seen,  as  the 
color  of  the  soil  and  the  meteorite  were  nearly  the  same. 

The  exterior  surface  of  the  mass  is  of  a  dark  reddish-brown  color,  considerably  spotted  with  large  yellow  patches. 
None  of  the  original  crust  is  perceptible.  The  surface  is  very  much  oxidized  and  some  places  can  be  seen  where  scales 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  or  more  in  thickness  have  flaked  off,  thus  intimating  that  the  mass  had  lain  for  many  years  in  its 
original  position  where  discovered.  The  surface  of  the  iron  is  marked  on  all  sides  by  large  and  characteristic  pittings, 
some  of  them  as  much  as  12  cm.  in  diameter. 

At  one  end  of  the  meteorite  several  ounces  had  been  forced  from  the  main  mass,  which  has  left  a  rough,  jagged 
surface  5  by  6  inches. 

This  is  of  unusual  interest,  as  the  octahedral  structure  of  the  iron  is  beautifully  shown  by  numerous  octahedral  faces, 
the  largest  of  which  is  1.25  inches  in  diameter  and  is  very  sharp  and  clear.  So  also  are  many  of  the  smaller  octahedral 
faces  shown  over  this  surface  where  the  separation  of  the  mass  was  made. 

A  portion  of  this  part  taken  off  has  been  forged  in  a  blacksmith  shop ;  this  piece  when  polished  and  etched  has  the 
same  general  appearance  as  have  all  forged  meteoric  irons  we  have  seen. 

On  slicing  the  mass  we  find  the  troilite  nodules  very  scarce,  the  largest  and  only  prominent  one  we  have  come  across 
being  26  cm.  in  its  greatest  diameter  and  continuing  of  this  size  only  through  three  thin  slices.  The  Widmanstatten 
figures  are  brought  out  sharp  and  distinct  on  the  etched  surfaces,  and  are  much  more  regular  both  in  form  and  size,  than 
in  any  other  iron  with  which  I  am  familiar.  The  rhombic  figures  are  from  1  to  1.5  inches  in  diameter,  and  vary  but 
little  throughout  the  mass.  The  so-called  Laphamite  lines  are  prominently  present,  extending  across  the  large  patches, 
of  plessite. 

There  are  two  exceedingly  interesting  veins  which  appear  on  either  end  of  most  of  the  slices,  that  are  filled  with  a 
black,  lustrous  graphitic-looking  mineral ;  the  longest  of  these  veins  following  the  curve  is  11  cm.  and  varies  from  1  to  4 
mm.  in  width;  the  other  is  6  cm.  long  with  a  like  variation  of  from  1  to  4  mm.  in  width. 

Another  distinguishing  feature  of  this  iron  are  the  numerous  small  fissures  or  cracks,  usually  extending  from  the 
exterior  surface  inwards,  and  following  in  a  zigzag  course  along  the  edges  of  the  kamacite  plates,  and  in  some  instances 
the  rhombic  form  of  the  Widmanstatten  figures  as  seen  on  the  etched  surface,  is  strongly  outlined  by  these  fissures.  These 
show  clearly  that  with  a  little  more  heat  the  expansion  of  these  cracks  or  fissures  would  have  caused  masses  to  separate 
from  the  iron,  which  would  tend  to  cause  the  large  pittings,  as  suggested  by  me  in  an  article  in  the  January  number 
of  this  year  of  this  journal.  In  one  case,  if  a  separation  had  taken  place  along  these  fissures,  it  would  have  created  a 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  401 

cavity  or  pitting  4  inches  in  diameter  and  1  inch  or  more  in  depth,  while  numerous  smaller  pittinga  could  have  been 
created  in  the  same  way  as  suggested  by  following  the  outline  of  the  fissures  on  cut. 

The  following  is  an  analysis  of  the  San  Angelo  meteorite  by  Mariner  and  Hoskins  of  Chicago,  Illinois: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P  S  Mn  Si  C 

91.958        7.86        trace        0.04        0.099        0.032         trace?        0.011         trace    =100 

Specific  gravity,  77. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed.     Ward  possesses  4,516  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1898:  PRESTON.    San  Angelo  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  ScL,  4th  ser.,  vol.  5,  pp.  269-272.    (Cuts  of  mass  and  etching 
figures.) 

Sancha  Estate.    See  Fort  Duncan. 
Sanchez  Estate.    See  Fort  Duncan. 


SAN  EMIGDIO. 

San  Emigdio  Mountains,  San  Bernardino  County,  California. 

Approximately  latitude  35°  N.,  longitude  116°  W. 

Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc)  of  Brezina;  Belajite  (type  44)  of  Meunier. 

Found  prior  to  1887;  described  1888. 

Weight,  36  kgs.  (80  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  chiefly  described  by  Merrill.1  A  brief  account  was  given  in  the  Amer- 
ican Journal  of  Science  and  full  details  later  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  United  States  National 
Museum,  as  follows : 

The  fragments  came  into  my  possession  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Thomas  Price,  of  San  Francisco.  The  stone 
is  stated  by  Mr.  Price  to  have  been  found  by  a  prospector  in  the  San  Emigdio  Mountains,  San  Bernardino  County, 
in  the  southern  part  of  California,  and  to  have  been  sent  him  for  assaying,  it  being  mistaken  for  an  ore  of  one  of  the 
precious  metals. 

Unfortunately,  before  its  true  nature  was  discovered,  the  entire  sample  was  put  through  a  crusher,  so  that  no  speci- 
mens of  more  than  a  few  grains  weight  were  obtainable.  Nothing  whatever  can  be  learned  in  regard  to  the  fall  of  the 
stone,  and  its  meteoric  origin  is  assumed  from  its  structure,  composition,  and  the  presence  of  the  well-known  black 
coating  on  the  exterior  surfaces  of  many  of  the  larger  particles.  The  weight  of  the  entire  mass  was  stated  by  the  finder 
to  be  about  80  pounds. 

All  the  fragments  are  stained  throughout  a  dull  reddish-brown  color,  through  the  oxidation  of  the  metallic  por- 
tions. The  stone  breaks  with  an  irregular  fracture,  and  presents  on  casual  inspection  nothing  indicative  of  its  meteoric 
origin;  a  polished  surface,  however,  shows  abundant  silvery-white  flecks  of  metallic  iron  in  sizes  rarely  over  1  mm, 
in  diameter,  and  numerous  larger  spherical  bodies  of  a  green  color  suggestive  of  olivine,  never  over  2  or  3  mm.  in 
diameter,  however. 

In  thin  sections  the  true  nature  of  this  iron  is  at  once  apparent.  Under  a  power  of  50  diameters  a  large  number 
of  rounded  and  irregular  chondri  and  crystal  fragments  with  scattering  blebs  of  metallic  iron  and  pyrrhotite,  embedded 
in  a  groundmass  the  true  nature  of  which  is  so  badly  obscured  by  ferruginous  stains  as  to  be  almost  irresolvable,  but 
which,  from  a  study  of  the  thinnest  slides  obtainable,  appear  to  be  fragmental,  are  to  be  found. 

The  readily  determinable  constituents,  named  in  the  order  of  their  abundance,  are  olivine,  enstatite  (bronzite), 
metallic  iron,  and  pyrrhotite;  there  are  also  occasionally  very  minute  fragments  of  an  almost  completely  colorless 
mineral,  which  between  crossed  nicols  shows  evidence  of  polysynthetic  twinning.  These  are  too  small  and  irregular 
for  accurate  determination,  but  from  certain  indefinite  and  obscure  characters  I  have  felt  inclined  to  regard  them  as 
belonging  to  a  mineral  of  the  pyroxene  group  rather  than  as  a  plagioclase  feldspar.  Their  appearance  resembles  very 
closely  that  of  the  twinned  magnesian  pyroxenes  obtained  by  Fongue  and  Levy  in  artificial  meteorites. 

Olivines  occur  in  the  form  of  both  monosomatic  and  polysomatic  chondri  and  as  scattered  fragments  in  the  ground- 
mass.  The  chondri  show  a  variety  of  structural  features.  In  certain  cases  they  are  made  up  wholly  of  crystalline 
granules  of  olivine  with  scarcely  a  trace  of  amorphous  matter,  or,  again,  show  well  developed  porphyritic  crystals 
embedded  in  a  very  finely  granular  or  even  glassy  base,  or  a  very  finely  granular  almost  dustlike  and  very  obscure 
structure  throughout.  The  porphyritic  olivines  are  perfectly  clear  and  colorless,  with  but  few  cavities  or  inclusions, 
though  sometimes  including  portions  of  its  amorphous  base.  Forms  are  abundant  resembling  the  polysomatic  chondri 
figured  by  Tschermak  from  sections  of  the  Mezo-Madaras,  the  Homestead,  and  the  Sena  meteorites.  They  are  not 
in  all  cases  circular  in  outline,  as  seen  in  the  section,  but  are  often  irregular  and  fragmental  in  appearance.  Mono- 
somatic  forms,  as  a  rule,  show  a  more  nearly  spherical  outline  than  do  the  polysomatic  forms.  Occasional  monosomatic 
716°— 15 26 


402  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

gratelike  forms  are  met  with  in  which  the  crossbars  are  curved,  and  sometimes  extend  entirely  across  the  face  of  the 
chondrus,  or  again  show  short  and  interrupted  forma.    The  olivines  of  the  groundmass  are  always  fragmental. 

The  enstatite,  like  the  olivine,  occurs  both  in  the  form  of  chondri  and  as  scattered  fragments  in  the  groundmass. 
It  is  distinguishable  from  the  olivine  by  its  gray  color,  less  transparency,  well-developed  cleavages  parallel  to  the 
vertical  axis,  and  by  its  insolubility  in  acids.  The  position  of  the  plane  of  the  optic  axes  could  not  be  made  out  with 
certainty  with  the  instrument  at  command,  but  as  the  mineral  is  biaxial,  nonpleochroic,  and  extinguishes  always 
parallel  with  the  vertical  axis,  there  is  apparently  no  doubt  as  to  its  true  nature.  The  chondri  are  sometimes  composed 
wholly  of  enstatites,  with  small  quantities  of  interstitial  amorphous  base,  of  olivine  and  enstatite  together.  The  dis- 
tinction between  the  two  minerals  is,  owing  to  their  small  size  and  imperfect  development,  often  impossible  by  the 
microscope  alone.  A  more  common  form  of  the  enstatite  is  that  of  irregular  fragments  with  a  radiating  or  fan-shaped 
structure.  Other  quite  perfectly  spherical,  very  minute  forms  occur,  consisting  of  an  almost  wholly  amorphous  mater- 
ial or  with  only  faint  beginnings  of  crystallizations  shown  by  rays  of  light  radiating  across  the  surface  aa  the  stage  is 
revolved.  The  exact  mineralogical  nature  of  these  can  not  be  determined. 

The  metallic  iron  occurs  in  lumps  and  in  very  irregular  areas,  or  as  injected  drops  in  the  interior  of  the  chondri. 
It  is  of  a  silvery-white  color  by  reflected  light,  and  readily  distinguished  from  the  pyrrhotite  with  which  it  is  nearly 
always  associated,  and  which  shows  a  bronze-yellow  luster.  In  a  few  instances  grains  or  chondri  of  olivine  or  ensta- 
tite are  entirely  surrounded  by  a  dark  border  of  iron  and  pyrrhotite,  as  Tschermak  has  figured  from  sections  of  the 
Cabarras  meteorite.  In  such  cases  the  iron  often  penetrates  slightly  into  the  mass  of  the  mineral,  having  evidently 
exercised  a  corrosive  action. 

The  structural  features  of  the  groundmass  are,  as  already  observed,  very  obscure.  It  consists  of  minute  angular 
particles  of  olivine  and  enstatite  embedded  in  a  matrix  so  fine  and  so  badly  stained  by  iron  oxide's  that  its  true  nature 
can  not  be  satisfactorily  ascertained.  From  the  fact  that  this  coloring  matter  has  become  so  thoroughly  disseminated 
throughout  the  whole  mass,  I  am  inclined  to  regard  it  as  tuffaceous.  A  wholly  granular,  glassy,  or  partially  devitri- 
fied  base  would  seemingly  have  proven  less  pervious  and  shown  the  ferruginous  staining  only  along  lines  of  fracture  and 
cleavage. 

The  chemical  investigation  of  the  stone  was  rendered  somewhat  unsatisfactory  owing  to  the  badly  oxidized  con- 
dition of  the  metallic  portions.  For  the  results  given  below  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  E.  Whitfield,  of  the  U.  S.  Geolog- 
ical Survey.  The  complete  analysis  gave:  Metallic  portion,  6.21  per  cent;  soluble  in  hydrochloric  acid,  52.19  per 
cent;  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid,  41.60  per  cent.  Specific  gravity,  3.57.  The  metallic  portion  yielded: 

Fe  Ni  Co 

88.25         11.27         0.48     =100.00 

The  soluble  portion  is  presumably  all  olivine,  together  with  pyrrhotite  and  secondary  iron  oxides.  An  analysis 
of  this  portion -was  rendered  of  no  value  from  the  fact  that  the  first  attempt  at  a  complete  separation  of  the  two  silicate 
minerals  by  digestion  in  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  was  a  failure,  and  the  badly  weathered  condition  of  the  stone  rendered 
a  second  attempt  scarcely  worth  the  while.  The  insoluble  portion  was  separated  by  prolonged  digestion  in  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid,  followed  by  boiling  sodic  carbonate.  The  remaining  powder  showed  under  the  microscope  very 
pure  enstatite  fragments,  together  with  rarely  a  minute  grayish  particle  that  acted  but  faintly  on  polarized  light  and 
the  exact  mineralogical  nature  of  which  could  not  be  ascertained.  Mr.  Whitfield's  results  on  this  powder  were  aa 
follows: 

.  SiO2 54. 42  0.  91 

FeO 14.03        0.19] 

CaO ' 2.46        0.041    0.95 

MgO 29.11        0.72J 

100.02 

This,  it  will  be  observed,  is  a  highly  ferriferous  enstatite  (bronzite)  with  perhaps  a  small  admixture  of  a  lime-bearing 
pyroxenic  mineral  as  indicated  by  the  microscope.  The  relative  proportions  of  the  various  constituents  as  they  existed 
in  the  fresh  rock,  can  not  be  estimated  with  any  degree  of  certainty  from  the  figures  as  above  given  for  the  reasons 
already  stated.  *  *  * 

Meunier 2  remarked  concerning  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

This  is  a  very  exceptional  stone  at  first  sight  and  one  upon  which  we  possess  only  a  brief  note  by  Merrill. 

The  stone  is  granular,  of  a  reddish-brown  color  and  only  shows  its  metallic  elements  upon  the  polished  surface. 
In  thin  sections  under  the  microscope  its  meteoric  nature  becomes  apparent ;  chondrules  of  enstatite  of  more  than  1  mm. 
in  diameter  detach  themselves  in  the  midst  of  limpid  crystals  of  which  the  most  abundant  are  peridotic,  and  opaque 
grains  where  can  be  readily  seen  nickel  iron  and  pyrrhotine  or  magnetic  sulphide  of  iron. 

Specific  gravity  at  11°,  3.59.  The  magnet  extracts  from  it  7.02  per  cent  of  the  magnetic  substance.  The  residue, 
92.98  per  cent,  separates  under  the  action  of  the  acid  into  52.13  per  cent  of  attackable  minerals  and  40.75  per  cent  of 
pyroxenic  compounds.  These  figures  differ  but  little  from  those  of  Whitfield. 

On  comparing  the  meteorite  of  San  Emigdio  with  the  rare  masses  preserved  in  the  museum  it  appears  that  the 
cosmic  rock  called  belajite  most  nearly  approaches  it.  It  is  a  very  interesting  type  and  one  which  demands  fresh  study. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  403 

Brezina3  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  spherical  chondrite,  remarking  that  in  spite  of  its  strongly 
rusted  character  it  showed  the  spherical  chondri  plainly. 

As  stated  by  Merrill,1  but  a  small  quantity  of  the  meteorite  is  preserved.  Wulfing*  lists 
180  grams,  of  which  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  possesses  119  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1888:  MERRILL.    On  the  San  Emigdio  Meteorite.    Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  pp.  161-167  (with  plate  and  analysis  by 

Whitfield). 

2.  1889:  MEUNIER.    Determination  lithologique  de  la  meteorite  de  San  Emigdio  Range,  Californie.    Comptes  Rendus, 

Tome  109,  pp.  206-207. 

3.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  256. 

4.  1897:  WOLFING.     Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  305. 

•  San  Francisco  del  Mezquital.     See  Mezquital. 

San  Gregorio.     See  Morito. 


SAN  PEDRO  SPRINGS. 

Bexar  County,  Texas. 

Latitude  29°  28'  N.,  longitude  98°  29/  W. 

Stone.    White  chondrite  (Cw)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1887. 

Weight,  72  grams. 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Bement,1  who  entered  it  in  his 
catalogue  of  June,  1894,  with  a  weight  of  72  grams.  Brezina  2  recorded  it  hi  1895  as  a  stone 
simply.  Ward's  3  catalogue  gives  the  classification  as  a  white  chondrite. 

No  further  data  regarding  the  meteorite  seem  to  have  been  published. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1894:  BEMENT.    Catalogue  of  June,  1894. 

2.  1895:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  306. 

3.  1897:  WULFING.     Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen.  p.  306. 

4.  1903:  BERWERTH.    Verzeichniss,  p.  77. 

5.  1904:  WARD.     Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  pp.  62  and  87. 


SANTA  APOLONIA. 

State  of  Tlaxcala,  Mexico. 

Latitude  19°  14'  N.,  longitude  98°  15'  W. 

Iron.    Octahedrite  (O)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1872. 

Weight,  1,050  kgs.  (2,317  Ibs.). 

The  only  published  mention  of  this  meteorite  of  which  the  present  writer  is  aware  is  the 
mention  by  Ward1  who  gives  the  above  data.  He  also  states  that  the  original  mass  (1,050  kgs.) 
is  in  the  Museum  of  the  Institute  Geologico,  City  of  Mexico. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  pp.  22  and  87. 


Santa  Catarina  Mountains.     See   Tucson. 

Santa  Fe  County.    See  Glorieta  Mountain. 

Santa  Rita.    See  Tucson. 

Santa  Rosa,  1837.      See  Coahuila. 

Sackatchewan.     See  Iron  Creek. 


404  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

SCOTT. 

Scott  County,  Kansas. 

Stone. 

Found  1905;  described  1906. 

Weight,  136  grams. 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Merrill x  as  follows: 

Together  with  the  samples  of  Modoc  meteorite  forwarded,  Mr.  Freed  included  two  small  pebblelike  masses  which 
had  been  found  by  his  boy  and  which  it  was  thought  might  possibly  be  also  of  meteoric  origin.  One  of  these  was  of 
ferruginous  quartzite.  The  other,  some  40  by  60  mm.  in  greatest  diameter,  and  weighing  135  grams,  proved  to  be 
meteoric.  This,  although  weathered  to  a  dull  rusty  brown  on  the  surface,  still  showed  distinctly  the  usual  pittings, 
and  on  a  polished  surface  presented  a  dull  dark-gray  ground  thickly  spotted  with  small  points  of  metallic  iron  and 
occasional  rounded  areas  recognized  with  the  unaided  eye  as  chondrules.  Under  the  microscope  this  is  found  to  consist 
of  an  extremely  fine  tufaceous  ground  carrying  large  clear  olivines  in  single  crystals  and  scattered  aggregates  and 
numerous  chondri  of  olivine  and  enstatite.  The  olivine  chondri  are  in  part  polysomatic  and  in  part  of  the  common 
barred  or  gratelike  character.  The  enstatite  chondri  are  most  commonly  in  radiate  forms.  The  entire  structure  and 
even  the  identity  of  some  of  the  mineral  constituents  are  much  obscured  by  iron  oxides  which  have  stained  the  mass 
an  ocherous  red  throughout.  The  metallic  constituents  are  much  more  abundant  than  in  the  Modoc  stone  named  above. 

Although  differing  somewhat  from  Washington's  description  and  my  own  studies  on  the  meteorite  of  Jerome  in  the 
adjoining  county  of  Gove,  the  differences  are  BO  slight  as  to  be  seemingly  nonessential,  and  I  am  inclined  to  regard  this 
as  a  straggler  from  the  Jerome  fall  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  found  on  April  10, 1894,  on  the  Smoky  Hill  River 
and  has  been  described  in  detail  by  Doctor  Washington.  There  is,  however,  a  chance  for  a  difference  of  opinion  on 
this  subject. 

Although  Merrill  is  inclined  to  class  this  meteorite  with  Jerome,  in  the  view  of  the  present 
writer  it  should  be  regarded  as  an  independent  fall,  since  the  place  of  find  of  the  Jerome 
meteorite  was  40  miles  away. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1906:  MERRILL.    On  a  new  stony  meteorite  from  Modoc,  Scott  County,  Kansas.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol. 
21,  p.  360. 


SCOTTSVTLLE. 

Allen  County,  Kentucky. 

Latitude  36°  43'  N.,  longitude  86°  6'  W. 

Iron.    Hexahedrite  (H)  of  Brezina;  Braunite  (type  3)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1867;  described  1887. 

Weight,  10  kgs.  (22  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  given  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Whitfield,1  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  was  found  about  the  middle  of  June,  1867,  by  Mr.  Jas.  H.  More,  while  hoeing  tobacco,  near  Scotts- 
ville,  Allen  County,  Kentucky.  In  shape  it  resembles  a  wedge,  the  thickness  at  base  being  14  cm.,  width  18  cm.,  and 
length  16  cm.,  the  mass  as  found  weighing  a  little  more  than  10  kgs.,  and  having  the  characteristic  pitted  surface.  A 
section  shows  nodules  of  troilite,  varying  in  diameter  from  barely  visible  points  to  about  12  mm.  The  markings  on 
an  etched  surface  are  exceedingly  fine  and  require  the  aid  of  a  lens  to  distinguish  them.  There  appear  to  be  two  sets  of 
figures,  one  of  long,  very  fine  lines  representing  octahedral  cleavage,  the  other  series  being  smaller,  more  crowded,  and 
barely  perceptible. 

An  analysis  gave  the  following  composition: 

Fe  Ni  Co  S  P  C 

94.32        5.01         trace        0.34        0.16        0.12    =99.95 

Specific  gravity,  9.848. 

This  iron,  as  regards  markings  and  general  appearance  of  section,  resembles  the  Scriba  and  Salt  River  meteorites 
more  nearly  than  any  others  represented  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  collection;  but  as  no  complete  analyses  of  these 
two  irons  are  at  hand  the  chemical  comparison  can  not  well  be  made.  The  percentage  of  iron  appears  rather  high, 
but  duplicate  determinations  gave  corresponding  figures.  The  material  for  analysis  was  received  by  Professor  Clarke 
from  Messrs.  Ward  and  Howell,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  privilege  of  description. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  405 

Cohen  *  published  an  analysis  by  Fischer  which  was  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni          Go          Cu  •         P          Residue 

93.14        5.73        0.99        0.10        0.15  0.02         =100.13 

Huntington  s  saw  in  the  meteorite  a  resemblance  to  the  Coahuila  irons,  and  suggested  that 
it  might,  be  a  part  of  the  same  fall.     His  account  is  as  follows : 

The  whole  character  of  this  iron,  including  the  etched  surface,  closely  resembles  that  of  the  Coahuila  irons.  On 
breaking  small  slabs  of  the  Scottsville  block  it  showed  the  same  cleavage  as  the  Saltillo  iron.  The  fine  parallel  cracks 
appear  under  the  first  blows  of  the  hammer,  and  then  the  slab  breaks,  regardless  of  the  way  it  is  held,  in  two  directions 
only  at  angles  of  about  132°  and  53°,  presenting  a  single  cleavage  plane  with  the  marked  flaky  appearance  characteristic 
of  the  Saltillo  iron.  That  these  masses  were  found  in  places  so  remote  does  not  seem  to  preclude  their  having  belonged 
to  one  individual,  as  appears  from  the  case  of  the  Rochester  (Indiana)  meteorite.  It  therefore  is  possible  that  at  some 
remote  period  an  enormous  iron  meteorite  may  have  passed  over  the  entire  breadth  of  the  United  States,  the  main  mass 
reaching  Mexico,  but  large  fragments  breaking  off  and  falling  during  its  passage  across  the  country. 

Meunier 4  grouped  the  meteorite  as  Braunite,  and  described  it  as  follows: 

It  is  rich  in  phosphorus  and  has  a  few  grains  of  easily  recognizable  pyrrhotine.    Carbonaceous  matter  is  abundant. 
Brezina  5  made  it  a  normal  hexahedrite,  and  described  it  as  follows: 

The  Scottsville  iron  shows  large  pittings  and  a  peculiar  wrinkling  upon  the  natural  exterior;  in  the  section  it  shows 
frequently  a  larger  expanse  of  brass-yellow  troilite  besides  smaller  areas  of  tombac-brown  troilite.  Occasionally  the 
inclusions  are  made  up  of  two  bodies  in  both  kinds  of  troilite.  Fissures  of  5  to  6  cm.  in  length,  springing  from  the 
exterior  surface  and  running  parallel  to  one  another,  sometimes  end  in  pockets  of  troilite.  The  Neumann  lines  are 
numerous,  fine,  and  regular  in  direction. 

Cohen  •  found  that  it  took  on  more  or  less  permanent  magnetism.    Later T  he  described  it 
as  follows : 

The  quite  uniformly  distributed  etching  lines  are  of  exceptional  delicacy,  and  lie  very  close  together;  here  also 
occur,  as  seen  under  a  strong  glass,  a  few  systems  which  are  more  prominent  than  the  others  by  reason  of  their  length 
if  not  also  on  account  of  their  much  greater  distinction.  The  etching  pita  are  numerous  and  of  unusual  size ;  the  luster 
is  uniformly  oriented  over  the  entire  etched  surface,  but  not  always  in  the  same  way.  Where  the  pittings  are  isolated 
it  appears  strong  and  somewhat  satiny;  in  many  places,  however,  there  occur  also  dark  particles  of  a  dull  luster  which 
may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  pittings  are  larger  here  and  run  together,  and  the  shallow  depressions  diffuse  the  reflected 
light  and  so  appear  darker.  The  etching  lines  run  unchanged  through  both  portions.  The  small  rhabdites,  which 
according  to  the  content  of  phosphorus  must  be  present  in  considerable  numbers,  escape  direct  observation.  The 
larger  needles  up  to  1.5  mm.  in  length  are  massed  together  in  a  few  places;  here  the  etching  surface  has  a  slightly 
roughened  appearance,  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the  needles  are  enveloped  with  a  covering  of  nickel  iron  less 
assailable  by  acid.  The  crust  appears  to  be  an  oxidized  fusion  crust,  in  proximity  to  which  some  iron  glass  occurs. 

Scottsville  takes  on  strong  permanent  magnetism  and  has  quite  strong  coercive  force;  after  intense  heating  and 
slow  cooling  it  behaves  like  malleable  iron,  while  quick  cooling  after  heating  to  redness  has  no  effect.  Leick  determined 
the  specific  magnetism  at  0.19  units  per  gram. 

Analysis  by  Knauer: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Cr  P  S  C          Residue 

94.03        5.33        0.95        0.04        0.02        0.23        0.07        0.00  0.01         =100.68 

Specific  gravity,  7.7959. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed.     Vienna  possesses  1,570  grams,  Ward  1,153  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1887:  WHIT-FIELD.    On  the  Johnson  County,  Arkansas,  and  Allen  County,  Kentucky,  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  33,  pp.  500-501.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1889:  COHEN-.     Sao  Juliao.    Neues  Jahrb.,  1889,  vol.  1,  pp.  217,  227. 

3.  1889:  HUNTINGTON.    The  crystalline  structure  of  the  Coahuila  irons.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  24, 

p.  33. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIEB.    Revision  des  fers  met^oriques,  pp.  15  and  19-20. 

5.  1895:.BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  291. 

6.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82,  85,  88,  89,  and  93. 

7.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  217-220. 


406  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XTTT. 

SEARSMONT. 

Waldo  County,  Maine. 

Latitude  44°  20'  N.,  longitude  69°  10'  W. 

Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc),  of  Brezina;  Montrejite  (type  38)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  May  21,  1871,  8.15  a.  m.;  described,  1871. 

Weight,  5.4  kgs.  (12  Ibs.). 

The  first  description  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Shepard,1  as  follows : 

For  the  particulars  concerning  the  fall  of  the  Searsmont  meteorite,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  E.  B.  Sheldon,  post- 
master of  the  adjoining  village  of  Searsport,  and  to  the  Republican  Journal  of  Belfast,  Maine,  of  Thursday,  May  25. 
Mr.  Edward  Burgess,  of  Searsmont,  furnished  the  short  notice  contained  in  the  newspaper.  He  states  that  the  fall 
took  place  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  about  8  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  the  21st  inst.  "There  was  first 
heard  an  explosion  like  the  report  of  a  heavy  gun,  followed  by  a  rushing  sound  resembling  the  escape  of  steam  from 
a  boiler.  The  sound  seemed  to  come  from  the  south  and  to  move  northwardly.  The  stone  fell  in  the  field  of  Mr. 
Bean,  the  flying  earth  being  seen  by  Mrs.  Buck,  who  lived  near.  The  hole  that  it  made  was  soon  found  and  the  stone 
dug  out.  It  was  quite  hot  and  so  much  broken  as  to  be  removed  only  in  pieces.  The  outside  showed  plainly  the 
effect  of  melting  heat.  It  struck  with  such  force  as  to  penetrate  the  hard  soil  to  a  depth  of  2  feet." 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  Mr.  Sheldon's  letter: 

Mr.  Luce,  who  dug  the  stone  tells  me  he  reached  the  spot  about  15  minutes  after  it  struck,  when  he  found  the 
fragments  still  quite  warm.  The  largest  piece  weighed  2  pounds.  Altogether  the  pieces  amounted  to  12  pounds. 
They  emitted  the  odor  given  off  by  stones  violently  rubbed  together.  The  hole  produced  by  its  descent  was  vertical 
in  its  direction  and  2  feet  in  depth.  The  character  of  the  soil  was  a  hard,  coarse  gravel;  and  the  shattering  of  the 
stone  was  produced  by  its  finally  meeting  3  large  pebbles,  each  about  4  pounds  in  weight,  in  the  course  of  its  descent. 
"Mrs.  Buck,  who  saw  it  fall,  or  rather  saw  the  scattering  of  the  soil  on  its  entering  the  ground,  was  reading  at  the 
time  in  the  house,  distant  about  30  rods  from  the  spot.  The  time  was  15  minutes  past  8.  She  first  noticed  a  report 
about  as  loud  as  that  of  a  gun,  or  of  a  rock  blast,  such  as  they  hear  from  a  lime  quarry  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  dis- 
tant. This  was  followed  by  a  rumbling  noise,  as  of  a  number  of  carriages  passing  over  a  bridge.  She  rose  and  looked 
out  from  a  back  door,  then  recrossed  the  room  to  the  front  door,  where,  after  the  lapse  of  about  10  seconds,  she  saw 
the  dirt  fly  from  the  contact  of  the  stone  with  the  earth.  She  thought  it  must  have  been  nearly  2  minutes  from  the 
first  report  until  the  stone  struck  the  ground.  No  one  went  to  the  place  for  20  or  25  minutes.  The  report  was  heard 
in  Warren,  12  miles  to  the  southwest;  likewise  a  hissing  sound  of  as  escaping  steam.  No  report  or  sound  was  heard 
in  Searsmont  village,  3  miles  to  the  northeast." 

Through  the  kind  assistance  of  Mr.  Sheldon,  I  am  in  possession  of  the  largest  remaining  mass  of  this  meteorite. 
Its  weight  is  2  pounds.  Fully  one-half  of  its  surface  is  coated  with  the  original  crust.  Its  shape  would  seem  to 
denote  an  oval,  subconical  figure  in  the  original  mass,  with  a  flattish  base  so  as  on  the  whole  to  have  approached  the 
shape  of  the  famous  Duralla  (India)  stone,  now  preserved  in  the  British  Museum.  The  coated  part  of  my  specimen, 
which  corresponds  to  a  portion  of  what  constituted  the  base  of  the  supposed  cone,  differs  in  shape  and  color  from  the 
two  oval  undulating  aides,  which  make  therewith  angles  of  between  60°  and  70°.  The  broadest  of  these  sides  (above 
3  inches  in  length)  where  it  meets  the  base,  forms  a  blunt  rounded  edge,  is  obscurely  striated  vertically  to  the  inter- 
section, and  shows  a  slight  thickening  about  the  edge,  as  if  matter  had  been  swept  over  from  above  and  accumulated 
somewhat  on  the  under  side.  Nothing  is  plainer  than  the  distinction  between  the  upper  sides  and  the  base.  The 
crust  of  the  latter  is  perfectly  black,  more  thoroughly  fused,  with  a  blebby,  somewhat  glassy,  reticulated  surface, 
whose  lines  are  without  any  order;  while  the  upper  surfaces  are  more  even  and  almost  destitute  of  the  blebby  and 
veined  appearance.  Feeble  striae  are  visible  near  the  basal  side,  all  of  which  are  perpendicular  to  the  same.  The 
color  of  the  upper  surface  is  brownish  black;  and  these  are  wholly  without  luster. 

The  thickness  of  the  crust  is  more  than  double  that  found  in  any  stone  belonging  to  my  collection — amounting  at 
least  to  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch.  The  stone  is  rather  below  the  average  in  respect  to  frangibility.  The  color  is 
bluish  white,  and  remarkably  uniform  except  from  feeble  stains  of  peroxide  of  iron,  and  from  silvery-white,  metallic 
points,  produced  by  the  meteoric  iron.  More  than  half  the  stone  is  in  the  form  of  rounded  grains,  mostly  with  rough- 
ened or  drusy  surfaces,  and  of  a  size  rarely  exceeding  mustard  seeds.  Between  these  and  often  partially  coating  them, 
is  a  fine-grained,  subcrystalline,  white  or  grayish-white  mineral,  which  I  take  to  be  chladnite.  It  is  rather  loosely 
coherent,  and  without  visible  crystalline  structure.  Indeed,  as  seen  with  the  microscope,  it  is  often  porous,  reminding 
one  of  the  silicious  skeletons  obtained  in  fluxing  certain  silicates  in  blowpipe  experiments.  This  white  mineral  may 
form  a  quarter  or  more  of  the  stone. 

The  rounded  globules  are  bluish-gray,  rarely  with  a  faint  tinge  of  yellow,  vitreous  luster  and  translucent,  with 
two  imperfect  oblique  cleavages.  On  the  whole,  they  resemble  the  unaltered  grains  of  boltonite  more  than  any  of 
our  terrestrial  minerals;  and  differ  only  in  their  greater  tendency  to  assume  the  globular  figure. 

Minute  points  of  bright  meteoric  iron  are  very  thickly  scattered  through  the  mass.  A  few  grains  of  troilite,  the 
largest  of  the  size  of  large  kernels  of  Indian  corn  (maize),  likewise  present  themselves,  together  with  a  single  blackish 
mass  of  similar  dimensions,  which  on  being  touched  with  the  point  of  a  knife  was  found  to  be  soft  and  left  a  bright 
metallic  streak.  It  is  probably  a  plumbaginous  aggregate.  Specific  gravity  of  the  aggregate,  3.626. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  407 

In  general  character  it  approaches  most  nearly  to  the  stones  of  Quenggouk  (Pegu,  India)  that  fell  December  27, 
1857,  differing  from  them  in  having  more  of  .the  fine  whitish  gangue,  and  in  possessing  a  thicker  and  more  blebby 
crust.  It  also  presents  points  of  resemblance  to  the  Aussun  (France)  meteorite  of  December  9,  1858;  but' the  latter 
has  a  much  thinner  crust,  a  darker  colored  general  basis  or  gangue,  much  larger  globules,  and  is  at  the  same  time  a 
firmer  stone. 

There  is  even  an  internal  similarity  between  the  Searsmont  meteorite  and  that  of  Duralla.  They  approach  each 
other  in  thickness  and  general  character  of  the  crust;  but  the  whole  of  the  latter  is  darker,  and  the  regularity  in  the 
shape  of  its  globules  is  less  marked. 

Should  I  succeed  in  recovering  a  portion  of  the  now  widely  scattered  fragments  of  this  interesting  stone,  I  shall 
enter  upon  a  more  detailed  examination  of  its  character. 

Smith 2  gave  the  following  analysis  of  the  meteorite : 

Immediately  after  the  fall  of  this  meteoric  stone  a  portion  of  it  was  placed  in  my  hands  for  examination.  The 
circumstances  accompanying  its  fall  as  well  as  its  physical  characters  have  been  described  by  Professor  Shepard. 

It  resembles  very  closely  the  Mauerkirchen  stone  that  fell  in  1768,  the  crust  of  the  specimens  corresponding  quite 
closely  to  that  in  thickness  and  appearance;  the  Mauerkirchen  stone,  however,  has  not  well-marked  globules  like 
that  of  Searsmont;  in  this  respect  it  corresponds  more  nearly  with  the  Aussun,  as  already  stated  by  Professor  Shepard. 
The  specific  gravity  of  the  specimen  examined  was  3.701.    The  nickeliferous  iron  and  stony  matter  were  sepa- 
rated mechanically  for  analysis.    One  hundred  parts  of  the  meteorite  gave — 

Stony  matter  (including  a  little  sulphuret  of  iron) 85.  38 

Nickeliferous  iron. .  -  14.62 


100.00 
The  iron  afforded: 

Iron.. 90.02 

Nickel 9,  05 

Cobalt % 0.  43 

99.50 

Phosphorus  and  copper  were  not  estimated.    The  stony  part,  treated  with  a  mixture  of  hydrochloric  and  nitric 
acids,  gave: 

Soluble  in  the  acid 52. 30 

Insoluble  in  the  acid...  47.  70 


100.00 
The  soluble  portion  afforded: 

Silica 40.  61 

Protoxide  of  iron 19.  21 

Magnesia 36.  34 

Sulphuret  of  iron 3. 06 

99.22 
Leaving  out  the  sulphuret,  which  is  obviously  only  a  mechanical  mixture,  this  soluble  part  is  evidently  an  olivine, 

which  is  almost  invariably  the  case  with  soluble  portions  of  meteoric  stones.    The  insoluble  part  was  composed  as 

follows: 

Silica 56.  25 

Protoxide  of  iron 13.  02 

Alumina 2. 01 

Magnesia 24. 14 

Alkalies,  NaA  K2O,  with  trace  of  Li20 2. 10 

Chrome  iron,  small  black  specks  not  estimated. 

97.52 
The  above  analyses  give  for  the  composition  of  the  stone: 

Nickeliferous  iron 14.  63 

Magnetic  pyrites 3. 06 

Olivine. 43.  04 

Bronzite  or  hornblende,  with  a  little  albite  or  orthoclase,  and  chrome  iron.  39.  27 

90.00 
With  the  bronzite  there  may  also  be  enstatite,  which  would  be  confounded  with  the  former  if  existing  in  the  stone. 

Meunier  3  classed  the  meteorite  as  Montrejite,  and  Brezina  4  as  a  spherical  chondrite. 
Only  the  2  pounds  obtained  by  Shepard  seems  to  be  known.     Of  this  Amherst  has  nearly 
all,  Wulfing  5  mentioning  in  addition  345  grams. 


408  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1871:  S.HEPARD.    Notice  of  the  meteoric  stone  of  Searsmont,  Maine.  '  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  2,  pp.  133-136. 

2.  1871:  SMITH.    MineraJogical  and  chemical  composition  of  the  meteoric  stone  that  fell  near  Searsmont,  Maine,  May 

21, 1871.    Idem,  pp.  200-201. 

3.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Me'tforites,  p.  230. 

4.  1885:  BUEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  185  and  233. 

5.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  315. 


Searsport.    See  Searsmont. 


SELMA. 

Dallas  County,  Alabama. 

Latitude  32°  25'  N.,  longitude  87°  1'  W. 

Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1906. 

Weight,  140.6  kgs.  (310  Ibs). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Merrill,1  as  follows: 

The  writer  has  received  notice  from  a  correspondent  in  Alabama  of  the  finding,  near  Selma,  in  that  State,  of  a 
heretofore  undescribed  meteorite.  The  mass  is  reported  as  weighing  upwards  of  300  pounds,  and  is  of  Brezina's  kugel 
chondrite  type,  much  resembling  the  well-known  stone  from  Tieschitz,  in  Moravia.  It  will  be  known  as  the  Selma, 
Alabama,  stone.  A  detailed  description  will  be  published  later. 

A  later  description  was  given  as  follows:2 

The  information  relating  to  the  finding  of  the  stone  described  below  was  sent  the  writer  by  Mr.  John  W.  Coleman, 
to  whom  he  is  indebted  for  a  small  fragment  and  the  privilege  of  describing,  as  well  as  information  concerning  its 
weight  and  general  appearance. 

The  stone,  as  found,  appears  to  have  been  a  nearly  complete  individual,  a  piece  of  some  3  or  4  pounds  weight 
only  having  been  broken  from  one  side.  In  shape  it  is  roughly  polygonal,  without  strongly  marked  flutings  or  pit- 
tings,  and  is  considerably  shattered  and  cracked,  either  from  exposure  or  from  the  shock  of  striking  the  earth. 

The  specimen  received  is  without  crust,  and  weathered  to  a  dark  reddish-brown  on  the  surface.  Total  weight  of 
the  stone,  as  reported,  310  pounds  (140.6  kgs.).  Greatest  dimensions,  as  given  by  Mr.  Coleman,  24  by  14  inches  (60.96 
by  35.5  cm.);  circumference,  69  by  44  inches  (175  by  118  cm.).  Locality,  2  miles  north  and  a  little  west  of  Selma, 
near  the  Summerfield  Koad. 

Although  not  found  at  the  time,  the  date  of  fall  is  considered  by  Mr.  Coleman  as  July  20,  1898,  at  about  9  o'clock 
in  the  evening.  This  is  on  the  authority  of  various  witnesses  of  "a  great  light  passing  from  east  to  west,  leaving 
behind  it  a  trail  of  fire  10  or  12  feet  long,  and  accompanied  by  a  rumbling  noise."  One  of  the  persons  was  so  sure  of 
the  place  of  fall  that  a  search  was  instituted  for  it  at  the  time.  There  is,  of  course,  no  possibility  of  establishing  abso 
utely  the  identity  of  the  stone  so  recently  found  and  the  one  seen  to  fall,  but  the  close  proximity  of  the  localities 
makes  it  possible. 

Additional  data  subsequently  given  by  Mr.  C.  G.  G'ilbert,  who  visited  the  locality  in  the  interests  of  the  late  II. 
A.  Ward,  are  as  follows: 

The  position  of  the  stone,  as  found,  was  such  as  to  suggest  that  it  was  first  unearthed  in  the  work  of  digging  a 
trench  for  the  purpose  of  laying  a  drain  pipe  and  rolled  one  side,  as  would  have  been  done  with  an  ordinary  bowlder, 
where  it  lay  among  the  weeds  until  its  true  nature  was  surmised  by  Mr.  Coleman. 

As  described  by  Mr.  Gilbert  in  a  letter  to  the  writer,  the  stone  at  first  sight  is  "a  completely  formless  polyhedral 
block,  but  on  longer  inspection  it  resolves  itself  into  something  of  a  characteristic  aerolite  form — a  blunt  quadrangular 
pyramid  with  smooth,  unpitted  faces  and  rounded  edges."  The  thickness  of  the  block  he  gives  as  35.56  cm.,  the 
basal  edges  measuring,  respectively,  35.56,  43.18,  and  50.8  cm.  The  blunt  apex  of  the  pyramid — evidently  the  front 
side  during  flight — was  covered  for  a  distance  of  about  15.24  cm.  with  a  thin  coating  of  carbonate  of  lime,  which  pre- 
sumably marked  the  depth  to  which  the  stone  penetrated  on  first  striking  the  ground.  This  portion  of  the  stone  is 
smooth,  except  for  the  lime  coating,  and  shows,  as  do  the  sides,  the  original  though  now  oxidized  crust.  The  base  is, 
however,  rough,  with  a  somewhat  scaly  brown-black  appearance,  quite  unlike  the  rest  of  the  surface,  and  is  divided 
by  numerous  fissures,  due  to  weathering.  "The  whole  appearance,"  writes  Mr.  Gilbert,  "indicates  that  it  represents 
what  was  once  a  fine,  large,  well-orientated  aerolite,  many  of  the  characteristics  of  which  have  become  obliterated 
through  exposure." 

Macroscopically,  the  stone  is  dense,  of  a  dark-gray  color,  and  sufficiently  compact  to  receive  a  good  polish.  Cut 
surfaces  show  abundant  "kugel "  chondri  of  all  sizes  up  to  3  mm.  in  diameter,  though  forms  above  1.5  to  2  mm.  are 
rare.  These  are  so  firmly  embedded  as  for  the  most  part  to  break  with  the  stone.  The  metallic  portion  is  quite  incon- 
spicuous to  the  unaided  eye. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  409 

Under  the  microscope  in  thin  sections,  the  stone  is  seen  to  be  composed  of  extremely  variable  chondri,  often  frag- 
mental,  and  scattered  particles  of  silicate  minerals  embedded  in  a  dark  opaque  ground  which,  by  reflected  light, 
shows  up  as  a  network  of  deep-blue  metallic  iron  and  its  oxidation  products  and  brilliant  points  of  yellow-white  troi- 
lite.  Olivine,  enstatite,  and  a  monoclinic  pyroxene  constitute  the  silicate  portion.  These  are,  in  large  part,  in  the 
form  of  fragmental  chondri,  though  sometimes  quite  perfectly  oval.  The  olivine  chondri  show  the  common  barred 
and  porphyritic  forms,  the  latter  with  a  more  or  less  glassy  or  fibrous  base.  Some  of  them  are  mere  aggregates  of  polar- 
izing points  without  evident  interstitial  matter.  There  are  also  occasional  large,  scattered,  single  crystals  and  frag- 
ments not  constituting  chondri.  The  enstatites  occur  under  similar  conditions  and  also  in  fan-shaped  radiating  forms, 
very  much  broken  and  otherwise  imperfect,  and  in  dense  crypto-crystalline  forms,  presenting  no  opportunity  for  opti- 
cal determination.  The  monoclinic  pyroxenes  are  the  least  abundant  of  the  silicates  and  show  the  usual  (in  meteor- 
ites) polysynthetic  twinning  and  low.(15°  to  20°)  angles  of  extinction.  They  are  colorless  or  of  a  gray  color  and,  but 
for  the  inclined  extinctions,  distinguished  with  difficulty  from  the  enstatite.  They  occur  in  chondri  as  well  as  in 
scattered  isolated  forms.  No  feldspars  nor  minerals  other  than  those  noted  were  observed. 

The  most  striking  feature  of  the  stone  is  the  broken  and  fragmental  condition  of  the  chondri  and  the  variety  of 
forms  manifested.  It  is  best  comparable,  so  far  as  the  writer's  experience  goes,  with  that  of  Tieschitz,  Moravia, 
described  by  Tschennak.  It  belongs,  therefore,  to  Brezina's  class  of  kugel  chondrites  Cc.  It  will  be  known  as  the 
Selmaj  Alabama,  meteorite,  and  is  the  fourth  stony  meteorite  thus  far  reported  from  that  State. 

Since  the  above  was  written,  the  stone  has  been  purchased  by  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New 
York  City. 

Hovey  *  gave  the  following  description  of  the  meteorite : 

The  collection  of  meteorites  in  the  foyer  of  the  museum  has  recently  been  enriched  by  the  addition  of  an  aerolite, 
or  stone  meteorite,  which  was  found  in  March,  1906,  about  2  miles  north-northwest  of  Selma,  Alabama,  near  the  road 
to  Summerfield.  The  fortunate  finder  was  Mr.  J.  W.  Coleman,  of  that  city. 

Mr.  Coleman  states  his  belief  that  the  meteorite  fell  on  July  20,  1898.  At  about  9  o'clock  of  the  evening  of  that 
day  at  least  five  observers  at  different  stations  from  half  a  mile  to  two  and  one-half  miles  from  where  the  stone  was 
found  saw  a  brilliant  meteor  pass  through  the  air  leaving  a  "trail  of  fire  10  or  12  feet  long."  The  meteor  seems  to 
have  traveled  in  a  direction  somewhat  west  of  north,  and  its  flight  is  said  to  have  been  accompanied  by  a  heavy  rum- 
bling noise.  No  other  similar  meteorite  has  been  noted  in  the  immediate  region,  and  this  meteorite  does  not  seem  to 
show  any  more  decomposition  of  surface  than  might  have  taken  place  in  the  8  years  that  have  elapsed  since  the  date 
of  its  assumed  fall.  The  identity  of  this  find  with  the  shooting  star  of  July  20, 1898,  can  not  of  course  be  established 
with  certainty,  but  it  seems  probable. 

This  meteorite,  photographs  of  which  are  reproduced,  is  one  of  the  10  largest  aerolites  ever  found.  Most  such 
bodies  break  to  pieces  in  the  earth's  atmosphere,  probably  on  account  of  unequal  heating  due  to  friction  against  the 
air,  and  shatter  into  scores  and  even  hundreds  or  thousands  of  fragments  before  they  reach  the  ground,  and  this  is  the 
largest  entire  aerolite  now  in  the  United  States. 

The  Selma,  as  this  meteorite  will  be  called,  is  20.5  inches  high,  20  inches  wide,  and  14  inches  thick,  and  it  weighs 
306  pounds  (138.6  kgs.).  A  piece  of  perhaps  4  pounds  weight  has  been  lost  from  the  mass,  hence  it  is  probable  that  the 
original  weight  was  310  pounds.  It  has  kin  buried  in  the  ground  where  it  fell  for  several  years,  so  that  the  original 
glassy  crust  has  been  largely  decomposed  and  washed  away,  and  the  characteristic  "thumb-mark"  pittings  have  been 
partly  obscured.  Some  portions,  however,  remain  aa  in  indication  of  its  original  condition.  In  shape  the  meteorite 
is  roughly  polygonal,  without  pronounced  orientation  features,  though  it  seems  probable  that  the  side  shown  in  one  of 
the  figures  was  the  "brustseite,"  or  front,  during  flight  through  the  atmosphere.  The  mass  is  deeply  penetrated  by 
cracks  on  both  sides,  but  principally  on  the  rear.  The  cracks  do  not  radiate  from  one  or  more  centers,  nor  is  the 
apparent  rigidity  of  the  mass  affected  by  them;  hence  they  do  not  seem  to  have  been  caused  by  shattering  due  to 
impact  with  the  earth.  The  position  and  character  of  the  fissures  indicate  that  they  were  due  to  unequal  heating 
through  friction  with  the  air  during  flight  through  the  atmosphere,  the  tension  produced  being  insufficient  to  cause 
complete  fracture. 

Macroscopic  examination  of  a  cut  and  polished  fragment  shows  the  stone  to  have  a  dark  brownish-gray  color,  and  to 
be  made  up  of  spherical  or  nearly  spherical  chondri,  or  particles,  firmly  embedded  in  a  similar  matrix.  The  largest 
chondri  are  one-eighth  inch  (3  mm.)  in  diameter,  though  those  more  than  one-half  aa  large  are  rare.  A  strong  magni- 
fying glass  is  needed  to  show  one  the  minute  grains  of  iron  scattered  through  the  mass. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone  is  3.42,  as  determined  upon  a  fragment  weighing  4.56  ounces  (129.4  grams)  and 
showing  some  effects  of  decomposition.  A  chemical  analysis  of  the  material  has  not  yet  been  made,  but  Dr.  G.  P. 
Merrill,  of  the  United  States  National  Museum,  has  had  sections  cut  and  polished,  and  has  published  a  brief  scientific 
description  of  the  meteorite  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  United  States  National  Museum  for  1906,  where  he  gives  the 
find  the  name  which  we  have  adopted. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1906:  MERRHX.    A  newly-found  stony  meteorite.    Science,  n.  s.,  vol.  24,  p.  23. 

2.  1907:  MERBILL.     On  a  newly-found  meteorite  from  Selma,  Dallas  County,  Alabama.    Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  vol. 

32,  pp.  59-<31.     (Two  plates  and  analysis.) 

3.  1907:  HOVEY.    The  Selma  meteorite.    Amer.  Mus.  Journ.,  vol.  7,  pp.  8-12.    (Three  plates.) 


410  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIH. 

SENECA  FALLS. 

Seneca  County,  New  York. 

Here  also  Seneca  River. 

Latitude  42°  55'  N.,  longitude  77°  V  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1850;  described  1852. 

Weight,  4  kgs.  (9  Ibs.). 

The  first  description  of  this  iron  was  given  by  Root,1  as  follows: 

A  mass  of  malleable  iron  weighing  9  pounds  was  found  last  fall  in  digging  a  ditch  on  a  farm  near  the  free  bridge  on 
the  Cayuga  side  of  the  Seneca  Eiver.  It  was  drop-shaped,  about  4  inches  in  diameter  and  7  inches  in  length.  When 
found  it  was  coated  with  oxide  of  iron. 

The  surface  was  uneven  and  some  of  the  prominent  parts  were  terminated  by  planes  of  octahedral  crystals.  Through 
the  kindness  of  Jacob  Crowningshield  and  Leroy  Partridge,  of  Seneca  Falls,  I  am  in  possession  of  a  piece  of  the  iron 
weighing  3  pounds,  being  the  middle  section  of  the  original  specinfen.  The  internal  structure  of  the  mass  was  very 
obvious  from  the  lines  of  crystallization  presented  on  the  faces  cut  by  the  saw  in  dividing.  After  the  faces  were 
smoothed  and  etched  the  figures  were  very  distinct  and  beautiful,  resembling  those  on  the  Texas  meteorite  in  the  Yale 
cabinet.  When  filings  of  the  faces  cut  were  dissolved  in  nitric  acid  and  the  iron  precipitated  by  ammonia  the  solution, 
on  adding  potash,  gave  very  manifestly  the  reaction  of  nickel,  and  hence  the  specimen  is  undoubtedly  meteoric  iron. 

It  may  be  an  interesting  fact  that  the  locality  where  this  iron  was  found  is  only  a  few  miles  from  Waterloo,  in  Seneca 
County,  where  a  meteorite  fell  in  1827,  as  has  been  stated  by  Professor  Shepard. 

A  complete  description  and  analysis  was  given  by  Shepard,2  as  follows: 

This  iron  was  very  briefly  announced  by  Prof.  0.  Root,  of  Hamilton  College,  Clinton,  New  York.  The  weight  of 
the  mass  was  between  8  and  10  pounds.  It  was  picked  up  by  a  farmer  while  engaged  in  excavating  a  ditch,  his  attention 
having  been  arrested  by  its  unusual  weight  as  compared  with  ordinary  stones.  A  thick  coating  of  limonite  (hydrous 
oxide  of  iron)  formed  the  entire  outside  of  the  mass.  Its  general  figure  was  somewhat  drop  shape,  although  the  cus- 
tomary depressions  found  on  the  surfaces  of  meteorites  were  visible  also  in  the  present  instance. 

I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Root  for  a  very  perfect  tetrahedral  fragment  (of  about  2  ounces  weight)  which  must 
have  formed  the  little  end  of  the  meteor;  and  to  LeRoy  C.  Partridge,  of  Seneca  Falls,  for  a  thick  slice  (of  4.5  ounces) 
which,  apparently,  is  a  section  across  the  mass  next  below  the  above. 

The  broad  unshaded  bars,  which  meet  at  angles  of  60°  and  120°,  are  quickly  brought  out  by  the  acid,  their  own 
surfaces  not  being  corroded  in  the  slightest  degree  by  the  chemical  action,  which  is  confined  to  the  linear  intervals 
between  the  bars,  to  the  triangular  and  rhomboidal  patches,  and  to  the  borders  of  the  very  circumscribed  and  irregular 
areas,  situated  upon  a  few  of  the  bars  themselves.  These  regions  are  completely  covered  during  the  operation  with 
little  bubbles  of  nearly  pure  hydrogen  gas. 

After  the  corrosion  has  been  permitted  to  go  on  for  a  number  of  minutes  the  linear  intervals  above  mentioned 
exhibit  a  checked  appearance  as  if  a  single  row  of  little  prisms  had  been  inserted  between  the  broad  bars.  These  prisms 
evidently  consist  of  the  same  alloy  as  the  broad  pillars  between  which  they  are  thrust  since  their  tops,  like  the  surfaces 
of  the  bars,  escape  corrosion  and  are  left  after  the  action  has  ceased  at  the  same  level  with  the  bars  themselves.  Their 
presence,  in  the  peculiar  position  they  occupy,  confers  upon  this  iron  a  very  remarkable  feature,  totally  unlike  any 
other  I  have  seen.  Indeed  in  all  other  highly  crystalline  specimens  we  have  a  series  of  perfectly  continuous  lines  and 
edges  in  place  of  the  checkered  rows  here  displayed. 

The  shaded  triangular  and  rhomboidal  areas,  when  their  surfaces  are  well  cleaned  by  a  dilute  aqua  regia  (and 
polished)  and  examined  under  a  lens,  are  seen  to  be  finely  striated  with  the  same  beaded  or  checkered  lines  as  those 
above  described  in  the  linear  intervals. 

The  more  circumscribed  areas  consist  of  a  silver-white  mineral  believed  to  be  new  and  which  will  be  more  par- 
ticularly described  further  on.  This  substance  is  not  acted  upon  by  the  hydrochloric  acid,  but  an  envelope  of  meteoric 
pyrites,  by  which  it  is  more  or  less  surrounded,  is  briskly  attacked,  and  from  these  regions  the  odor  of  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  is  plainly  perceived. 

The  want  of  continuity  in  the  larger  bars  and  their  rounded  terminations  also  serve  still  further  to  distinguish,  at 
first  glance,  the  Seneca  River  iron  from  nearly  all  others. 

A  solution  of  sulphate  of  copper  dropped  upon  a  moistened  surface  of  the  iron  immediately  gives  rise  to  a  precipitate 
of  metallic  copper.  It  is  therefore  not  in  the  passive  state  of  the  Greene  County  (Tennessee)  iron  and  of  some  others, 
as  discovered  by  Wohler. 

Beneath  the  coating  of  limonite  is  found  a  very  distinct  layer  of  compact  black  magnetite  which  must  have  con- 
stituted the  original  crust  of  the  meteor.  Its  thickness  in  some  places  is  0.1  inch.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  iron  if 
7.337. 

It  possess  a  medium  hardness  and  takes  a  very  high  polish,  having  the  customary  grayish-white  tint.  In  this 
respect,  as  well  as  in  many  other  particulars,  it  differs  widely  from  the  Burlington  iron,  which  is  remarkable  for  its 
whiteness.  The  tendency  to  cleavage  in  the  Seneca  River  mass  is  very  obvious,  and  when  torn  asunder  in  place  of 
presenting  a  hackly  fracture  leaves  surfaces  with  pyramidal  cavities  and  projections. 

Analysis. — The  iron  dissolved  very  slowly  in  cold  hydrochloric  acid  attended  by  the  extrication  of  hydrogen  gas, 
along  with  which  sulphuretted  hydrogen  was  occasionally  evolved,  as  became  apparent  by  passing  the  gas  through  a 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  411 

solution  of  nitrate  of  silver.  As  the  solution  proceeded  the  surface  of  the  iron  became  coated  with  a  brownish  flocculent 
matter,  resembling  somewhat  the  development  of  carbon  on  steel  by  nitric  acid.  These  flocculi  at  length  separated 
from  the  iron,  collected  into  light  coherent  masses,  and  floated  about  in  the  liquid,  discharging  little  bubblesof  gas  and 
subsiding  finally  in  masses  of  much-diminished  size  to  the  bottom,  where  they  rested  upon  the  broken  crystals  of  the 
shining  white  metallic  mineral  above  referred  to. 

As  the  solution  proceeded  very  slowly  it  was  repeatedly  quickened  by  a  gentle  heat  for  half  an  hour  at  a  time. 
Three  days  elapsed,  however,  before  the  action  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  was  completed  upon  50  grains  of  the  iron.  A 
second  fragment  of  20  grains  was  treated  in  a  similar  manner  and  with  the  same  general  result. 

Among  the  insoluble  matter  from  the  first  fragment  were  found  two  very  brilliant  black  octahedral  crystals  whose 
weight  together  was  only  0.005  of  a  grain.  They  were  unmagnetic.  Each  of  them  was  measured  by  the  reflective 
goniometer  and  clearly  ascertained  to  be  a  regular  octahedron.  And  as  chromium  was  found  in  the  acid  solution  of  the 
iron  it  can  not  perhaps  be  regarded  as  an  unauthorized  assumption  to  consider  these  crystals  as  belonging  to  the  species 
chromite,  the  more  especially  as  this  mineral  has  repeatedly  been  observed  in  meteorites  though  never  before  in  well- 
pronounced  crystals. 

The  brown  powder  amounted,  when  dry,  to  0.125  of  a  grain.  It  was  partially  acted  upon  by  aqua  regia,  but  in 
other  respecto  appeared  identical  with  that  insoluble  ingredient  in  several  meteors  which  I  have  called  dyslytite  and 
which,  besides  a  decided  content  of  silicon,  has  iron,  nickel,  phosphorus,  chromium,  and  carbon  in  some  unknown 
combination. 

The  remaining  insoluble  matter,  the  white  (slightly  bronze-colored)  crystallized  substance,  whose  weight  was  1.05 
per  cent  of  the  iron,  is  a  mineral  which  I  believe  to  be  undescribed,  if  not  wholly  new.  It  may  have  been  seen  before, 
but  if  so  it  would  appear  to  have  been  confounded  with  the  foliated  metallic  substance  which  is  also  insoluble  and 
which  has  been  called  schreibersite  by  Patera,  though  this  designation  can  not  be  maintained  inasmuch  as  I  had  pre- 
viously called  another  meteoric  mineral  by  this  name. 

I  propose  the  name  of  Partschite  for  the  substance  now  under  consideration  in  honor  of  the  eminent  Prof.  Paul 
Partsch,  of  Vienna,  whose  contributions  to  astrolithology  in  the  description  of  the  meteoric  collection  of  the  Imperial 
Museum  at  Vienna  have  been,  so  important  to  the  progress  of  this  interesting  branch  of  knowledge. 

Properties  of  Schreibersite  of  Patera.  Properties  of  PartschiU. 

H.=6.6  H.=5.6 

Sp.  gr.=7.01-7.22 

Magnetic.  Magnetic. 

Color  bronze-yellow.  Color  silver-white,  or  only  with  a  tinge  of  reddish  gray. 

Elastic.  Brittle. 

In  thin  plates.  In  four-sided  oblique  prisms,  with  dihedral  summits, 

whose  faces  correspond  to  the  prismatic  edges. 
Streak  dark  gray. 

Contains  iron,  87.20;  nickel,  7.24;  phosphorus,  7.26;  When  powdered,  quickly  soluble  in  aqua  regia.    It 

carbon,  7=98.70.  contains  iron,  nickel,  magnesium,  and  phosphorus. 

The  proportions  of  the  different  substances  forming  the  Seneca  Kiver  meteorite,  as  ascertained  in  the  two  analyses, 
were  as  follows: 

Nickeliferous  iron , 98. 69 

Partschite  (with  trace  of  pyrite) , 1.05 

Dyslytite 0. 25 

Chromite...  0.01 


100.00 
The  nickeliferous  iron  gave: 

Iron 92.40 

Nickel 7.60 

Chromium,  magnesium,  tin,  manganese  ?,  phosphorus,  sulphur traces. 

100.00 
Brezdna 4  classed  the  meteorite  as  a  medium  octahedrite,  and  remarked  regarding  it  as  follows  : 

The  Vienna  specimen  permits  the  recognition  of  very  few  details,  as  the  piece  is  very  much  weathered.    The  bands 
are  0.8  mm.  in  breadth. 

Meunier 5  classed  it  as  caillite  and  remarked: 

This  iron  gives  figures  entirely  in  conformity  with  the  caillite  type.    The  kamacite,  tsenite,  and  plessite  are  rela- 
tively normal  in  structure  and  medium  in  amount.    There  is  no  pyrrhotine  visible. 

Brezina,6  in  1895,  also  remarked: 

A  cross  section  through  the  whole  mass  of  the  Vienna  specimen  showa  octahedral  fragments  weathered  out. 
The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Vienna  possessing  820  grams,  and  Clinton  450  grams. 


412  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1852:  ROOT.    On  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from  near  Seneca  River.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  14,  pp.  439- 

440. 

2.  1853:  SHEPAKD.    Notice  of  the  meteoric  iron  found  near  Seneca  River,  Cayuga  County,  New  York.    Amer. 

Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  15,  pp.  363-366  (Analysis  and  illustration). 

3.  1859-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.     No.  9,  pp.  162,  174,  and  181;  No.  14,  p.  390;  No.  15,  pp.  124  and  126;  No.  16, 

pp.  261  and  262;  No.  17,  pp.  266  and  272;  No.  18,  p.  487;  No.  19,  pp.  149,  155,  and  156;  No.  20,  pp.  622,  625, 
and  634;  No.  21,  pp.  588  and  589. 

4.  1885:  BEEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  213  and  234. 

5.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  dea  fers  m6t6oriques,  pp.  52  and  55. 

6.  1895:  BKEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  277. 


Seneca  River.    See  Seneca  Falls. 
Sevier  County.     See  Cosby  Creek. 


SHINGLE  SPRINGS. 

El  Dorado  County,  California. 

Here  also  El  Dorado  County  and  Los  Angeles. 

Latitude  38°  38'  N.,  longitude  120°  59'  W. 

Iron.    Ataxite,  Cape  iron  group,  of  Brezina. 

Found  1869-1870. 

Weight,  38.5  kgs.  (851bs.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Shepard,1  as  follows: 

For  my  knowledge  of  the  meteoric  iron  of  El  Dorado  County,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Alfred  Stebbins,  librarian  of 
the  Mercantile  Library  Association  of  San  Francisco.  A  letter  from  him  dated  April  26  inclosed  a  few  grams  of 
turnings  obtained  during  the  separation  of  a  slice  of  the  mass  destined  for  the  collection  of  Professor  Whitney. 

The  mass  is  described  by  Mr.  Stebbins  as  having  the  size  and  shape  of  a  man's  head.  It  was  found  in  a  field, 
and,  as  usual,  was  first  taken  to  a  blacksmith's  shop,  where  it  was  soon  found  to  be  an  unmanageable  subject  for 
working,  and  hence,  fortunately,  found  its  way  into  scientific  hands.  Its  surface  possesses  the  indentations  common 
to  these  bodies — the  crust  or  coating  being  partially  oxidized.  It  weighs  85  pounds. 

I  find  the  turnings  to  have  a  specific  gravity  of  7.80,  which  may  perhaps  be  a  trifle  above  what  the  mass  possesses, 
as  it  is  presumable  that  the  turnings  have  suffered  a  slight  condensation  in  the  process  of  separation. 

The  fragments  sent  are  free  from  all  traces  of  sulphur.    A  single  analysis  upon  one  gram  has  afforded  me: 

Iron 88. 02 

Nickel 8. 88 

Insoluble,  consisting  of  a  mixture  of  IPe  and  fe,  with  minute  silvery  par- 
ticles of  supposed  phosphor-metals  (Schreibersite) 3. 50 

100.40 

The  amount  of  material  at  command  was  too  small  to  search  for  the  other  metals  commonly  found  in  meteoric 
irons. 

Jackson  2  gave  under  the  name  of  Los  Angeles  an  analysis  of  an  iron  as  follows : 

Having  received  from  Mr.  E.  N.  Winslow  a  slice  of  the  recently  found  meteoric  iron  of  Los  Angeles,  I  have  made 
a  chemical  analysis  of  it,  which  I  now  communicate  to  you.  The  original  mass  is  stated  to  have  weighed  80  pounds. 
The  slice  I  received  weighed  30  grams.  Its  specific  gravity  is  7.9053. 

It  shows  when  acted  upon  by  dilute  nitric  acid,  innumerable  scales  of  schreibersite,  but  not  the  usual  figures. 

In  the  chemical  analysis  I  found  in  the  insoluble  matter,  on  reduction  by  blowpipe,  a  minute  globule  of  tin. 
The  iron  was  separated  by  succinate  of  ammonia  and  the  nickel  by  pure  potassa. 

The  following  are  the  results  of  the  analysis: 

Metallic  iron 80. 74 

Metallic  nickel 15. 73 

Metallic  tin 0. 01 

Phosphorus  and  other  undetermined  matters 3. 52 

100.00 
This  analysis,  although  not  quite  complete,  shows  beyond  doubt  the  meteoric  nature  of  the  Los  Angeles  iron. 

Although  Jackson  gives  the  name  of  Los  Angeles  to  this  iron  and  the  weight  as  80  pounds, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  from  its  composition  that  the  meteorite  of  Shingle  Springs  is  referred  to. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  413 

Silliman  *  gave  a  further  account  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

An  Eldorado  meteoric  mass  was  found  by  the  writer  in  March,  1872,  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  W.  H.  V.  Cronise,  of  San 
Francisco,  where  it  was  placed  by  its  discoverer,  Mr.  James  H.  Grossman  who,  in  1871,  rescued  it  from  the  forge  of  a 
smith  at  Shingle  Springs,  California.  It  was  found  in  1869  or  1870  in  a  field  belonging  to  the  same  smith  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  town  named.  It  is  said  to  be  the  first  meteoric  mass  discovered  in  California. 

The  mass  was  intact  when  I  first  saw  it  and  weighed  about  85  pounds  avoirdupois.  It  was  flattened  upon  one  side 
and  presented  the  usual  familiar  features  of  iron  meteors.  It  has  since  been  cut  in  several  sections,  one  of  which  (which 
was  exhibited  with  this  communication)  shows  a  cross  section  measuring  12  by  18  cm.  The  section  is  approximately  a 
semicircle,  having  the  flattened  side  for  its  diameter,  with  the  outline  and  exterior  coating  perfectly  preserved  on  all 
sides.  Its  weight  was  over  800  grams.  The  largest  dimensions  of  the  entire  mass  were  about  24  and  29  cm. 

This  meteoric  mass  is  remarkably  homogeneous  in  structure  and  singularly  free  from  the  included  minerals.  Only 
two  very  email  masses  of  pyrites,  of  3  and  5  mm.  diameter,  are  viable  on  one  side  of  the  slab,  and  exteriorly  I  could 
detect  no  heterogeneous  substance.  When  the  surfaces  of  the  section  exhibited  were  reduced  in  the  planing  machine 
it  was  observed  that  the  exterior  or  crust  was  so  much  harder  than  the  general  surface  of  the  section  as  to  cause  the  tool 
to  rise  a  little,  thus  leaving  a  distinct  margin  slightly  elevated  above  the  adjacent  parts  and  of  a  whiter  color.  This 
hardened  crust  had  a  depth  of  4  or  5  mm. 

The  density  of  this  iron,  determined  on  a  mass  of  over  750  grams  in  weight,  is  7.875,  while  the  density  of  the  shav- 
ings cut  by  the  planing  tool  from  the  same  mass  is  8.024,  showing  a  condensation  of  0.149  by  this  mechanical  process. 
This  density  (of  the  mass)  is  above  the  average  specific  gravity  of  meteoric  iron,  owing  probably  to  its  large  percentage 
of  nickel,  which,  as  will  be  observed  by  reference  to  the  accompanying  analysis,  is  more  than  twice  the  average  amount 
of  that  metal  found  in  other  meteoric  irons. 

The  crystalline  structure  of  this  mass  is  obscure.  The  Widmannstatten  figures  are  not  developed  on  it  by  etching, 
although  a  confused  granular  structure  was  evident  after  this  process.  Wishing  to  test  this  point  thoroughly,  I  consulted 
Mr.  John  E.  Gavit  of  the  American  Bank  Note  Company,  in  New  York,  who  is  well  known  for  his  microscopic  and  other 
scientific  tastes.  Mr.  Gavit  very  kindly  tried  all  the  resources  known  to  the  engraver's  art  with  a  view  to  develop,  by 
etching  this  iron,  a  surface  from  which  its  curious  cryptocrystalline  structure  could  be  transferred  to  paper  by  printing. 
All  of  these  attempts  have  proved  unsuccessful.  The  etched  surface,  however,  examined  with  a  lens,  shows  a  reticu- 
lated structure  with  numerous  brilliant  points  and  V-shaped  lines,  but  so  small  that  when  charged  with  ink  the  impres- 
sion upon  paper  is  only  a  muddy  tint.  The  specimen  exhibited  shows  this  peculiar  structure  developed  in  four  com- 
partments by  different  etching  agents.  Some  of  the  printed  impressions  taken  from  this  surface  were  also  exhibited. 
An  attempt  to  develop  this  cryptocrystalline  structure  by  the  aid  of  a  fine  "tint"  laid  on  an  etching  ground  by  a 
ruling  machine  and  bitten  in,  and  also  by  a  medallion  ruled  in  orthographic  projection,  upon  which  the  crystalline 
lines  it  was  hoped  might  appear  in  symmetrical  form  was  not  more  successful  than  the  other  trials.  Thus  it  appears 
practically  hopeless  to  transfer  to  paper  by  printing  a  structure  which  may  yet  be  clearly  seen  by  the  lens. 

The  suggestion,  made  long  since  by  Berzelius,  that  the  Widmannstatten  figures  were  due  to  the  segregation  of  the 
nickel  alloy  in  lines  of  the  octahedron  which  the  etching  developed,  owing  to  the  inferior  solubility  of  the  alloy  as  com- 
pared with  the  pure  iron,  seems  to  meet  no  support  from  this  mass  in  which  the  uncommonly  high  percentage  of  nickel 
would  naturally  lead  us  to  expect  a  proportionate  clear  development  of  the  crystalline  structure.  Is  it  not  rather  the 
probable  solution  of  this  structure  that  it  is  due  to  the  length  of  time  during  which  the  meteoric  mass  is  kept  at  a  high 
temperature  while  slowly  cooling?  Under  such  conditions  the  molecules  can  rearrange  themselves  in  symmetrical 
forms  and  over  broad  surfaces.  In  the  mass  before  us  it  would  appear  from  what  has  been  said  of  the  crust  that  the 
heat  did  not  penetrate  to  a  greater  depth  below  the  surface  than  4  or  5  mm. 

The  Cape  of  Good  Hope  iron  analyzed  by  Uricochoea  resembles  this  both  in  the  absence  of  Widmannstatten  figures 
and  in  its  high  proportion  of  nickel,  but  its  cobalt  is  much  larger  and  there  are  only  five  elements  found,  in  place  of 
twelve  in  the  California  iron. 

The  following  analysis  was  made  upon  the  clean  shavings  cut  from  the  entire  surface  of  the  section  by  the  planing 
tool,  thus  securing  a  perfectly  fair  average  sample.  The  analysis  was  made  by  Mr.  F.  A.  Cairns,  assistant  in  the  School 
of  Mines,  Columbia  College,  whose  constant  devotion  to  the  analysis  of  iron  gives  to  his  work  on  this  metal  great  trust- 
worthiness. 

Iron 8L480 

Nickel 17.173 

Cobalt 0.604 

Aluminum 0. 088 

Chromium 0.  020 

Magnesium 0. 010 

Calcium 0.163 

Carbon 0.071 

Silicon 0.032 

Phosphorus 0.308 

Sulphur 0.  012 

Potassium 0.026 

99.987 


414  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Of  the  twelve  elements  quantitatively  determined  by  this  analysis,  aluminum,  calcium,  and  potassium  have  been 
rarely  observed  in  meteoric-iron — meteors  free  from  silicates — while  the  absence  of  copper,  tin,  manganese,  and 
sodium  will  be  noticed. 

No  room  is  left,  it  will  be  observed,  by  this  analysis  for  any  notable  quantity  of  occluded  gases,  for  which  no  search 
was  consequently  made. 

The  meteorite  was  investigated  for  included  gases  by  Wright4  who  found  as  follows: 

C02  CO  H  N     Volumes 

At500° 19.98        13.52        60.92        5.58        0.65 

At  red  heat...  1.10        10.39        84.40        4.11        0.32 


13.64        12.47        68.81        5.08        0.97 

The  amount  of  included  gases  as  compared  with  other  meteorites  is  small. 

In  1874  Smith,5  on  account  of  its  high  content  of  nickel,  compared  Shingle  Springs  with 
Kokomo,  Cape  iron,  and  Oktibbeha. 

Flight 6  stated  that  etching  produces  an  irregular  granular  surface  which  under  the  glass, 
on  account  of  numerous  small  shiny  points  and  lines,  appears  reticulated.  He  also,  on  account 
of  the  absence  of  Widmannstatten  figures  and  the  high  content  of  nickel,  likens  Shingle  Springs 
to  the  Cape  iron. 

Brezina7  in  1893  remarked  upon  the  peculiar  elongated  bright  etching  spots  which,  after 
etching,  come  out  on  the  dark  groundmass  and,  despite  the  irregular  edging,  show  a  parallelism 
of  the  elongations.  He  thought  that  the  rhabdite  was  oriented. 

Meunier 8  gave  the  following  note: 

The  Paris  museum  has  quite  a  large  section  of  this  iron,  which  shows  a  very  compact  metal  upon  which  the  acid 
produces  no  figures.  The  presence  of  nickel  is  doubtful. 

Brezina'  in  1895  grouped  the  meteorite  among  the  Chesterville  group  of  hexahedrites  and 
gave  the  following  account  of  it : 

Shingle  Springs  has  a  peculiar  twofold  structure  which  leans  to  the  ataxites  in  part.  Upon  etching  there  appear 
in  the  groundmass  elongated,  irregularly  bordered  light  etching  streaks,  whose  longitudinal  dimensions  are  parallel; 
moreover  the  entire  iron  is  interwoven  with  numberless  small  rhabdite  laminae  of  from  0.1  to  0.2  mm.  and  occasionally 
1.5  mm.  in  length  without  definite  orientation. 

Cohen  n  gave  an  account  of  the  history  of  the  meteorite,  and  further  studies.  The  latter 
are  as  follows: 

A  new  chemical  investigation  seemed  to  me  for  many  reasons  desirable.  On  the  one  hand  the  previous  analyses 
vary  considerably,  and  on  the  other  hand  Cairns  gives  a  series  of  constituents  which  usually  occur  only  in  those  iron 
meteorites  which  include  silicates.  But  on  account  of  the  small  quantity  of  silica  one  could  not  refer  these  to  the 
percentages  of  potash,  magnesium,  calcium,  and  aluminum  reported.  Moreover,  the  material  used  by  Cairns  for 
analysis  (planings)  was  not  free  from  objection.  A  section  purchased  from  Ward  was  employed  for  an  analysis  by 
0.  Sjostrom.  After  dissolving  a  large  quantity  a  small  carbonaceous  residue  remained,  but  it  contained  no  percept- 
ible quantity  of  silica.  Like  negative  results  were  obtained  in  testing  for  lime  and  magnesia  in  the  portions  used  for 
the  determination  of  copper.  Accordingly,  further  testing  for  copper  and  aluminum  seemed  to  me  unnecessary,  espe- 
cially as  traces  of  these  elements  are  difficult  to  prove  if  there  has  been  necessity  for  the  employment  of  a  considerable 
quantity  of  reagents.  Since  this  was  the  case  in  Cairns 's  analysis,  as  he  employed  10  grams  of  material,  it  seemed  to 
me  not  impossible  that  the  small  quantities  of  Ca,  Mg,  Al,  K,  and  Si02  which  he  found  may  have  come  from  the 
reagents  or  vessels  used  or  from  oils  used  in  the  cutting.  A  test  for  chlorine  by  Sjostrom  gave  also  a  negative  result. 
Sjostrom 's  results  were  as  follows: 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu          Cr  C  P  S 

82.21        16.69        0.65        0.02        0.02        0.03        0.34        0.05    =100.01 
This  gives  the  following  as  the  mineralogical  composition  of  the  meteorite: 

Nickel  iron 97.  65 

Nickel-iron  phosphide 2.  21 

Iron  sulphides 14 

100.00 
Thus  the  results  obtained  by  Sjostrom  and  Cairns  differ  little,  if  the  abnormal  constituents  reported  by  the  latter 

be  ignored. 

The  specific  gravity  was  determined  by  Dr.  W.  Leick  on  a  section  weighing  11  grams.    This  was  found  to  be 

7.8943  at  21.9°  C.    The  theoretical  specific  gravity  from  the  constitution  of  the  meteorite  would  be  7.9215. 

Since  according  to  the  statement  of  Silliman  the  Shingle  Springs  iron  was  preserved  for  a  long  time  in  a  blacksmith 

shop,  and  it  is  to  be  supposed  that  attempts  were  made  to  work  up  the  lump,  I  had  Doctor  Leick  test  its  magnetic 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  415 

characteristics.  The  piece  showed  polar  magnetism,  and  after  magnetization  with  a  strong  electromagnet  it  showed 
a  specific  magnetism  of  5.7  absolute  units  per  gram,  which,  considering  the  unfavorable  shape  of  the  section,  answers 
to  a  pretty  considerable  permanent  magnetism.  Therefore,  the  mass  may  not  have  been  subjected  to  a  very  high 
degree  of  heat.  As  already  pointed  out  by  Brezina,  the  special  characteristics  of  the  Shingle  Springs  iron  are  the 
bright  etching  specks  and  the  great  abundance  of  rhabdite ;  in  addition  to  this  is  the  high  percentage  of  nickel.  These 
three  characteristics  are  not  combined  in  the  same  degree  in  any  other  meteoric  iron. 

The  rhabdite  needles  appear  to  be  uniformly  distributed  throughout  the  entire  iron  and  are  irregularly  oriented. 
By  far  the  greater  number  are  of  diminutive  size,  about  0.03  to  0.07  mm.  long  and  0.003  to  0.006  mm.  thick;  a  small 
number  attain  a  length  of  1  to  1.5  mm.  and  a  thickness  of  0.1  to  0.2  mm.,  and  only  one  needle  was  observed  5  mm.  in 
length  by  0.15  mm.  in  thickness.  Under  a  stronger  magnifying  power  many  present  the  appearance  of  rods  bounded 
by  straight  lines,  others  are  variously  bent,  as  if  they  were  corroded.  Schreibersite  is  found  only  in  one  place  in  small 
irregularly  formed  particles. 

The  bright,  strongly  reflecting  etching  spots  are  irregularly  bounded  although  mostly  elongated  and  then  arranged 
nearlv  parallel  with  the  longer  axis;  on  the  edge  toward  the  dull  portions  it  often  branches  out  into  brushlike  rami- 
fications and  finally  breaks  up  into  «mrm11  isolated  points.  There  is  no  gradual  transition;  the  border  appears  always 
distinct  when  the  etched  surface  is  examined  in  the  proper  position  with  reference  to  the  direction  of  tfce  light. 
Under  a  stronger  magnifying  power  diminutive  strongly  reflecting  points  and  streaks  may  be  seen,  which  are  sharply 
marked  off  from  the  surrounding  dull  ground;  they  occur  in  large  numbers  in  the  interior  of  the  brighter  etching 
points,  but  much  less  abundantly  in  the  darker  portions.  There  may  be  etch  pits  present.  Therefore,  it  may  be 
said  that  by  the  proper  turning  of  the  plate  with  reference  to  the  direction  of  the  light  a  position  may  be  found  in 
which  the  boundaries  of  the  lighter  and  darker  portions  entirely  disappear.  Then  the  entire  section,  omitting  the 
rhabdite,  appears  uniform  and  perfectly  dense;  no  indication  whatever  of  a  granular  structure  is  to  be  seen  even  by 
strong  magnifying  powers.  The  existence  of  a  crystalline  structure  is  self-evident,  however,  when  one  considers  the 
occurrence  of  etch  pittings  which  reflect  the  light  in  certain  positions. 

The  phenomena  observed  can  only  be  explained  by  means  of  a  sort  of  streaked  structure,  such  that  the  streaks 
are  less  compact  and  are  less  readily  attacked  by  the  acid  than  the  rest  of  the  nickel  iron.  Upon  the  former  arise, 
therefore,  more  readily  atid  in  greater  number  the  etch  pittings  which  occasion  the  bright  sheen  in  reflected  light. 
The  difference  in  structure  by  which  the  different  behavior  in  the  presence  of  different  etching  agents  arises  is,  how 
ever,  so  insignificant  that  it  can  only  be  detected  in  this  manner. 

Both  on  account  of  the  high  percentage  of  nickel  and  the  occurrence  of  the  etching  spots  (in  places  the  etching 
bands),  Shingle  Springs  is  closely  related  with  the  Cape,  Iquique,  and  Kokomo  irons;  according  to  the  description 
of  Kunz  and  Weinschenk,  Ternera  may  also  be  included  here.  If  no  especial  weight  be  given  to  the  kind  of  edging 
of  the  bright  portions,  this  meteoric  iron  may  be  included  in  a  well-defined  group  with  the  following  common  char- 
acteristics: High  percentage  of  nickel;  bright  etching  bands  and  spots;  dense  structure  of  the  nickel  iron.  Such  a 
grouping  appears  to  me  more  natural  than  the  division  into  two  groups  by  Brezina.  The  latter  unites  the  Cape,  Iqui- 
que, and  Kokomo  irons  in  the  Cape  iron  group,  and  arranges  Shingle  Springs  and  Kokomo  under  the  Chesterville 
group,  which,  in  consequence  of  this,  acquires  quite  a  heterogenous  composition. 

The  principal  portion  of  the  meteorite  seems  to  be  lost.  Wulfing 10  lists  the  distribution  of 
only  1,650  grams,  of  which  the  Yale  collection  possesses  the  largest  amount  (932  grams). 
Prof.  II.  A.  Ward  has  informed  the  writer  that  the  principal  mass  fell  into  the  hands  of  boys 
shortly  after  its  description  by  Shepard  and  was  lost. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1872:  SHEPARD.    On  a  meteoric  iron  lately  found  in  Eldorado  County,  California.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser., 

vol.  3,  p.  438.    (Analysis.) 

2.  1872:  JACKSOX.    Analysis  of  the  meteoric  iron  of  Los  Angeles,  California.     Idem,  3d  ser.,  vol.  4,  pp.  495-496. 

(Analysis.) 

3.  1873:  Sn.T.rMAx.    On  the  meteoric  iron  found  near  Shingle  Springs,  Eldorado  County,  California.    Idem,  3d  ser., 

vol.  6,  pp.  18-22.     (Analysis  and  illustration.) 

4.  1874:  SMITH.    Idem,  3d  ser.,  vol.  6,  p.  392. 

5.  1876:  WRIGHT.    On  the  gases  contained  in  meteorites.    Idem,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  pp.  256  and  257;  and  vol.  12,  p.  167. 

6.  1887:  FLIGHT.    Meteorites,  pp.  12-13. 

7.  1893:  BREZINA.    Ueber  neuere  Meteoriten  (Numberg),  p.  166. 

8.  1893:  MEUXIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'teoriques,  p.  75. 

9.  1895:  BREZIN-A.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  294. 

10.  1897:  WULFIXG.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  325-326. 

11.  1899:  COHEN-.    Meteoreisenstudien  IX.     Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  13,  pp.  477-481 

12.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  156-161. 


Sibley  County.    See  Arlington. 

Sierra  de  las  Adargas.     See  Adargas. 

Signet  Iron.    See  Tucson. 


416  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XTTT. 

SILVER  CROWN. 

Silver  Crown  District,  Laramio  County,  Wyoming. 
Here  also  Crow  Creek  and  Laramie  County. 
Latitude  41°  1(X  N.,  longitude  105°  20'  W. 
Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1887;  described  1888. 
Weight,  11.6  kgs.  (25.6  Ibe.). 

This  iron  was  first  described  by  Kunz  *  as  follows: 

The  Laramie  County  masa  of  meteoric  iron  was  found  by  Mr.  Edward  J.  Sweet,  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  1887, 
while  he  was  prospecting  in  the  Silver  Crown  district  almost  in  the  center  of  township  14,  range  70,  between  the  middle 
and  south  forks  of  Crow  Creek,  Laramie  County,  Wyoming,  about  21  miles  west  of  Cheyenne,  in  longitude  105°  20'  west 
of  Greenwich  and  north  latitude  41°  KK.  When  found  it  was  half  buried  in  decomposed  granite  and  earth.  After 
being  a  ten-days'  wonder  among  the  miners  at  the  camp  it  was  sent  to  Dr.  Wilbur  C.  Knight,  of  Cheyenne,  Wyoming, 
through  whom  it  came  into  my  possession. 

In  shape  this  mass  somewhat  resembles  an  anvil.  It  weighs  25.61  pounds  (363  ounces  Troy)  (11.616  kgs.),  and 
measures  17.5  by  14  by  19  cm.  The  entire  surface  is  still  covered  with  the  original  crust  of  magnetic  oxide  of -iron, 
which  has  been  slightly  acted  upon  by  the  atmospheric  agencies.  No  trace  of  chloride  of  iron  was  perceived  nor  any 
exudation.  The  surface  is  irregularly  pitted,  the  largest  of  the  pittings  being  3  by  2  cm.  and  very  deep  for  their  size. 
No  troilite  was  observed  either  in  the  cutting  or  the  pitting.  This  iron  is  one  of  the  Braunite  group  of  Meunier.  Etch- 
ing does  not  produce  the  Widmannstatten  figures  but  under  the  glass  the  markings  are  seen  to  be  similar  to  the  Braunau 
Hauptmanndorf  iron  described  by  Tschermak  and  Huntingdon.  This  beautiful  structure  is  broken  only  by  the  thin 
layers  of  schreibersite  which  divide  a  surface  25  mm.  square  into  over  25  irregular  crystalline  parts.  The  specific 
gravity  is  7.630.  The  following  analysis  was  kindly  made  by  Mr.  H.  L.  Mcllvain: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  C 

91. 57        8. 31        trace        0. 07         trace    =99. 95 

* 

It  approaches  more  closely  to  the  Rowton,  Charlotte,  and  Jewell  Hill  meteorites  in  composition. 

Brezina 2  classed  the  meteorite  among  the  coarse  octahedrites  and  remarked  concerning  it 
as  follows: 

Originally  weighing  11.6  kgs.,  this  iron  could  not  have  lain  long  in  the  ground;  the  exterior  has  a  tolerably  fresh 
almost  black  color  and  shows  many  pittings,  at  the  bottom  of  which  remains  of  troilite  are  sometimes  found.  Corre- 
sponding to  this  condition  there  appears  upon  an  etched  surface  a  zone  of  alteration  along  the  natural  exterior  measuring 
some  1.5  to  2  mm.  in  width,  within  which  the  otherwise  markedly  hatched  kamacite  has  lost  this  peculiarity  and  haa 
become  shimmering.  At  certain  points  where  the  surface  elements  project  more  the  thickness  of  this  zone  of  alteration 
becomes  as  much  as  7  mm.,  the  inner  border  of  the  zone  running  independent  of  the  inequalities  of  the  outer  surface. 
The  bands  are  straight,  grouped,  very  puffy;  tsenite  slightly  developed,  conspicuous  only  in  the  very  scarce  fields; 
kamacite  with  strongly  oriented  luster  and  having  deep  file  marks.  There  are  numerous  round  or  oval  nodules  of 
troilite  with  graphite  coverings  into  which  the  troilite  projects  raggedly,  outside  of  which  occurs  schreibersite,  occa- 
sionally showing  long,  straight  crystals  up  to  7  cm.  in  length.  The  border  is  also  often  of  troilite  and  schreibersite 
mingled.  The  kamacite  contains  many  needles  of  rhabdite. 

Cohen s  found  that  the  iron  takes  on  a  more  or  less  permanent  magnetism.    He  also  deter- 
mined the  specific  gravity  not  air  freed  as  7.7793;  air  free  at  16°  C.,  7.7862. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  Vienna  possessing  the  principal  mass,  6,890  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1888:  KTTNZ.    On  two  new  masses  of  meteoric  iron. — 2.  Meteoric  iron  from  Laramie  County,  Wyoming.    Amer. 

Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  36,  pp.  276-277. 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  287. 

3.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82,  87  and  90. 


Smith  County.    See  Carthage. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA,  417 

SMTTHLAIfD. 

Livingston  County,  Kentucky.    . 

Latitude  37°  1<X  N.,  longitude  88°  25^  W. 

Iron.    Nickel-rich  ataxite  of  Cohen;  Braunite  (type  3,  Sec.  4)  of  Meuniei. 

Found  1839-1840;  described  1846. 

Weight.    Large  mass  of  which  all  but  about  4  kgs.  (8-10  Ibe.)  was  worked  up. 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  were  reviewed  by  Cohen  •  as  follows : 

During  the  years  1840  to  1845  Troost '  obtained  several  pieces  of  meteoric  iron  to  test  for  silver  with  the  information 
that  large  masses  of  the  metal  were  to  be  had.  From  Colonel  Player,  in  1845,  he  first  learned  the  place  of  discovery  to 
be  Southland,  in  Livingston  County,  Kentucky,  and  at  the  same  time  obtained  a  piece  weighing  2,154  grams  besides 
a  cold  chisel  made  of  the  iron.  According  to  Player  the  original  mass  of  considerable  size  had  been  worked  down  to 
some  4  kgs.  The  iron  showed,  according  to  Troost,  a  fine-grained  fracture,  the  characteristics  of  steel  and  no  indication 
of  crystalline  structure.  It  was  a  shapeless  mass  and  had  a  rough  surface,  the  content  of  nickel  estimated  from  a 
partial  analysis  at  some  10  per  cent. 

Reichenbach  2  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  despite  the  homogeneous  appearance  accessory  constituents  were 
not  entirely  lacking;  he  mentions  fine  stony  bodies  and  a  hollow  space  produced  by  the  weathering  out  of  sulphide  of 
iron.  No  Widmannstatten  figures  are  produced  by  etching;  the  specific  gravity  is  given  as  7.56.  If  Smith  land  is  to 
be  regarded  as  meteoric  iron,  like  that  of  Babbs  Mill,  it  apparently  consists  of  plesrite. 

Greg  3  made  the  statement  in  1862  that  Roecoe  in  a  quantitative  analysis  had  found  an  unusually  high  content  of 
nickel,  and  that  by  etching  no  sort  of  figures  came  out,  but  only  a  few  small  shiny  particles  which  lay  near  to  one 
another  in  tolerably  regular  interspaces.  He  compared  the  iron  with  that  of  Rasgata  and  Green  County,  more  especially 
with  the  latter  indeed. 

G.  Rose  4  placed  Smithland  among  those  irons  the  meteoric  origin  of  which  he  held  doubtful. 

In  1885  Brezina  e  referred  Smithland  to  the  Cape  iron  group.  The  groundmass,  in  which  small  skeletons  or  leaflets 
of  schreibersite  or  rhabdite  lie  scattered  in  large  numbers,  shows  by  its  usually  darker  color  almost  exactly  similar  appear- 
ance to  that  of  Kokomo. 

He  mentions  further  numerous  small  troilite  inclusions  with  laminae  of  daubreelite  and  sheaths  of  schreibersite, 
as  well  as  a  thin  crust  resembling  the  usual  fusion  crust.  In  1895  Brezina  7  identified  the  iron  with  the  Babbs  Mill  group 
which  embraced  very  heterogeneous  things. 

According  to  Meunier  *  the  iron  was  absolutely  identical  with  the  Cape  iron. 

My  study  was  on  a  piece  of  about  100  grams  weight  with  one  section  surface  of  14  sq.  cm.  This  had  the  other 
rounded  bounding  surfaces  covered  with  a  thin,  for  the  most  part  somewhat  oxidized  fusion  crust.  After  weak  etching 
the  polished  surface  takes  on  a  peculiar  sheen  like  that  of  a  thin  coat  of  varnish.  The  accessory  ingredients  come  out 
very  distinctly  and,  as  Brezina  has  already  noted,  consist  of  troilite,  schreibersite,  and  daubreelite,  all  in  this  case  of 
insignificant  dimensions.  The  largest  single  individual  troilite  has  a  length  of  1.8  mm.  and  a  breadth  of  0.4  mm,  but 
the  greater  number  are  only  1/30  as  large  and  many  are  so  small  as  only  to  be  distinctly  seen  under  the  microscope.  All 
are  of  elongated  form;  a  few  run  to  a  point  at  one  end  and  are  blunt  at  the  other  so  that  hemimorphic  forms  result,  as  in 
the  Cape  iron.  One  of  the  largest  troilites  incloses  a  daubreelite  plate  0.25  mm.  in  width  which  is  perpendicular  to 
the  long  diameter  and,  therefore,  indeed  as  in  other  iron  meteorites,  oriented  parallel  to  the  base;  on  a  few  places 
besides  large  grains  of  0.05  to  0.15  mm.  occur  in  isolated  heaps.  Most  of  the  troilites  are  bordered  with  a  narrow  zone 
of  schreibersite,  the  breadth  of  which,  according  to  the  size  of  the  former  amounts  to  between  0.02  and  0.08  mm. ;  in 
reflected  light  under  the  microscope  the  schreibersite  distinguishes  itself  from  the  troilite,  in  the  case  of  very  small 
inclusions,  by  the  color  and  luster.  Moreover  rhabdite  occurs  in  small  needles  which  occasionally  arrange  themselves 
in  star-shaped  groups. 

The  schreibersites  borders  do  not  show  more  distinctly  by  longer  etching,  the  varnishlike  luster  fades,  the  polished 
surface  takes  on  a  dark  ash-gray  color  and  becomes  dull  but  attains  a  homogeneous  appearance.  Under  the  microscope 
with  higher  powers  only  small  regularly  arranged  points  which  reflect  the  light  show  themselves,  but  one  sees  neither 
etched  pittings  nor  any  indication  of  granular  structure  as  may  be  seen  with  like  magnifying  powers,  for  instance  in  the 
case  of  Babbs  Mill,  to  which  in  other  respects  it  has  great  similarity. 

Analysis  by  Sjostrom: 

Fe  Ni  Co  P  S  Cr 

82.  83        16.  42        0.  94        0.  09        0. 17        0.  06     =100.  51 

Mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel  iron 99. 00 

Schreibersite 0.  58 

Troilite 0.  27 

Daubreelite 0. 15 


100.00 

Specific  gravity  of  97.47  grams  at  13.4°  C.  (Dr.  W.  Leick)  7.7115. 

This  meteoric  iron  shows  polar  magnetism  and  gives  a  specific  magnetism  after  magnetizing  to  "saturation,"  of 
4.05  per  gram. 

716°— 15 27 


418  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

According  to  composition  and  structure,  Smithland  stands  next  to  Babbs  Mill,  although  it  is  also  of  somewhat  finer 
structure.  It  partakes  with  Morradal  the  varnish-like  luster,  but  distinguishes  itself  from  the  same  by  the  absence  of 
the  dark  grains  and  spindle-like  shape. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed,  the  British  Museum  (2,556  grams)  and  Harvard  (1,877  grams) 
possessing  the  largest  pieces.  As  Troost  mentions  only  2.1  kgs.  and  collections  report  over  5  kgs. 
other  masses  must  have  been  obtained. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1846:  TROOST.    Description  of  three  varieties  of  meteoric  iron. — 3.  Meteoric  iron  from  Livingston  County,  Ken- 

tucky.   Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  2,  pp.  357-358. 

2.  1859-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  9,  pp.  162,  176,  177,  and  182;  No.  11,  p.  291;  No.  13,  p.  354;  No.  15,  p.  100; 

No.  17,  pp.  268  and  273;  No.  20,  p.  630. 

3.  1862:  GREG.    On  some  meteorites  in  the  British  Museum. — Irons  8.  Livingston  County,  Kentucky.    Philos.  Mag., 

vol.  24,  p.  540. 

4.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  p.  24. 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  203,  219,  and  234. 

6.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fere  me"t6oriques,  pp.  16  and  20. 

7.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  297. 

8.  1898:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen  Studien  VII.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus,  Wien,  Bd.  13,  pp.  45-47. 

9.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  101-104. 


SMITHS  MOUNTAIN. 

Rockingham  County,  North  Carolina. 
Here  also  Rockingham  County. 
Latitude  36°  ZV  N.,  longitude  79°  5'  W. 
Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1863;  mentioned  1872. 
Weight,  5  kgs.  (11  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  mentioned  by  Tschermak  *  in  his  catalogue  of  1872  as  an  octa- 
hedrite with  medium  lamellae. 

Smith2  stated  in  1874  that  he  had  found  a  small  green  mass  of  solid  lawrencite  and  had 
tested  it  qualitatively. 

In  1875  Kerr3  gave  the  history  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Mr.  W.  C.  Kerr,  State  geologist  of  North  Carolina,  obtained  this  meteorite  in  1866  from  a  Mr.  Peters,  who  found 
it  a  few  years  earlier,  and  who  lived  near  the  point  where  it  was  picked  up. 

It  was  found  in  an  old  field  which  had  not  been  cultivated  for  20  years,  on  top  of  a  high  hill — Smiths  Mountain — 
and  near  the  site  of  a  former  dwelling,  so  that  its  fall  probably  occurred  within  20  years  of  its  discovery. 

The  mass  is  very  compact  and  almost  as  hard  as  steel.    The  original  weight  was  within  1  ounce  of  11  pounds. 
It  was  coated  with  rust. 
Analysis  (Genth): 

Fe  Ni+Co  P-Ni-Fe  Cu 

90.41  8.74  0.14-0.33-0.27        0.11     =99.97 

It  consists  of  a  mixture  of  several  iron-nickel  alloys,  intermixed  with  phosphide  of  nickel  iron.  The  iron  contains 
pyrites,  and  probably  quartz  or  a  silicate  in  minute  quantity. 

This  meteoric  iron  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  existence.  Genth  also  notes  the  presence  of 
chloride  of  iron. 

Its  structure  is  highly  crystalline,  and  when  polished  or  etched  develops  remarkably  fine  Widmannstatten  figures 
with  delicate  markings  on  the  inside  of  the  figures.  Smith  likewise  discovered  chloride  of  iron  in  this  meteorite. 

Smith  *  gave  a  nearly  similar  account  as  follows: 

This  meteorite  was  first  brought  to  my  notice  in  1870  by  Prof.  W.  E.  Kerr,  the  geologist  of  the  State  of  North  Car- 
olina; but  a  short  time  afterwards,  seeing  a  notice  of  it  by  Doctor  Genth  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences 
of  Philadelphia,  and  as  he  proposed  giving  a  further  description  of  the  same  at  some  future  time,  I  laid  aside  my  notes 
concerning  it;  but  having  frequently  been  asked  for  particulars  in  relation  to  it  from  those  possessing  specimens,  I 
have  concluded  to  publish  the  notes  made  at  the  time  it  came  into  my  possession. 

This  iron  was  discovered  in  Rockingham  County,  North  Carolina,  on  a  spot  known  as  Smiths  Mountain,  2  miles 
north  of  the  town  of  Madison,  about  latitude  36°  20',  longitude  79°  45X.  It  was  found  by  a  Mr.  Peters,  from  whom 
Professor  Kerr  obtained  it  about  the  year  1863,  and  was  lying  on  the  surface  of  an  old  field  which  had  been  out  of  cul- 
tivation less  than  20  years,  and  for  that  reason  is  supposed  to  have  fallen  within  that  period. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  419 

It  weighed  originally  about  11  pounds,  and  was  covered  with  a  coating  of  rust.  Ite  structure  is  highly  crystalline, 
and  when  polished  and  either  heated  or  acted  on  by  nitric  acid  furnishes  remarkably  fine  Widmannstatten  figures 
with  delicate  markings  on  the  inside  of  the  figures,  which  I  designated  some  time  ago  as  Laphamite  markings,  having 
first  observed  them  on  the  Wisconsin  iron. 

This  iron  contains  narrow  seams  of  schreibersite  that  penetrate  the  mass  for  several  centimeters  in  different  direc- 
tions, some  of  them  being  2  or  3  mm.  in  thickness.  In  one  part  of  the  iron  I  discovered  some  solid  chloride  of  that 
metal,  enough  to  test  its  nature,  and  I  detached  a  small  fragment  that  is  now  in  the  museum  of  the  Garden  of  Plants, 
at  Paris.  It  attracted  moisture  after  having  been  taken  from  a  crevice  in  the  iron,  and  became  quite  soft.  This  is 
the  second  time  I  have  observed  this  solid  chloride  in  meteoric  iron. 

The  nickeliferous  iron,  constituting  the  mass,  exhibits  the  characteristics  common  to  iron  meteorites,  viz,  more 
or  less  diversity  in  the  character  of  the  iron  in  different  parts,  these  varieties  being  so  intimately  associated  that  we 
possess  no  means  of  separating  them.  Doctor  Genth  considers  it  as  composed  of  three  different  kinds  of  iron.  I  selected 
a  fragment  perfectly  free  from  any  schreibersite  visible  to  the  eye;  it  gave  a  specific  gravity  of  7.78,  and  on  analysis 

was  found  to  contain: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu  P 

90.88        8.02        0.50        0.03        0.03    =99.46. 
This  will  seem  to  correspond  to  the  analysis  by  Doctor  Genth  before  referred  to. 

Brezina,5  in  1885,  made  the  meteorite  the  type  of  a  subdivision  of  the  fine  octahedrites, 
stating  its  characters  as  follows: 

Bands  isolated,  straight,  very  puffy,  0.25  mm.  wide.  Fields  predominant,  quite  filled  with  a  felt  of  fine  branching 
twigs.  Large  troilite  inclusions. 

In  1895  he  *  changed  his  opinion  regarding  the  troilite  inclusions,  stating  that  they  were 
"schreibersite,  surrounded  by  swathing  kamacite  1  mm.  in  breadth,  with  troilite  nodules." 
Cohen '  described  the  structure  of  the  iron  as  follows: 

The  long,  straight  lamella  are  not  grouped ;  occasionally  several  lie  quite  close  together,  but  they  are  still  sepa- 
rated by  very  small  plessite  strips.  The  borders  of  the  larger  lamellae  are  sometimes  straight,  sometimes  wavy,  while 
the  smaller  are  mostly  puffy-  The  fields  predominate  and  are  quite  uniformly  distributed,  taenite  is  distinctly  visible. 
The  kamacite  is  much  hatched  and  shows  a  somewhat  fibrous  aspect.  Under  a  higher  magnifying  power  it  appears 
fine-granular  between  the  etching  lines.  This  structure  seems  like  etching  pits  but  may  indeed  be  dusHike  inclu- 
sions. The  predominating  fields  measuring  up  to  10  sq.  mm.  show  without  exception,  and  in  the  most  perfect  manner, 
a  structure  which  in  appearance  resembles  exactly  the  micropegmatitic  structure  of  terrestrial  rocks.  It  is  much  larger 
and  finer  here  and,  therefore,  better  developed  than  in  the  case  of  Jewell  Hill.  Fine-grained,  dark  plessite,  with 
tiny,  glistening  spangles  forms  a  compact  groundmass,  which  is  so  evenly  interwoven  with  tenite  that  it  appears  upon  the 
section  surface  in  thread-like  filaments  of  very  various  forms.  The  taenite  apparently  forms  an  individual  and  plays  the 
r61e  of  the  quartz  in  pegmatite.  Whether,  however,  the  plessite  is  like  feldspar,  an  Individual  or  a  very  fine-grained 
composition,  must  remain  uncertain.  Still  the  latter  seems  to  me  more  probable  considering  the  formation  which  such 
plessite  usually  shows.  The  small,  elongated  fields  crowded  between  the  lamellae  are  scarcely  noticeable  even  under 
the  glass,  and  are  filled  with  black,  compact  plessite,  which,  however,  on  greater  magnification,  also  appears  finely 
granular,  and  is  distinguished  from  the  groundmass  of  the  larger  fields  merely  by  ite  finer  grain.  Occasionally  these 
small  fields  are  crossed  by  one  or  more  fine  lamellae  which  reach  from  side  to  side. 

Schreibersite  occurs  on  the  one  hand  in  small  grains  within  the  bands  and  on  the  other  hand  in  large  crystals, 
surrounded  with  swathing  kamacite,  with  inclusions  and  indentations  of  nickel-iron.  In  the  neighborhood  of  rifte 
following  the  lamellae  from  the  surface  inward  occur  large  numbers  of  small  round  particles  of  iron-glass  (sections  of 
spheres),  filling  many  bands  pretty  compactly.  There  is  no  troilite  in  the  section  which  I  have. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  State  Museum  at  Raleigh.  North  Carolina. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

• 

1.  1872:  TBCHERHAK.    Meteoriten.    M.  M.  Bd.  2,  p.  172. 

2.  1874:  SMITH.    On  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  of  Howard  County,  Indiana;  with  some  remarks  on  the  molecular  struc- 

ture of  meteoric  irons,  and  a  notice  concerning  the  presence  of  solid  protochloride  of  iron  in  meteorites.    Amer. 
Journ.  ScL,  3d  ser.,  vol.  7,  p.  395. 

3.  1875:  KEEK.    Kept,  Geol.  Survey  North  Carolina,  voL  1,  pp.  313-314. 

4.  1877:  SMITH.    Examination  of  the  Waconda  meteoric  stone,  Bates  County  meteoric  iron,  and  Rockingham  County 

meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  13,  pp.  213-214.     (Analysis.) 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  210. 

6.  1885:  GEXTH  and  KERB.    Minerals  of  North  Carolina,  p.  15. 

7.  1890:  YEN-ABLE.    Meteorites  of  North  Carolina.    Journ.  Elisha  Mitchell  Sci.  Soc.,  voL  7,  p.  48. 

8.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  269. 

9.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  358-360. 


420  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

SMITHVILLE. 

Dekalb  County,  Tennessee. 
Here  also  Caryfort,  Cany  Fork,  and  Caney  Fork. 
Latitude  35°  56'  N.,  longitude  85°  48'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina;  Arvaite  (type  7),  of  Meunier. 
Found  1840;  described  1845. 

Weight  of  mass  found  in  1840,  16  kgs.  (36  IbB.).    In  1893,  three  more  masses  of  30,  7  and  3  kgs.  (65, 15 
and  7  Ibs.)  were  found,  and  in  1903  two  of  3.4  and  .5  kgs.  (8  and  1  Ibs.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Troost.1  He  mentions  a  meteoric  iron  found  a 
few  miles  west  of  Canyfork,  Dekalb  County,  Tennessee.  He  states  that  it  had  a  smooth, 
glossy  surface  and  was  of  an  oval  shape,  its  longer  diameter  being  from  10  to  12  inches.  Five 
years  later  he  described  the  mass  which  he  says  was  found  in  Dekalb  County,  Tennessee,  a 
few  miles  west  of  Cany  Fork,  near  the  road  from  Liberty  to  the  ferry  on  that  river,  as  follows : 

Only  one  piece  of  it  was  discovered.  Its  weight  when  it  came  into  my  possession  was  about  36  pounds.  Its 
original  weight  must  have  been  greater,  as  several  chips  had  been  cut  from  the  surface,  by  which  the  blacksmiths  and 
silversmiths  found  out  that  it  was  not  gold  or  silver. 

When  I  first  saw  the  mass,  it  had  .an  ochery-brown  glossy  surface,  but  the  least  scraping  with  an  iron  tool  brought 
the  natural  iron  color  to  light,  so  that  it  was  not  covered  with  a  crust.  It  had  an  irregular  oval  shape. 

This  iron  is  remarkable  for  its  Widmannstatten  or  crystalline  figures,  which  are  handsomely  displayed  on  the 
section  without  its  being  subjected  to  any  chemical  operation.  These  figures  are  shown  on  the  polished  surface  by 
the  section  of  laminae,  which  are  embedded  through  the  whole  mass  of  iron.  These  lamellae  are  easily  distinguished 
from  the  rest  of  the  mass  by  their  color,  which  is  almost  silver-white;  they  are  harder  and  receive  a  brighter  polish 
than  the  bulk  of  the  mass.  When  these  lamellae  are  cut  parallel  to  their  planes,  or  nearly  so,  they  exhibit  only  irreg- 
ular spots,  but  when  they  are  cut  transversely,  though  irregularly  dispersed  through  the  iron,  they  exhibit  a  regular 
arrangement.  They  are  all  inclined  toward  each  other  in  such  manner  that  if  they  were  extended  till  they  met  at 
the  extremities,  they  would  form  equilateral  triangles,  so  they  that  indicate  the  crystalline  structure  of  the  mass, 
which  is  that  of  octahedrons.  In  this  respect  it  coincides  with  the  Cocke  County  iron.  The  latter  being  more  or  less 
subject  to  decomposition,  I  was  able  to  separate  several  of  these  lamellae,  which  have  almost  the  color  and  luster  of 
burnished  silver,  and  are  not  yet  tarnished,  though  they  have  been  exposed  for  5  or  6  years  to  the  influence  of  the 
atmospheric  air. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  these  pellicles,  or  lamellae,  though  equally  attracted  by  the  magnet,  have  a  different  com- 
position from  other  parts  of  the  iron,  and  this  seems  to  be  the  cause  that  the  several  analyses  made  of  the  same  iron 
seldom  give  the  same  result. 

The  polished  section  of  my  cabinet  specimen  offers  a  surface  of  about  7  by  4.5  inches;  it  exhibits  in  this  space 
two  large  heterogeneous  masses,  one  of  about  0.8  inch  and  the  other  about  two-thirds  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  others 
smaller.  I  consider  these  masses  as  composed  principally  of  graphite,  intimately  mixed  with  metallic  iron,  as  the 
powder  which  I  scraped  off  is  feebly  attracted  by  the  magnet,  and  soils  paper  like  common  plumbago,  and  its  streak 
has  a  black  metallic  luster.  In  this  respect,  also,  it  resembles  the  Cocke  County  iron.  Upon  the  whole,  it  is  an  inter- 
esting variety. 

The  locality  near  Liberty,  where  Troost  states  his  specimen  was  discovered,  is  about  10 
miles  from  Smithville. 

Huntington  5  described  the  structural  features  as  follows: 

Another  striking  octahedral  mass  is  a  fragment  of  the  well-known  Dekalb  County  meteorite.  One  specimen  of 
this  iron  shows  hollow  octahedral  faces  2  inches  in  diameter,  like  hopper  crystals,  consisting  of  skeletons  built  up  of 
a  series  of  plates  about  half  an  inch  wide  and  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  thick.  These  plates  when  cut  transversely 
constitute  the  Widmannstatten  figures.  When  the  section  is  cut  at  random  the  figures  may  differ  somewhat  in  char- 
acter and  the  plates  appear  to  make  various  angles  with  each  other;  but  when  the  etched  surface  is  parallel  to  an  octa- 
hedral face,  the  Widmannstatten  figures  all  make  equilateral  trinagles,  their  sides  being  parallel  to  the  octahedral 
edges. 

In  1892  three  other  masses  were  found  at  Smithville  and  described  by  Huntington  8  as 
follows: 

In  the  early  part  of  last  summer  Mr.  Herman  Meyer  sold  three  new  masses  of  meteoric  iron  from  Smithville,  Dekalb 
County,  Tennessee,  to  Professor  Ward,  of  Rochester,  New  York.  After  the  largest  mass  had  been  sawed  into  slices 
these  were  kindly  sent  by  Professor  Ward  to  the  writer  for  examination  and  with  it  was  sent  the  following  letter  describ- 
ing the  find: 

"Three  siderites  weighing  about  7,  15,  and  65  pounds  each. 

"In  November,  1892,  Mr.  John  D.  Whaley  plowed  up  the  medium-sized  meteorite  (15  pounds).  In  a  few  days 
thereafter  Mr.  Berry  Cantrell,  on  the  adjoining  farm  of  Mr.  James  Beckwith,  plowed  up  the  large  one  (65  pounds)  at 
about  200  feet  from  the  first  one.  These  meteorites  were  carefully  kept  in  the  families  of  their  respective  finders. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  421 

During  December,  after  diligent  search  of  some  weeks,  the  third  and  smallest  (7  pounds)  was  discovered  and  kept  in 
the  family  of  J.  D.  Whaley. 

"During  the  spring  plowing  of  1893  a  very  thorough  search  of  the  whole  region  was  made  without  further  finds. 
The  spot  where  these  three  pieces  were  found  is  three-eighths  of  a  mile  south  from  the  Smithville  and  Lebanon  pike, 
in  an  extreme  southwest  field  of  J.  D.  Whaley  and  the  adjoining  field  of  James  Beckwith.  Herman  Meyer,  the  pur- 
chaser of  all  these,  satisfied  himself  that  the  meteorites  were  original  and  distinct,  and  that  all  was  as  represented. 

"This  locality  is  about  40  miles  southwest  from  the  spot  on  Caney  Fork  where  the  Carthage  meteorite. was  found . ' ' 

There  is  no  question  that  the  irons  were  found  as  stated  in  the  above  letter;  but  the  Cocke  County  iron  has  a  very 
close  resemblance  to  the  Smithville  meteorites. 

The  largest  mass  of  the  Smithville  iron  is  roughly  spherical,  with  no  signs  of  original  crust,  but  marked  by  one 
deep  pitting  which  once  contained  troilite,  now  nearly  weathered  away,  or  possibly  fused  out  during  its  flight  through 
the  atmosphere.  The  specimen  had  laid  for  a  long  time  in  the  soil,  as  shown  by  the  thick  coating  of  magnetic  oxide 
of  iron  strong  enough  to  attract  iron  nails  with  considerable  force.  This  covering,  however,  does  not  fully  conceal 
certain  very  typical  features  of  the  iron — a  marked  silvery  whiteness,  a  very  striking  and  nearly  octahedral  cleavage, 
a  slightly  yellowish  metallic  foil  separating  the  crystalline  flakes  of  iron;  also  numerous  nodules  of  very  cleavable 
troilite  embedded  in  graphite  and  granular  schreibersite;  while  perhaps  the  most  striking  feature  of  all  is  a  nodule  of 
fine-grained  compact  graphite  nearly  2  inches  in  diameter.  This  is  probably  a  larger  mass  of  meteoric  graphite  than 
any  other  on  record.  The  only  one  to  compare  with  it  is  that  described  by  J.  L.  Smith  in  the  Sevier  County  iron. 
The  weight  of  the  Smithville  nodule  can  not  be  accurately  estimated,  as  it  was  not  observed  until  the  mass  had  been 
sawed  into  slabs.  It  appeared  to  be  nearly  spherical,  with  a  diameter  as  great  as  the  largest  dimension  of  the  dumb- 
bell-shaped nodule  described  by  Smith,  rrmfc-jng  the  total  mass  of  the  former  considerably  greater  than  that  of  the 
latter. 

Nodules  of  graphite  and  troilite  are  abundantly  scattered  over  the  surface  of  an  etched  plate  9  by  7  inches  in  size, 
usually  consisting  of  troilite  embedded  in  graphite,  and  thus  surrounded  by  schreibersite,  although  there  is  considerable 
variety  in  the  relative  arrangement  of  these  three  minerals  in  the  individual  nodules.  In  places  the  schreibersite 
widens  out  into  bright  patches  between  the  Widmannstatten  plates,  especially  in  proximity  to  the  troilite  nodules. 

This  inequality  in  the  distribution  of  the  schreibersite  gives  a  very  varied  appearance  to  the  etched  surface,  and 
areas  selected  from  opposite  ends  of  the  slab  could  not  possibly  be  identified  by  the  Widmannstatten  figures  above. 
In  this  respect  the  iron  very  closely  resembles  those  of  Arva  and  Sarepta. 

Choosing  as  uniform  material  as  possible,  the  average  analysis  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P          Residue  (cliftonite) 

91.57        7.02        0.62        trace        0.18  0.15  =99.54 

Huntington  *  gives  analyses  of  other  irons  which  resemble  Smithville  and  then  states: 

After  dissolving  a  portion  of  the  iron  in  hydrochloric  acid,  assisted  by  a  battery,  a  black  residue  was  obtained  con- 
sisting mainly  of  small  graphitic  crystals  with  a  predominance  of  cubo-octahedral  forms,  but  showing  also  perfect  little 
cubes  without  any  modifications  and  others  with  their  edges  truncated  by  the  dodecahedron  and  occasionally  beveled 
by  a  very  obtuse  tetrabis-hexahedron. 

This  he  regards  as  the  form  of  graphite  named  clif tonite  by  Fletcher. 

With  the  cliftonite  Huntington  states  were  also  to  be  seen  numerous  white  glassy  grains. 
On  digesting  the  residue  for  a  long  tune  with  hydrofluoric  acid  most  of  the  white  grains  dis- 
appeared, but  a  few  remained  entirely  unaffected  by  the  acid.  These  appeared  as  very  brilliant 
transparent  angular  fragments  and  exhibited  a  hardness  sufficient  to  scratch  the  ruby.  Hunting- 
ton  regards  these  grains  as  probably  diamond.  He  also  quotes  a  statement  of  Professor  Ward  to 
the  effect  that  the  iron  was  very  difficult  to  cut  as  a  further  indication  that  it  contained  diamond. 
Huntington  considers  further  the  probability  that  Smithville  and  Cocke  County  may  be  the 
same  meteorite  and  reaches  an  affirmative  conclusion  on  account  of  the  great  quantity  of  Cocke 
County  reported. 

On  this  point,  however,  later  investigators  will  be  more  inclined  to  agree  with  Glenn,10  who 
wrote  as  follows: 

Three  pieces  of  meteoric  iron  from  Smithville,  Tennessee,  are  mentioned  by  Huntington  in  his  description  of  that 
fall.  A  fourth  piece  was  sent  to  the  United  States  National  Museum.  During  the  year  1903  two  additional  pieces  came 
into  my  possession.  They  were  found  about  40  years  ago  at  Berry  Cantrell's,  1  mile  west  of  Smithville,  Tennessee. 
The  larger  mass  weighed  3,460  grams  and  was  of  compact  rounded  shape  and  evidently  entire.  The  smaller  weighed 
478  grams  and  had  a  portion  removed  by  some  one.  The  character  of  the  masses  was  similar  to  that  described  by 
Huntington,  and,  although  the  place  where  they  were  found  was  not  just  the  same  as  that  from  which  the  previously 
reported  masses  came,  they  all  belong  undoubtedly  to  the  same  fall,  which  may  have  been  scattered  over  a  con- 
siderable area.  Huntington 's  suggestion  of  collusion  in  these  Smithville  finds  and  his  regarding  them  as  being  really 
part  of  the  Cocke  County  iron  do  not  seem  to  accord  with  the  circumstances.  No  object  can  be  discerned  in  anyone's 


422  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

going  to  the  trouble  of  securing  portions  of  a  fall,  carrying  them  several  hundred  miles  across  the  mountains,  secreting 
them  40  or  50  years,  and  then  making  presents  of  them  to  strangers !  The  only  reasonable  conclusion  is  that  the 
Smithville  finds  fell  near  Smith ville  and  not  in  a  far-distant  corner  of  the  State. 

Smith.  *  reported — 

Carbon  of  the  character  of  graphite,  filling  irregular  ovoidal  cavities,  like  troilite,  and  more  or  less  contaminated 
with  the  latter  mineral,  are  observed  in  this  meteorite.  The  conversion  of  this  meteoric  graphite  into  graphitic  oxide 
was  more  rapid  than  that  of  any  terrestrial  graphite  with  which  I  have  experimented. 

Brezina  *••  made  several  observations  upon  different  masses  or  sections  of  Smithville,  as 
follows: 

Kamacito  plates  1.5  to  3  mm.  in  diameter  have  in  almost  every  case  a  rib  of  porous  schreibersite,  a  small  quantity 
of  tsenite  and  plessite,  the  latter  of  a  dark-gray  color.  Two  trolite  inclusions  of  some  3  to  4  mm.  diameter  have  each  a 
patch  of  schreibersite  1.5  to  2  mm.  broad,  around  which  is  an  irregular  envelope  of  kamacite. 

********* 

This  meteorite  is  an  intermediate  member  of  the  group  Og.  It  has  an  oriented  luster,  but  very  slight  "file 
marks,"  on  which  account  the  kamacite  shows  at  first  very  granular.  Bands  are  1.5  mm.  in  size. 

********* 

Under  Smithville  are  united  the  irons  described  as  Caney  Fork,  Caryfort  (erroneously  given  as  Caney  Fork),  and 
Smithville,  which  agree  perfectly  among  themselves,  except  for  their  state  of  preservation,  of  which  the  iron  found  in 
the  year  1840  is  a  good  example,  while  that  found  in  the  year  1892  is  decomposed  throughout  its  entire  mass.  A  large 
aection  of  this  iron,  a  cross  section  of  the  entire  mass,  shows  three  still  preserved  nodules  and  the  remains  of  a  fourth. 
One  of  these  nodules  shows  polyhedral  boundaries  and  is  composed  of  troilite,  with  a  seam  of  graphite  0.5  mm.  thick, 
and  a  very  faint  corona  of  schreibersite;  the  second  consists  of  graphite  with  an  envelope  of  troilite  0.1  to  1  mm.  thick 
and  a  crown  1  to  2  mm.  thick;  the  third  consists  of  two-thirds  troilite  and  one-third  graphite  with  a  zone  of  troilite 
and  an  envelope  of  graphite  0.5  mm.  thick,  besides  a  widely  radiating  corona  of  schreibersite. 

Meunier7  remarked  regarding  it  as  follows: 

The  general  characteristics  of  the  arvaite  type  are  exhibited  in  this  iron  with  the  greatest  distinctness.  Merely 
by  polishing  the  iron  shows  a  geometrical  network  of  bands  consisting  of  schreibersite,  and  here  and  there  very  angular 
bundles  of  the  same  phoephuret,  more  or  less  completely  enveloped  with  graphite.  The  Widmannstiitten  figures  are 
very  like  those  of  the  Brazos  iron.  The  kamacite  has  practically  the  same  form;  yet  a  great  abundance  of  tsenite  is 
noticeable,  which  not  only  forms  the  filaments  between  the  elements  of  the  preceding  alloy,  but  also  constitutes  the 
grills  in  the  triangular  and  rhombic  intervals  between  them. 

The  Smithville  meteorite  is  distributed,  Harvard  and  Ward  possessing  the  largest  pieces. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1840:  TROOST.    Description  and  analysis,  etc.,  Cocke  County  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  Istser.,  vol.  38,  p.  254. 

2.  1845:  TROOST.    Description  of  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  discovered  in  De  Kalb  County,  Tennessee.    Amer.  Journ. 

Sci.,  Istser.,  vol.  49,  pp.  341-342. 

3.  1858-1862:  VON  REIOHBNBACH.    No.  4,  p.  638;    No.  6,  p.  452;  No.  7,  p.  551;  No.  8,  p.  488;  No.  9,  pp.  162,  175, 176, 

and  182;  No.  12,  p.  457;  No.  13,  pp.  363  and  364;  No.  14,  p.  390;  No.  15,  pp.  100,  111,  and  128;  No.  16,  pp.  261 
and  262;  No.  17,  p.  273;  No.  18,  pp.  484,  487,  and  489;  No.  20,  pp.  621,  625,  629,  631,  and  634;  No.  21,  pp.  578, 
579,  580,  and  586. 

4.  1876:  SMITH.    Carbon  compounds.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  pp.  392,  394,  and  434. 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  215,  216,  and  234. 

6.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  287  and  288.    (Illustration  of 

etching.) 

7.  1893:  MEUNIEB.    Bemarques  geologiques  sur  les  fers  m&eoriques  diamantiferes.    Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  116, 

p.  410. 

8.  1893:  METJNIBR.    Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  29  and  31-32. 

9.  1894:  HUNTINGTON.    The  Smithville  meteoric  iron.    Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  29,  pp.  251-260. 

(Analysis,  illustration  of  mass  weighing  65  pounds  found  in  1893;  and  illustration  of  etching,  and  map  of  region.) 

10.  1895:  BRKZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  285-286. 

11.  1904:  GLENN.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  p.  216. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  423 

STAUKTOH. 

Augusta  County,  Virginia. 

Here  alto  Augusta  County. 

Latitude  38°  14'  N.,  longitude  79°  1"  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1858  or  1859;  described  1871. 

Weight,  121,614  grams  (270  Ibe.),  divided  among  six  masses  which  have  the  following  weights: 
No.  1,  25,429  grains;  No.  2,  16,441  grams;  No.  3,  1,644  grams;  No.  4,  68,950  grams;  No.  5, 
not  stated,  but  dimensions  indicate  about  2,000  grams;  and  No.  6,  7,150  grams.  Brezina1* 
separated  the  fourth  mass,  found  in  1858  and  described  in  1878,  from  the  remaining  masses 
on  account  of  its  differences  of  structure.  In  his  statement,  however,  that  it  is  from  an 
unknown  locality,  he  is  not  corroborated  by  the  original  description. 

The  first  three  masses  of  this  iron  were  described  by  Mallet,1  as  follows: 

Nearly  two  years  ago  I  learned  that  a  lump  of  iron,  which,  from  the  description  given  of  it,  I  supposed  to  be 
meteoric,  had  been  turned  up  by  the  plow  in  Augusta  County,  in  this  State,  and  soon  afterwards  I  obtained  possession 
of  this  specimen  by  the  kind  assistance  of  Hon.  J.  B.  Baldwin,  of  Staunton.  It  proved  to  be  beyond  question  a 
meteorite,  weighing  about  56  pounds.  A  few  months  later  I  saw  at  the  annual  fair  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society, 
in  Richmond,  a  second  mass  of  smaller  size,  weighing  about  36  pounds,  which  had  come  from  the  same  county  and 
was  exhibited  along  with  some  iron  ores  by  Maj.  Jed  Hotchkiss,  of  Staunton.  Learning  from  me  that  I  was  about  to 
examine  and  analyze  my  own  specimen,  and  was  anxious  to  compare  it  with  the  other  found  in  the  same  part  of  the 
country,  Maj.  Hotchkiss  was  obliging  enough  to  lend  me  the  latter  and  to  permit  me  to  cut  off  enough  for  analysis. 
Quite  recently,  he  has  placed  in  my  hands  a  third  specimen,  also  from  Augusta  County,  weighing  but  about  3.5 
pounds.  I  shall  speak  of  these  three  masses  as  No.  1,  No.  2,  and  No.  3,  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  mentioned 
above,  No.  1  being  my  own  specimen  and  Xos.  2  and  3  those  of  Maj.  Hotchkiss. 

All  three  present  quite  the  same  general  appearance.  They  are  of  a  very  irregular  pear  shape,  one  end  of  each 
mass  being  larger  and  more  rounded  than  the  other.  The  smaller  end  of  each  is  somewhat  flattened,  but  by  concave 
surfaces,  in  one  direction.  No.  1  was  more  massive  and  rounded  than  the  others;  No.  2  was  the  most  flattened,  hav- 
ing some  rude  resemblance  in  shape  to  a  shoulder  of  mutton.  The  dimensions  of  the  masses  before  cutting  were  as 
follows: 

No.  1.         No.  2.        No.  3. 

Maximum  length 28  cm.        27  cm.        11  cm. 

Maximum  width,  at  large  end 21  cm.        10  cm.          9  cm. 

Maximum  width,  at  small  end 17cm.        19cm.          5cm. 

Maximum  thickness,  at  large  end 13cm.        13cm.          8cm. 

Maximum  thickness,  at  small  end llcm.          5cm.          3cm. 

The  exact  weights  before  cutting  were:  No.  1,  25,429  grams;  No.  2,  16,441  grams;  No.  3,  1,644  grams;  the  masses 
being  entire,  nothing  having  been  previously  detached  from  any  one  of  them. 

The  surface  of  each  of  the  masses  is  rough  and  irregular.  At  some  points,  which  have  been  rubbed,  the  iron 
exhibits  its  metallic  luster,  and  traces  of  its  crystalline  character  may  be  observed,  but  nearly  the  whole  surface  is 
covered  with  a  dark-brown  crust,  consisting  essentially  of  hydrated  ferric  oxide,  which  varies  from  about  an  eighth 
to  a  third  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  This  crust  is  hard  and  pretty  firmly  adherent.  On  exposure  to  moist  air  a  rusty 
liquid  exudes  in  drops  from  numerous  points  on  the  surface,  and  in  this  watery  liquid,  chlorine,  iron  (chiefly  as  fer- 
rous chloride),  and  nickel  were  detected.  The  masses  are,  of  course,  magnetic,  and  on  examination  give  evidence  of 
feeble  magnetic  polarity,  with  multiple  poles. 

The  union  of  hardness  and  toughness  in  the  iron  makes  it  quite  difficult  to  cut,  and  in  attempting  to  obtain,  with 
the  planing  machine,  a  slice  of  considerable  size  the  ordinary  cutting  tools  were  blunted  and  broken.  It  was  found 
necessary  to  drill  a  row  of  holes  and  connect  these  by  a  cut  made  with  the  planer. 

The  specific  gravity  was  taken  for  Nos.  1  and  2  with  solid  pieces  of  about  140  grams  and  0.95  grams,  respectively, 
cut  from  the  interior  of  the  masses,  and  for  Xo.  3  with  about  10  grams  of  clean  shavings  (from  the  planer)  in  a  spe- 
cific-gravity bottle.  The  results  were: 

No.  1        No.  2        No.  3 

Specific  gravity  at  15°  C 7.853        7.855        7.839 

The  interior  structure  of  the  iron  is  compact  and  highly  crystalline,  of  much  the  same  general  character  throughout, 
but  a  few  small  grains  and  streaks  of  a  brownish-yellow  mineral  were  noticed,  which  on  being  picked  out  and  examined 
proved  to  be  troilite.  There  are,  however,  minute  fissures  running  through  several  portions  of  the  metal. 

Traces  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures  may  be  detected  upon  a  polished  surface  even  without  the  aid  of  acid,  and 
when  the  iron  has  been  etched  by  nitric  acid  the  markings  are  exceedingly  beautiful  and  distinct .  The  general  appear- 
ance is  a  good  deal  like  that  of  the  iron  from  Lenarto  in  Hungary  and  some  of  the  Mexican  specimens.  In  the  mass 


424  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

No.  1,  upon  the  principal  cut  surface,  narrow  well-defined  bands  of  alternate  nickel  iron  and  schreibersite  are  parallel 
to  or  intersect  each  other  at  angles  of  about  60°  and  120°;  in  the  figures  on  the  principal  surface  of  No  2  the  angles  of 
intersection  more  nearly  approach  90°;  on  the  much  smaller  cut  surface  of  No.  3  the  figures  are  somewhat  more  irregular 
but  the  angles  approach  60°.  By  etching  surfaces  obtained  in  other  planes  it  was  rendered  evident  that  the  difference 
of  appearance  is  merely  due  to  looking  at  different  projections  of  the  same  crystalline  structure. 

The  metal  soon  rusts  upon  cut  surfaces,  especially  where  the  exudation  of  chlorine  occurs,  and  this  renders  more 
distinctly  visible  the  slight  fissures  which  penetrate  the  interior. 

The  iron  is  not  passive,  though  very  easily  rendered  so  by  nitric  acid.  It  reduces  copper  rather  slowly  from  the 
sulphate,  and  if  the  whole  surface  be  covered  by  the  latter  metal  and  then  washed  under  a  stream  of  water,  rubbing 
hard  with  the  hand  or  a  cloth,  a  part  of  the  copper  comes  off  very  easily,  leaving  the  remainder  very  firmly  attached 
and  reproducing  very  beautifully  the  Widmannstatten  figures;  obviously  a  case  of  galvanic  deposition,  the  schreibersite 
being  the  electronegative  solid  and  receiving  the  coating  of  copper.  By  the  prolonged  action  of  acid  delicate  white 
laminae  of  schreibersite  are  brought  into  view,  which  if  completely  detached  are  found  flexible  and  strongly  magnetic. 

The  following  are  the  results  of  chemical  analysis : 

Fe  Ni          Co         Cu         Sn        Mn         P  S          Cl          C          Si 

No.  1 88.706    10.163    0.396    0.003    0.002     trace    0.341    0.019    0.003    0.172    0.067    =99.872 

No.  2 88.  365    10. 242    0.  428    0.  004    0.  002     0.  362    0. 008    0. 002    0. 185    0. 061    =99.  659 

No.  3 89.007      9.964    0.387    0.003    0.003     trace    0.375    0.026    0.004    0.122    0.056    =99.947 

These  numbers  are  so  closely  accordant  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  masses  being  essentially  identical  in 
chemical  composition.  The  nickel  and  iron  were  separated  in  a  cold  and  quite  dilute  solution  by  means  of  carbonate 
of  baryta,  and  the  precipitates  obtained  were  carefully  tested  as  to  purity  before  the  weights  were  finally  accepted  as 
correct.  Considerable  quantities  of  material  were  used  for  the  determination  of  the  minor  constituents.  Particular 
attention  was  given  to  the  identification  of  the  minute  quantity  of  tin  present,  as  Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Smith  has  lately 
mentioned  the  fact  that  he  has  never  found  this  metal  in  the  course  of  numerous  analyses  of  meteoric  iron.  The  pre- 
cipitate with  sulphureted  hydrogen,  which  contained  the  tin  and  the  copper,  was  in  each  case  obtained  from  a  solution 
of  more  than  a  hundred  grams  of  the  iron.  I  feel  satisfied  that  the  chlorine  is  not  of  meteoric  origin— not  an  essential 
constituent  of  the  original  masses — but  has  been  derived  from  the  soil  in  which  the  iron  has  lain  embedded. 

The  exudation  of  watery  drops  containing  metallic  chlorides  is  observable  only  at  points  on  the  outside  and  on  cut 
surfaces  along  the  lines  of  fissures  communicating  with  the  outside.  Although^  chlorine  is  mentioned  above  as  found 
in  the  general  analysis  of  the  planing-machine  shavings,  I  failed  altogether  to  detect  it  in  a  specially  selectedsolid 
piece  taken  from  a  part  of  No.  1  destitute  of  fissures  or  flaws. 

The  siliceous  residue  is  set  down  as  silicic  acid,  but  some  of  it  seems  to  have  in  reality  existed  as  silicide  of  iron. 
A  part  of  this  residue  having  been  examined  with  the  plowpipe  to  identify  it  as  silicic  acid,  another  portion  was  looked 
at  with  a  magnifying  power  of  250  to  500  diameters,  and  in  polarized  light  it  was  seen  to  consist  of  an  amorphous  powder 
and  rounded  transparent  grains  of  very  small  dimensions,  for  the  most  part  from  0.0025  to  0.0100  mm.  in  diameter  of 
well-marked  doubly-refracting  character. 

It  seems  in  the  highest  degree  probable  that  these  three  masses  represent  portions  of  a  single  fall  from  the  heavens, 
agreeing  so  closely  as  they  do  in  external  character  and  appearance,  in  density  and  internal  structure,  and  in  chemical 
constitution,  having  all  been  found,  moreover,  at  but  short  distances  from  each  other.  The  precise  localities  from 
which  they  came  are  as  follows: 

No.  1,  from  a  spot  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Robert  Van  Lear,  about  5  miles  (a  little  east  of)  north  from  Staunton,  latitude 
38°  14'  N.,  and  longitude  79°  1'  W. 

No.  2,  from  the  land  of  Mr.  M.  Fackler,  about  1  mile  to  the  southeast  of  the  locality  of  No.  1. 

No.  3,  about  half  a  mile  still  farther  southeast,  or  rather  a  little  north  of  a  northwest  and  southeast  line  passing 
through  the  last-named  locality. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  watch  for  the  possible  detection  of  other  masses  in  the  same  neighborhood. 

The  next  year  Mallet 2  made  a  determination  of  the  gases  from  the  meteorites  as  follows: 
Analysis  of  gases  occluded  in  Augusta  County  meteorite: 

Portion     Portion     Portion 

ABC  Total 

Hydrogen 22.12        10.52          3.19  35.83 

Carbonic  oxide 15.99        11.12        11.22  38.33 

Carbonic  anhydride 7.85          1.02          0.88  9.75 

Nitrogen 6.06          1.45         8.58  16.09 

52.02        24.11        23.87        100.00 

Careful  analysis  of  the  gaa  yielded  the  above  results  by  volume  for  the  three  portions  separately  collected.  The 
fourth  column  of  figures,  obtained  by  summing  up  the  three  which  precede  it,  gives  the  percentage  composition  of  the 
whole  of  the  gaseous  matter  extracted  from  the  iron. 

Other  gases  were  tested  for  but  none  could  be  found.  No  free  oxygen  could  be  detected  nor  any  compound  of 
oxygen  and  hydrogen. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  425 

As  to  the  nature  and  amount  of  the  constituent  gases,  the  reaulta  differ  very  materially  from  those  arrived  at  by 
Graham,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  following  comparison: 

Augusta 
Lenarto      County 

Hydrogen 85.68         36.83 

Carbonic  oxide 4. 46         38. 33 

Carbonic  anhydride 9.  75 

Nitrogen 9.  86          16. 09 


100. 00        100. 00 

The  gases  obtained  in  the  experiment  now  in  question  agree  more  nearly  with  those  of  common  wrought  iron  (clean 
horseshoe  nails),  as  found  by  Graham,  viz.,  in  the  first  portion  collected: 

Hydrogen. 35.00 

Carbonic  oxide 50.  3 

Carbonic  anhydride 7.  7 

Nitrogen 16.09 


100.00 

and  the  conclusion  arrived  at  by  him,  that  "the  predominance  of  carbonic  oxide  in  its  occluded  gases  appears  to  attest 
the  telluric  origin  of  iron,"  would  deny  to  the  Virginia  specimen  the  right  to  be  classed  among  meteoric  masses,  with 
which,  however,  all  its  other  physical  and  chemical  characteristics  agree  most  fully.  I  am  quite  satisfied,  from  the 
condition  of  the  masses  of  iron  as  they  came  into  my  hands,  and  especially  from  the  character  of  the  crust,  that  the 
metal  had  not  been  subjected  to  any  heating  in  a  blacksmith's  fire  or  otherwise  by  human  hands  since  it  was  found,  as 
has  sometimes  happened  to  similar  specimens  in  the  endeavor  to  discover  their  nature  or  to  make  use  of  them. 

A  fourth  mass  was  described  by  Mallet 3  in  1878,  as  follows: 

In  1871  I  described  three  masses  of  meteoric  iron  found  a  few  miles  from  Staunton,  in  this  State;  still  another 
has  lately  been  brought  to  light  under  the  following  circumstances:  About  the  year  1858  or  1859  a  negro  man,  named 
Alf ,  belonging  to  Mr.  Robert  Van  Lear  (on  whose  land  the  largest  of  the  three  already  described  meteorites  was  found), 
brought  to  Staunton  a  lump  of  iron  which  he  had  found,  and  tried  to  sell  it,  but  no  one  considered  it  curious  or  valu- 
able enough  to  pay  the  price  asked,  a  dollar.  This  man  is  dead,  and  it  can  not  now  be  ascertained  where  he  found 
the  specimen,  but  probably  on  Mr.  Van  Lear's  land,  and  undoubtedly  in  his  immediate  neighborhood.  Failing  to 
sell  the  mass,  Alf  threw  it  away  in  a  vacant  plot  of  ground  behind  a  blacksmith's  shop.  Here  it  lay  for  several  years, 
until  it  was  used,  with  some  other  loose  material  to  build  a  stone  fence.  On  account  of  its  irregular  shape  and  great 
weight  it  soon  fell  out  of  the  fence,  and  was  then  thrown  aside  in  the  rear  of  a  dentist's  house.  He  used  it  for  some 
time  as  an  anvil  on  which  to  hammer  metals  and  crack  nuts,  and  afterwards  had  it  built  into  a  wall  round  the  curbing 
of  a  cistern.  Here,  during  the  summer  of  1877,  it  came  under  the  notice  of  Mr.  M.  A.  Miller,  of  Staunton,  who  obtained 
possession  of  it,  had  it  removed  from  the  wall,  and  near  the  end  of  the  year  disposed  of  it  to  Messrs.  Ward  and  Howell, 
of  Rochester,  New  York.  These  gentlemen,  who  were  at  the  time  engaged  in  the  arrangement  of  a  geological  and 
zoological  collection  which  they  had  contracted  to  furnish  for  the  University  of  Virginia,  allowed  me  to  examine  the 
meteorite  before  it  was  sent  to  Rochester,  and  have  furnished  me  with  material  for  ita  analysis.  They  are  having  the 
largest  part  of  the  iron  cut  into  slices  as  specimens  for  sale. 

The  shape  of  the  mass  is  like  that  of  many  other  metallic  meteorites,  irregularly  rounded,  larger  at  one  end  than 
the  other,  something  like  a  shoulder  of  mutton  in  general  outline,  with  well-marked  concave  depressions  or  pittings. 
The  greatest  length  is  45.7  cm.,  greatest  width  29.2  cm.,  and  greatest  thickness  20.3  cm.  The  weight  was  152 
pounds,  or  68,950  grams.  The  crust  was  not  as  thick  as  that  upon  the  masses  from  the  same  locality  previously 
examined,  and  at  a  number  of  points  the  metallic  luster  of  the  iron  was  visible.  Magnetic  polarity  was  detectable 
at  various  parts  of  the  surface.  The  specific  gravity,  taken  with  a  clean  piece  of  87.5  grams,  was  found  =7.688  at  18° 
C.  The  iron  is  compact  and  crystalline,  with  plates  of  schreibersite  running  through  it,  while  a  few  specks  of  troilite 
were  detected.  On  etching  with  nitric  acid  the  \Vidmannstatten  figures  are  clearly  and  beautifully  brought  out,  and 
their  general  character  is  quite  the  same  with  that  shown  upon  the  etched  surface  of  the  three  previously  described 
masses.  On  one  surface  two  distinct  sets  of  crystalline  markings  are  observable,  the  angles  of  intersection  in  each  of 
these  being  nearly  uniform. 

An  analysis  made  by  Mr.  J.  R.  Santos,  of  Guayaquil,  Ecuador,  now  working  in  this  laboratory,  gave  the  following 
results: 

Iron 91. 439 

Nickel 7.  559 

Cobalt •. 0. 608 

Copper 0. 021 

Tin trace 

Phosphorus 0.  068 

Sulphur 0.  018 

Chlorine trace 

Carbon 0. 142 

Silicon  (counted  as  silica) 0. 108 

99.963 


426  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  chlorine  occurs  as  ferrous  chloride,  soluble  in  water;  87.5  grams  of  iron  was  used  for  analysis,  so  as  to  render 
accurate  the  determination  of  the  minor  constituents.  A  partial  examination  of  another  specimen,  however,  showed 
that,  as  usual  in  such  masses,  the  distribution  of  the  schreibersite,  and  probably  the  nickel  in  the  alloy,  is  not  alto- 
gether uniform.  The  average  amount  of  nickel  is  somewhat  less  than  in  the  three  formerly  described  masses,  and 
the  proportion  of  cobalt  and  copper  rather  larger;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt,  I  think,  that  all  four  specimens,  found 
in  the  same  neighborhood,  resembling  each  other  closely  in  all  their  physical  properties,  and  exhibiting  the  same 
general  chemical  character,  represent  different  portions  of  the  same  meteoric  fall. 

In  1880,  Brezina  4  noted  the  occurrence  of  Reichenbach  lamellae  in  etched  sections  of  the 
meteorite  and  figured  them.  In  1885  he  5  grouped  Staunton  as  an  octahedrite  with  medium 
lamellae,  the  characteristics  of  the  group  being  as  follows: 

Lamellae  puffy,  not  bunched,  oriented  sheen  prominent,  hatching  very  fine,  and  therefore  not  very  prominent; 
fields  and  combs  abundant;  plessite  dark. 

Kunz,8  in  1887,  described  a  fifth  mass  as  follows: 

This  mass  of  meteoric  iron  was  given  to  the  late  Col.  W.  B.  Baldwin,  of  Staunton,  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  and 
was  found  at  or  near  the  place  where  the  largest  of  the  three  masses  from  Augusta  County,  first  described  by  Professor 
Mallet,  was  found.  Colonel  Baldwin  was  under  the  impression  that  it  was  a  detached  part  of  the  largest  mass.  Pro- 
fessor Mallet  received  it  from  him  at  a  considerably  later  date  than  the  large  mass  and  having  chipped  and  filed  a 
small  flat  surface,  he  found,  after  etching,  that  the  Widmannstatten  figures  were  like  those  on  the  large  mass.  A  care- 
ful examination  satisfied  him  that  this  piece  of  iron  had  not  been  in  any  way  artificially  detached  from  any  of  the 
previously  discovered  masses,  though  there  is  no  doubt  that  all  the  other  four  meteoric  irons  from  Augusta  County, 
including  the  one  now  described,  are  portions  of  a  meteorite  which  probably  exploded  in  mid  air.  Its  present  dimen- 
sions are  8.5  cm.  by  6.5  cm.,  7  cm.  at  the  widest  end  and  3  cm.  at  the  smaller  end.  This,  like  the  other  masses,  con- 
tains ferrous  chloride  which,  by  its  deliquescency,  has  caused  much  of  the  mass  to  exfoliate  and  crack  off,  so  that  it 
is  only  a  nodular  remnant  of  what  was  once  a  much  larger  mass.  At  one  end  there  is  a  large  fragment  weighing  sev- 
eral hundred  grams,  which  is  in  part  separated  by  a  fissure  4  mm.  wide,  a  result  of  oxidation.  Several  fractures  show 
from  four  to  six  faces  of  the  octahedron.  The  following  analysis  of  the  mass  is  kindly  furnished  by  Prof.  J.  W.  Mallet: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  Sn  Mn        Cr  P  S          Cl          C  Si 

90.293         8.848        0.486        0.016        0.005        trace     trace        0.243       0.012     trace    0.177        0.092    =100.72 

Kunz  does  not  give  the  weight  of  the  mass,  but  the  dimensions  given  indicate  a  weight  of 
about  2,000  grams. 

Cohen  and  Weinschenk 7  obtained  the  following  on  decomposing  31.755  grams  of  the  outer 
portion  of  the  meteorite : 

Grams.  Per  cent. 

Nickel  iron 23.  3032  73. 38 

Jagged  fragments 5.0433  15.88 

Tsenite 1.  0116  3. 19 

Schreibersite 0. 1293  0. 41 

Rust. .  2. 2676  7. 14 


31>7550  100.00 

They  further  state: 

The  schreibersite  forms  small  tin-white  crystals  and  grains,  which  cleave  perfectly  in  one  direction;  the  angular 

fragments  are  less  irregularly  formed  and  flatter  than  usual.    Besides  individual,  lustrous,  very  fine  spangles,  which, 

according  to  their  physical  characteristics  do  not  differ  from  the  tsenite  of  other  meteorites,  there  occurs  here  very 

prominently  a  tsenite  of  gray  color,  of  inferior  luster  and  greater  thickness  of  folia,  and  of  greater  friability  than  usual. 

The  latter  gave,  from  a  solution  in  copper-ammonium  chloride,  the  following  analysis  on  0.37197  gram: 

C  Fe  Ni  Co  P 

1.18        73.85        23.88        2.12        trace    -101.03 
which  calculated  to  100  for  the  tsenite  gives: 

Fe  Ni          Co          C 

73.10        23.63        2.10        1.17    =100.00 

An  analysis  of  the  angular  fragments  by  Manteuffel  is  also  given  by  Cohen,8  which  is  as 

follows: 

Fe  Ni          Co           C  P 

I    :     92.49  6.38  0.63  0.05  0.24    =  99.79 

la  :     93. 27  6. 04  0. 64  0. 05  ....     =100. 00 

(I)  Figures  for  a  portion  of  the  abundant  isolated  angular  fragments, 
(la)  After  deduction  of  1.56  per  cent  schreibersite. 
Copper=0.0258  per  cent. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  427 

Meunier  *  described  Staunton  &s  follows: 

The  metal  takes  a  very  good  polish,  but  nevertheless  contains  numerous  small  black  inclusions. 

No  pyrrhotine  is  visible  and  the  graphite  is  very  inconsiderable.  Schreibersite  is  not  wanting.  The  figures  are 
beautiful  and  a  trifle  peculiar.  The  kamacite  bands  are  of  quite  uniform  thickness  but  of  very  variable  size.  The 
tsenite  is  very  thin  and  continuous,  forming  a  network  in  the  plessite  which  is  not  very  abundant  but  perfectly 
characteristic. 

In  his  1895  catalogue  Brezina 10  expressed  the  belief  that  the  fourth  mass  should  be 
regarded  a  different  fall  from  the  others,  his  reasons  being  stated  as  follows: 

Staunton  I,  II,  III,  V,  the  first  two  found  in  1869,  I-III  described  in  1871,  and  V  described  in  1887,  agree  very 
well  together  and  show  short,  straight,  and  much  swollen  lamellae,  without  hatching.  The  tsenite  is  normal  to  very 
abundant;  fields  numerous  but  small,  and  filled  with  dark  plessite  or  comblike  ridges,  or  more  frequently  with  schrei- 
bersitic  or  half-blended  central  skeletons,  the  former  almost  exclusively  confined  to  the  smallest  areas,  while  the 
latter  belong  to  the  larger  areas.  Occasionally  grains  of  cohenite  occur  in  the  kamacite,  the  latter  being  mostly  gran- 
ular and  finely  hatched. 

Staunton  IV,  found  1858,  described  1878,  must  be  distinguished  from  the  other  masses — I,  II,  III,  V — since  from 
their  structure  they  are  evidently  from  another  fall  than  this  one.  Staunton  IV  is  a  mass  of  69  kg.  weight,  whose 
etching  figures  show  long,  straight,  and  somewhat  hatched  but  not  swollen  lamellae.  The  tsenite  is  well  developed, 
and  the  fields  almost  exclusively  filled  with  combs  resembling  kamacite,  or  very  rarely  with  dark  plessite.  The 
Reichenbach  lamellae  are  very  numerous  in  the  swathing  kamacite.  Troilite  nodules  of  from  3  to  5  cm.  diameter 
occur.  The  kamacite  is  granular  and  strewed  with  crystals  of  rhabdite.  The  chemical  investigation  of  Weinschenk 
distinguished  two  sorts  of  tasnite,  the  one  flexible,  the  other  brittle.  Staunton  IV  is,  moreover,  from  an  unknown 
locality,  while  the  four  other  masses  of  this  name  were  found  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Staunton,  1  to  5  miles 
distant,  whither  they  were  brought  for  sale  by  a  negro. 

Cohen  "  found  that  Staunton  took  on  more  or  less  permanent  magnetism.     He  also  deter- 
mined the  specific  gravity  of  a  piece  weighing  160  grams  to  be  7.8279. 

Ramsay12  in  1896  reported  an  examination  of  the  Staunton  iron  for  argon  and  helium, 
with  the  following  result: 

I  have  examined  the  gas  which  is  inclosed  in  meteoric  iron  (Staunton,  Virginia,  specimen).  *  *  *  We  have 
obtained  45  c.  c.  of  a  gaa  some  per  cents  of  which  disappeared  on  detonation  with  oxygen.  The  residue  being 
submitted  to  electric  sparks  in  presence  of  caustic  soda  underwent  a  slight  contraction.  The  residue  was  dried  with 
caustic  soda,  and  I  found  by  means  of  the  spectroscope  that  it  consists  of  argon,  of  which  it  shows  all  the  charac- 
teristic marks. 

We  also  observed  the  yellow  line  of  helium,  and  on  comparing  it  with  a  sample  of  pure  helium,  the  identity  was 
certain.  It  does  not  coincide  with  the  D  lines  of  sodium. 

It  is  interesting  to  find  the  presence  of  argon  in  a  substance  foreign  to  the  earth,  though  it  has  not  been  recog- 
nized in  the  sun. 

It  must  be  remarked  in  conclusion  that  there  are  no  lines  except  those  of  argon  and  helium. 

Campbell  and  Howe  13  reported  a  new  mass  in  1903,  as  follows: 

In  the  list  of  accessions  to  the  mineral  collection  of  Washington  and  Lee  University  during  the  session  of  1870-71 
occurs  the  following  note:  "From  Wm.  N.  Wilson,  Esq.,  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  a  fine  specimen  of  meteoric  iron." 
There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  above  entry  refers  to  the  meteorite  now  under  consideration,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the 
only  one  in  the  university  collection  which  has  no  label,  and  there  is  no  meteorite  with  the  foregoing  label.  Since 
1880  the  history  of  this  meteorite  is  definitely  known.  From  1886  to  1894  the  meteorite  was  in  charge  of  Prof.  W.  G. 
Brown.  A  fragment  was  cut  from  one  end  by  him  for  analysis,  the  surface  etched  and  photographed,  but  Professor 
Brown's  analysis  has  not  been  published. 

The  question  has  naturally  arisen  as  to  whether  this  meteorite  is  from  the  same  fall  as  the  so-called  Staunton 
meteorite  which  has  been  several  times  analyzed  and  in  which  Sir  William  Ramsay  found  the  presence  of  helium. 
The  meteorite  was  sent  to  Prof.  Henry  A.  Ward,  to  be  again  cut,  and  an  analysis  of  it  was  made  for  him  by  Mr.  J.  E. 
Whitfield.  A  fragment  was  also  sent  to  Dr.  Ramsay  and  examined  by  him  for  gases. 

The  analysis  by  Whitfield  is  as  follows:  p,     ,  ., 

to  100. 

Fe 89. 850  91. 376 

Ni 7.560  7.689 

Co 600  .610 

Cu 065  .066 

P 158  .161 

S 006  .006 

C 046  .047 

Si 045  .045 

Oxide 1. 560  

99.890  100.00 


428  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Regarding  the  gases  in  the  meteorite  we  are  permitted  to  quote  the  following  from  Dr.  Ramsay: 
"The  gases  were  extracted  by  heating  in  vacua.  This  gas  is  very  curious.  There  were  only  3.52  cc.;  none  of  it 
dissolved  in  KOH,  Aq.  On  mixing  with  oxygen  and  sparking,  there  was  contraction,  and  afterwards  a  large  absorption 
of  C02  with  potash.  The  residue  was  very  minute,  so  small  indeed  that  on  letting  it  into  a  small  exhausted  tube  it  was 
at  a  phosphorescent  stage.  But  with  a  jar  and  spark-gap  it  was  possible  to  see  the  argon  blues,  and  without  the  jar  the 
argon  reds  were  just  visible.  I  think  I  saw  the  helium  yellow,  but  it  was  very  feeble.  The  complete  analysis  is  as 

follows: 

Volume  of  gas  from  6.54  grams  of  the  meteorite 3. 52  cc. 

KOH.    No  contraction. 

Oxygen  added 9. 18 

12.70 
After  sparking 12.  00 

Contraction  for  H2O 0.7      X§        0.  46  H2 

Absorption  with  KOH , .     8. 83 

CO2formed 3.17  3.17  CH4 

Add...      0.46 


3.63 
Argon,  etc.,  say 0.02  0.02A,etc. 

3.  65  3.  65  A.  etc. 

"  Conceivably  there  may  have  been  a  trace  of  ethane,  or  of  some  hydrocarbon  richer  in  carbon,  in  which  case  the 
CO2  would  not  have  been  equal  to  the  CH4,  but  greater  in  volume.  This  might  account  for  the  small  discrepancy 
between  the  amount  taken,  3.53  cc.,  and  the  total,  3.65." 

The  question  as  to  whether  this  meteorite  is  a  portion  of  the  Staunton  fall  is  not  settled  by  the  analysis.  It  differs 
somewhat  from  the  specimens  analyzed  by  Mallet  in  1871,  but  on  the  other  hand  it  resembles  in  most  particulars  that 
analyzed  by  Mallet  in  1878.  It  should  be  noted  that  Brezina  considers  that  this  latter  specimen  is  not  from  the  same 
fall  as  those  earlier  analyzed.  The  analysis  of  the  gases  would  seem  to  point  toward  the  present  meteorite  being  iden- 
tical with  the  Staunton,  though  it  does  not  decide  the  question.  It  is  peculiar  in  containing  chiefly  methane,  but,  like 
the  Staunton,  contains  argon.  Staunton  is  the  only  meteorite  reported  in  literature,  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to 
find,  as  containing  helium,  and  in  this  there  was  but  a  trace.  In  the  case  of  the  present  meteorite  the  presence  of  helium 
seems  probable  but  not  certain. 

As  regards  the  etched  surfaces,  they  do  not  resemble  those  of  the  Staunton.  Mr.  H.  L.  Preston  has  called  our 
attention  to  the  complete  absence  of  the  club-shaped  kamacite  blades,  so  prominent  in  Staunton.  These  are  also 
lacking  in  one  other  mass  of  the  Staunton,  and  it  was  chiefly  from  this  consideration  that  Brezina  held  that  one  to  be  a 
distinct  fall. 

Mr.  Wirt  Tassin  of  the  United  States  National  Museum  has  had  the  kindness  to  compare  the  photograph  of  the 
etched  surface  with  the  section  of  the  Staunton  iron  described  by  Mallet  in  1871,  and  writes  as  follows:  "It  shows 
quite  a  difference  in  structure.  The  tsenite  plates  in  the  museum  specimen  are  smaller,  averaging  only  half  the  size  of 
those  in  the  photograph.  The  specimen  also  shows  numerous  fine  lines  of  schreibersite,  often  regularly  arranged  espe- 
cially in  the  plessite,  and  are  occasionally  so  abundant  as  to  give  it  (the  plessite)  a  stippled  appearance.  These  are 
lacking  in  the  photograph,  although  this  may  be  due  to  a  difference  in  illumination.  Finally,  as  you  have  already 
remarked,  there  is  the  complete  absence  of  the  bulb-  or  club-like  kamacite  blades." 

We  propose  to  call  this  meteorite  Staunton  No.  7.  The  original  weight  of  the  meteorite  was  somewhat  more  than 
7  kgs.;  its  weight  prior  to  the  recent  cutting  was  7.15  kgs.,  its  present  weight  is  6.04  kgs. 

It  is  not  clear  why  these  authors  call  this  the  seventh  mass  as  only  five  had  been  previouslv 
reported. 

Staunton  has  been  considerably  distributed.  Vienna  has  6,001  grams;  Budapest,  6,785 
grams;  and  Harvard,  4,595  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1871:  MALLET.    On  three  masses  of  meteoric  iron  from  Augusta  County,  Virginia.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol. 

2,  pp.  10-15.    (Analysis,  illustrations  of  first  three  masses,  and  etching.) 

2.  1872:  MALLET.    Examination  of  the  gases  occluded  in  meteoric  iron  from  Augusta  County,  Virginia.      Proc.  Roy. 

Soc.  London,  vol.  20,  pp.  365-370. 

3.  1878:  MALLET.    On  a  fourth  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from  Augusta  County,  Virginia.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol. 

15,  pp.  337-338.  (Analysis  by  Santos  and  illustration  of  fourth  mass.) 

4.  1880:  BREZINA.    Reichenbach'sche  Lamellen.    Denkschr.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.,  43,  pp.  14-15.      (Illustration  of 

etching.) 

5.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  211. 

6.  1887:  KUNZ.    A  fifth  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from  Augusta  County,  Virginia.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  33, 

pp.  58-59. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  .  429 

7.  1891:  COHEN  and  WETNSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  145-146. 

8.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  II.    Idem,  Bd.  7,  pp.  156-157.     (Analysis.) 

9.  1893:  MEUNIEH.    Revision  des  fere  me^teorique,  pp.  57-58. 

10.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  278  and  279. 

11.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  90. 

12.  1896:  RAMSAY.    On  argon  and  helium.    Chem.  News,  vol.  71,  p.  259. 

13.  1903:  CAMPBELL  and  HOWE.    A  new(?)  meteoric  iron  from  Augusta  County,  Virginia,    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser., 

vol.  15,  pp.  469-471. 


Stewart  County.     See  Lumpkin. 

Stutsman  County.    See  Jamestown. 

Southeastern  Missouri.    See  St.  Francois  County. 


SUMMIT. 

Blount  County,  Alabama. 

Latitude  34°  15'  N.,  longitude  86°  25'  W. 

Iron.    Brecciated  hexahedrite  (Hk)  of  Cohen. 

Described,  1890. 

Weight,  1  kg.  (2  Ibe.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Kunz  l  as  follows: 

This  mass  of  iron  was  found  near  Summit,  Blount  County,  Alabama,  latitude  33°  41'  north,  longitude  86°  25'  west 
of  Greenwich,  by  a  6-year-old  negro  girl  who  used  it  to  crack  hickory  nuts.  Its  weight  excited  some  curiosity,  and 
her  brother  sent  it  to  Mr.  St.  John  of  Summit,  from  whom  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  writer.  The  mass  measured 
12.5  by  7.5  cm.  (5  by  2  by  3  inches)  and  weighed  one  kilogram. 

This  meteorite  contains  a  large  quantity  of  free  chloride  of  iron  (lawrenceite)  which  formed  in  beads  on  the  surface. 
The  mass  showed  only  a  slight  trace  of  the  original  crust  and  was  almost  completely  oxidized.  Etching  produced  no 
Widmannstatten  figures  but  instead  fine  markings  similar  to  that  of  the  Linnville  Mountain,  North  Carolina,  meteorite. 

Analysis  by  F.  P.  Venable: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P 

93.39        5.62        0.58        0.31    =99.90 

Specific  gravity,  6.949. 

Kunz  gives  also  a  cut  showing  the  appearance  of  the  mass  as  regards  shape  and  one  of  an 
etched  surface. 

Brezina  describes  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Shows  a  very  peculiar  structure  which  comes  to  view  very  distinctly  on  a  transverse  section  through  the  entire 
mass.  The  one  half  of  the  plate  is  composed  of  oblong  grains  1  to  5  cm.  in  size,  which  are  partly  separated  by  mag- 
netically-altered schreibersite  and  partly  shows  Neumann  lines,  occasionally  also  troilite  lamellae  inclosed  in  schreiber- 
site;  the  other  half  of  the  plate  is  an  individual  which,  toward  the  center  of  the  plate,  shows  several  lamella  1  to  2  cm. 
in  size,  partly  compacted  together,  partly  composed  of  small  plates  arranged  together,  which  appear  to  be  composed  of 
troilite  and  schreibersite.  The  outer  portion  of  this  individual  is  partially  filled  with  hieroglyphic  forms  of  troilite 
and  partially  with  crumpled  vermiform  deposits  of  troilite,  such  as  occur  only,  so  far  as  observed,  in  the  Sao  Juliao 
meteorite. 

Cohen  4  remarks  that  the  latter  are  schreibersite  so  far  as  can  be  determined  without  isolation 
and  chemical  investigation. 

Brezina  classified  the  iron  as  a  brecciated  hexahedrite, s  a  classification  which  Cohen 4 
changed  to  granular  hexahedrite  (Hk) .  He  remarked  that  the  size  of  the  grains  is  very  variable. 

The  iron  is  somewhat  distributed,  the  Vienna  collection  possessing  374  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  KUNZ.    On  five  new  American  meteorites. — 5.  Meteoric  iron  from  Summit,  Blount  County,  Alabama. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  40,  pp.  322-323. 

2.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  293.    (With  figure  showing  hieroglyphic  forms  of  troilite.) 

3.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  88. 

4.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  245-246. 


Sumner  County.    See  Drake  Creek. 


430          .    MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XTTT. 

SURPRISE  SPRINGS. 

Near  Bagdad,  San  Bernardino  County,  California. 
Latitude  34°  33'  N.,  longitude  115°  48'  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina. 
Found  1899. 
Weight,  1,524  grams  (3  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  mentioned  by  Rust1  but  was  described  only  by  Cohen,2  as  follows: 

According  to  Professor  Ward,  this  iron  was  found  in  the  summer  of  1899,  by  D.  J.  Hayes,  lying  free  on  the  sur- 
face of  a  quartz  outcrop  at  Surprise  Springs,  on  the  south  slope  of  the  Bullion  Range,  about  45  km.  southerly  from 
Bagdad  (San  Bernardino  County),  in  southern  California.  The  assayer,  J.  Reed,  in  San  Bernardino,  cut  for  testing 
a  flat  piece  from  the  end  and  determined  that  upon  etching  it  produced  beautiful  Widmannstatten  figures. 

For  closer  investigation,  I  obtained  a  flat  end  piece  of  157  grams  weight,  with  a  section  surface  of  33  sq.  cm. 
(apparently  the  piece  cut  off  by  Reed),  as  well  as  a  plaster  model  of  the  whole  meteorite. 

According  to  the  model,  the  meteorite  had  the  form  of  an  abruptly  truncated,  slightly  self-renewing  cone,  whose 
base  and  apex  were  arched  like  a  condyle.  Peripherally,  there  are  two  concavities  nearly  the  full  height  of  the  mass, 
one  of  which  is  smooth  and  of  a  shallow  shell  shape,  the  other  more  deeply  concaved  and  having  an  irregularly  pitted 
surface.  It  seems  that  two  chips  were  pried  off  here,  but  at  a  time  when  the  meteorite  still  had  a  powerful  momen- 
tum, since  according  to  the  model  a  complete  incrustation  took  place.  With  the  exception  of  the  pitted  surface  of 
the  large  concavity  the  remaining  exterior  surface  has  only  such  small  and  shallow  pittings  that  they  do  not  show  on 
the  model  or  on  a  photograph.  The  characteristic  finger-mark  impressions  and  saucerlike  pittings  are  entirely  wanting. 

The  thin  black  crust  covering  one  side  of  the  section  is  apparently  the  original  fusion  crust,  which,  however,  can 
not  be  entirely  fresh,  since  it  makes  a  reddish-brown  streak,  not  a  black  one  like  the  unchanged  crust.  Where  it  is 
entirely  or  even  only  in  part  rubbed  away,  the  structure  composed  of  octahedral  lamellae  is  plainly  discernible.  From 
the  state  of  preservation  of  the  exterior  the  fall  may  have  taken  place  not  long  before  the  finding  of  the  meteorite, 
unless,  indeed,  in  the  region  in  question,  like  that  of  West  Atacama,  atmospheric  precipitation  is  almost  entirely 
wanting,  and  a  meteoric  iron  could  keep  almost  unchanged  for  a  long  time. 

Immediately  upon  weak  etching,  a  zone  of  alteration  becomes  distinctly  visible,  which  is  from  2.5  to  7  mm. 
broad  upon  the  surface  of  a  section.  In  reality  the  breadth  may  be  nevertheless  fairly  uniform  and,  indeed,  2  to  3 
mm.  Since  the  section  under  consideration  is  taken  from  a  very  slightly  arched  portion  of  the  meteorite,  and  the 
exterior  was  accordingly  cut  through  at  both  ends  at  a  very  acute  angle,  the  zone  shows  very  much  broader  here  than 
its  actual  thickness  warrants.  On  one  side,  where  the  zone  becomes  very  small  a  thin  chip  has  apparently  been 
forced  off,  but  at  a  time  when  the  heat  was  sufficiently  great  to  cause  an  alteration  of  structure,  even  though  only  to 
a  slight  depth.  That  the  effect  of  the  heat  is  confined  to  a  comparatively  small  peripheral  zone,  may  be  explained  by 
the  fact  that  the  meteorite  upon  entering  our  atmosphere  possessed  a  comparatively  low  temperature  and  suffered  a 
high  degree  of  fusion  only  upon  the  exterior,  and  in  consequence  of  its  short  duration,  despite  its  intensity  and  the 
good  conductor  furnished  by  the  nickel  iron,  could  not  spread  to  the  interior.  The  existence  of  a  zone  of  alteration 
also  confirms  the  conclusion  drawn  from  the  condition  of  the  surface,  that  no  material  change  of  form  took  place  after 
the  fall  of  the  meteorite. 

The  kamacite  is  very  rich  in  closely  compacted  etching  lines  and  pittings,  so  that  the  etched  surface,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  great  diffusion  of  the  reflection,  appears  dull,  as  is  usually  the  case;  yet  the  oriented  luster  is  still  quite 
distinct.  The  nongranular  bands  are  in  part  long  and  then  mostly  notched,  in  part  short  and  swollen.  Taenite  is 
well  developed.  Of  the  numerous  fields,  the  larger  are  densely  filled  with  combs.  A  few  small  ones  are  fine  grained 
and  very  dark,  as  is  usually  the  case. 

Although  the  zone  of  alteration  is  distinctly  divided  from  the  inner  portion  of  the  meteorite,  the  structural  altera- 
tions are  comparatively  small.  The  kamacite  and  the  plessite  show  no  intermingling,  and  accordingly  the  bands 
are  still  well  defined.  But  the  latter  show  neither  etching  lines  nor  etching  pittings,  but  upon  weak  etching  appear 
closely  filled  with  small  dark  grains,  and  accordingly  have  a  darker  luster,  from  dull  to  weak  in  tone.  After  stronger 
etching  the  kamacite  becomes  still  darker  and  finally  breaks  up  into  fine  granules. 

Of  accessory  constituents,  there  is  only  a  moderate  amount  of  schreibersite  to  be  mentioned.  It  appears  sometimes 
as  small  grains  which  lie  in  the  bands,  and  sometimes  as  plates  2  cm.  long  by  1  mm.  thick. 

Surprise  Springs  lies  on  the  boundary  between  medium  and  broad  octahedrites,  but  may  be  reckoned  with  the 
former.  From  the  fact  that  a  few  lamellae  of  swollen  form  and  irregular  outline  are  found  in  the  section  surface,  the 
texture  as  a  whole  makes  the  impression  of  a  coarse  structure. 

Analysis: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Cr  S  P  C  Cl 

91.01        7.65        0.89        0.07        0.04        0.08        0.22        0.02        0.02     =300.00 

Mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel  iron '. 98.  33 

Nickel-iron  phosphide 1. 43 

Troilite 0. 10 

Daubreelite 0. 10 

Lawrencite 0. 04 

300. 00 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  431 

The  percentages  indicate  an  abundant  development  of  teenite.  The  comparatively  high  percentage  of  copper 
is  noteworthy,  which,  however,  was  always  free  from  iron,  since  it  was  doubly  precipitated.  The  chromium  is  referred 
to  daubreelite,  although  the  correctness  of  this  assumption  is  questionable,  since  from  the  analysis  not  sufficient  sul- 
phur was  obtained  to  compute  the  total  chromium  from  the  daubreelite. 

Specific  gravity  (Leick),  7.7308;  for  the  nickel  iron,  7.7570. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  (1,410  grams)  preserved  in  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1899:  RUST.    Overland  Monthly,  pp.  11  and  12. 

2.  1901:  COHEN.    Mitth.  naturwiss.  Verein  Greifswald. 


Taney  County.    See  Mincy. 

TAZEWELL. 

Claibome  County,  Tennessee. 
Here  also  Knoxville. 

Latitude  36°  26'  N.,  longitude  83°  34'  W. 

Iron.    Finest  octahedrite  (Off),  of  Brezina;  Tazewellite  (type  13),  of  Meunier. 
Found  1853;  described  1854. 
Weight,  27  kgs.  (60  Ibe.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Smith,1  as  follows: 

The  meteoric  iron  was  found  in  east  Tennessee  a  short  while  ago,  and  weighed  originally  over  60  pounds.  It  is 
a  highly  interesting  one,  and  has  furnished  for  the  first  time  the  solid  protochlorid  of  iron  found  in  a  fissure.  It  is  also 
rich  in  the  phosphuret  of  iron  and  nickel,  and  furnishes  material  for  a  full  investigation  of  this  latter  mineral.  The 
examination  is  nearly  complete,  and  when  finished  a  full  history  of  the  meteorite  will  be  given. 

Shepard  2  shortly  after  gave  an  account  of  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

For  the  specimens  of  the  highly  interesting  mass  here  described  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  J.  B .  Mitchell,  of  the  East  Ten- 
nessee University  at  Knoxville.  Though  but  a  fragment  of  three  and  fifteen-sixteenths  pounds  (having  been  detached 
from  a  mass  originally  weighing  60  pounds),  it  nevertheless  has  much  the  appearance  of  an  independent  meteorite. 
Its  shape  is  that  of  an  elongated  three-sided  pyramid  whose  axis  is  slightly  oblique  and  whose  upper  edges  are  obscurely 
truncated  so  as  to  resemble  an  imperfectly  formed  six-sided  pyramid  of  corundum.  The  height  of  the  mass  is  4  inches. 
The  base  is  triangular  and  nearly  smooth,  presenting,  however,  a  cleavage  surface  partially  coated  by  brown  oxide  of  iron. 
By  this  face  it  was  originally  connected  with  the  larger  mass  of  which  it  doubtless  formed  one  of  the  sharpest  extremities. 
It  is  certainly  very  remarkable  that  the  cleavage  should  have  been  effected  without  leaving  any  hackly  projections,  the 
more  so  as  the  mass  itself  by  no  means  yields  to  a  similar  cleavage  in  any  direction  whatever.  Possibly  the  cleavage 
was  occasioned  by  the  interposition  of  a  seam  of  pyrites  in  the  direction  in  which  it  took  place.  At  any  rate  its  occur- 
rence shows  that  these  lumps,  though  generally  composed  of  very  tough  and  strongly  coherent  materials,  are  neverthe- 
less susceptible  of  cleavage  in  certain  directions,  and  that  they  may  occasionally  explode  or  subdivide  into  numerous 
fragments  without  the  necessity  of  any  very  considerable  force. 

The  upper  planes  of  the  pyramid  are  indented  and  somewhat  undulating  as  is  usual  in  meteoric  irons,  but  there 
is  no  thick  incrustation  of  peroxide;  on  the  contrary  it  merely  possesses  for  a  coating  a  thin  brownish-black  pellicle 
which  is  much  covered  also  by  firmly  adhering  clay. 

The  iron  is  highly  crystalline  in  its  texture,  a  fact  which  may  be  seen  in  a  few  spots  upon  the  surface  even  through 
the  coating  itself.  It  is  exceedingly  tough,  breaking  with  the  greatest  difficulty  and  having  a  hackly  surface  in  which 
no  crystallization  is  apparent.  The  fresh  surface  is  much  whiter  than  pure  iron  and  it  retains  its  color  and  luster  appar- 
ently without  change  from  ordinary  exposure  to  the  air.  Its  specific  gravity  is  7.30. 

A  part  of  the  broad  cleavage  surface  (or  base  of  the  pyramid)  above  described  was  polished  and  acted  upon  by 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  The  corrosion  was  very  partial  but  it  revealed  a  perfectly  crystalline  structure  in  the  iron. 
The  subsequent  application  of  nitric  acid  rendered  it  still  more  striking.  The  Widmannstattian  figures  are  somewhat 
peculiar.  While  there  is  a  general  ground  subdivided  by  innumerable  thin  and  perfectly  straight  lines  into  small 
equilateral  triangles  and  oblique-angled  parallelograms  of  similar  areas  in  size,  presenting  a  picture  on  the  whole  closely 
resembling  the  Guildford  (North  Carolina)  iron ,  there  are  also  irregularly  disposed  veins  or  interrupted  seams  of  a  shining 
white  metal  one-twentieth  of  an  inch  in  thickness  and  each  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long.  These 
occur  on  the  whole  pretty  near  together  and  impart  a  singular  aspect  to  the  surface,  inasmuch  as  the  veins  do  not 
coincide  in  direction  with  the  fine  lines  above  mentioned,  nor  do  they  follow  any  parallelism  with  one  another. 

Neither  of  the  acids  employed  attack  this  substance  in  the  slightest  degree  any  more  than  they  do  the  thin  lines 
producing  the  small  and  regular  areas.  But  closely  associated  with  the  larger  veins  are  noticeable  grrmll  particles  of 
magnetic  pyrites  which,  as  usual,  are  decomposed  by  the  acid. 

Having  separated  a  few  grains  of  this  metal  or  ore  forming  the  seams  and  heated  it  with  acids  I  convinced  myself 
that  it  is  identical  with  the  substance  which  I  discovered  as  entering  into  the  composition  of  the  Seneca  Falls  (Xeir 
York)  meteoric  iron  and  which  I  denominated  Partschite. 


432  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

A  fragment  of  the  iron  was  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid.  The  solution  went  on  very  slowly  and  unattended  by 
the  extrication  of  any  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  The  solution  proceeded  so  slowly  that  it  required  nearly  three  days  to 
dissolve  26.5  grs.  of  the  iron,  although  the  process  of  digestion  was  several  times  hastened  by  the  application  of  a  gentle 
heat.  The  acid  left  behind  1.16  grs.  of  undissolved  matter  in  the  form  of  innumerable  brilliant  crystalline  scales  of  an 
iron-gray  color  and  a  high  metallic  luster.  When  washed  and  dried  they  were  found  to  be  flexible,  highly  magnetic, 
and  insoluble  by  hydrochloric  acid,  but  were  readily  attacked  by  hot  nitric  acid,  though  still  leaving  undissolved  a  few 
particles  of  another  metallic  species,  supposed  to  be  the  Partschite,  and  which  were  finally  taken  up  by  digestion  in 
warm  aqua  regia.  The  thin  crystalline  scales  undoubtedly  consist  of  the  schreibersite  (of  Patera). 

From  the  hydrochloric  solution  a  precipitate  was  obtained  (by  means  of  a  stream  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen)  which, 
after  washing  and  reduction  before  the  blowpipe,  yielded  metallic  copper.  A  solution  of  the  perchlorid  was  precipi- 
tated by  ammonia  and  the  peroxyd  of  iron  thus  obtained  was  ignited  with  nitrate  of  potassa,  when  its  solution  gave 
decisive  evidence  of  the  presence  of  chromic  acid. 

The  proportion  of  nickel  obtained  from  the  iron  (without  including  the  schreibersite  and  partschite)  was  12.10  to 
13.05  per  cent,  thus  placing  the  present  meteorite,  as  regards  the  high  proportion  of  nickel,  in  the  rank  of  the  following 
rather  small  number  of  meteoric  irons,  viz,  that  of  Caille,  which  has  17.37;  of  Claiborne,  Alabama,  which  has  12.66; 
of  Greene  County,  Tennessee,  14.7;  of  Krasnojarsk,  10.7;  of  Bitburg,  11.9;  and  of  Cape  Colony,  Africa,  12.27. 

I  have  abstained  from  a  complete  analysis  of  the  present  iron,  as  Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Smith  is,  as  I  understand,  about 
to  publish  full  results  of  this  nature. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  from  Professor  Mitchell's  letter  in  reference  to  its  discovery:  "This  meteorite  was 
found  April,  1853,  about  10  miles  west  of  Tazewell,  Claiborne  County,  Tennessee.  It  was  discovered  by  a  son  of 
William  Rogers  while  plowing  in  clayey  ground  on  the  side  of  a  hill  where  the  soil  had  been  much  washed  away  by  rains. 
His  attention  was  arrested  by  the  resistance  and  noise  produced  when  the  mass  was  struck  by  the  plow.  The  lump 
weighed  about  60  pounds.  It  was  very  irregular  in  its  shape.  The  period  of  its  fall  is  of  course  unknown.  On  account 
of  its  weight  and  luster  it  was  regarded  as  silver  and  it  was  with  no  small  difficulty  that  the  finder  was  induced  to  part 
with  it,  even  by  my  paying  him  what  appeared  to  be  an  equivalent  and  then  agreeing  to  give  him  its  weight  in  silver 
provided  it  should  prove  to  be  that  metal  when  properly  examined.  For  my  first  information  of  the  iron  I  am  indebted 
to  J.  C.  Ramsay,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  who,  not  limiting  his  researches  to  the  mere  details  of  his  profession,  loses  no  oppor- 
tunity of  contributing  to  several  branches  of  natural  history.  I  retain  a  fragment  of  about  6  ounces  which  he  first  gave 
me  for  examination.  The  remainder  of  a  mass  was  broken  when  I  saw  it  into  two  pieces,  one  of  which,  weighing  perhaps 
3$  pounds,  I  send  to  you.  The  largest  portion  I  transferred  as  I  informed  you  to  an  acquaintance  for  examining  and 
reporting  upon  the  same.  These  three  embrace  all  the  pieces  into  which  this  meteorite  has  been  divided." 

Smith's 3  later  description  was  as  follows : 

This  meteorite  was  placed  in  my  possession  through  the  kindness  of  Prof.  J.  B.  Mitchell,  of  Knoxville,  in  the  month 
of  August,  1853.  It  was  found  by  a  son  of  Mr.  Rogers,  living  in  that  neighborhood,  while  engaged  in  plowing  a  hillside; 
his  attention  was  drawn  to  it  by  its  sonorous  character.  As  it  very  often  happens  among  the  less  informed,  it  was  sup- 
posed to  be  silver,  or  to  contain  a  large  portion  of  that  metal.  With  some  difficulty  the  mass  was  procured  by  Professor 
Mitchell  and  passed  over  to  me.  Nothing  could  be  ascertained  as  to  the  time  of  its  fall.  It  is  stated  among  the  people 
living  near  where  the  meteorite  was  found  that  a  light  had  been  often  seen  to  emanate  from  and  rest  upon  the  hill — a 
belief  that  may  have  had  its  foundation  in  the  observed  fall  of  this  body. 

The  weight  of  this  meteorite  was  55  pounds.  It  is  of  a  flattened  shape  with  numerous  conchoidal  indentations 
and  three  annular  openings  passing  through  the  thickness  of  the  mass  near  the  outer  edge.  Two  or  three  places  on  the 
surface  are  flattened,  as  if  other  portions  were  attached  at  one  time  but  had  been  rusted  off  by  a  process  of  oxidation 
that  has  made  several  fissures  in  the  mass  so  as  to  allow  portions  to  be  detached  by  the  hammer,  although  when  the  metal 
is  sound  the  smallest  fragment  could  not  be  thus  detached,  it  being  both  hard  and  tough.  Its  dimensions  are  such  that 
it  will  just  lie  in  a  box  13  inches  long,  11  inches  broad,  and  5J  inches  deep.  The  accompanying  figure  gives  a  correct 
idea  of  the  appearance  of  this  meteorite . 

The  exterior  is  covered  with  oxide  of  iron  in  some  places  so  thin  as  hardly  to  conceal  the  iron,  in  other  places  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  deep.  Its  hardness  is  so  great  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  detach  portions  by  means  of  a  saw.  Its 
color  is  white,  owing  to  the  large  amount  of  nickel  present,  and  a  polished  surface,  when  acted  on  by  hot  nitric  acid, 
displays  in  a  most  beautifully  regular  manner  the  Widmannstattian  figures.  The  specific  gravity,  taken  on  three  frag- 
ments selected  for  their  compactness  and  purity,  is  from  7.88  to  7.91. 

The  following  minerals  have  been  found  to  constitute  this  meteorite:  1.  Nickeliferous  iron,  forming  nearly  the 
entire  mass.  2.  Protosulphuret  of  iron,  found  in  no  inconsiderable  quantity  on  several  parts  of  the  exterior  of  the 
mass.  3.  Schreibersite,  found  more  or  less  mixed  with  the  pyrites  and  in  the  crevices  of  the  iron,  in  pieces  from  the 
thickness  of  the  blade  of  a  penknife  to  that  of  the  minutest  patricles.  4.  Olivine;  two  or  three  very  small  pieces  of 
this  mineral  have  been  found  in  the  interior  of  the  iron.  5.  Protochloride  of  iron;  this  mineral  has  been  found  in 
this  meteorite  in  the  solid  state,  which  I  believe  is  the  first  observation  of  this  fact;  it  was  found  in  a  crevice  that, 
had  been  opened  by  a  sledge  hammer,  and  in  the  same  crevice  schreibersite  was  found.  Chloride  of  iron  is  also  found 
deliquescing  on  the  surface;  some  portions  of  the  surface  are  entirely  free  from  it,  while  others  again  are  covered  with 
an  abundance  of  rust  arising  from  its  decomposition. 

Besides  the  above  minerals,  two  others  were  found — one  a  siliceous  mineral,  the  other  in  minute  rounded  black 
particles;  both,  however,  were  in  too  small  quantity  for  anything  like  a  correct  idea  to  be  formed  of  their  composition. 


I  

Fe 
...  82.70 

Ni 

14.82 

Co 
0.46 

Cu 
0.07 

P 

0.18 

Cl 

0.02 

s 

0.08 

SiO, 

0.65 

MgO 
0.24 

CaO 

II  

..  62.38 

0.32 

trace 

35.67 

0.56 

0.08 

III.. 

.  56.53 

28.02 

0.28 

14.86 

METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  433 

An  account  in  detail  of  the  component  minerals  is  also  given  by  Smith.  His  analysis  of 
the  meteorite  as  a  whole  is  given  under  I,  of  the  troilite  under  II,  and  of  the  schreibersite 
under  III. 

Total       Sp.  gr. 
99.  22          7.  89  ' 
99.  01          4.  75 
99.69         7.017 

Harris 4  was  persuaded  that  the  lawrencite  was  first  formed  after  the  fall.  Reichenbach ' 
called  attention  to  the  regularity  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures  and  the  delicacy  of  the  taenite 
threads;  he  also  mentioned  an  "Ablosung"  and  a  fragment  of  magnetic  pyrites  over  an  inch 
in  size  bordered  with  yellowish  iron  sulphide. 

Rammelsberg 5  raised  the  question  whether  iron  sulphide  in  iron  meteorites  was  pure  iron 
sulphide  or  magnetic  pyrites,  considering  the  results  of  Smith  not  decisive,  although  he  him- 
self, as  it  seems  did  not  doubt  that  the  former  was  present.  Rose '  observed  thin  strips  of 
schreibersite,  which  followed  only  one  system  of  straight  bands  and  considered  that  Tazewell 
is  distinguished  thereby  above  all  other  meteoric  iron.  Wright  *  investigated  the  gases. 

Meunier  *• 15  concluded  at  first,  from  the  analysis  by  Smith,  that  Tazewell  consisted  only  of 
tsenite,  later  he  stated  that  plessite  was  also  present  in  considerable  quantity.  The  mark  desig- 
nated by  Smith  to  differentiate  troilite  from  magnetic  pyrites  he  regarded  as  insufficient.  He 
noted  the  ready  cleavage  of  the  iron  sulphide  and  the  presence  of  graphite,  bordered  with  schrei- 
bersite. When  he  stated  that  Smith  had  observed  a  regular  crystal  of  iron  chloride,  he  must 
have  been  mistaken. 

Sorby  "  cited  Tazewell  as  a  distinguished  example  of  fine  and  especially  beautiful  Wid- 
mannstatten figures;  he  considered  it  free  or  almost  free  from  schreibersite  and  composed  of 
two  alloys  qf  nickel  iron,  one  of  which  was  readily  attacked  by  weak  acid,  the  other,  when  first 
crystallized  out,  was  not  at  all  affected  thereby.  He  compared  the  structure  with  the  kind  of 
ice  which  consists  of  a  skeletonlike  network  and  meshes  filled  out  later.  According  to  him, 
Tazewell  belongs  to  irons  with  original  structure  in  contrast  with  those  formed  by  later  crys- 
tallization (for  example,  Ruffs  Mountain). 

In  1880  Brezina  u  called  attention  to  the  relationship  of  Tazewell  with  Butler  in  structure, 
occasioned  by  the  strong  predominance  of  plessite  and  taenite,  and  left  it  doubtful  whether  the 
extremely  thin  core  of  the  lamellae  is  to  be  regarded  as  identical  with  the  kamacite.  He  men- 
tioned troilite  and  schreibersite  plates  as  minor  ingredients.  In  1885  he  M  separated  Tazewell, 
together  with  a  few  other  irons  as  finest  octahedrites  from  those  with  fine  lamellae,  and  char- 
acterized the  same  as  a  fine  network  of  extremely  fine  lamellae  not  grouped;  tsenite  about  the 
same  in  quantity  as  the  plessite  or  the  latter  predominating  to  some  extent;  kamacite  scarce, 
as  in  the  case  of  Butler;  bands  from  .05  to  .1  mm.  broad. 

Cohen 23  described  the  meteorite  as  follows: 

Tazewell  is  poor  in  kamacite,  not  in  consequence  of  the  small  number  of  bands,  but  because  of  their  narrow  width; 
nevertheless,  by  strong  magnifying  it  is  distinctly  marked  off  from  the  surrounding  well-developed  tenite  bands, 
which  are  prominent  in  the  lamellae.  The  fields  predominate  in  a  considerable  degree  and  show  varied  formation. 
One  portion  consists  of  dense  and  very  dark  plessite ;  it  is  only  by  strong  magnifying  that  one  can  discern  a  structure 
of  fine  granules  with  occasional  inclusions  of  tiny  glistening  pointe;  this  plessite  is  very  readily  affected  by  acid  and 
appears  to  be  identical  with  the  kamacite  of  the  bands.  Another  portion  of  the  fields  appears  bright  by  reason  of 
strong  reflection  of  the  light,  is  hard  to  affect  by  acids,  and  is  composed  of  an  intimate  mingling  of  dense  kamacite 
and  numerous  small,  uniformly  distributed  leaves  of  tsenite.  In  many  places  both  sorts  of  plessite  are  represented  by 
very  nearly  equal  areas  of  considerable  extent;  in  other  places  one  sort  predominates,  and  thereby  arises  a  characteristic 
change  in  the  appearance  of  the  etched  surfaces.  Occasionally  there  occur  in  the  areas  of  the  twofold  sort  comblike 
excrescences,  which  vary  from  the  width  of  the  principal  lamellae  to  microscopic  fineness,  and  only  very  rarely  fill 
entirely  or  nearly  so  a  small  field. 

Dodecahedral  lamellae  of  nickel  iron  were  described  by  Brezina  and  Cohen,16  which  origi- 
nating from  the  octahedral  structure,  usually  reached  halfway  into  the  fields  and  inclosed  a 
center  of  schreibersite.    According  to  Brezina's 22  more  recent  investigations  it  is  the  lamella1 
716°— 15 28 


434  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

of  the  latter  whose  arrangement  approaches  the  dodecahedral  system  so  that  their  enveloping 
kamacite  plays  the  r61e  of  swathing  kamacite,  and  there  are  also  present  entire  dodecahedrons 
of  schreibersite. 

Tazewell  takes  on  strong  permanent  magnetism.  The  specific  magnetism  was  deter- 
mined by  Leick  as  2/73  absolute  units  per  gram.20  Farrington 21  found  that  Tazewell  as  well 
as  all  the  meteoric  irons  tested  by  him,  was  active;  but  it  usually  took  as  much  as  15  minutes 
before  the  deposition  of  copper  occurred  in  Tazewell,  while  in  the  case  of  all  other  irons,  even  in 
those  equally  rich  in  nickel,  the  reaction  became  distinctly  noticeable  in  4  minutes  at  the  latest. 

The  largest  quantity  of  the  meteorite  (23  pounds)  is  in  the  Amherst  collection.  The 
Washington  Shepard  collection  has  1,943  grams;  Harvard  754  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1854:  SMITH.    A  new  meteorite  from  Tennessee.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  17,  p.  131. 

2.  1854:  SHEPARD.     New  localities  of  meteoric  iron.     Idem,  pp.  325-327. 

3.  1855:  SMITH.    Memoir  on  meteorites. — A  description  of  five  new  meteoric  irons,  with  some  theoretical  considera- 

tions on  the  origin  of  meteorites  based  on  their  physical  and  chemical  characters. — 1.  Meteoric  iron  from  Taze- 
well County,  east  Tennessee.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  19,  pp.  153-159.     (Analysis  and  illustration.) 

4.  1859:  HARRIS.    Dissert.    GSttingen,  p.  119. 

5.  1862:  RAMMELSBEHG.    Ueber  das  Schwefeleisen  der  Meteoriten.    Mon.-Ber.  Berlin.  Akad.,  1862,  pp.  689-691. 

6.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  66  and  153. 

7.  1858-1865:  VON  REICHENBACH.     No.  7,  p.  551;  No.  9,  pp.  162,  174,  and  182;  No.  12,  p.  458;  No.  15,  pp.  110, 113, 

and  124;  No.  16,  p.  261;  No.  18,  pp.  478  and  484;  No.  20,  pp.  621  and  634;  No.  25,  p.  436. 

8.  1869:  MEUNIEH.     Recherches.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  41,  44-46,  53,  and  71. 

9.  1875:  WRIGHT.    Spectroscopic  examination  of  gases  from  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  9,  pp. 

297-298. 

10.  1876:  WRIGHT.    On  the  gases  contained  in  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  pp.  256  and  257,  and 

vol.  12,  pp.  167,  168,  and  169. 

11.  1880:  BRBZINA.    Bericht  I.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  82  I,  pp.  350-351. 

12.  1883:  SMITH.    Concretions.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  25,  pp.  417  and  419. 

13.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Me'te'orites,  pp.  58,  59,  89,  and  108-109  (illustration). 

14.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  207,  208,  and  233. 

15.  1886.  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  pp.  289  (etching),  293,  and  295. 

16.  1887:  BREZINA  and  COHEN.     Photographien,  pis.  10  and  11. 

17.  1887:  SORBY.    On  the  microscopical  structure  of  iron  and  steel.    Journ.  Iron  and  Steel  Inst.,  1887,  pp.  255-288. 

18.  1893:  MEUNIER.     Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  43-44. 

19.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  267. 

20.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  Hofmus,  Bd.  10,  p.  82. 

21.  1902:  FARRINGTON.    The  action  of  copper  sulphate  on  iron  meteorites.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  14,  pp. 

39-42. 

22.  1904:  BREZINA.    Ulber  dodekaedrische  Lamellen  in  Oktaedriten.    Akad.  Ana.  der  K.  K.  wins.  Akad.  in  Wien.  n. 

ser.,  vol.  25,  p.  374. 

TEOCALTICHE. 

Canton  Teocaltiche,  State  of  Jalisco,  Mexico. 

Latitude  21°  25"  N.,  longitude  102°  27'  W. 

Iron.    Octahedrite  (0)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1903. 

Undescribed. 

Weight,  10  kgs.  (22  Ibs.). 

The  only  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  be  by  Ward,1  who  gives  the  above  information 
and  states  that  the  original  mass  (weight  10  kilos)  is  in  the  Museum  of  the  Institute  Geologico, 
City  of  Mexico. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

L  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  pp.  25  and  89. 


Teposcolula.     See  Yanhuitlan. 
Texas,  1808.    See  Red  River. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  435 

THURLOW. 

Hastings  County,  Ontario,  Canada. 
Latitude  44°  'Of  N.,  longitude  77°  20"  W. 
Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1888  (Berwerth);  1895  (Ward). 
Recorded  1897. 
Weight,  5.42  kgs.  (12  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  mentioned  *  so  far  as  the  present  writer  is  aware  in  a  brief  prelim- 
inary notice  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  as  follows : 

The  mass  was  found  by  Mr.  E.  S.  Leslie,  jr.,  May  12, 1888,  on  about  the  center  of  the  28th  lot  of  the  6th  concession 
of  the  township  of  Thurlow,  Hastings  County,  in  the  Province  of  Ontario.  This  meteoric  iron,  which  would  appear  to 
have  been  brought  to  the  surface  by  plowing,  is  described  by  Doctor  Hoffmann  as  an  irregularly  shaped,  truncated 
pyramidal  mass,  with  a  more  or  less  rectangular  base,  measuring  16  by  13.5  or,  including  an  elongated  projection,  17 
cm.  in  its  diameters,  and  10  cm.  in  height;  its  weight  is  5.42  kgs.  The  entire  surface  is  pitted  and  coated  with  a  chestnut- 
brown,  slightly  glimmering  film  of  oxide  of  iron. 

Berwerth  *  mentions  fine  lamellation,  likewise  fine-netted  plessite  fields  as  characterizing 
the  meteorite.  He  classified  it  as  a  medium  octahedrite. 

Cohen s  groups  the  iron  with  the  fine  octahedrites  and  describes  the  structure  as  follows : 

The  bands  are  for  the  most  part  grouped  and  surrounded  with  distinctly  visible  taenite.  The  longer  bands  are  regular 
in  shape  while  the  shorter  are  swollen  both  on  the  ends  and  in  the  direction  of  their  length.  The  lamellae  in  part  lie 
close  together  and  in  part  are  separated  by  very  small  (j^  to  \  mm .  in  width)  elongated  fields  which,  like  the  other  fields 
of  narrower  compass,  consist  of  dark,  compact  plessite  in  which  can  be  discerned  on  stronger  magnification,  as  usual,  angu- 
lar shining  flakes.  In  some  fields  of  this  sort  may  be  seen,  lying  singly  or  isolated,  complete  lamellae,  or  the  central  part 
of  a  field  may  be,  through  an  increase  in  the  number  of  the  angular  shining  flakes,  brighter  than  the  narrow  zone  about  it. 
The  larger  fields  show,  even  as  well  as  the  lamellae,  a  repetition  of  the  coarser  structure.  Complete  lamellae  0.02  to  0.1 
mm.  in  width,  and  either  singly  or  in  groups,  lie  in  the  central  part  of  the  fields  closely  pressed  together  so  that  only 
very  small  portions  of  the  compact,  dark  plessite  occur  between  them,  although  the  latter  rules  the  space  toward  the  edge 
of  the  fields.  This  produces  a  well-marked  edge  which  gives  a  characteristic  appearance.  The  small  lamellae  are  not 
outgrowths  of  the  chief  lamella;,  at  least  as  a  rule,  since  they  are  generally  swollen  or  acute  wedge  shaped,  and  often  are 
plainly  inclosed  in  a  tsenite  shell.  Evident  outgrowths  of  the  larger  lamellae,  however,  also  occur.  The  kamacite 
appears  coarse  and  cross-hatched  both  to  the  naked  eye  and  under  a  lens.  With  a  higher  magnifying  power,  however, 
one  sees,  both  in  the  large  lamellae  and  the  small  lamellae  of  the  fields,  that  it  has  a  dark  streaked  structure  which  as  a 
rule  runs  in  one  direction  but  also  is  much  crossed.  This  occurs  as  black  veins  consisting  of  fine  and  coarse,  irregularly 
bounded  threads  which  have  the  appearance  of  resulting  from  the  extrusion  of  carbon-rich  iron.  The  kamacite,  there- 
fore, appears  darker  and  duller  than  usual;  it  gives  no  oriented  sheen  and  is  noticeably  different  from  that  of  other 
octahedrites.  Among  accessory  constituents  schreibersite  is  the  most  abundant.  The  smaller  individuals  of  this 
mineral  occur  in  the  form  of  grains  and  prisms  embedded  in  the  bands  and  cause  a  swelling  of  the  latter  where  they 
occur  in  quantity.  The  larger  individuals  are  chiefly  prismatic  though  irregular  in  shape  and  are  surrounded  by 
swathing  kamacite  of  the  same  character  as  the  kamacite  of  the  lamellae.  I  also  observed,  though  but  rarely,  little 
grains  of  troilite  surrounded  by  schreibersite  lying  in  the  swathing  kamacite. 

The  following  analysis  made  by  Dr.  O.  Burger  is  given  by  Cohen:*  I  being  the  complete 
analysis  and  la  showing  the  composition  of  the  nickel  iron  after  deducting  0.14  per  cent  troilite 
and  1.62  per  cent  schreibersite. 

Fe           Ni          Co           Cu            Cr            P            S 
I             89.17        9.92        1.04        trace        trace        0.25        0.05     =100.43 
la  89.37        9.62        1.01         trace        trace        =100 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed  but  is  chiefly  in  the  possession  of  the  Geological 
Survey  of  Canada  at  Ottawa. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1897:  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  4,  p.  325. 

2.  1900:  BERWERTH.    Meteoriten,  Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wlen.  Bd.  15. 

3.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  377-379. 


436  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

TLACOTEPEC. 

District  of  Tecamachalco,  State  of  Puebla,  Mexico. 

Latitude  18°  45'  N.,  longitude  97°  W  W. 

Iron.    Octahedrite  (O),  of  Brezina. 

Found  1903. 

Weight,  24  kgs.  (53  Ibs.). 

The  only  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  be  by  Ward,1  who  gives  the  above  informa- 
tion and  states  that  the  mass  (weighing  24  kgs.)  is  in  the  Museum  of  the  Institute  Geologico, 
City  of  Mexico. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  Collection,  pp.  25  and  98. 


TOLUCA. 
Mexico. 

Here  also  Ixtlahuaca,  Tejupilco,  Xiquipilco. 
Latitude  19°  24'  N.,  longitude  99°  44'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 
Known  before  1776;  mentioned  1784. 
Weight:  Several  hundred  masses,  some  weighing  as  much  as  150  kgs.  (300  Ibs.)  each. 

The  first  printed  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  in  the  Gazetas  de  Mexico,1 
in  1784,  as  follows: 

In  the  town  of  Xiquipilco,  belonging  to  the  district  of  Ixtlahuaca,  native  metallic  iron  is  met  with  so  pure  that, 
without  any  other  preparation  than  heating,  it  may  be  worked  into  any  shape;  as  I  have  verified  in  two  journeys 
undertaken  with  the  object  of  discovering  if  there  were  any  veins  of  this  mineral  which  would  be  of  infinite  utility; 
but  my  observations  only  verified  the  fact  that  masses  of  various  shapes  and  sizes  are  found  scattered  through  the 
fields  and  that  Indians  keep  a  lookout  for  them,  though  the  iron  is  at  first  covered  with  a  crust  of  ocher.  The  Indians 
of  the  town  and  the  owners  of  the  haciendas  use  no  other  for  the  fabrication  of  the  necessary  agricultural  implements. 

Del  Rio,2  in  1804,  gave  as  a  Mexican  locality  for  native  iron:  "Near  Cuernavaca,  in 
Xiquipilco." 

Humboldt,3  who  had  been  in  Mexico  in  1803-4,  says: 

It  is  to  Sonneschmid  that  we  are  indebted  for  a  knowledge  of  the  meteoric  iron  which  is  found  at  several  places 
in  Mexico,  for  example,  at  Zacatecas,  Charcas,  Durango,  and,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  small  town 
of  Toluca. 

Chladni 4  repeated  the  account  in  the  Gazetas  de  Mexico  and  mentioned  a  specimen  of  the 
Toluca  iron  in  the  Vienna  collection. 

Noggerath s  gave  the  following  data  in  a  letter  to  Chladni,  under  date  of  June  25,  1826: 

I  can  now  give  you  more  exact  indications  concerning  the  place  of  discovery  of  the  meteoric  iron  which  I  obtained 
on  the  occasion  of  your  recent  visit  to  Bonn,  and  from  which  I  permitted  you  to  saw  a  specimen.  It  is  from  a  letter 
written  by  Mr.  Wilhelm  Stein,  general  agent  for  the  German- American  Mining  Union,  dated  Mexico,  April  23,  1825, 
and  sent  to  the  address  of  the  aforesaid  Union  at  Elberfeld.  Mr.  Stein  says,  concerning  the  subject  in  this  letter: 

"Among  the  minerals  which  I  send  you  there  is  a  piece  of  pure  iron  from  Jiquipilco,  10  leagues  northeast  of 
Toluca.  The  occurrence  of  this  iron  deserves  to  be  more  closely  investigated.  As  yet  there  is  little  or  nothing  known 
about  it,  and  I  was  not  permitted  to  clear  up  this  uncertainty  upon  the  occasion  of  my  first  trip  to  Jiquipilco,  because 
I  was  not  so  fortunate,  despite  my  painstaking  search,  as  to  find  a  piece  of  the  questionable  iron  in  its  place  of  discovery. 
It  is  known,  moreover,  that  a  considerable  quantity  of  this  iron  was  found  in  plowing  the  ground  in  that  vicinity, 
and  that  it  was  used  to  make  all  sorts  of  tools.  The  accompanying  specimen  was  given  me  as  a  present  by  John  Gould, 
a  North  American,  who  obtained  it  at  the  original  locality." 

These  data,  therefore,  largely  confirm  those  which  you  have  already  given  concerning  this  locality  in  your  great 
work  on  meteors  (Wien,  1819),  p.  338. 

I  have  etched  a  polished  surface  from  the  thick  and  compact  piece  of  this  iron  which  you  saw  in  my  possession, 
and  obtained  quite  distinct  Widmannstiitten  figures.  The  bands  intersect  one  another  in  two  directions,  and  are 
somewhat  irregularly  rectangular.  The  design  is  more  distinct,  but  most  resembles  that  shown  by  the  polished  sur- 
face of  the  small  specimen  found  in  the  Vienna  natural  history  cabinet  and  figured  by  Schreiber  in  his  Beitragen 
(Wien,  1820),  Plate  VIII.  Since  the  iron  mass  from  Zacatecas  does  not  entirely  correspond  to  that  of  Jiquipilco,  it 
may  be  supposed  that  the  aforesaid  small  Vienna  specimen,  which  came  from  the  larger  one  in  the  Klaproth  collec- 
tion, also  originated  from  Jiquipilco. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  437 

Since  we  met  I  have  obtained  a  second  piece  of  that  iron,  which  was  cut  from  the  mass  sent  by  Stein.  It  has  the 
advantage  of  the  former  firm  and  compact  piece,  in  that  its  structure  is  plainly  visible  without  any  etching.  A  flat 
exterior  is,  as  it  were,  cleft  in  two  directions  which  correspond  to  the  structure.  Upon  this  exterior  a  few  large  reen- 
trant angles  are  present,  which  likewise  indicates  the  structure.  As  can  be  readily  seen  on  the  etched  surface  of  the 
first  piece,  the  lines  running  in  one  direction  are  more  distinct  and  less  interrupted  than  those  running  in  the  other 
direction.  In  the  direction  of  the  first  occur  several  parallel  clefts,  which  are  so  loosened  that  it  would  require  com- 
paratively little  force  to  separate  the  piece  into  several  lamellae.  I  have  never  seen  a  similar  appearance  in  any  other 
meteoric  iron. 

Berthier  *  described  as  follows  a  specimen  obtained  from  Humboldt: 

It  was  very  pure,  without  scoria,  but  very  ductile  and  tenacious;  it  may  be  bent  and  twisted  several  times  in 
the  same  place  before  it  will  break.  It  contained  0.0862  per  cent  nickel,  or  about  1  atom  of  nickel  to  12  of  iron,  but 
no  trace  of  cobalt  or  chromium  was  obtained,  nor  of  combined  carbon. 

Alzate  Ramirez,7  in  1831,  reported  concerning  the  meteorites  as  follows: 

From  time  immemorial  no  iron  has  found  its  way  to  the  town  of  Xiquipilco  and  to  the  neighboring  haciendas  for 
the  necessary  purposes.  The  Indians  of  Xiquipilco  collect  what  they  can,  for  it  is  not  abundant;  the  owners  of  the 
haciendas  of  Indege  and  Santa  Isabel  barter  for  it  with  the  Indians  who  chance  to  find  it,  generally  at  the  beginning 
of  the  rains,  when  it  becomes  visible  among  the  soil.  The  Indians  of  Xiquipilco  make  spades  and  axes  of  the  iron, 
and  the  owners  of  the  said  haciendas  use  it  for  plows.  About  the  year  1776,  I  went  to  Xiquipilco  to  see  with  my 
own  eyes  the  famed  native  iron.  I  found  two  smiths  established  in  the  town  who  worked  the  native  iron;  and  in  my 
sight  they  forged  it  and  worked  it  into  the  shape  demanded  of  them. 

Partsch  8  described  the  Vienna  specimen  as  follows: 

Native  iron,  compact  without  visible  admixture  of  other  minerals.  In  a  small  piece  in  the  collection,  which, 
besides  one  strongly  etched  surface,  possesses  only  hammered  faces,  even  troilite  is  lacking.  Widmannstatten  figures 
appear  on  etching  with  acids,  at  least  on  the  piece  in  the  collection.  This  shows  striations  according  to  two  directions 
or  occasionally  three  directions.  The  piece  in  the  Vienna  Museum  is  triangular  and  is  from  a  mass  weighing  about 
a  pound,  which  lay  in  a  field  and  was  used  by  the  Indians  for  an  axe.  One  strongly  etched  surface  shows  Widmann- 
statten figures,  while  the  natural  surface  has  a  granular  character. 

In  1853  Noggerath  9  gave  the  following  brief  note  regarding  the  etching  figures  (see  also 
page  499,  under  Zacatecas) : 

Widmannstatten  figures  were  produced  upon  this  meteroite  by  etching,  and  the  specimen  also  showed  surfaces 
upon  which  these  figures  stood  out  in  relief,  as  is  customary  in  the  case  of  steel.  The  iron  showed,  in  the  Widmann- 
statten figures,  the  peculiar  structure  of  meteoric  iron  very  distinctly.  The  design  was  finer  in  the  case  of  Toluca 
than  in  that  of  Zacatecas. 

In  1854  Uricoechea  10  made  the  following  analysis  of  Toluca  iron: 

According  to  Partsch  this  iron  has  been  known  since  1784  and  came  from  Xiquipilco,  north  of  Toluca,  in  Mexico. 
Several  years  ago  a  large  piece  was  brought  to  Europe  by  Stein  of  Darmstadt.  Professor  W5hler  obtained  several  frag- 
ments of  this  piece  from  Liebig  weighing  together  about  10.5  ounces.  It  is  distinguished  by  the  fine  figures  produced 
thereon  by  etching  which  show  all  the  peculiarities  which  Partsch,  for  example,  described  in  the  case  of  the  Elbogen 
iron.  Upon  the  somewhat  oxidized  surface  it  has,  like  the  iron  from  Arva,  tolerably  large  scales  of  schreibersite  of  a 
yellowish-white  color  and  metallic  luster;  there  are  also  isolated  particles  of  grayish-yellow  iron  sulphide  cropping 
out  here  and  there. 

As  there  is  but  one  analysis  of  this  iron  extant,  and  as  this  is  evidently  incomplete,  namely,  that  of  Berthier,  which 
only  determined  the  iron  and  nickel  contents,  at  the  instigation  of  Professor  Wohler,  I  made  a  new  analysis  of  it  and  used 
for  the  purpose  the  filings  which  were  produced  by  the  cutting  of  the  above-mentioned  pieces.  These  were  treated 
with  ether  in  order  to  remove  the  oil  which  was  used  in  sawing.  I  do  not  consider  it  necessary  to  describe  the  method  of 
analysis  since  it  was  the  same  as  used  by  Prof.  Wohler  in  his  analysis  of  Rasgata. 

For  the  analysis  5.1334  grams  were  employed.  The  hydrogen  developed  by  dissolving  in  HC1  smelled  like  hydro- 
gen sulphide  and  gave  a  slight  precipitate  in  a  lead  solution.  After  complete  decomposition  by  the  acid,  washing  and 
drying,  there  remained  .211  gram  or  4.11  per  cent  of  a  black,  insoluble  residue. 

Under  a  magnification  of  80  diameters,  this  residue  showed  an  appearance  like  that  obtained  by  Wohler  from  the 
iron  of  Rasgata.  It  consisted  (1)  of  metallic,  crystalline  particles  which  were  attracted  by  the  magnet.  These  were 
nickel-iron  phosphide.  They  formed  the  principal  quantity  of  the  residue.  (2)  Grains  of  a  milk-white  color.  (3) 
Colorless,  vitreous  grains.  (4)  Brownish-yellow,  olivinelike  grains.  (5)  A  single  grain  of  a  ruby-red  mineral  such 
as  had  also  been  observed  by  Wohler  in  this  iron  in  an  incomplete  analysis,  and  finally  (6)  a  sky-blue,  transparent 
mineral  which  seemed  to  be  crystallized  and  resembled  the  zircon  from  Vesuvius.  A  similar  blue  mineral  was  found 
in  Rasgata  by  Wohler  and  referred  by  him  to  sapphire.  By  treatment  with  aqua  regia,  the  4.11  per  cent  of  residue 
was  divided  into  2.99  per  cent  of  nickel-iron  phosphide  and  1.11  per  cent  insoluble  mineral,  the  colorless  grains  of 
which  may  have  been  in  part  introduced  sand  grains. 


438  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

By  saturating  the  hydrochloric  acid  solution  with  hydrogen  sulphide,  a  small  yellow  precipitate  was  obtained 
which  appeared  to  be  copper  and  tin. 

In  100  parts  of  the  whole  iron  the  following  were  found: 

Fe 00.40 

Ni 5.02 

Co 0.04 

X  (equals  schreibersite) 2.  99 

P 0.16 

Y  (minerals) 1. 11 

Z(Cu,  Sn,  Mn,  S) trace 

99.72 
Pugh  n  reported  an  analysis  as  follows : 

Stein  of  Darmstadt  obtained  4  masses  of  this  iron,  which  weighed  respectively  5.5  pounds,  13  pounds,  19.5  pounds, 
and  220  pounds.    The  analysis  of  the  13-pound  mass  was  made  by  Uricoechea  (see  above).    Those  of  the  19.5  and  220 
pound  masses  were  made  by  me. 
I.    The  220-pound  mass. 

It  is  covered  with  a  tolerably  thick  coating  of  rust,  in  which  are  found  many  yellowish  scales  of  schreibersite  with 
metallic  luster.  Many  yellow  drops  of  iron  chloride  are  also  found  upon  it,  such  as  may  be  observed  on  many  other 
meteorites.  These  drops  of  iron  chloride  do  not  appear  upon  the  polished  section. 

This  iron  had  a  coarsely  foliated,  crystalline  fracture  and  after  etching  it  shows  very  beautiful  Widmannstatten 
figures  very  similar  to  those  of  the  Elbogen  iron.  It  is  not  passive.  By  dissolving  in  diluted  muriatic  acid  hydrogen 
sulphide  is  emitted,  an  evidence  that  it  contains  pure  iron  sulphide.  Several  tests  left  0.9  and  1.24  per  cent  of  a  black 
insoluble  residue,  consisting  of  schreibersite,  graphite,  and  microscopical  grains  of  a  yellowish  and  a  colorless  mineral. 
Two  analyses  of  this  iron  gave: 

Fe 90.43  90.08 

Ni 7.62  7.10 

Co 0.72        

X  (equals  schreibersite) 0.56        

P 0.15        

CuSn 0.03        

S 0.03        

Y  (graphite  and  insoluble  minerals) 0.34        

Insoluble...  1.24 


99.  88        98. 42 
H.    The  19.5-pound  mass. 

The  exterior  is  much  less  oxidized  than  the  larger  mass,  which  may  be  due  to  the  circumstance  that  the  latter  lay 
in  a  dry  river  bed.  Scales  of  schreibersite  and  an  exudate  of  yellow  drops  of  iron  chloride  were  also  noted.  What 
makes  this  meteoric  iron  especially  noteworthy,  however,  is  that  it  contains  here  and  there,  even  in  the  middle  of  its 
mass,  small  particles  of  greenish,  granular  olivine.  It  is  unusually  hard,  much  harder  than  the  larger  mass,  so  that  it 
is  very  hard  to  cut  and  quickly  dulls  the  cutting  tools.  It  has  a  coarsely  foliated  crystalline  fracture.  It  yields  very 
complete  figures  upon  etching.  It  is  not  passive.  It  develops  no  hydrogen  sulphide  gas  in  the  process  of  dissolving 
in  muriatic  acid.  Tests  from  different  parts  left  0.568  per  cent  and  1.58  per  cent  of  insoluble  black  residue,  which 
consisted  of  schreibersito,  graphite,  and  transparent  grains  of  a  colorless,  a  ruby  red,  and  a  greenish  mineral. 
Three  analyses  of  this  iron  gave  the  following  results: 

I  II  III 

Fe 87.894        88.280        87.880 

Ni 9.056          8.896          8.860 

Co 1.070          1.040          0.893 

P 0.620    0.784    0.857 

X  (equals  schreibersite) 0.341        

Mn 0.201        

CuSn traces        

Y  (graphite  and  minerals) 0.224        1.236 

99.  406        99. 000        99.  726 

It  is  evident  that  this  iron  is  distinguished  by  an  unusually  high  percentage  of  phosphorus  and  cobalt,  which  may 
account  for  its  extreme  hardness. 

Taylor  "  made  an  examination  and  analysis  of  the  iron  with  the  following  results : 

The  meteoric  iron  from  Xiquipilco,  Mexico,  appears  to  have  been  first  mentioned  in  the  Gazeta  de  Mexico  in  1784. 
It  is  stated  there  that  small  pieces  of  native  iron,  from  a  few  ounces  to  50  pounds  in  weight  were  very  numerous,  which 
were  sought  for  by  the  Indians  after  heavy  rains,  who  used  them  for  manufacturing  agricultural  implements. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  439 

In  the  examination  made  by  M.  Berthier  he  failed  to  detect  the  presence  of  cobalt,  but  it  IB  mentioned  by  Professor 
Clark  that  Manross  had  found  it  in  a  specimen  from  the  cabinet  of  Professor  W6hler;  my  examination  confirms  that  of 
Mr.  Manross. 

To  the  kindness  of  W.  S.  Vaux,  Esq.,  I  am  indebted  for  the  material  for  this  investigation;  Mr.  Yaux  has  in  hia 
magnificent  cabinet  the  principal  portion  of  a  mass  which  weighed  over  10  pounds.  It  was  originally  about  6  inches 
long,  with  an  average  diameter  of  3  inches;  the  lump  was  oblong  with  rounded  ends,  the  whole  being  covered  with  a 
thin  crust  of  limonite. 

A  cross  section  cut  from  this  lump  has  been  carefully  polished  and  etched  by  strong  nitric  acid,  which  gives  a  most 
beautiful  surface  of  about  3.5  inches  in  length  by  2.5  in  breadth,  covered  with  the  greatest  complexity  of  Widmann- 
statten  figures  which  almost  defy  description. 

The  surface  is  crossed  by  bands  about  one-tenth  to  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  in  breadth;  these  apparent  bands  are 
cross  sections  of  different  planes,  as  is  readily  perceived  by  their  different  refractive  powers. 

On  changing  the  position  of  the  specimen,  those  that  are  a  bright  silvery  white  in  one  direction  become  a  dull  gray 
in  another,  and  vice  versa. 

There  are  several  systems  of  bands  which  preserve  a  parallelism  among  themselves  and  cross  other  systems  at 
various  angles,  forming  trapezoids,  rhombs,  and  triangles.  These  several  fields  and  their  characteristic  etchings  will 
be  described  in  detail  at  some  future  time.  Along  the  bands  or  planes  thin  laminae  of  schreibersite  have  been  observed, 
as  in  other  meteoric  irons. 

Embedded  in  one  side  of  the  large  lump  (just  described)  was  a  globule  of  pyrrhotine  which  looks  as  if  it  had  been 
dropped  into  the  iron  when  it  was  in  a  semifluid  state.  This  globule  appears  to  have  been  about  an  inch  in  diameter; 
it  was  in  part  decomposed,  but  a  small  portion  of  the  mineral  was  separated  sufficiently  pure  for  the  determination  of 
its  specific  gravity  and  analysis.  On  dissolving  it  in  hydrochloric  acid  thin  la""""*  of  schreibersite  separated  with 
minute  portions  of  chromic  iron. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  F.  A.  Genth  I  have  been  permitted  to  make  the  following  analysis  in  his  laboratory: 

No.  1.     Pyrrhotine  dissolved  in  nitric  acid  gave — 

Sulphur 33.  76 

Iron 57.95 

Nickel 6.70 

Cobalt 56 

Silicon 05 

Phosphorus 25 

99.27 
No.  2  dissolved  in  hydrochloric  acid  gave — 

Iron 58.  25  per  cent. 

A  residue  remained  which  dissolved  after  being  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  chlorate  of  potash  consisted  of — 

Copper 0.12  per  cent. 

The  remainder  consisted  principally  of  chromic  iron  with  a  Email  portion  of  schreibersite. 

The  specific  gravity  was  found  to  be  4.822. 

The  ratio  of  sulphur  to  the  metals  was  found  to  be — 

Sulphur 2.102  Iron 2.0661     on, 

Nickel  and  cobalt 0.  245/    301 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  composition  corresponds  with  that  of  pyrrhotine,  considering  its  formula  to  be  FeS.if  we 
disregard  the  few  impurities  which  were  found  with  it. 

The  meteoric  iron  was  first  treated  in  a  flask  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  the  gas  evolved  was  passed  through  a  solu- 
tion of  ammonia  chloride  of  copper,  but  not  a  trace  of  sulphur  could  be  detected  in  this  manner 

In  the  fifth  supplement  to  Rammelsberg's  Handworterbuch  der  chemischen  Mineralogie,  this  meteoric  iron  is 
mentioned  as  passive,  experiments  having  been  made  by  Professor  Wohler;  but  the  piece  belonging  to  Mr.  Vaux  is 
evidently  active,  throwing  down  metallic  copper  from  a  neutral  solution  of  its  sulphate.  This  experiment  was  repeated 
with  great  care  with  confirmatory  results. 

No.  1  was  dissolved  in  hydrochloric  acid,  and  a  slight  precipitate  was  obtained  by  hydrosulphuric  acid,  which,  on  a 
careful  examination  before  the  blowpipe,  was  found  to  be  copper  with  a  trace  of  tin. 

Iron 90.72 

Nickel 8. 49 

Cobalt 44 

Schreibersite,  chromic  iron,  etc 38 

Silicon 25 

Phosphorus 18 


100.46 

The  phosphorus  was  estimated  in  a  separate  portion  which  was  first  oxidized  by  nitric  acid  and  fused  in  a  plati- 
num crucible  with  carbonate  of  soda. 


440  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

No.  2  was  dissolved  in  nitric  acid.    It  gave: 

Iron 90.37 

Nickel 7.  79 

Insoluble  residue. . .  1.  91 


100.07 
Jordan  13  gave  the  following  analysis: 

The  piece  of  meteoric  iron  from  Jiquipilco,  Mexico,  obtained  from  my  friend,  G.  A.  Stein,  forms  a  complete  indi- 
vidual, whose  form  is  somewhat  comparable  to  that  of  a  pear,  if  one  views  it  lengthwise,  compressed  on  three  sides  at 
the  thicker  end  and  on  two  sides  at  the  thinner  end,  somewhat  bulged,  the  edges  sometimes  rounded  and  sometimes 
sharp,  and  having  finger  prints,  the  deepest  and  longest  of  which  are  upon  the  under  thicker  end.  If  one  proceeds 
from  the  idea  of  an  original  easily  altered  general  condition  of  the  mass,  he  will  be  led  to  the  type  of  the  drop  form, 
while  the  irregularities  of  the  surface  may  be  referred  to  outside  influences  upon  the  still  incompletely  hardened 
bodies. 

The  weight  was  5.5  pounds;  the  length,  17  cm.;  the  greatest  width,  8  cm.;  the  greatest  thickness,  7  cm. 
The  exterior  portion  of  the  mass  consisted  of  an  oxidized  crust,  like  that  of  compact  limonite,  in  part  also  like 
that  of  limonite  ocher,  upon  which  golden  drops  of  an  iron  sulphide  solution  appear  here  and  there.    A  surface  4 
by  2.5  cm.  in  size  in  the  middle  of  the  mass  was  covered  with  a  thin  film  of  fresh  iron  rust  on  portions  of  the  crust, 
amidst  which  file  marks  were  to  be  seen.     On  these  parts  none  of  the  before-mentioned  drops  were  visible. 

For  grinding  the  above-mentioned  parts,  which  had  already  been  attacked  with  the  file,  were  utilized.  There 
the  oxidized  crust  appeared  to  be  of  very  uneven  thickness,  from  that  of  a  single  card  to  several  millimeters.  The 
Widmannstatten  figures  revealed  themselves  merely  by  polishing  the  surface  and  came  out  in  all  their  beauty  after 
etching.  They  form,  for  the  most  part,  larger  and  smaller  parallelograms,  sometimes  rectangular,  sometimes  oblique, 
and  inclosed  by  small  and  not  entirely  straight  threads  of  schreibersite,  between  which  (parallelograms)  trapeziums, 
trapezoids,  and  triangles  are  interspersed.  The  form  and  grouping  of  the  figures  are  exactly  similar  to  those  on  a  pol- 
ished and  partially  etched,  partially  blued  surface  of  the  piece  formerly  belonging  to  Stein,  the  original  13-pound  mass 
which  Doctor  Uricoechea  analyzed.  In  many  threads  of  schreibersite  on  both  pieces  and  especially  upon  the  blued 
surfaces,  two  plates  closely  twined  together  can  be  clearly  distinguished.  A  look  at  these  figures,  here  as  in  other 
meteoric  irons,  led  to  the  idea  of  the  origination  of  this  mass  from  an  aggregate  of  individual,  originally  separated  crys- 
talline bodies,  which  in  a  still  glowing  condition  were  welded  together  by  force  of  attraction. 

This  iron  is  not  passive,  as  proved  by  tests  with  copper  sulphate.  In  the  crust  no  other  minerals  were  to  be  found, 
no  olivine  and  no  schreibersite. 

For  the  analysis  of  this  meteoric  iron,  which  was  made  by  Doctor  Nason  in  Wohler's  laboratory,  filings  from  the  thin 
sections  were  contributed  by  Dr.  Jordan.  Five  grams  weight  of  this  was  dissolved  in  dilute  muriatic  acid.  The 
hydrogen  gas  evolved  had  only  a  very  slight  smell  of  hydrogen  sulphide.  The  black,  insoluble  residue  comprised 
0.216  per  cent.  It  was  composed,  as  usually,  of  echreibersite.  In  general  the  following  constituents  were  found: 

Fe 90.133 

NiCo 7.  241 

P 0.  376 

Insoluble  residue 0.  216 

Iron  sulphide Trace. 

Loss..  2.034 


100.000 

The  loss  consisted  at  least  for  the  most  part  of  oxygen,  and  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  filings  were  somewhat 
rusted.  In  the  analysis  this  iron  agreed  very  closely  with  that  of  the  220-pound  mass  from  Jiquipilco,  analyzed  by 
Doctor  Pugh,  and  now  in  the  possession  of  Stein. 

Burkart 14  gave  the  following  account: 

This  meteoric  iron  (Toluca)  is  not  found  in  one  large  mass  or  in  a  few  heavy  pieces,  but  is  distributed  in  many 
small  masses  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Indian  village  of  Xiquipilco.  This  town  lies  on  the  plateau  of  the  Cordil- 
leras of  Mexico,  scarcely  two  days'  journey  from  the  principal  city  of  the  land,  in  the  valley  of  Toluca,  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  Lerma  River,  or,  as  it  is  called  farther  down  toward  its  mouth  on  the  South  Sea,  the  Santiago  River,  almost 
3  miles  from  the  river,  between  two  of  the  higher  mountains  of  Mexico,  more  than  12,000  to  14,000  feet  above  the  sea, 
namely,  the  extinct  old  volcano  of  Cerro  de  Hocotitlan  and  Nevada  de  Toluca,  in  the  jurisdiction  of  Istlahuaca,  3 
miles  from  the  latter  place  and  6  miles  north-northeast  from  the  city  of  Toluca,  upon  the  first  elevation  which  bounds 
the  valley  on  the  west.  The  locality  as  given  by  Boguslowski — Toluca,  near  Xiquipilco — is  accordingly  incorrect. 
The  Gazeta  de  Mexico,  Del  Rio,  Chladni,  Schreibers,  Noggerath,  and  Partsch  indicated  the  locality  correctly  and 
have  already  made  known  the  meteoric  iron  under  the  name  of  Xiquipilco  throughout  a  wide  circle.  In  recent 
times  numerous  travelers  have  brought  fragments  of  it  to  Europe. 

The  earlier  accounts  state  that  the  Xiquipilco  iron  was  found  in  isolated  masses  of  varying  size  and  weight  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  village  above  named,  and  was  sought  there  by  the  Indians  to  be  worked  up  into  agricultural  and 
other  implements.  While  I  was  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  valley  of  Toluca,  I  was  informed  that  specimens 


:METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  441 

of  meteoric  iron  were  to  be  found  at  Toluca.  But  I  found  no  such  specimens  there,  and  afterwards  learned,  while 
sojourning  in  the  mountains  of  Zacatecas,  that  it  was  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Xiquipilco  and  much  used  there. 
Despite  all  my  efforts,  however,  it  was  no  longer  possible  for  me  to  obtain  a  piece  of  it.  From  the  length  of  time  dur- 
ing which  iron  from  this  source  had  been  sought  and  utilized  by  individuals  for  their  own  needs,  and  from  the  number 
of  specimens  carried  away  for  scientific  collections;  and  from  the  fact  that  notwithstanding  all  this,  new  specimens 
are  continually  being  found,  among  which  have  been  secured  masses  of  a  few  ounces  weight  up  to  several  hundred 
weight,  I  conclude  that  the  Xiquipilco  iron  must  have  originated  from  several  aerolites  of  one  and  the  same  fall, 
rather  than  from  one  huge  one,  such  as  would  have  been  necessary  to  furnish  all  the  meteoric  iron  that  has  been 
obtained  here. 

The  Xiquipilco  iron  is  found  distributed  over  a  considerable  territory.  G.  A.  Stein,  who  studied  the  region  most 
recently,  stated  that  they  were  scattered  over  a  strip  of  territory  almost  3  miles  long,  extending  in  the  direction  of 
northeast  and  southwest.  They  were  found  on  the  hills  to  the  north  and  south  of  the  town,  sometimes  in  the  loam 
of  the  hillside,  and  sometimes  under  the  rubble  of  the  ravines,  where  the  water  is  so  inconsiderable  that  it  could  not 
move  the  heavy  meteoric  iron  masses.  From  this  fact  it  is  evident  that  such  masses  were  found  just  where  they  fell. 
Neither  Sonneschmid  nor  Humboldt  mentions  the  Xiquipilco  iron,  hence  references  to  the  accounts  of  the 
former,  and  also  to  those  of  Partsch  and  Clark  concerning  this  specimen  are  incorrect.  Humboldt,  however,  knew 
the  locality  in  question,  since  there  are  specimens  in  the  Berlin  and  Vienna  collections  which  he  brought  with  him. 
The  Berlin  University  collection  contains,  besides  the  specimens  brought  by  Humboldt,  another  of  almost  14  ounces 
weight,  which  was  sent  by  Gerolt.  Wilhelm  Stein  sent  specimens  of  the  Xiquipilco  iron  to  Europe  in  1826,  and  later 
G.  A.  Stein  sent  Professor  Wohler  another  piece.  This  was  analyzed  by  Uricoechea,  who  found  schreibersite,  olivine, 
and  grains  of  a  milk-white,  a  clear  glistening,  a  ruby-red,  and  a  sky-blue  mineral.  Finally,  Stein  brought  to  Europe 
a  21-pound  mass  and  a  larger  piece  of  233  pounds  weight.  This  latter  is  1  foot  9  inches  long,  1  foot  wide,  and  7.5 
inches  in  diameter,  and  was  found  in  a  small  ravine  by  the  name  of  Bata,  half  a  league  or  a  third  of  a  mile  from  New 
Xiquipilco,  under  the  stones  of  the  brook.  It  formed  a  flattened  roller,  with  a  few  tolerably  sharp  edges,  corners  and 
noticeable  pittings.  It  is  much  oxidized  upon  the  surface,  in  which  troilite  and  schreibersite  are  visible.  In  the 
interior  this  iron  had  a  coarse  foliated  crystalline  structure,  and  fine  Widmannstatten  figures  appear  upon  the  pol- 
ished and  etched  surfaces. 

I  also  a  short  time  before  obtained  a  meteoric  iron  specimen  from  Xiquipilco  of  about  1  pound  6  ounces  weight. 
This  is  entirely  without  crust,  and  may  be  only  a  fragment  of  a  larger  mass,  as  it  shows  over  its  entire  exterior  a  coarsely 
foliated  crystalline  structure,  such  as  usually  is  found  on  the  fractured  surface  of  meteoric  iron.  I  found  its  specific 
gravity  to  be  7.07  to  7.10,  while  Rummler  gave  the  specific  gravity  of  Xiquipilco  at  7.72,  and  Schreibers  at  7.60  to 
7.67.  This  difference  may  be  due  in  part  at  least  to  the  fact  that  the  Vienna  specimen,  which  Rummler  and  Schreibers 
employed,  has  been  hammered.  Krantz  likewise  obtained  several  pieces  of  the  Toluca  iron  in  1854,  one  of  which 
came  from  Istlahuaca  (19  pounds  weight),  two  others  of  27  and  6  pounds  weight,  respectively,  from  Hocotitlan,  and  the 
last  (43  pounds)  from  Tejupilco.  These  species  have  a  more  or  less  roundish  form  and  are  coated  with  a  crust  composed 
in  part  of  a  substance  resembling  pyrosiderite,  although  harder,  from  which  it  may  be  inferred  that  these  masses  were 
of  their  present  size  when  they  fell  and  were  not  broken  up  by  the  hand  of  man.  The  crust  is  one-eighth  to  one-sixth 
inch  thick,  but  it  is  still  thicker  and  readily  detachable  in  the  case  of  Istlahuaca.  Considerable  iron  sulphide  is  found 
in  these  pieces,  which  may  be  distinguished  upon  the  section  surface  by  their  more  yellowish  color  compared  with 
the  almost  tin-white  color  of  the  iron,  and  by  the  fact  that  it  alters  quickly  in  the  atmosphere,  producing  specks  and 
brown  efflorescences  which  darken  the  polished  and  etched  surfaces.  On  etching  this  iron  yields  fine  Widmann- 
stiitten  figures  in  broad  hatched  ribbons  which  cross  each  other  in  three  directions,  forming  three  and  four  sided  areas, 
and  separated  from  one  another  by  small,  smooth  shiny  threads.  The  latter  appear  quite  distinctly  on  a  well-pol- 
ished surface  of  a  brown  or  blue  cast,  since  they  appear  very  clearly  upon  the  blue  ground  as  small  gold-colored  lines 
with  a  metallic  luster,  which  now  divide  the  stripes  from  one  another,  and  again  encircle  the  areas  and  give  the  sur- 
face a  very  pleasing  appearance. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  specimen  from  Istlahuaca  is  7.382,  that  from  Tejupilco  7.326. 

The  locality  of  the  first  two  of  Doctor  Rrantz  's  specimens  is  given  as  Ixtlahuaca  and  Hocotitlan,  the  former  on  the 
road  from  Mexico  to  Valnadolid  directly  on  Lerma  Creek,  the  other  not  far  to  the  northeast  therefrom  on  the  eastern 
valley  slope.  I  visited  both  these  places,  as  their  situation  at  a  slight  distance  from  Xiquipilco  was  well  known  and  is 
marked  on  his  map  of  the  region  accompanying  his  book  on  Mexico.  The  situation  of  the  third,  according  to  the  data 
on  the  label,  is  indicated  at  Tejupilco  near  Toluca.  But  both  G.  A.  Stem  and  myself  failed  to  locate  such  a  spot.  It 
is  possible  that  the  giving  of  these  places  as  localities  for  meteoric  iron  may  be  due  to  a  mistake  hi  writing  the  names 
Xiquipilco  and  Jiquipilco,  since  the  large  Indian  village  of  Tejupilco  lies  4  miles  removed  from  the  mining  village  of 
Temascaltepec,  and  15  miles  south  from  Istlahuaca,  accordingly  far  removed  from  the  Toluca  valley.  But  there  ie 
no  known  occurrence  of  meteoric  iron  at  this  place  as  yet,  at  least  BO  far  as  known  to  me. 

Whether  the  masses  of  meteoric  iron  designated  by  the  name  of  Istlahuaca  and  Hocotitlan  were  actually  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  these  villages,  or  much  more  probably  were  found  by  Indians  from  that  neighborhood  while  hunting  at 
Xiquipilco  arid  were  brought  back  to  their  home  town  and  then  merely  purchased  by  those  at  Istlahuaca  and  Hoco- 
titlan I  do  not  venture  to  decide,  but  I  think  the  latter  is  the  probable  fact.  If  the  before-mentioned  masses  of  meteoric 
iron  and  all  those  which  have  been  found,  wrought  into  utensils,  and  carried  away  from  the  neighborhood  of  Xiquipilco 
during  the  last  70  or  80  years  all  belong  to  one  and  the  same  aerolite,  it  must  be  one  of  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest, 
ever  known. 


442 


MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 


The  following  table  gives  analyses  of  the  Toluca  irons  by  Uricoechea  and  Boecking: 


Uricoechea. 

Xiquipilco. 

Fe 90.400 

Ni 5.020 

Co 0.040 

Schreibersite 2.990 

P 0.160 

s 

Cu trace 

Cr 

Sn trace 

Mn trace 

Insoluble...  1.110 


Boecking. 


Xiquipilco. 
86.  073 

Ixtlahuaca. 
89.  073 

Tejupilco. 
87.092 

9.016 

7.290 

9.801 

0.769 

0.978 

0.766 

1.009 

0.972 

0.730 

0.394 

0.855 

0.790 

trace 
trace 

trace 

0.009 

trace 

trace 

0.973 

0.039 

0.022 

99.720  98.234  99.207  99.204 

The  insoluble  part  of  this  meteorite  consists,  according  to  Uricoechea,  as  already  indicated  above,  of  olivine  and 
of  a  milk-white,  a  clear  glistening,  a  ruby  red,  and  a  transparent  sky-blue  mineral.  But  according  to  Boecking:  (1)  In 
the  case  of  Xiquipilco,  it  consists  of  a  white  and  bright  yellow,  shading  to  reddish  mineral  substance,  entirely  free  from 
graphite  flakes;  (2)  in  the  case  of  Ixtlahuaca,  it  consists  of  a  yellowish  mineral,  apparently  olivine,  and  of  graphite 
scales;  and  (3)  in  the  case  of  Tejupilco,  for  the  most  part  of  small  yellow  crystalline  fragments  and  a  very  small  quan- 
tity of  graphite  flakes. 

According  to  a  communication  by  G.  A.  Stein,  an  early  publication  of  the  results  of  an  investigation  of  the  large 
iron  mass  brought  over  by  Stein  may  be  expected  from  Professor  Wohler. 

Wohler  15  gave  the  following  data: 

Nowhere  on  earth  have  so  many  masses  of  meteoric  iron  been  found  in  one  and  the  same  neighborhood  as  in  the 
valley  of  Toluca  in  Mexico.  They  have  been  known,  as  Partsch  stated,  since  1784  from  notices  in  the  Gazeta  di  Mexico. 
The  time  of  their  fall  is  unknown.  Concerning  their  locality,  where  they  were  found,  many  perplexities  and  mistakes 
prevail,  and  the  names  of  many  places  in  that  region  have  been  given  as  the  locality  of  the  masses  in  question  (most 
frequently  Xiquipilco  and  Ixtlahuaca);  at  all  events  there  can  be  no  question  that  all  these  masses  originated  from 
one  meteor. 

The  latest  and  most  trustworthy  description  of  this  iron  mass  is  due  to  Mr.  G.  A.  Stein,  of  Darmstadt,  who  owns 
mines  and  smelting  works  in  Mexico  and  who  had  opportunity  during  a  stay  of  several  years  to  collect  exact  information 
concerning  the  occurrence  of  this  iron  and  to  possess  himself  of  four  of  these  masses,  which  he  brought  to  Europe  with  him. 
One  weighed  5.5  pounds  and  is  at  present  in  the  possession  of  Doctor  Jordan,  of  Saarbruck,  and  which  he  described 
to  me  as  a  still  intact,  compact,  and  elongated  drop.  Of  the  three  other  masses,  one  weighed  originally  13  pounds,  the 
other  19.5  pounds,  and  the  third  220  pounds.  I  obtained  from  Stein  some  very  fine  large  fragments  which  he  had  cut 
off  from  these  specimens  with  the  wish  that  I  should  employ  these  carefully  collected  shavings  for  the  determination 
of  the  constituents  of  this  iron  mass.  The  results  of  the  analysis  of  the  13-pound  mass  made  by  Doctor  Uricoechea  under 
my  direction  have  already  been  given.  The  analyses  of  the  other  two  masses  were  recently  undertaken  in  my  labora- 
tory by  Doctor  Pugh,  of  Philadelphia.  First,  however,  will  be  given  the  interesting  description  by  Stein  concerning 
the  occurrence  of  these  masses,  as  he  communicated  it  to  me: 

"Since  I  had  often  heard  of  meteoric  iron  which,  according  to  report,  had  been  found  in  several  localities  of  the 
valley  of  Toluca,  I  traveled  in  person,  in  July,  1854,  in  order  to  obtain  definite  information  concerning  the  matter,  to 
Ixtlahuaca,  a  small  town  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Rio  de  Leruca,  or  Santiago,  not  far  from  10  leagues  north  of  Toluca. 
After  I  had  collected  the  desired  information  concerning  the  same  I  wended  my  way  to  the  Hacienda  Mafii,  which  lies 
on  the  west  fork  of  the  range  of  mountains  which  bounds  the  valley  of  Toluca  on  the  east.  The  hacienda  is  4  leagues 
east  of  Ixtlahuaca,  8  leagues  east  by  northeast  from  Toluca  and  belongs  to  the  diocese  of  an  Indian  priest  town  which 
lies  about  a  league  therefrom,  by  the  name  of  Jiquipilco  or  Xiquipilco.  In  the  barns  of  the  proprietors  of  the  hacienda 
was  found  the  220-pound  piece  of  meteoric  iron,  which  I  forthwith  bought  after  I  had  previously  obtained  the  other 
masses  from  the  same  ma",  Ordonez  by  name,  through  the  medium  of  a  friend.  Concerning  the  finding  of  these  masses 
Ordofiez  stated  as  follows: 

"  'The  largest  was  found  about  15  years  before  in  a  small  glen  called  by  the  name  of  Bata,  0.5  league  southward  from 
New  Jiquipilco  (there  are  two  towns  by  this  name,  the  old  and  the  new,  not  far  from  each  other)  and  1.5  leagues  south- 
ward from  Mafii,  among  the  rounded  stones  of  the  river  bed,  but  not  covered  with  them.  The  brook  had  almost  no 
water  in  the  dry  season  and  very  little  in  the  rainy  season.  The  iron  mass  can  not,  accordingly,  have  rolled  far  away, 
but  must  have  fallen  in  the  neighborhood  of  where  it  was  found,  which  was  further  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  it  retained 
tolerably  sharp  angles. 

'"The  19.5-pound  mass  was  found  0.25  league  northeast  of  Mafii  upon  an  elevation  in  a  stony -clay  soil,  as  well  as 
another  piece  0.375  league  east  of  Mafii.  In  the  same  glen  where  the  largest  one  was  found,  although  not  in  the  same 
river  bed,  the  5.5-pound  mass  was  found  by  myself,  as  I  accidentally  struck  it  with  my  foot  in  crossing.  About  one-third 
league  east  of  this  locality,  about  20  years  before,  there  is  said  to  have  been  found  an  iron  mass  of  about  300  pounds 
weight.  From  the  same  neighborhood  came  also  the  13-pound  mass.' 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  443 

"A  combination  of  theae  data  shows  that  the  line  in  which  the  various  iron  masses  were  found  runs  in  the  direction 
of  south  to  north  with  a  deviation  to  the  eastward.  It  was  told  me  that  farther  south,  from  the  farthest  point  to  the 
Hacienda  Mayorazgo,  even  larger  masses  of  such  iron  had  long  ago  been  found.  The  distance  between  the  farthest 
points  between  which  these  meteoric  irons  were  found  I  did  not  venture  to  determine  exactly,  still  it  is  at  least  2  leagues 
and  probably  more. 

"A  landowner  of  several  years  standing  in  the  vicinity  of  Ixtlahuaca  told  me  that  the  aforesaid  iron  masses  were 
first  heard  of  a  long  time  before  through  a  blacksmith  who  had  worked  the  iron  up  into  plowshares  and  axes  without 
using  steel.  For  a  small  reward  he  got  the  Indians  to  hunt  for  it  for  him,  and  he  then  worked  it  up  in  his  shop.  Iron 
was  ordinarily  very  dear  at  that  time.  When  my  brother  William  was  traveling  through  this  same  neighborhood  in 
1824  he  obtained  the  same  information  from  the  dwellers  there  and  acquired  at  that  time  a  piece  of  meteoric  iron  of 
several  pounds  weight,  which  he  sent  to  Europe.  He  does  not  know  what  has  become  of  it.  At  present  the  largeras  well 
as  the  smaller  pieces  have  become  scarce.  In  the  passage  of  the  years,  however,  a  very  considerable  amount  may  have 
been  worked  up  or  carried  away.  It  was  brought  to  different  places  as  merchandise,  and  it  is  doubtless  due  to  this  fact 
that  meteoric  iron  was  known  here  and  there  under  various  names — Ixtlahuaca,  Tepetitlan,  Mayorazgo,  Gavia,  Toluca, 
and  Jiquipilco— places  which  all  lie  in  the  valley  of  Toluca,  although  it  is  always  from  the  same  identical  Jiquipilco. 
Noggerath  has  recently  described  a  meteoric  iron  from  Tejupilco,  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  even  this  description  origi- 
nated from  a  confusion  of  the  place  names  of  Tejupilco  and  Jiquipilco.  The  former  lies  about  26  leagues  southwesterly 
from  Jiquipilco  and  only  9  leagues  westerly  from  Arcos,  my  dwelling  place.  It  is  well  known  to  me,  but  I  have  never 
heard  anything  from  there  to  the  effect  that  iron  had  been  found  in  that  vicinity.  Likewise  the  masses  of  Mexican 
meteoric  iron,  which  came  into  possession  of  Doctor  Kranz  and  to  which  he  assigned  three  different  localities,  are  cer- 
tainly all  from  Jiquipilco.  These  examples  originate,  so  far  as  I  know,  from  Emil  Schleiden,  in  Mexico,  with  whom  in 
former  years  I  saw  them,  besides  pieces  and  another  mass  about  15  pounds  in  weight." 

I.  The  220-pound  mass. — According  to  the  measurements  of  Mr.  Stein  it  had  a  length  of  54  cm.,  a  breadth  of  34  cm., 
and  a  thickness  of  20  cm.  The  upper  surface  is  more  even  than  the  underside,  which  is  bellied  in  the  middle,  but 
both  had  several  depressions  of  considerable  size  up  to  5  cm.  in  depth  and  8  cm.  in  width.  The  entire  surface  is  much 
oxidized.  In  the  2-pound  specimen  which  I  received  from  Stein  many  yellowish  scales  of  schreibersite  with  metallic 
luster  may  be  noted  in  the  oxidized  crust.  Besides,  many  drops  of  a  yellowish  liquid  appear  upon  it,  which  is  a  solu- 
tion of  iron  chloride  such  as  is  observed  on  many  other  meteorites.  It  does  not  show  upon  the  polished  section  surface. 
The  chlorine  accordingly  seems  to  come  from  outside  by  the  oxidation  of  the  surface. 

This  iron  had  a  coarsely  foliated  crystalline  fracture  and  after  polishing  and  etching  it  shows  Widmannstatten 
figures  in  great  completeness  and  beauty,  and  with  all  the  peculiarities  so  well  described  by  Schreibers  and  Partsch 
in  the  case  of  the  Elbogen  iron,  with  which  these  Mexican  specimens  have  great  similarity.  They  are  of  unlike  char- 
acter in  different  places.  Frequently  the  bands  cut  one  another  so  as  to  form  equilateral  triangles.  It  is  not  passive. 

Von  Babo  "  analyzed  a  fragment  of  a  specimen  which  weighed  237  grams  which,  according 
to  Schleiden,  of  Trojes,  in  Mexico,  "came  from  the  neighborhood  of  Sizipilec,  in  the  valley  of 
Toluca,  where  similar  pieces  were  found  distributed  over  a  considerable  area  and  are  frequently 
turned  up  by  the  Indians  when  plowing."  His  results  were  as  follows: 

Fe 91.89 

Ni 6.32 

Co 1.58 

Mn...  .    trace 


99.79 

Krantz  17  had  a  special  search  made  during  the  year  1856  for  meteorites  in  the  Toluca  region. 
He  says : 

The  result  was  not  less  than  69  entire  specimens  of  meteoric  iron.  It  is  specially  interesting  to  note  that  the 
masses  are  only  small  ones,  the  largest  weighing  only  1,725  and  the  smallest  58  grams.  The  69  together  weigh  49.5  kgs. 

The  oval  form  prevails  among  these  specimens  as  to  outward  shape.  A  spheroidal  form  is  shown  by  two,  a  very 
elongated  stalactitic  form  by  five,  and  a  flat  form  by  six.  Almost  all  of  the  specimens  show  pittings  which  are  so  rela- 
tively large  as  to  give  the  specimens  a  shell-like  appearance. 

With  few  exceptions  the  masses  are  altered  upon  the  exterior  and  sometimes  deep  into  the  interior.  Through  this 
alteration,  in  two  specimens,  octahedral  crystals  come  out  distinctly. 

As  entirely  new,  however,  the  following  were  observed  on  several  of  the  masses: 

1.  Magnetite. — This  appears  sometimes  in  dense  particles,  sometimes  in  small,  sharp,  brightly  glistening  octa- 
hedrons and  dodecahedrons,  crystallized  out  in  drusy  pittings  upon  the  surface.    Hydrous  oxides  were  not  found  in 
it,  and  it  is  accordingly  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  secondary  formation,  but  of  actual  meteoric  origin. 

2.  Graphite. — This  occurred  on  three  pieces  in  not  very  small  dense  particles,  always  in  company  with  iron  sul- 
phide and  penetrating  deep  into  the  interior  with  the  latter. 

Iron  sulphide  in  large  concretions  and  schreibersite  in  thin  scales  occur  in  considerable  quantity  in  the  fresh  as 
well  as  the  decomposed  iron,  being  evenly  distributed  through  the  mass  of  the  latter. 


444  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

In  order  to  examine  the  inner  structure,  several  specimens  were  cut  open,  also  a  piece  that  had  formerly  been 
in  an  Indian  oven,  and  which  I  had  once  more  heated  white  hot;  they  all  clearly  showed  Widmannstatten  figures 
intersecting  at  angles  of  60°.  One  of  the  pieces  showed,  besides  the  figures,  a  peculiar  design  composed  of  two  par- 
allel strips  4  cm.  long  and  3  mm.  wide,  with  fine  teeth  on  the  edges  and  rounded  at  the  end.  They  resembled  grapto- 
lites.  Similar  peculiar  divisions  occur  more  frequently  in  an  elongated  mass  of  1,201  grams,  but  they  must  be  very 
flat,  since  in  the  other  side  of  the  section  the  design  is  less  distinct  and  runs  in  an  entirely  different  direction. 

Reichenbach  18  gave  the  following  observations: 

Through  the  efforts  of  Stein,  Krantz,  Schleiden,  Burkart,  Ordonez,  and  others,  from  1784  down'to  the  present 
time,  a  series  of  meteoric  iron  masses  came  to  Europe,  mostly  to  Germany,  from  the  valley  of  Toluca,  in  Mexico,  under 
the  names  Toluca,  Tejupilco,  Xiquipilco,  Ixtlahuaca,  etc.  Some  heavy  masses  were  earlier  found  there,  and  more 
recently  Professor  Krantz,  of  Bonn,  instituted  a  careful  search  and  obtained  not  less  than  73  small  iron  meteorites 
from  this  expedition.  There  has  for  a  long  time  been  disagreement  as  to  whether  these  iron  masses,  which  have  been 
found  scattered  along  for  a  mile  or  more,  belong  to  several  or  to  only  one  fall.  The  doubt  concerning  this  point  has 
now  subsided. 

I  recently  received  a  slice  of  such  an  iron  which  Herr  Krantz  permitted  to  be  taken  from  a  42-pound  mass  from 
which  he  had  given  many  specimens  under  the  name  of  Tejupilco  to  the  European  collections.  It  weighed  some- 
thing over  2  pounds.  It  contained  large  specks  of  bright-yellow  and  pale-yellow  iron  sulphide;  graphite  Was  present; 
and  Widmannstatten  figures  intersecting  at  angles  of  60°  made  their  appearance,  after  etching,  upon  the  entire  sur- 
face of  the  section.  These  things,  however,  are  common  and  well  known. 

But  upon  examination  I  came  upon  something  unusual.  There  appeared  embedded  in  the  iron  quite  large  frag- 
ments of  a  stony  material,  sometimes  of  a  dark-gray  color  with  yellowish  transparent  specks,  sometimes  of  a  yellowish- 
brown  color,  coarse-grained,  and  harder  than  quartz  but  not  so  hard  as  topaz,  which  from  its  exterior  appearance  resem- 
bles olivine.  By  dissolving  different  iron  meteorites  in  acid,  there  has  frequently  been  obtained  a  residue  of  fine 
insoluble  granules  which  must  have  been  disseminated  through  the  iron;  but  here  alone  are  found  large  stony  masses 
in  iron,  such  as  have  never  been  seen  before,  angular  fragments  of  10,  14,  and  even  40  mm.  in  diameter  and  likewise 
of  nearly  1.5  inches  in  length.  I  give  a  drawing  of  it  in  which  the  speckled  portion  of  the  section  indicates  olivine 
and  the  hatched  portion,  iron  sulphide. 

I  also  recently  purchased  of  Mr.  G.  A.  Stein,  of  Darmstadt,  a  beautiful  meteorite  from  the  Toluca  Valley  of  almost 
17  pounds  weight.  It  weighed  originally  19.5  pounds  and  came  from  the  neighborhood  of  the  Hacienda  Mafii.  A 
fragment  of  2.5  pounds  was  partly  filed  and  partly  broken  off.  The  fracture  and  section  surfaces  did  not  appear  metal- 
lic all  over,  but  were  for  the  most  part  dull,  stony,  and  blue  gray.  Carefully  examined,  this  proved  to  be  neither  iron, 
graphite,  nor  iron  sulphide,  but  evidently  a  substance  interspersed  with  white  and  yellow  grains,  and  corresponding 
exactly  to  the  olivinelike  particles  in  the  above  meteorite  from  Tejupilco.  Here  occurred  the  phenomenon  of  jagged 
conglomeration  in  an  area  63  mm.  in  width  and  almost  2.5  inches  in  length. 

I  also  had  a  9.5-pound  piece  of  a  meteoric  iron  which  I  obtained  from  Stein  and  which  was  broken  from  a  230- 
pound  mass  sold  to  him  by  Ordonez,  who  found  it  in  Bata,  a  side  ravine  of  the  Toluca  Valley.  Olivine  also  appeared 
interspersed  in  this  specimen,  not  so  abundantly,  but  quite  as  distinctly  showing  the  same  characteristics. 

Finally,  I  also  owned  a  few  small  meteoric  irons  from  the  Toluca  Valley  which  I  obtained  from  Krantz,  with 
Ixtlahuaca  indicated  as  the  locality  of  discovery,  one  weighing  3  pounds,  another  2  pounds,  and  several  of  1  pound 
weight.  These  I  was  loath  to  cut  up,  as  they  were  entire  aerolites,  but  all  showed  indications  upon  the  crust  of  inclu- 
sions consisting,  not  of  iron,  but  of  a  stony  substance. 

We  have  therefore  secured,  particularly  for  the  special  knowledge  of  the  Toluca  meteorites,  a  common  peculiarity 
which  binds  together  in  an  especial  manner  all  those  which,  either  entire  or  in  part,  have  come  into  my  possession 
and  which  gives  to  them  a  common  character.  It  accordingly  permits  us  to  conclude  inductively  that  it  is  more  or  less 
true  of  all  of  the  Toluca  iron  masses.  And  it  follows  further  that  these  closely  related,  rusty  meteoric  iron  masses 
possessing  a  character  so  peculiar  and  found  in  no  other  known  aerolites,  undoubtedly  belong  to  one  and  the  same 
meteor  and  meteoric  shower. 

But  for  the  general  knowledge  of  the  total  history  of  the  aerolites,  these  phenomena  are  also  noteworthy.  They 
show  us  for  the  first  time  with  distinctness  that  larger  particles  of  stone  may  and  do  occur  in  iron  masses.  This  has 
never  before  been  observed;  the  Toluca  iron  is  the  first  known  meteorite  which  occurs  in  this  form. 

In  my  last  two  notices  I  have  shown  that  there  are  meteoric  stones  in  which  independent  iron  globules  occur 
inlaid  as  meteorites  in  meteorites.  Here  we  have  the  reverse  condition:  Meteoric  iron  masses  in  which  independent 
lumps  of  stone  occur  inlaid  or  included  as  meteorites  in  meteorites. 

Wohler  19  gave  the  following  analysis: 

To  the  numerous  meteoric  irons  which  have  been  found  in  Mexico  and  described  and  analyzed,  another  as  yet 
undescribed  mass  is  to  be  added,  which  was  brought  to  Europe  by  Schleiden,  and  came  into  my  possession.  It 
weighed  2,750  grams  (5.5  pounds)  and  is  an  entire  individual.  It  had  a  roundish,  somewhat  wedge-shaped  form. 
The  exterior  is  much  oxidized.  The  polished  section  surface  yields  upon  etching  very  fine  sharply  defined  figures, 
with  fine  inclosing  filaments  of  brightly  glistening  schreibersite,  quite  similar  to  the  iron  from  the  223-pound  mass  of 
Stein's.  It  is  not  passive. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  445 

According  to  Martins,  jr.,  ita  analysis  is  as  follows: 

Fe 89.22 

NiCo 9.51 

P 0.20 

Schreibersite 0.  06 

C.  and  white  mineral 0.  24 


99.23 
Rose30  described  an  occurrence  of  quartz  in  Toluca,  as  follows: 

Nagel,  in  a  specimen  of  the  Xiquipilco  iron  in  his  distinguished  collection,  recently  observed  a  small  crystalline 
point  jutting  out  through  the  oxidized  crust,  which  upon  freeing  it  a  little  more,  appeared  as  a  four-faced  projection 
with  glistening  surfaces.  This  he  brought  to  me  for  closer  examination  and  determination  of  the  embedded  crystal, 
and  permitted  me  to  remove  the  crystal  from  the  brown  iron  oxide  and  preserve  it  in  the  Royal  Museum.  A  small 
fragment  of  another  crystal,  which  stuck  beside  this  one  in  the  crust,  but  which  was  broken  in  the  removal,  Nagel 
also  gave  me  for  investigation. 

When  the  crystal  was  removed  from  the  matrix  it  left  a  smooth-faced  impression.  It  was  only  one-third  line  in 
size,  yet,  despite  its  smallness,  not  only  could  its  form  be  determined  as  that  of  a  hexagon-dodecahedron,  but  even 
its  angles  could  be  measured  with  considerable  exactness.  These  angles  were  103°  35.40',  103°  25.49',  and  133°  30.42'. 
In  the  case  of  quartz  the  same  angles  measure  103°  34'  and  133°  44'.  The  crystal  is  accordingly  quartz,  and  likewise 
the  broken  fragment  of  the  crystal  which  was  embedded  near  the  former,  since  before  the  blowpipe  it  melted  to  a  clear 
glass. 

Moreover,  quartz  crystals  are  seldom  found  in  the  sand,  and  quartz  sand  is  probably  not  present  at  all  in  the 
Toluca  region,  since  the  surrounding  mountains  are  composed  of  a  quartzless  trachyte  or  recent  volcanic  stone. 

I  also  found  small  quartzlike  grains  upon  the  exterior  of  another  Toluca  iron,  but  unfortunately  they  were  loet. 
The  quartz  crystals  appear  to  occur  only  very  seldom  on  the  Toluca  irons. 

Reichenbach 21  gave  the  following  further  observations : 

Toluca  gives  the  only  case  I  know  of  in  which  a  fusion  crust  collected  pure  and  remained  observable  after  many 
years.  I  have  a  meteoric-iron  mass  of  the  size  of  my  fist  and  of  a  flattened  cubic  form  in  my  collection  from  the  valley 
of  Toluca  in  Mexico.  One  large  side  had  a  rusty,  scaly  crust,  like  all  old  iron  meteorites,  the  other  on  the  contrary, 
although  it  had  the  same  rusty  color,  did  not  consist  of  iron  at  all,  did  not  resemble  a  meteorite  at  all  in  fact,  but  a  dried 
mass  of  clay.  It  was  full  in  all  directions  of  crooked  cracks  under  one-third  of  an  inch  in  depth  and  was  very  hard, 
brittle,  and  sharp-angled.  Nitric  acid  did  not  attack  the  polished  surface  of  a  detached  fragment;  a  piece  of  fresh 
slag  treated  in  the  same  way  manifested  the  same  appearance  and  the  same  behavior  toward  reagents,  therefore  the 
clayey  mass  is  compacted  fusion-crust  material.  Its  agglomeration  must  have  taken  place  in  a  peculiar  way.  The 
iron  mass  had  received  in  falling,  whereby  it  was  broken  into  many  pieces,  a  deep  crack  wide  enough  to  lay  one's  finger 
in.  In  this  crevice  molten-crust  material  accidentally  accumulated,  filled  parts  of  it  completely,  and  upon  cooling 
therein  became  a  crooked  hollowed  old  slag.  The  fracture  of  the  half-severed  piece  is  still  distinctly  visible.  This 
fine  enamel  in  several  polished  pieces  is  clear  as  crystal,  dark  brown,  scratches  glass,  contains  here  and  there  scales  of 
fine  threadlike  iron  crystals,  and  is,  within  my  knowledge,  the  only  known  example  of  a  well-preserved  molten 
meteoric-iron  crust. 

The  yellowish-white  iron  sulphide  is  found  well  marked  in  Xiquipilco.  Indeed,  this  iron  meteorite  contains,  in 
predominant  quantity,  the  equally  well-marked  bronze-colored  iron  sulphide,  magnetic  pyrites;  the  third  form  also 
occurs,  the  yellowish-white,  and  is  clearly  distinguished  from  the  closely  associated  bronze-colored  variety.  Ita 
individuality  is  not  readily  discerned  when  it  occurs  alone,  but  here  it  occurs  with  and  in  immediate  proximity  to  the 
bronze-colored  variety.  Indeed  it  surrounds  and  incloses  the  latter,  forms  the  transition  member  between  the  bronze- 
colored  iron  sulphide  and  the  Trias,  and  spreads  out  farther  in  the  latter.  In  the  latter  it  forms  specks  and  maintains 
its  distinction  in  color  from  both  the  others. 

********* 

Graphite  is  found  more  or  less  abundantly  in  lumps  ranging  from  the  size  of  a  pea  up  to  that  of  a  walnut  in  Istlahuaca 
and  Ocotitlan. 

********* 

Graphite  occurs  as  an  accompaniment  of  magnetic  pyrites  in  the  case  of  Xiquipilco  and  in  an  especially  well-marked 
degree  in  that  of  Ocotitlan. 

********* 

Graphite  occurs  in  lumps  2  inches  in  diameter  embedded  in  the  midst  of  the  iron  in  the  case  of  Ocotitlan. 
********* 

I  have  a  specimen  of  the  Toluca  iron  about  the  size  of  a  small  fist  which  shows  an  excellent  illustration  of  iron-glass 
in  considerable  quantity,  lying  in  a  wide-open  crevice  and  largely  filling  the  same. 

********* 

Iron-glass  occurs  in  a  crack  of  Ocotitlan  interlaced  with  the  bands  of  kamacite  and  penetrating  them. 


446  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Meunier23  treated  the  crust  of  Toluca  with  bichloride  of  mercury,  also  with  very  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid,  and  analyzed  the  portion  removable  by  magnets  with  the  following  result 
(specific  gravity  4.89) : 

FeA 68.  93 

FeO 28.12 

NiO ' 2.  00 

CoO..                                                                                                             .  trace 


99.05 

The  presence  of  magnetite  was  thus  indicated. 

Rath  **  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  crystals  observed  by  Krantz  were  not  magnetite. 
Smith  K  examined  the  troilite  of  Toluca  for  daubrfielite  and  found  it  in  marked  quantities. 
He  says: 

The  residue  from  2,800  grains  of  it,  after  thorough  treatment  with  chlorhydric  acid,  which  dissolves  nearly  the 
whole  of  it,  was  dissolved  in  part  by  nitric  acid,  and  on  analysis  the  solution  was  found  to  contain  chromium  and  iron 
representing  about  60  milligrams  of  daubreelite.  The  mineral  obtained  from  these  troilites  was  of  the  pulverulent 
variety. 

Smith 28  mentioned  the  occurrence  of  nodules  (concretions)  of  troilite,  schreibersite,  and 
graphite  in  the  Toluca  meteorites;  also  of  compound  nodules  of  which  a  sufficient  quantity  could 
not  be  obtained  for  satisfactory  examination. 

Brezina,28  in  his  1885  catalogue,  described  Toluca  as  follows: 

The  Toluca  iron  shows  lamellae  0.9  mm.  in  breadth  and  frequently  has  very  numerous  large  troilite  inclusions  with 
or  without  graphite  with  which  the  scaly  troilite  sometimes  alternates.  Schreibersite,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  troilite,  is  often  well  but  irregularly  developed. 

Ansdell  and  Dewar  29  tested  a  nodule  of  graphite  from  a  Toluca  iron  for  gaseous  constituents 
with  the  following  results  (specific  gravity,  2.26;  occluded  gases  in  volumes  of  graphite,  7.25): 

CO2 91.81 

H 2.50 

CH4 5.40 

N 0.10 


99.81 

Flight 80  gave  a  photograph  of  a  surface  of  the  Toluca  iron  etched  with  bromine  water. 
Castillo  31  gave  a  list  of  what  he  states  are  "meteorites  of  one  and  the  same  fall  found  at 
San  Juan  de  Xiquipilco,  in  the  valley  of  Toluca."     The  list  is  as  follows: 

Meteoric  iron  of  Ocotlan,  small  fragment;  meteoric  iron  of  Tenango,  small  fragment;  meteoric  iron  of  Cerro  de  San- 
tiago, near  the  Hacienda  de  la  Gavia,  small  fragment;  meteoric  iron  of  the  Sierra  de  Montealto,  District  of  Xiquipilco, 
small  fragment;  meteoric  iron  of  Hacienda  de  Mani,  District  of  Ixtlahuaca,  small  fragment. 

Fletcher 32  gave  abstracts  of  a  number  of  accounts  of  the  Toluca  meteorites  and  regarded 
all  iron  meteorites  that  have  been  found  in  the  States  of  Mexico  and  Morelos  as  probably  be- 
longing to  this  fall  and  artificially  transported.  He  thus  included  Ameca,  Amates,  and  Cuerna- 
vaca,  which  Castillo  listed  as  separate  falls,  with  Toluca.  Later  usage,  however,  follows  Cas- 
tillo in  making  Amates  and  Cuernavaca  separate  falls,  Cuernavaca  being  a  fine  octahedrite. 

Cohen  and  Weinschenk 3S  made  an  elaborate  investigation  of  a  Toluca  iron,  as  follows: 

A  piece  weighing  299.4  grams  was  treated  for  14  weeks  with  1  part  of  hydrochloric  acid  and  20  parts  of  water,  the 
acid  being  frequently  renewed.  During  solution  the  kamacite  became  covered  occasionally  with  a  dark  layer  which 
probably  consisted  of  fine  particles  of  separated  carbon.  The  tsenite  on  the  other  hand  showed,  during  the  whole 
treatment,  no  alteration  whatever.  The  process  of  solution  showed  a  continued  development  of  hydrogen  sulphide. 
After  some  time  a  deep  hollow  formed  from  which  large  crystals  of  schreibersite  (about  2.5  grams)  fell  out.  They 
were  gathered  at  this  point  in  a  nested  fashion.  In  their  neighborhood  the  solution  of  the  nickel  iron  took  place  con- 
siderably faster  than  in  other  portions  of  the  plate  where  large  schreibersite  crystals  were  completely  lacking.  In 
order  to  facilitate  the  process  of  solution  the  loose  tsenite  plates  were  from  time  to  time  removed.  Occasionally  tetra- 
hedral,  or  more  rarely  rhombohedral  pieces  surrounded  by  tanite,  were  obtained — probably  Flight's  iron  tetrahedrons. 
These  were  protected  by  their  teenite  covering  from  further  action  of  the  acid.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  tsenite  lamellae 
separated  so  that  the  acids  had  free  access  to  the  kamacite,  and  finally  a  residue  consisting  only  of  the  finest  folioe 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  447 

remained.  After  removing  all  the  large  schreibersite  crystals,  tsenite  folise,  and  jagged  pieces,  there  remained  a  non- 
magnetic residue  of  0.6031  grams,  and  magnetic  particles  weighing  1.9864  grams.  Of  the  latter,  0.9099  gram  were  dis- 
solved in  copper  ammonium  chloride  which  showed  that  three  parts  consisted  of  jagged  pieces  and  one  part  of  taenite. 
The  remaining  1.0765  grams  consisted  of  grains  and  flakes  of  normal  schreibersite  mixed  with  long  needles  of  rhabdite. 
The  composition  of  the  plate  investigated  was  thus,  as  follows: 

Or.  Percent. 

Soluble  nickel  iron 284.5920  95.05 

Tsenite 7.3428  2.45 

Schreibersite  and  rhabdite 15072  L17 

Jaggedpieces 2.9256  .98 

Nonmagnetic  residue 60311  , 

Slime 4493J 

299.4200  100.00 

The  nonmagnetic  residue,  composed  of  pieces  of  rust,  carbon,  and  mineral  grains,  was  treated  with  hydrochloric 
acid,  heated,  and  again  digested  with  hydrochloric  acid.  There  remained  after  this  treatment  0.0162  gram  of  grains 
and  small  crystals. 

The  collected  solutions  were  next  employed  to  determine  the  copper  contained  in  the  iron.  This  gave  a  value  of 
0.0113  per  cent.  Further  qualitative  testing  of  the  hydrogen  sulphide  precipitate  indicated  an  absence  of  tin  and 
antimony.  Finally  a  part  of  the  solution  containing  13.281  grams  of  nickel  iron  was  tested  for  manganese  with  nega- 
tive result.  » 
Tfcnite. — This  forms  fine,  isolated,  very  thin  folise  between  0.03  and  0.25  mm.  in  thickness.  Many  show  a  rhom- 
bic form  with  an  angle  of  about  120°,  and  are  in  part  broad  (10  by  7  mm.)  and  in  part  small  (12.5  by  3  mm.).  The 
largest  are  in  general  also  the  thickest,  though  among  the  thinnest  plates  many  are  large.  A  second  kind  of  appear- 
ance originates  through  the  uniting  of  many  folia  in  parallel  pieces  into  bundles  with  thin  plates  of  kamacite  between; 
the  latter  being  often  only  very  slowly  dissolved.  Such  bundles  are,  however,  not  so  abundant  nor  so  thick  as  they 
are,  for  example,  in  Glorieta  Mountain.  The  lamellae  are  abundant,  though  toothed  into  one  another,  so  that  after 
solution  and  separation  they  appear  with  small  jagged  edges  and  show  toothed  forms  like  many  ilmenites.  Frequently 
angular  pieces  project  into  the  foliae  and  their  fine  points  bore  through  them  like  a  needle,  leaving  a  hole  after  solu- 
tion. The  color  is  tin-white  passing  to  silver  white  and  resembles  closely  that  of  pure  quicksilver.  They  easily  tar- 
nish, however,  to  a  brass  or  golden  yellow.  If  by  careful  treatment  with  alcohol  and  ether  and  immediate  drying 
they  are  secured  completely  fresh,  they  seem  to  resist  very  strongly  the  influence  of  the  atmosphere.  The  tenite  is 
flexible  and  at  times  somewhat  elastic,  especially  in  the  thicker  pieces.  In  order  to  determine  the  solubility  the 
tsenite  was  treated  for  38  days  with  cold  dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  The  result  was  as  follows: 

Per  cent. 

1  HC1+5  aq 79. 36 

lHCl+10aq 68.13 

lHCl+20aq 65.33 

As  the  same  material  was  employed  in  all  three  experiments  above,  it  is  possible  that  the  plates  if  once  attacked 
are  less  resistant,  so  that  in  more  dilute  solutions  the  solubility  may  be  less  than  indicated  above;  also  the  acid  acts 
for  a  short  time  only  with  its  original  concentration  in  the  above  experiments,  since  the  easily  soluble  kamacite  was 
quickly  dissolved.  It  is  also  true  that  the  finest  tsenite  foliae,  especially  tho  seforming  combs  in  the  plessite,  are  wholly 
or  at  least  in  part  dissolved,  and  therefore  the  taenite  content  is  higher  than  is  given  in  the  above  composition;  hence, 
the  taenite  undoubtedly  plays  a  smaller  part  in  the  composition  as  expressed  above  than  would  be  indicated  by  a 
study  of  polished  and  etched  surfaces.  Moreover,  the  tsenite  is  especially  prominent  in  the  latter  case  because  of  its 
lighter  color  and  lively  luster.  The  chemical  composition  of  the  tsenite  found  by  analysis  was  as  follows  (substance 
taken,  0.5303  gram): 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  P          Fe,  NiP 

63.04        33.17        0.38       0.14        0.11  3.28    =100.12 

Since  the  content  of  copper  appeared  uncommonly  high,  it  was,  after  weighing  as  copper  oxide,  again  dissolved 
and  precipitated  electrolytically.  The  second  determination  was  only  slightly  lower  than  the  first. 

The  undissolved  residue  consisted  of  grains,  crystal  fragments,  and  flakes  of  schreibersite,  and  of  very  delicately 
formed  long  needles  of  rhabdite. 

Ironrnickd  phosphide. — This  occurs  in  two  forms,  as  schreibersite  and  rhabdite.  The  first  occurs  in  part  as  large 
prismatic  or  thick  tabular  crystals  5  mm  in  length  of  pure  tin-white  color,  but  changing  to  light-golden  yellow.  The 
opaque  wavy  surface  hindered  recognition  of  definite  crystallographic  habit.  All  single  crystal  faces  appeared  in 
the  form  of  little  facets.  Many  crystals  are  strongly  hollow  on  the  end,  a  feature  so  often  seen  in  pyromorphite.  One 
such  was  hollow  in  the  interior  and  inclosed  tsenite.  The  schreibersite  thus  inclines  to  porous  growth.  The  cleavage 
is  very  complete,  even  to  a  high  degree  of  brittleness.  If  the  crystals  fall  on  paper  they  often  break  into  little  cube- 
like  pieces.  The  cleavage  perpendicular  to  the  length  seems  somewhat  more  complete  than  in  the  two  other  direc- 
tions— a  behavior  which  indicates  the  orthorhombic  system;  that  is,  the  crystals  appear  to  be  a  combination  of  the 


448  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

prism  and  base.    The  plates  with  conchoidal  fracture  show  strong  metallic  luster.    Analysis  gave  the  following  result 
(substance  taken  0.4115  gram): 

P  Fe  Ni  Co          Cu 

15.38        63.97        19.15        1.68        0.00     =100.18 

Fe  :  Ni  (Co)  :  P=2.3043  :  0.7156  : 1 
Fe+Ni  (Co)  :  P=3.0200  : 1 

The  second  portion  of  the  iron-nickel  phosphide  which  was  obtained  by  treatment  of  the  fine  magnetic  residue 
with  copper  ammonium  chloride  is  not  a  single  product,  but  consists  of  grains,  crystal  fragments,  and  flakes  of  the  same 
physical  properties  as  the  larger  crystals  and  long  needles  of  rhabdite.  Since  the  latter  could  not  be  separated  a  chem- 
ical investigation  was  not  undertaken,  especially  as  Meunier  had  isolated  microscopic  sections  of  schreibersite  and 
analyzed  them  with  the  following  result: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Mg  P 

57.11        28.35         trace        trace        15.01     =100.47 

The  nickel  content  is,  of  course,  considerably  higher  here  than  we  have  obtained,  but  the  relation  3.106  : 1  is 
about  the  same.  In  order  to  determine  the  solubility  the  mixture  of  schreibersite  and  rhabdite  was  treated  for  35 
days  with  cold  hydrochloric  acid  of  different  concentration.  The  result  was  as  follows: 

Per  cent. 

1  HC1+2  aq 22.  59 

1  HC1+5  aq 15.  67 

1  HC1+10  aq 9.  65 

Judgment  of  these  results  should  be  governed  by  the  same  rules  as  were  given  for  taenite.  The  rhabdite  shows 
manifold  terminations  as  illustrated  by  sketches.  The  simple  forms  are  the  most  abundant,  those  with  reentrant  angles 
rare.  Different  terminations  of  the  two  ends  are  so  common  that  one  is  inclined  to  consider  the  crystals  hemimorphic, 
but  commonly  there  appears  on  one  end  a  square  face  which  may  be  due  to  cleavage.  Apparently  hemimorphic  forms 
other  than  these  are  very  few.  It  was  not  possible  to  obtain  pure  rhabdite  for  analysis,  so  that  it  must  be  yet  uncer- 
tain whether  it  has  the  same  composition  as  schreibersite  or  a  different  one.  From  the  physical  properties  and  appear- 
ance the  former  view  seems  to  us  the  more  probable. 

Jagged  pieces. — In  comparison  with  other  iron  meteorites  that  we  have  studied,  these  pieces  in  Toluca  are  charac- 
terized by  small  dimensions  and  abundance.  Differential  interior  structure  of  the  kamacite  is  indicated.  An  incom- 
plete analysis  by  Koestler  gave: 

Fe 93.28 

Ni+Co  (by  difference) 6.48 

C 0.24 

P...  0.00 


100.00 
This  indicates  that  the  pieces  consist  of  kamacite. 

The  grains  and  crystals  separated  from  the  nonmagnetic  residue  (0.0162  gr. )  showed  various  characters  when  examined 
under  the  microscope.  The  size  of  the  grains  varies  from  0.01  to  0.5  mm.,  though  the  largest  are  very  rare.  Most  have 
a  diameter  of  about  0.04  mm.  The  following  more  or  less  well  characterized  ingredients  were  obtained: 

1.  Predominant  are  colorless,  transparent,  completely  rounded  grains  with  bright  interference  colors.    About 
50  of  these  were  isolated.    They  are  in  part  rich  in  minute  inclusions  which,  on  low  magnification,  give  the  impression 
of  turbid  spots  occasionally  arranged  in  bands.    Where  they  are  larger  one  recognizes  round  pipelike  forms,  probably 
gas  pores  which  may  be  accompanied  by  glass  inclusions.    Minute  microlites  were  once  observed.     Determination  of 
the  specific  gravity  gave  2.652.    Three  of  the  largest  grains  having  a  diameter  of  0.2  to  0.3  mm.  were  investigated  and 
brought  into  comparison  with  quartz  grains  of  the  same  specific  gravity.    The  solution  was  then  exposed  both  to  the 
rays  of  the  sun  and  to  shade  and  the  grains  simultaneously  rose  and  sank.    The  grains  furnished  a  silicate  skeleton  with 
salt  of  phosphorus;  heated  in  a  stream  of  oxygen  they  remained  unaltered,  but  after  5  days'  treatment  with  cold  hydro- 
fluoric acid  were  completely  dissolved.    The  index  of  refraction  is  the  same  as  that  of  quartz.    Twelve  grains  treated 
with  hydrofluosilicic  acid  left  behind  a  small  quantity  of  salts  but  apparently  not  more  than  a  simultaneous  blank 
experiment  furnished.    Thus  it  seems  to  be  proved  that  these  grains  are  quartz,  since  their  total  microscopic  behavior 
is  so  similar  that  one  could  not  distinguish  between  terrestrial  quartz  and  that  from  iron  meteorites. 

2.  The  quartzlike  grains  were  accompanied  in  some  measure  by  other  colorless  transparent  bodies  distinguished 
from  the  former  by  their  weak  action  in  polarized  light  and  resembling  the  grains  isolated  earlier  by  one  of  us,  and 
determined  by  Magura  to  be  diamond.    Strongly  heated  in  a  stream  of  oxygen,  however,  their  number  was  not  dimin- 
ished and  they  gave  no  turbidity  with  lime  solution,  hence  diamond  was  not  indicated. 

3.  Dull,  white,  opaque  grains  in  large  quantity,  resembling  a  silicate  strongly  attacked  by  acid. 

4.  Fifty  opaque  single  crystals  or  crystal  groups  with  metallic  luster,  chiefly  of  dodecahedral  or  seldom  with 
octahedral  habit.    The  rounded  faces  in  the  latter  case  indicate  hexoctahedrons.    Often  the  crystalites  (0.03  or  0.05  to 
0.15  mm.  in  size)  are  arranged  parallel  to  one  another  to  form  elongated  groups  similar  to  many  growths  of  magnetite; 
also  rhombic  dodecahedrons  arranged  on  a  trigonal  axis  are  common,  which  indicate  a  hexagonal  combination  of  the 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  449 

prism  of  the  second  order  with  a  rhombohedron.  In  reflected  light  the  crystals  show  a  color  and  luster  like  graphite. 
Strongly  heated  before  the  blowpipe  they  show  at  first  a  moderately  vigorous  deflagration,  and  burning  takes  place 
slowly  and  uniformly  until  only  minute  transparent  globules  remain.  These,  therefore,  are  doubtless  cliftonite,  which, 
according  to  our  view,  is  a  pseudomorph  of  graphite  after  diamond. 

5.  Small,  isolated,  sharply-bounded  crystals  of  chromite  having  a  diameter  of  0.015  mm.  with  strongly-reflecting 
faces.  They  appear  bluish  and  transparent.  Under  the  microscope  generally  only  octahedrons  occur.  This  appears 
in  combination  with  the  dodecahedron,  occasionally  also  with  the  cube.  Tte  coloring  and  luster  is  similar  to  magnetite 
and  lack  of  magnetism,  brown  transparent  powder,  reaction  for  chromium,  and  insolubility  in  aqua  regia  leave  no 
doubt  of  the  accuracy  of  the  determination. 

15.  Two  thick  prismatic  incompletely  bounded  crystal  grains  with  strong  interferemce  colors  and  inclusions  which 
appear  to  be  glass.  Spotted  blue  color.  One  crystal  is  in  part  colorless,  in  part  deep  blue.  The  strong  pleochroism  of 
the  colored  spots  (deep  blue  and  light  blue  tending  to  violet)  make  these  crystals  resemble  iolite. 

7.  Isotropic,  light  flesh-red  and  brownish-red  completely  rounded  garaetlike  crystals  J  mm.  in  size.    These 
occasionally  show  some  irregular  clefts. 

8.  Dark  brown  isotropic  grains  with  strong  luster. 

9.  Transparent,  colorless,  isotropic  splinters,  with  conohoidal  fractures,  which  possess  the  index  of  refraction  of 
the  balsam.    They  are  doubtless  splinters  of  glass.    They  might  be  considered  splinters  of  the  glass  vessels  employed, 
but  since  they  were  observed  in  the  residue  we  believe  them  to  have  been  original  constituents  of  the  meteorite. 

10.  Light  green  anisotropic,  incomplete  prismatic  augitic  grains. 

11 .  Fragments  of  light-green,  somewhat  fibrous,  prismatic  crystals  with  complete  cleavage  in  the  direction  of  their 
length,  straight  extinction,  and  weak  pleochroism.    The  rays  vibrating  perpendicular  to  the  direction  of  length  are 
light  green  to  yellow  green,  those  parallel  to  the  direction  of  length  colorless  to  light  yellow.    This  indicates  probably 
an  orthorhombic  pyroxene  containing  iron. 

Besides  the  plate  of  Toluca  studied,  1,243  grams  of  rust  crust  and  loose  pieces  were  investigated.  These  were 
treated  with  1  part  hydrochloric  acid  and  10  parts  of  water  and  a  considerable  insoluble  residue  left.  From  this  only 
traces  of  magnetic  particles  could  be  obtained.  On  the  other  hand  it  was  rich  in  graphite  about  15.5  grams  (1.25  per 
cent)  being  obtained.  A  part  of  the  graphite  consisted  of  compact  nodules  1  cm.  in  diameter;  another  of  forms  of 
cliftonite  in  crystal  groups  of  octahedrons  and  cubes.  Portions  of  both  kinds  were  carefully  separated  under  the 
microscope  to  a  quantity  of  one  or  more  decigrams  and  treated  for  14  days  with  potassium  chlorate  and  nitric  acid,  with 
repeated  shaking  and  renewal  of  the  oxidizing  agents.  The  color  changed  gradually  to  greenish,  that  of  the  opaque 
variety  more  quickly  than  the  cliftonite,  and  the  final  microscopic  investigation  showed  that  at  least  three-fourths  of 
the  substance  employed  was  changed  to  a  graphite  acid,  but  no  distinction  between  the  two  substances  could  be  noted. 
The  graphite  acid  formed  in  yellow  transparent  anisotropic,  lath-shaped  bodies  arranged  and  extinguishing  parallel  to 
their  length. 

A  further  study  was  made  the  next  year  by  Cohen  M  as  follows: 

As  a  continuation  of  my  previous  studies  of  Toluca,  Mr.  Manteuffel  analyzed  a  solution  of  the  iron  (Analysis  I)  and 
the  angular  pieces  (Analysis'  II).  Under  la  and  Ila  are  given  the  composition  calculated  to  100  after  deduction  of 
schreibersite.  For  determining  the  carbon  in  the  angular  pieces,  1.045  grams,  and  for  that  of  copper  and  phosphorus 
in  the  solution,  284.59  and  10.6243  grams,  were  employed. 

I  la               II  Ila 

Subst.  taken                                             0.8854  0.7702        

Fe 91.13  91.80  93.55  94.05 

Xi 7.54  7.53  5.44  5.26 

Co 66  .66           .58  .57 

Cn 01  .01  

C J 12  .12 

P...  .07  .20 


99.41  100.00        99.89  100.00 

Taking  the  formula  Fe^Xi  as  representing  the  formula  of  kamacite,  Analysis  I  may  be  calculated  to  indicate  the 
following  composition: 

Kamacite 94.89        or        Kamacite 95.33 

Taenite 4.65  Tsenite 4.67 

Schreibereite 46 

100.00 
100.00 

716°— 15 29 


450  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Taking  thia  analysis  and  the  earlier  ones,  the  mineralogical  and  chemical  composition  of  the  whole  plate  originally 
investigated,  after  deducting  carbonaceous  particles  and  rust,  may  be  reckoned  as  follows: 


91.48 


III 

Kamacite 90.511 

Angular  pieces '. 0.  97J 

Tamite • 6.79 

Schreibersite  and  rhabdite ...  1.  73 


100.00 

IV  IVa 

Fe 90.70  91.18 

Ni 8.41  8.22 

Co 61  .59 

Cu 01  .01 

P...  .27 


100. 00        100. 00 

The  results  under  IVa  show  the  composition  after  deduction  of  schreibersite.  The  2.35  per  cent  of  taenite  obtained 
by  isolation  after  detucting  0.10  per  cent  for  included  nickel-iron  phosphide  totals  only  34.61  per  cent  of  the  calculated 
total  result. 

Laspeyres  s5  gave  the  following  account  of  the  detection  of  quartz  and  zircon  in  a  specimen 
of  Toluca: 

The  piece  investigated  was  one  of  the  largest  of  those  collected  by  Krantz  in  1856  in  the  Toluca  valley,  and  weighed 
10,030  grams.  It  showed  on  the  rusted  surface  many  irregularly  bounded  earthy  portions  sometimes  50  mm.  in  length 
and  breadth,  but  always  only  a  few  millimeters  thick,  which  at  first  glance  resemble  a  very  fine  and  somewhat  loamy 
sand  cemented  by  rust.  In  this  almost  compact  carpet  are  embedded  numerous  brilliant  quartz  crystals  reaching  a 
size  of  2  mm.,  as  Rose  has  described.  The  earthy  portions  resemble  many  of  the  altered  olivine  nodules  of  meteorites 
and  basalts,  except  that  the  latter  lack  quartz.  The  quartz  crystals,  as  Rose  has  described,  can  be  easily  separated 
from  the  sandy  matrix,  but  they  can  be  more  easily  separated  by  dissolving  the  matrix  in  hydrochloric  acid.  They  show 
the  forms: 

oo  R  (1010),  R  (10ll),-R  (0111). 

Like  all  silicates  of  meteorites  this  quartz  is  very  fissile  and  brittle  so  that  on  scaling  or  loosening  it  easily  falls  into 
irregularly-bounded  fragments.  Measurements  with  the  reflecting  goniometer  gave,  for  the  unstriated  rhombohedral 

faces,  the  following: 

Observed.  Calculated. 

R  (10ll)-R  (I0n)=46°  5'- 8'  45°  16' 

R  (10ll)oo  R  (10ll)=37°  44'-47'          38°  13' 

Neither  with  the  lens  nor  under  the  microscope  could  any  trace  of  a  dulling  or  rolling  of  the  corners  or  edges,  or  a 
scratching  of  the  faces,  be  observed.  Under  the  microscope  the  crystal  form  appeared  (as  is  common  to  the  crystals  of 
meteoric  irons,  especially  the  well-known  olivines  in  the  Pallas  irons)  rounded  on  the  corners  and  edges.  The  matrix 
in  which  the  quartz  was  embedded  was  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  a  solution  of  sodium  carbonate.  Iron, 
some  clay,  some  magnesia,  and  silica  were  found  in  the  solution.  A  very  fine,  seemingly  sandy  residue  remained 
which  was  embedded  in  Canada  balsam.  On  investigation  with  the  microscope  this  showed  that  it  was  not  a  sand 
since  there  was  no  trace  of  erosion.  The  whole  residue  consisted  of  sharp  cornered  and  edged  grains,  broadly  prismatic 
flakes,  and  sharply-formed  crystals.  Still  more,  the  mineral  composition  of  the  residue  forbade  its  being  regarded 
as  a  sand.  The  greater  portion  of  the  residue,  about  60  per  cent,  consisted  of  colorless,  transparent  grains  which  belong 
not  only  to  quartz  but  also  to  plagioclase  and  perhaps  also  to  orthoclase.  The  latter  show,  besides  a  good  cleavage, 
none  of  the  twinning  lamellae  which  are  so  characteristic  of  plagioclase.  They  are  also  sharply  bounded  and  in  part  also 
crumpled,  as  in  terrestrial  rocks.  Besides  these  completely  colorless  splinters  occur  single  weakly  reddish  transparent 
isotropic  grains  with  traces  of  cleavage,  more  strongly  refracting  than  quartz  or  glass  and  much  weaker  than  the  similarly 
colored  zircon.  These  grains  I  can  only  refer  to  garnet.  Glass  grains,  such  as  were  observed  by  Cohen  and  Weinschenk, 
I  could  not  find.  The  smaller  portion,  or  40  per  cent,  of  the  residue  consisted  of  a  brownish-green  or  green  (though 
according  to  the  thickness  now  bright  and  now  dark)  mineral  in  the  form  of  partly  irregular  and  partly  broadly  prismatic 
splinters  with  rectangular  boundaries  showing  in  theii  long  dimension  a  very  complete  prismatic  cleavage.  The 
extinction  corresponds  usually  with  the  direction  of  cleavage  and  also  shows  pleochroism  in  many  of  the  lamellae. 
Such  belong,  doubtless,  to  monoclinic  augite,  since  in  many  pleochroitic  splinters  the  extinction  forms  a  sharp  angle 
with  the  cleavage  direction,  and  hornblende  has  not  yet  been  observed  in  meteorites.  No  cross  sections  could  be 
discovered.  The  most  interesting  constituent  of  the  residue,  however,  was  in  the  form  of  well-formed  crystals  rich  in 
faces  from  0.04  to  0.15  mm.  long  and  0.02  to  0.07  mm.  thick.  These,  from  their  form  and  optical  characters,  can  be 
nothing  less  than  zircon,  which  has  not  been  hitherto  recognized  in  meteorites.  The  crystals  are  tetragonal  and  always 
show  the  same  forms,  as  follows: 

o  (111),  p  (100),  of  (101),  q  (110),  d  (m  11) 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  451 

Some  crystals  are  long  and  thin,  others  short  and  thick.  They  are  always  doubly  terminated  and  show  no  trace 
of  erosion.  Measurement  under  the  microscope  gives: 

(101)  (101)=114°  307,  the  calculated  value  being  114°  43'. 

Cleavage  like  that  of  rutile  could  not  be  observed,  and  in  one  case  there  is  excellent  conchoidal  fracture  on  one  edge 
of  the  prism.  The  crystals  are  always  light  reddish,  quite  clear,  and  pure.  They  show  a  high  index  of  refraction, 
with  high  interference  colors,  and  the  axis  of  the  smallest  elasticity  is  the  principal  axis.  They  thus  agree  com- 
pletely with  the  microscopic-zircons  of  terrestrial  rocks.  Single  black  crystalline  sharply-bounded  grains  in  the  resi- 
due are  perhaps  chromite,  or  cliftonite— black  plates,  perhaps  graphite.  The  olivine  and  anorthite  which  dissolve 
in  acid  should  also  be  recognized  as  constituents  of  the  sandy  substance.  In  all  the  transparent  constituents  of  the 
residue,  but  especially  in  the  quartz,  occur  darkly  bordered  gas  pores  and  small  inclusions  having  a  mean  refraction 
between  that  of  glass  and  a  fluid.  These  always  contain  spherical  bubbles,  generally  single  but  occasionally  double, 
triple,  or  quadruple.  Neither  by  shaking  nor  warming  the  Canada  balsam  to  32°  C.  did  the  position  or  size  of  these 
bubbles  change.  They  belong,  therefore,  to  the  glass  inclusions  which  are  very  abundant  in  meteorites,  but  which 
have  not  yet  been  known  to  contain  a  fluid  inclusion. 

Finally,  in  all  the  constituents  of  the  residue,  except  in  the  supposed  orthoclaee  and  zircon,  occur  doubly  refract- 
ing needles  resembling  in  appearance  the  apatite  needles  of  terrestrial  rocks.  It  is  true  that  apatite  has  not  yet  been 
proven  to  exist  in  meteorites,  although  Rammelsberg  found  0.28  per  cent  phosphoric  acid  in  the  eukrite  of  Juvinas, 
which  would  correspond  to  0.60  per  cent  of  apatite.  Since  this  eukrite  contained  almost  no  nickel  iron  which  could 
unite  with  phosphorus,  the  occurrence  of  apatite  in  the  meteorite  seems  probable.  The  form  and  mineral  content  of 
the  residue  described  above  leaves  no  doubt  that  it  does  not  represent  foreign  matter  but  an  original  constituent  of 
the  meteoric  iron.  Of  the  substances  found  by  Cohen  and  Weinschenk  in  Toluca,  I  was  unable  to  find  the  following: 
Colorless  transparent  glass  polarizing  weakly;  a  cordieritelike  mineral;  dark-brown  isotropic  grains  with  strong  luster; 
and  transparent  isotropic  glass  splinters.  The  essential  differences  between  my  observations  and  theirs  lie,  of  course, 
in  their  failure  to  observe  feldspar,  zircon,  and  apatite;  but  the  microlites  which  they  describe  as  No.  1  may  corre- 
spond to  my  apatite,  and  those  which  they  mention  as  No.  2  to  my  orthoclase.  On  account  of  these  differences,  I 
dissolved  a  large  quantity  of  the  foliated  rust  which  had  accumulated  from  the  crust  by  years  in  the  museum,  but 
obtained  therefrom  exactly  the  same  solution  and  the  same  residue  as  from  the  sandy  portions  on  the  surface.  In 
order  to  guard  against  the  possibility  that  these  portions  of  the  crust  had  not  formed  in  the  natural  position  and  had 
been  mixed  with  sand,  I  dissolved  in  hydrochloric  acid  a  piece  of  the  Toluca  iron  from  Krantz's  collection  weighing 
82  grams,  which  was  compact  and  solid,  nearly  surrounded  by  limonite  but  regularly  penetrated  by  numerous  teenite 
lamellae.  After  about  one-half  of  this  had  been  dissolved  the  portion  remaining  snowed  many  thin  almost  parallel 
streaks  of  clear,  gray,  granular,  altered  silicates,  separated  by  silica  which  dissolved  in  caustic  soda.  These  streaks 
had  the  shape  and  composition  of  the  stony  portion  of  the  surface.  In  the  solution  were  found  again  magnesia,  iron, 
clay,  and  lime,  indicating  predominant  olivine  and  some  anorthite.  The  residue  showed  under  the  microscope  the 
same  contents  as  in  the  two  other  cases.  Similar  streaks  were  noted  by  Reichenbach  in  the  Toluca  iron.  These  he 
regarded  as  olivine  and  described  and  figured  them.  Similarly  distributed  silicates  have  also  been  observed  in  other 
meteoric  irons.  There  thus  exists  no  doubt  that  quartz  and  zircon  and  the  other  substances  mentioned  occur  as  orig- 
inal constituents  of  the  Toluca  iron,  and  it  may  be  possible  in  time  and  by  solution  of  a  large  quantity  of  the  gradually 
accumulating  rusts  of  the  Toluca  meteorite  in  the  museum  to  establish  by  chemical  analyses  the  existence  of  zircon 
and  the  supposed  orthoclase  and  apatite. 

Brezina,38  in  1895,  gave  further  observations  on  Toluca  as  follows: 

To  Toluca  doubtless  belong  the  irons  from  Amates,  Ameca-Ameca,  and  Cuemavaca,  which  are  placed  here  by 
Fletcher.  Here  also  belong,  according  to  a  brief  missive  from  Professor  Klein,  of  Berlin,  the  Berlin  museum  speci- 
mens of  Sierra  Blanca,  near  Jiminez  and  Villa  Neuva  de  Huejuquillo,  found  in  1784.  In  all  probability,  too,  the  iron 
from  Rincon  de  Caparrosa  belongs  to  Toluca,  as  well  as  that  of  Chilpanzingo,  State  of  Guerrero.  Castillo  supposes  that 
this  lump  of  meteoric  iron,  originally  weighing  341  grams,  fell  to  earth  as  the  result  of  the  breaking  up  of  a  piece  of 
chalcopyrite-bearing  talc  schist  from  Caparrosa.  At  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1889,  I  examined  this  iron,  as  well  as  the 
mother  stone  from  which  it  is  said  to  have  fallen  out.  The  iron  did  not  fit  the  hole  exactly,  but  very  nearly.  While 
the  iron  is  covered  with  a  limonitish  weathering  crust  and  has  suffered  a  comparatively  widespread  deformation  and 
evening  off  of  the  exterior,  through  weathering,  the  surface  of  the  hole  in  the  mother  stone  shows  no  signs  of  this  rust- 
ing-off  process,  which  must  have  taken  place  inside  of  the  cavity.  From  this  fact  it  follows  that  the  lump  of  iron  could 
not  well  have  come  from  the  Caparrosa  schist. 

Apparently  in  connection  with  the  schist  formation  a  piece  of  stone  fell  to  earth  and  a  hitherto  unnoticed  lump 
of  meteoric  iron  was  picked  up  at  that  point,  as  many  such  from  the  Toluca  find  may  have  lain  around  in  the  collec- 
tion of  the  mining  school.  The  etching  of  a  section  of  this  lump  of  meteoric  iron  moreover,  shows  complete  agree- 
ment with  that  of  Toluca.  Further,  the  small  piece  of  the  meteorite  from  Tule,  Balleza,  Chihuahua,  found  in  the 
School  of  Mines,  in  Mexico,  may  belong  to  Toluca. 

Of  the  specimens  in  the  Vienna  collection,  the  oldest  one  designated  as  Toluca,  which  is  stated  to  have  been 
acquired  from  Bergemann,  in  Berlin  in  1810,  certainly  belongs  to  another  locality.  It  has  almost,  fine  lamellae  and 
is  throughout  lustrous,  with  well-developed  fields  containing  only  dark  plessite;  it  has  also  abundant  tenite.  This 
iron  may  belong  to  Morito,  Pila,  or  Descubridora;  the  marked  deformation,  apparently  due  to  dismemberment,  makes 
a  definite  determination  difficult.  The  study  of  numerous  pieces  of  the  Toluca  iron  gives  many  new  phenomena; 


452  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

compact  lamellae  of  cohenite  or  schreibersite  being  repeatedly  observed  in  the  kamacite.  Outcroppings  of  schreibers- 
ite  and  graphite  are  sometimes  combined  in  the  same  section  in  the  most  various  ways,  for  example,  pure  graphite 
to  pure  troilite,  through  various  admixtures  of  the  two,  now  in  zonal  superimposed  stratification,  again  in  juxtaposed 
stratification,  each  one  making  a  half  lump,  and  again  entirely  mixed  up;  the  lumps  are  frequently  surrounded  with 
a  corona  of  schreibersite;  in  one  case  a  graphite-troilite  grain  with  a  corona  of  schreibersite  forms  the  nucleus  for  the 
upbuilding  of  a  flat-faced  schreibersite  lamella  6  cm.  long,  parallel  with  the  faces  of  an  octahedron.  Another  section 
shows  a  ball  of  troilite  of  the  size  of  a  mustard  seed  surrounded  by  a  twofold  substance  with  a  high  degree  of  luster, 
and  consisting  apparently  of  cohenite  and  schreibersite,  which  is  bordered  on  the  outside,  next  to  the  kamacite,  with 
a  crystalline  material. 

Another  section  which  is  cut  diagonally  through  a  round,  flat,  smooth  protuberance  on  the  natural  exterior  of  a 
fragment,  shows  upon  etching  the  undisturbed  penetration  of  the  Trias  into  the  protuberance.  The  gradual  dissolving 
of  large  masses  of  the  Toluca  iron  gives  frequently  very  regular  crystals  or  fragments  of  crystals  of  schreibersite.  The 
sawed  section,  oriented  occording  to  the  faces  of  a  cube  gives  large  taenite  skeletons,  on  which  the  peculiar  structure, 
the  alternate  preponderance  of  the  one  and  the  other  octahedron  in  the  development  of  the  lamina,  may  be  very 
readily  followed.  Two  specimens  recently  received  by  the  Vienna  museum,  one  designated  as  Zacatecas  and  the 
other  in  Baumhauer's  collection,  without  indication  of  locality,  both  undoubtedly  belong  to  Toluca.  The  latter  shows 
long,,  straight,  hatched,  somewhat  swollen  bands  0.8  mm.  wide;  kamacite  granular,  slightly  hatched,  with  numerous 
etching  pits;  fields  gray,  and  full  of  combs;  taenite  well  developed,  especially  on  the  swollen  ends,  as  a  triangular 
filling.  Rhabdite  is  abundant  in  this  specimen  also.  It  has  great  similarity  with  that  of  Hacienda  Mafii.  A  piece 
of  the  latter  shows  the  kamacite  granular  as  in  Carthage,  but  not  hatched. 

Cohen 37  found  Toluca  irons  capable  of  acquiring  strong,  permanent  magnetism.  The 
taenite  he  found  to  easily  acquire  permanent  magnetism,  to  show  no  marked  change  on  heating, 
and  to  retain  the  magnetism  a  considerable  time.  The  cohenite  and- schreibersite  were  less  easily 
magnetized  and  lost  their  magnetism  quicker.  No  polar  magnetism  could  be  observed  on  the 
tsenite  of  Toluca. 

The  specific  gravity  of  specimens  of  the  Toluca  iron  he  found  to  be  7.794  at  15.8°  C. ;  of 
the  schreibersite,  7.1118  at  18.8°  C.;  and  of  the  taenite,  7.6122  at  17.6°.  On  exhausting  the 
air  from  the  taenite  different  values  for  the  specific  gravity  were  obtained.  Thus  when  the  air 
was  not  at  all  exhausted  the  value  found  was  6.8;  on  exhausting  2  hours,  7.5022;  and  on 
exhausting  4  hours,  7.6122.  Thus  a  lamellar  structure  of  the  tsenite  is  indicated. 

Cohen  38  gave  the  following  account  of  a  study  of  some  apparent  cohenite  crystals  in 
Toluca: 

On  one  end  of  a  section  of  Toluca  iron  in  the  collection  of  the  University  of  Freiberg,  in  immediate  connection 
•with  the  original,  rust-covered  surface,  occur  large  numbers  of  crystals  in  kamacite,  which,  according  to  their  physical 
characteristics  and  appearance,  correspond  with  the  crystals  of  cohenite  in  Magura,  Wichita,  and  Beaconsfield.  Since 
neither  this  series  of  accessory  ingredients  nor  the  presence  of  cohenite  in  Toluca  iron  was  known  to  me,  I  isolated 
with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  a  few  crystals,  which  from  their  appearance  seemed  to  be  of  exactly  the  same  sort. 
Contrary  to  expectation,  I  found  one  portion  to  consist  of  cohenite  and  another  part  of  schreibersite.  From  which  it 
appears  that  these  two  minerals  can  not  be  differentiated  with  certainty  either  by  their  physical  characteristics  or  the 
manner  of  their  occurrence. 

Cohen 39  gave  a  further  description  of  a  specimen  of  Toluca,  as  follows: 

I  received  as  a  gift  from  Dr.  Naumann  a  gift  of  a  rust-covered  specimen  of  the  Toluca  iron  weighing  1,700  grams, 
the  etched  section  of  which  gives  so  complete  an  agreement  with  numerous  specimens  of  the  Toluca  iron  as  to  make 
the  determination  of  the  locality  of  the  mass  under  consideration  quite  certain,  but  it  shows  sufficient  difference  in 
the  finer  structure  of  the  bands  to  call  for  brief  description. 

While  in  general,  extensive  and  deep  hatching,  accompanied  by  comparatively  large  and  deep  etching  pits,  may 
be  regarded  as  especially  characteristic  of  the  kamacite  of  the  Toluca  irons,  yet  in  this  case  both  the  hatching  and 
etching  pits  are  very  inconspicuous.  On  the  first  two  sections,  which  were  cut  from  one  end  of  the  elongated  meteor- 
ite, they  are  entirely  wanting;  on  the  next  two  sections  they  are  scarce,  being  either  confined  to  individual  bands  or 
neither  so  numerous  nor  so  deep  as  in  normal  Toluca  iron.  Instead,  the  bands  are  spotted,  usually  without  but  some- 
times with  granulation;  especially  in  the  former  case  the  spots  appear  indistinctly  defined.  The  oriented  she_en  is 
very  marked,  and  the  taenite  fully  developed,  as  is  usually  the  case. 

From  these  four  sections  it  is  apparently  possible  that  the  interior  of  the  mass  has  the  normal  structure;  but  I 
did  not  consider  proof  of  this  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  cutting  the  mass  through  the  center.  No  evidence 
of  an  altered  zone  is  furnished  by  the  section  under  consideration,  which  is  a  complete  cross  section  almost  4  cm.  thick, 
having  the  same  appearance  in  the  central  portion  as  at  the  borders. 

Brezina  has  frequently  observed  a  like  abnormal  development  of  Toluca  iron.  He  mentions  a  piece  from  the 
Baumhauer  collection  with  granular  slightly-hatched  kamacite;  from  the  Hacienda  Mafii,  a  granular  kamacite,  com- 
parable to  that  of  Carthage;  and,  according  to  a  brief  communication,  there  is  a  section  in  the  collection  of  the  Mar- 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  453 

quis  de  Vibraye,  upon  which,  hatching  and  etch-pitting  are  entirely  absent.  The  two  latter  pieces  I  was,  through  the 
kindness  of  Dr.  Berwerth,  enabled  to  compare  with  the  Naumann  section.  In  the  Vibrayan  section  the  bands  are 
short,  swollen,  not  bunched,  and  granular;  one  portion  is  spotted,  another  shows  a  distinctly  fine-grained  structure. 
The  gray,  finely-grained  spaces  are  without  combs,  but  frequently  contain  fine  bright  spangles  in  the  central  aggregate. 

The  Hacienda  Mani  specimen  shows  a  composition  mainly  of  long  bands,  often  bunched  together  and  accom- 
panied, in  smaller  measure,  by  short,  swollen  bands;  the  bright  fields  of  considerable  size  abound  in  combs  evidently 
produced  by  taenite.  The  kamacite  is  more  or  less  abundantly  granulated,  occasionally  spotted  and  throughout  rich 
in  etched  pittings,  while  hatching  is  entirely  wanting.  The  kamacite  is  not  like  that  of  Carthage,  with  which  Brezina 
compares  it.  In  my  specimen  of  Carthage  the  kamacite  is  fine-grained,  resembling  that  of  La  Caille,  Misteca,  Mar- 
shall County,  and  Fort  Pierre,  and  is  not  divided  by  coarse  furrows  into  larger  grains, 

The  divergence  of  this  section  from  normal  Toluca  iron  is  thus  quite  considerable;  but  the  doubt  concerning  the 
correctness  of  the  place  of  discovery  has  been  materially  diminished  by  the  piece  obtained  from  Dr.  Naumann,  as 
the  latter  furnishes  an  intermediate  link. 

My  investigation  of  the  Forsyth  County  meteorite  showed  that  no  inconsiderable  difference  in  structure  may  be 
found  in  one  and  the  same  mass,  and  it  is  not  always  confined  to  small  areas  as  is  the  case  in  Floyd  Mountain,  Linn- 
ville,  Hollands  Store,  Carlton,  etc.  Toluca  is  an  example  of  similar  differences  in  different  portions  of  the  same  fall. 

Cohen  *°  gave  the  following  analysis  of  cliftonite  from  Toluca,  the  occurrence  of  which  was 
mentioned  by  him  in  1891." 

The  carefully  separated  fragments  chosen  for  analysis  had  a  specific  gravity  between  1.994  and  2.196,  the  material 
not  admitting  of  a  more  definite  determination.  It  does  not  deflagrate  with  potassium  nitrate.  The  analysis  by  Dr. 
J.  Fahrenhorstgave: 

Substance  taken 0.1297          0.1093 

C 94.48  94.44 

H 40  .33 

SiO2 5.12  5.01 

100.  00  99.  78 

In  the  first  analysis  the  determination  of  carbon  failed  owing  to  the  incomplete  burning  of  the  graphite.  The 
whole  unburned  residue  was  regarded  as  silica.  In  the  second  analysis  this  residue  being  of  pure  white  color  was  also 
regarded  as  silica  but  not  further  determined.  Owing  to  the  minute  dimensions  of  the  cubes  and  octahedrons  which 
predominate  in  the  compact  cliftonite  (the  cubes  as  a  rule  measuring  only  0.04-0.05  mm.  on  an  edge)  crystals  could  not 
be  selected  for  the  analysis.  It  is  undetermined  therefore,  whether  they  are  of  purer  graphite  than  the  compact 
groundmass. 

The  Toluca  meteorites  are  widely  distributed  among  collections.  The  Vienna  Museum 
possesses  120  kgs.,  the  British  Museum  106  kgs.,  Hamburg  114  kgs..  and  the  Field  Museum 
177  kgs. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1784:  Gazetas  de  Mexico,  No.  25,  Dec.  15,  1784,  p.  201.    (Clark  says:  Vol.  1,  pp.  146,  200;  and  vol.  5,  p.  59.) 

2.  1804:  DEL  Rio.    Tablas  mineralogicas.  p.  57. 

3.  1811:  VON  HUMBOLDT.    Essai  politique  sur  le  royaume  de  la  Nouvelle  Espagne,  Bd.  2,  p.  582. 

4.  1819:  CHLADNI.    Feuermeteore,  pp.  339,  434. 

5.  1826:  XOGGERATH.    Ueber  Meteoreisen  aus  Mexico.    Allgem.  Journ.  Chem.,  Schweigger-Seidel,  Bd.  47,  pp.  74-76. 

6.  1827:  BEETHIER.    Analyse  du  fer  m^tebrique  de  Toluca  au  Mexique.    Ann.  Mines,  2d  ser.,  vol.  1,  pp.  337-338. 

7.  1831 :  RAMIREZ.    Gazetas  de  Literature  de  Mexico.    Puebla,  Bd.  2,  p.  381. 

8.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Meteoriten,  pp.  99-100. 

9.  1853:  NOGGERATH.    Meteoriteisenmassen  mit  Widmannstadt'schen  Figuren.    Neues  Jahrb.,  p.  174. 

10.  1854:  URICOECHEA.    Analyse  der  Meteoreisen  von  Toluca  und  vom  Cap  der  guten  Hoffnung.    I:  Eisen  von 

Toluca.    Ann.  Chem.  Pharm.,  Bd.  91,  pp.  249-252. 

11.  1S56:  PUGH.    Analyse  von  Meteoreisen  aus  Mexico.    Ann.  Chem.  Pharm.,  Bd.  98,  pp.  383-386 

12.  1S56:  TAYI/OB.    Examination  of  the  meteoric  iron  from  Xiquipilco,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,2d  ser.,  vol.  22, 

pp.  374-376  (analyses).     From  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  Philadelphia,  vol.  8,  No.  3,  pp.  128-130. 

13.  1856:  JORDAN.    Ueber  ein  mexicanisches  Meteoreisen.    Ann.  Chem.  Pharm.,  Bd.  101,  pp.  356-358  (analysis  by 

Nason). 

14.  1856:  BURKART.    Fundorte  I.    Neues  Jahrb.,  pp.  297-305  (Xiquipilco,  Istlahuaca,  Tejupilco;  new  analyses  by 

Boecking). 

15.  1856:  WOHLER.    Ueber  das  Meteoreisen  von  Toluca  in  Mexico.    Sitzber.  Vien.  Akad.,  Bd.  20,  pp.  217-224. 

16.  1856:  VON  BABO.    Analyse  eines  Meteorsteins.    Verb.   Freiburg.  Naturforsch.  Gesellsch.,  Bd.  1,  Hft.  2,  pp. 

256-257  (analysis). 

17.  1857:  KRANTZ.    Ueber  Meteoreisen  vom  Toluccathal  in  Mexico.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  101, 

pp.  152-153. 


454  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

18.  1857:  VON  REICHENBACH.    Ueber  die  Meteoriten  aus  dem  Tolucathale  in  Mexico.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem., 

Poggendorff,  Bd.  102,  pp.  621-625. 

19.  1860:  WOHLER.    Analyse  eines  mexicanischen  Meteoreisens.    Ann.  Chem.  Pharm.,  Bd.  115,  pp.  95-96  (new 

analysis  by  Martius). 

20.  1861:  ROSE.    Ueber  das  Vorkommen  von  krystallisirtem  Quartz  in  dem  Meteoreisen  von  Xiquipilco  in  Mexico. 

Monatsber.  Berlin.  Akad.,  pp.  406-409. 

21.  1858-62:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  4,  p.  643;  No.  20,  p.  625;  and  No.  21,  pp.  578,  579,  582,  584,  and  587. 

22.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  60-62. 

23.  1869:  MEUNIBH.    Recherches.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  17,  pp.  49,  50,  and  51. 

24.  1875:  VON  RATH.    Meteorite"n.    Verh.  naturhist.  Verein,  Bonn,  Bd.  32,  pp.  358-361. 

25.  1878:  SMITH.    On  the  composition  of  the  new  meteoric  mineral  Daubre'elite,  etc.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser., vol. 

16,  p.  272. 

26.  1883:  SMITH.    Concretions.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  25,  pp.  417,  418,  and  419. 

27.  1884:  WIEPKEN.    Notizen  fiber  die  Meteoriten  des  Grossherzoglichen  Museums.    5:  Xiquipilco  im  Thale  von 

Toluca,  Mexico.    Abh.  Naturwiss.  Verein,  Bremen,  Bd.  8,  pp.  527-528. 

28.  1885:  BHEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  210,  211,  268  (Sieron  Blanca),  and  233. 

29.  1886:  ANSDELL  and  DEWAR.    On  the  gaseous  constituents  of  meteorites.    Proc.  Roy.  Soc.,  vol.  40,  p.  554. 

30.  1887:  FLIGHT.    Meteorites,  pp.  93-95. 

31.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  pp.  3-4. 

32.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  99,  103, 164-171,  and  174. 

33.  1891:  COHEN  and   WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.   K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp. 

135-142  (analysis). 

34.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien,  II.  Idem,  Bd.  7,  pp.  157-158. 

35.  1895:  LASPEYRES  and  KAISER.    Mittheilungen  aus  d.  mineralogischen  Museum  der  Universitat  Bonn.    36: 

Quarz-und  Zirkonkrystalle  im  Meteoreisen  von  Toluca  in  Mexico.    Zeitschr.  fur  Kryst.,  Bd.  24,  pp.  485-493. 

36.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  274-275. 

37.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien,  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  1895,  pp.  82,  86,  87,  90, 

91,  and  92. 

38.  1899:  COHEN.  Meteoreisen-Studien,  IX.    Idem,  Bd.  13,  p.  484. 

39.  1900:  COHEN.  Meteoreisen-Studien,  X.    Idem,  Bd.  15,  pp.  77-79. 

40.  1900:  COHEN.  Meteoreisen-Studien,  XI.    Idem,  Bd.  15,  p.  390. 


TOMATLAN. 

Jalisco,  Mexico. 

Here  aho  Fomatlan,  Gargantillo,  and  Tulisca. 

Latitude  20°  11'  N.,  longitude  104°  54' W. 

Stone.    Spherical  chondrite  (Cc)  of  Brezina;  Montrejite  (type  38,  subtype  1)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  September  17,  1879. 

Weight,  several  stones,  the  largest  not  far  from  1  kg.  (2  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Shepard  1  as  follows : 

For  my  knowledge  of  the  Fomatldn  meteorite  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Carlos  F.  de  Landero,  engineer,  of  Guadalajara, 
Mexico.  Along  with  a  fragment  weighing  142  grams  came  his  letter  of  March  11,  stating  that  it  formed  a  portion  of  a 
stone  that  fell  "about  the  end  of  the  year  1883  on  the  farm  of  El  Garganitello,  near  the  coast  in  the  State  of  Jalisco." 

The  fragment  is  somewhat  prismatic  in  shape,  2.5  inches  long  and  1.5  inches  in  each  of  its  two  other  dimensions. 
The  broadest  side  retains  the  original  black  crust,  which  is  rough  and  dull,  with  a  thickness  rather  above  the  average 
in  meteoric  stones.  It  is  broken  with  medium  facility,  showing  a  rather  lighter  color  than  common  in  these  bodies. 
It  abounds  in  pisiform  grains  of  a  pearl-gray  or  brownish  color,  varying  in  size  from  a  pea  downward  to  that  of  mustard 
seed.  The  larger  of  these  may  be  described  as  not  strictly  pisiform  but  rather  flattened  globules  or  imperfect  crystals, 
with  rounded  edges  and  angles.  They  often  exhibit  a  single  tolerably  distinct  cleavage  in  one  direction,  the  traces  of 
another  perpendicular  thereto. 

The  basis  in  which  the  globules  are  imbedded  is  rather  peculiar.  It  is  many  shades  lighter  in  color  than  the 
globules,  and  is  fine  granular  resembling  certain  massive  albites.  Under  the  lens  it  appears  an  intimate  mixture  of 
the  broken  gray  globules  and  a  white  mineral.  This  last  in  the  field  of  the  compound  microscope  is  seen  to  consist  of 
sharply  crystalline,  transparent,  or  semitransparent  grains,  and  closely  resembles  the  chladnite  of  the  Bishopville 
meteorite.  It  should  be  mentioned  that  the  pisiform  globules  situated  within  an  inch  of  the  crust  are  much  stained 
with  iron  rust. 

But  the  striking  peculiarity  of  the  Jalisco  stone  is  the  prevalence  everywhere  of  octahedral  crystals  of  nickeliferous 
iron.  These  are  so  distinct  as  to  be  recognizable  with  the  naked  eye,  the  brilliant  equilateral  triangular  faces  coming 
into  view  by  every  change  of  position  in  the  specimen.  Now  and  then  a  surface  presents  a  pitted  or  dissected  appear- 
ance similar  to  what  is  common  in  quartz  crystals.  One  or  two  instances  were  noted  where  a  tendency  to  the  arborescent 
structure  showed  itself,  the  octahedra  being  aggregated  in  a  common  line,  and  only  touching  by  the  tips  of  their  pyra- 
mids. Neither  the  irregular  globular  form  or  the  twisted  pisiform  shape  of  the  substance,  sometimes  visible  in  meteoric 
stones,  is  recognizable  in  the  present  case.  » 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  455 

This  observation  at  first  led  me  to  suppose  that  the  Jalisco  stone  offered  the  first  instance  of  well-defined  crystals  of 
nickeliferous  iron.  But  on  recurring  to  the  stones  of  several  other  localities,  I  find  their  presence  is  by  no  means  rare, 
although  they  have  not  hitherto  attracted  attention.  The  following  of  those  showing  occasional  crystals  may  be 
instanced:  Rochester,  Sumner  County,  Little  Piney,  Richmond,  Yorkshire,  Montrejean,  Daniels  Kuill,  New  Concord, 
Vouille',  Erxleben,  and  Affianello. 

The  crystals  are  uniformly  distributed,  penetrating  even  to  the  center  of  the  chrysolite  globules,  and  are  often  so 
minute  as  to  be  invisible  without  the  aid  of  a  glass.  To  effect  their  entire  separation  by  the  magnet  is  wholly  impossible. 
Neither  can  their  estimation  be  accomplished  by  the  aid  of  acids,  since  the  chrysolite  is  more  or  less  decomposed  by 
the  same  action  that  dissolves  the  crystals.  The  nearest  approximation  to  their  percentage,  as  determined  mechani- 
cally, gave  it  about  7  per  cent,  though  t.hia  is  probably  too  high,  through  the  adhesion  of  Jthe  pulverized  chrysolite  in 
the  process  of  separation.  . 

Particles  of  crystalline  troilite  of  considerable  size  adhere  occasionally  to  the  nickeliferous  iron,  though  on  an 
average  they  can  not  exceed  0.5  per  cent  of  the  stone.  The  treatment  of  the  metallic  portion  of  the  stone  in  aqua  regia 
left  undissolved  a  few  very  minute  black  shining  scales  of  a  plumbaginous  nature  together  with  equally  minute  non- 
magnetic, dull,  octahedral  crystals  of  chromite,  which  gave  with  borax  the  characteristic  chromium  reaction. 

Equally  difficult,  as  in  the  case  of  the  nickeliferous  iron,  is  the  dete  mination  of  the  proportions  of  the  chrysolite  and 
the  supposed  chladnite.  The  nearest  estimate  I  can  make  would  be  eight  of  the  former  to  one  of  the  latter,  thus  pre- 
senting the  following  approximative  table  for  the  mineralogical  constitution  of  the  meteorite: 

Chrysolite 80 

Chladnite? 10 

Nickeliferous  iron 7 

Troilite 1 

Chromite ,..[ 3 

Peroxide  of  ironj 

loo 

The  specific  gravity  as  determined  upon  two  fragments,  each  having  about  one-third  of  its  surface  covered  by 
crust,  was  3.47  to  3.48. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  observed  that  the  shape  of  the  specimen  indicated  it  to  have  belonged  to  a  stone  several 
inches  in  diameter.  Additional  particulars  relating  to  the  fall  will  probably  be  furnished  hereafter,  through  inquiries 
promised  by  Mr.  Landero. 

Addendum. 

The  delay  which  has  occurred  in  the  publication  of  the  foregoing  enables  me  to  append  thereto  the  very  interesting 
extract  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  De  Landero,  dated  Guadalajara.  May  30,  1885: 

"  Respecting  the  exact  date  of  the  fall,  I  shall  sooner  or  later  be  able  to  fix  it  with  precision.  The  aerolite  passed 
over  the  town  of  Fomatlan  (40  miles  south-southeast  of  Cape  Conientes,  a  village  of  800  inhabitants,  belonging  to  the 
canton  of  Maseota  in  our  State  of  Jalisco,  at  a  height  of  some  three  to  five  thousand  feet,  between  4  and  5  p.  m. 
It  was  a  very  clear  day.  Many  persons  saw  the  aerolite  and  heard  the  explosion  it  made,  which  was  very  powerful. 
Its  direction  was  from  southeast  to  northwest.  It  left  a  white  cloud  in  its  track.  Two  or  three  fragments  fell  8  miles 
northwest  of  Fomatlan  between  the  houses  of  the  Gargantillo  farm.  The  latitude  of  Fomatlan  is  19°  44'  north,  and  its 
longitude  6°  2<Y  west  of  the  City  of  Mexico.  Its  elevation  above  the  sea  is  about  100  feet. 

"The  administrator  of  the  Gargantillo  farm,  Cesareo  Rodriguez,  gathered  two  or  three  fragments  of  the  meteorite 
a  few  minutes  after  their  fall,  when  they  were  still  at  a  burning  heat.  The  largest  of  these  weighed  about  2  pounds. 
The  main  body  of  the  meteorite,  which  must  have  been  very  large,  continued  on  its  path  to  the  northwest  and  fell  into 
a  large  lagoon  4  or  5  miles  distant  from  the  farm. 

'•My  uncle,  Mr.  Joaquin  Castanos,  who  was  at  that  time  in  Fomatlan,  received  one  of  the  fragments  from  the  hands 
of  Cesareo  Rodriguez,  and  kept  it  for  me.  I  made  a  determination  of  the  specific  gravity  of  the  meteorite  upon  a  frag- 
ment weighing  28.5  grams,  the  result  of  which  was  3.49." 

A  late  letter  gives  September  17,  1879,  as  the  time  of  fall. 

The  meteorite  was  at  first  known  after  Shepard's  description  by  the  name  of  Gargantillo, 
but  as  this  was  the  name  of  the  ranch  alone  the  name  was  later  changed  to  that  of  the  town  near 
by,  of  Tomatlan,  erroneously  spelled  Fomatlan  by  Shepard.  Castillo 2  gives  it  the  name  Gar- 
gantillo and  the  date  of  fall  as  September  17,  1879.  Fletcher3  first  uses  the  name  Tomatlan, 
since  adopted  as  correct. 

Brezina,4  under  the  name  Gargantillo,  classes  the  meteorite  as  a  spherical  chondrite,  Cc, 
and  describes  the  Vienna  specimen  as  follows : 

Gargantillo  has  a  very  porous,  friable  groundmass,  thick  crust,  large  chondri,  many  brown  flecks  like  Sarbanovac, 
the  iron  abundant  with  traces  of  crystal  faces. 

Wulfing 5  notes  discrepancies  in  the  date  of  fall  given  by  different  authors,  some  giving  it  as 
August.  From  the  above  records,  however,  there  seems  no  reason  to  doubt  the  correctness  of 
the  date  September  17. 


456  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Only  789  grains,  according  to  Wiilfing,  are  preserved  in  collections,  and  of  this  the  Washing- 
ton Shepard  collection  contains  the  largest  amount,  511  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1885:  SHEPARD.     On  the  meteorite  of  Fomatlan,  Jalisco,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  sv,r.,  vol.  30,  pp.  105-108. 

2.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  13. 

3.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral  Mag.,  vol.  9,  p.  95. 

4.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  256. 

5.  1897:  WULFINO.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  126. 


Tombigbee  River.    See  De  Sotoville. 


TOMHANNOCK  CREEK. 

Rensselaer  County,  New  York. 
Here  also  Ironhannock  Creek. 
.       Latitude  42°  52'  N.,  longitude  73°  35'  W. 

Stone.    Brecciated  gray  chondrite  (Cgb);  Logronite  (type  31)  of  Meunier. 
Found  about  1863;  described  1887. 
Weight,  about  1.5  kgs.  (3  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  mentioned  by  Brezina  '  in  his  1885  catalogue  under  the  name  of 
Ironhannock  Creek.  A  fragment  of  22  grams  is  described  by  him  as  follows: 

Of  a  dark  grayish-green  color,  resembling  the  dark  green  of  Homestead.  Somewhat  lustrous  in  fracture,  similar 
to  the  spherical  chondrites.  The  crust  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  groundmass. 

This  fragment  was  presumably  acquired  by  the  Vienna  Museum  from  Bailey,  who  in  1887  2 
gave  the  following  further  description  of  the  meteorite : 

Discovered  about  1863  by  Mr.  H.  Bancker,  of  Schaghticoke,  New  York,  near  the  base  of  a  large  tree  on  the  bank 
of  the  Tomhannock  Creek  in  Rensselaer  County.  (About  15  years  previous  Mr.  Bancker  had  found  a  similar  stone  in 
his  swine  yard,  which,  however,  was  lost  sight  of.  The  one  under  consideration  was  found  quite  a  distance  away 
from  the  house,  whither  he  had  removed  the  other  one.) 

This  stone  is  very  round,  with  an  average  diameter  of  10  cm.,  and  weighs  about  1.5  kg.  It  was  encircled  with  a 
zone  of  broad  deep  pittings.  The  crust  is  entire,  except  where  a  fragment  has  been  broken  off  and  a  small  crack  prob- 
ably caused  by  the  blow  of  the  hammer.  The  crust  is  of  very  uniform  thickness,  black,  hard,  thin,  unglazed,  but 
quite  smooth,  and  scarcely  thicker  than  stout  note  paper. 

The  freshly  fractured  surface  shows  a  reddish-brown  color,  with  a  slight  trace  of  blackish-green  when  held  in  a 
certain  light;  its  texture  is  very  fine,  compact,  and  hard,  and  a  little  slaty  in  structure;  shows  no  traces  of  iron  even 
under  the  lens,  but  when  cut  with  the  diamond  saw  the  iron  appears  in  brilliant  specks,  like  "pepper  and  salt"  cloth. 

The  stone  takes  a  high  polish,  which  gives  the  surface  a  translucent,  mottled  appearance,  with  patches  of  clear 
seal  brown,  spots  of  a  gray  color,  and  a  few  "kugelchen"  or  grains  of  an  oolitic  structure. 

In  general  the  section  surface  resembles  that  of  the  Seres,  Macedonia,  stone. 

Analysis  of  metallic  portion  by  F.  A.  Wilber: 

Metallic  iron 13. 02 

Nickel 3. 06 

In  1895  Brezina  4  seems  to  have  had  cause  to  doubt  the  genuineness  of  the  reported  history 
of  the  meteorite,  and  concluded  that  it  was  a  stone  of  the  Homestead  fall  ascribed  to  the  New 
York  locality.  He  states  his  opinion  as  follows: 

Tomhannock  Creek  should  perhaps  be  withdrawn  from  the  list  of  meteorites.  In  thin  section  the  similarity  of 
this  stone  with  that  of  Homestead,  in  respect  to  their  dark-green  color,  is  very  marked;  they  agree  perfectly  also  in 
respect  to  the  very  peculiar  composition  of  the  crust,  which  can  scarcely  be  distinguished  from  the  groundmass.  In 
America,  moreover,  there  is  a  doubt  as  to  the  occurrence  of  a  fall  at  that  point.  Here,  also,  doubtless  belongs  the 
Yorktown,  New  York,  meteorite  of  1869,  of  which  Siemaschko  obtained  a  fragment  from  Gregory.  It  is  a  rather  dark- 
gray  chondrite,  which  corresponds  with  the  middle  part  of  Homestead  or  the  brighter  portion  of  Tomhannock. 

Meunier  5  classes  Tomhannock  Creek  as  logronite.  Newton  3  lists  the  meteorite  among 
those  which  show  a  lineal  arrangement  of  the  metallic  grains. 

At  present  the  meteorite  is  generally  regarded  as  a  distinct  fall  and  is  so  listed  in  most 
catalogues.  The  principal  mass  (1,345  grams)  is  in  the  possession  of  Bailey,  but  a  number  of 
grams  are  distributed. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  457 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1885:  BREZD.-A.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  183  and  233. 

2.  1887:  BAILEY.    On  an  aerolite  from  Rensselaer  County,  New  York.     Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  34,  pp.  60-62. 

(Analysis  by  F.  A.  Wilber  and  illustration  of  stone.) 

3.  1893:  NEWTON.    Lines  of  structure  in  the  Winnebago  County  meteorites  and  in  other  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sea., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  35,  pp.  45,  153,  and  355. 

4.  1895:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  251. 

5.  1895:  MEUXIER.    Revision  des  lithosidentes,  pp.  33,  36-37. 

6.  1897:  WOLFING.     Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  361. 


TONGANOXIE. 

Leavenworth  County,  Kansas. 
Latitude  39°  6'  N.,  longitude  95°  IV  W. 
Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 
Found  1886;  described  1891. 
Weight,  11.5  kgs.  (26  Ibs.). 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  was  by  Snow,1  as  follows: 

The  year  1890  has  brought  to  scientific  knowledge  a  larger  number  of  tangible  celestial  visitants  than  all  preceding 
years  combined.  Up  to  this  year  the  Waconda  meteorite  was  the  only  representative  from  Kansas  on  the  list  of 
authentic  meteoric  falls.  In  March  of  this  year  the  now  famous  group  of  irons  from  Kiowa  County  was  made  known 
to  science;  and  on  June  25,  1890,  the  Washington  County  aerolite  was  heard  and  seen  to  fall  at  midday  by  thousands 
of  Kansas  citizens;  and  now,  just  at  the  close  of  the  year,  I  have  the  pleasure  of  announcing  a  third  fall  of  unknown 
date.  This  may  be  called  the  Tonganoxie  meteorite.  So  far  as  is  now  known,  this  fall  consists  of  a  single  specimen, 
weighing  26.5  pounds.  It  is  an  iron  of  ordinary  character  (not  a  pallasite).  It  is  of  an  irregular  shape,  and  is  thought 
by  the  owner  to  resemble  a  lion  couchant.  It  is  9.75  inches  long,  6.5  inches  wide,  and  3.5  inches  deep. 

This  meteorite  is  the  property  of  Mr.  H.  C.  Fellows.  *  *  *  Mr.  Fellows  bought  it  in  the  spring  of  1889  of  Mr. 
Quincy  Baldwin,  who  found  it  upon  his  farm,  1  mile  west  of  Tonganoxie  town,  in  1886.  Mr.  Baldwin  was  not  aware 
of  its  true  character,  although  he  had  manufactured  a  fishhook  from  a  small  fragment  of  the  iron.  He  considered  it 
to  be  a  piece  of  iron  ore,  and  proposed  to  start  an  iron  mine  upon  his  farm;  but  this  fragment  proved  to  be  the  only 
"indication,"  and  the  mining  project  was  reluctantly  abandoned.  This  meteorite  is  now  deposited  in  the  museum 
of  the  University  of  Kansas,  but  is  still  the  property  of  Mr.  Fellows.  A  preliminary  analysis  shows  the  presence  of 
iron,  nickel,  and  cobalt.  Prof.  E.  H.  S.  Bailey  will  soon  publish  a  complete  analysis. 

A  small  portion  of  the  surface  has  been  polished,  and  exhibits  very  distinctly  the  Widmannstatten  figures.  Care- 
ful search  has  recently  been  made  for  other  fragments  of  this  meteorite  on  the  Baldwin  farm  and  vicinity,  but  without 
success. 

Bailey  2  gave  a  further  account  and  analysis,  as  follows: 

Dr.  F.  H.  Snow  *  published  a  preliminary  notice  in  regard  to  the  discovery  of  the  Tonganoxie  meteorite.  The 
specimen  was  picked  up  in  1886  by  Mr.  Quincy  Baldwin,  on  his  farm  a  mile  west  of  the  town  of  Tonganoxie,  Leaven- 
worth  County,  Kansas.  The  true  nature  of  the  specimen  was  not  understood  by  thje  original  owner.  He  experimented 
with  it  so  far  as  to  make  a  fislihook  from  a  fragment  of  it,  and  thought  its  occurrence  was  an  indication  that  there  was 
an  iron  mine  on  his  fsBrn.  Since,  however,  he  was  unable  to  find  any  more  specimens,  the  iron  mine  theory  was  aban- 
doned. Mr.  Baldwin  disposed  of  the  meteorite  to  Mr.  H.  C.  Fellows,  then  principal  of  the  Friends'  Academy,  in  Ton- 
ganoxie, and  from  him  it  has  been  purchased  by  Doctor  Snow,  and  it  is  now  in  the  museum  of  the  University  of  Kansas. 
The  specimen  originally  weighed  a  little  over  26  pourfds,  but  a  slice  has  been  cut  from  the  smaller  end,  in  order 
to  obtain  a  plane  surface  that  the  structure  might  be  studied,  and  the  present  weight  is  23.25  pounds  (10.55  kg.).  Its 
shape  is  that  of  an  irregular  triangular  pyramid;  the  length  being  9.5  inches,  the  width  6.5  inches,  and  the  depth  4.5 
inches.  The  specific  gravity  is  7.45,  as  compared  with  water  at  its  greatest  density.  This  specific  gravity  was  taken 
by  weighing  the  whole  meteorite. 

As  can  be  seen  by  an  examination  of  an  accompanying  figure,  the  surface  of  the  meteorite  shows  numerous  depres- 
sions, some  of  them  quite  large.  The  entire  exterior  is  covered  with  a  reddish-black  coating.  This  seems  to  be  com- 
posed of  scales  of  oxide  of  iron.  These  scales  are  brittle  and  readily  attracted  by  the  magnet.  After  the  specimen 
had  been  for  some  time  exposed  to  the  air,  after  being  handled,  numerous  droplets  of  chloride  of  iron  appeared  on  the 
surface.  These  seem  to  exude  from  minute  cracks  or  to  come  from  under  the  scales.  The  occurrence  of  chloride  of 
iron  and  its  exuding  in  this  way  is  by  no  means  uncommon  in  meteorites.  To  the  fact  of  its  presence  is  probably  due 
the  great  tendency  to  scale  noticed  above.  This  iron  salt  gradually  changes  to  a  brown  friable  oxide. 
The  analysis  shows  the  following  composition: 

Iron 91. 18 

Nickel 7. 93 

Cobalt 0.39 

Phosphorus 0. 10 

Copper trace 

99.60 


458  MEMOIKS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

A  test  made  for  sulphur,.on  the  same  sample  analyzed  above,  showed  only  a  possible  trace,  but  an  examination 
was  made  of  a  sample  of  turnings,  somewhat  oxidized,  and  a  very  perceptible  precipitate  of  barium  sulphate  was 
obtained.  Scattered  over  the  polished  surface  may  be  seen  occasional  long  slender  crystals,  sometimes  branching, 
also  several  nodular  masses  of  a  bronze  color.  These  are  without  doubt  troilite  (iron-nickel  sulphide).  The  larger 
particles  are  near  the  center  of  the  polished  end,  as  though  the  last  to  crystallize.  The  troilite  can  not  be  seen  till 
the  surface  has  been  polished  with  oil  and  emery.  As  this  mineral  is  so  irregularly  distributed  there  was  probably 
only  a  very  small  quantity  in  the  particular  piece  analyzed.  The  Widmannstatten  figures  came  out  very  perfectly 
with  nitric  acid.  *  *  *  The  octahedral  form  of  crystallization  is  apparent,  but  it  is  not  possible  to  distinguish  the 
Neumann  lines  that  are  believed  to  indicate  the  cubic  form  of  crystallization.  It  is,  however,  possible,  as  some 
observers  have  noted,  that  some  other  surface,  if  polished,  would  show  this  form.  A  crack  extends  across  the  surface 
on  the  etched  side,  and  other  small  cracks  lead  into  it.  These  are  all  filled  with  a  black  mineral,  probably  made  up 
of  the  oxidized  metals.  The  cracks  in  an  irregular  way  follow  the  lines  between  the  crystals. 

On  examining  this  meteorite  with  the  magnetic  needle,  it  was  found  that  there  are  several  distinct  poles.  Mr.  A. 
G.  Mayer  has  plotted  the  lines  of  magnetic  force,  so  as  to  show  their  true  relation.  The  position  of  the  poles  might 
be  expected  to  be  near  the  ends,  but  this  is  not  the  case  in  this  specimen. 

As  the  meteorite  is  irregular  as  described,  and  quite  flat  and  comparatively  free  from  cavities  on  one  side,  the 
question  naturally  arises,  Is  it  not  a  fragment  thrown  off  from  a  much  larger  mass?  A  careful  examination  of  the  mass 
will  render  such  a  theory,  to  say  the  least,  very  probable,  but  whether  this  mass  was  brought  here  by  human  or  geologic 
agencies,  or  whether  its  companions  still  exist  in  the  vicinity,  it  is  at  present  impossible  to  state.  A  careful  search 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  farm  where  it  was  found  fails  to  reveal  any  other  specimens. 

The  meteorite  is  somewhat  distributed,  the  University  of  Kansas  possessing  the  main  mass. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1891:  SNOW.    Mention  in  Science  for  January  2,  1891. 

2.  1891:  BAILEY.    The  Tonganoxie  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  42,  pp.  385-387.     (Analysis,  illustra- 

tion of  the  iron,  and  an  etching.) 

TRAVIS  COUNTY. 
Texas. 

Latitude  30°  2(X  N.,  longitude  97°  43'  W. 
Stone.    Black  chondrite  (Cs),  of  Brezina. 
Found  ?;  described  1890. 
Weight,  2  kgs.  (5  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Eakins  1  as  follows: 

•  This  meteorite  was  found  in  Travis  County,  Texas,  and  brought  to  notice  by  Prof.  E.  T.  Hill,  of  the  University 
of  Texas,  who  presented  the  piece  first  obtained  by  him  to  the  United  States  National  Museum.  This  piece,  of  an 
irregular  shape,  and  weighing  about  2.5  kg.,  is  supposed  to  be  but  a  fragment  of  a  much  larger  mass. 

It  has  a  superficial  coating  of  a  yellowish-brown  color  where  it  has  been  subjected  to  weathering,  but  on  a  frac- 
tured, unaltered  surface  it  is  dull  black  with  a  slight  grayish  tinge.  It  is  hard,  compact,  and  very  tough;  to  the 
unaided  eye  the  stony  mass  is  very  uniform  in  structure,  and  none  of  the  composing  silicates  can  be  distinguished, 
but  troilite  can  be  plainly  seen  scattered  through  it,  and  on  a  polished  surface  the  metallic  particles  are  also  visible. 
Under  the  microscope,  the  stony  portion  seems  to  consist  chiefly  of  oiivine  and  enstatite,  with  a  small  quantity  of  a 
colorless  mineral,  which  is  probably  a  feldspar;  the  analysis  also  indicates  the  presence  of  a  felflspar,  while  chromite 
was  also  unmistakably  present.  The  mass  has  a  specific  gravity  of  3.543  at  30°,  and  its  analysis  as  a  whole  is  as 

follows:                    o-r*  AA  ic. 

SiO2 * 44.  75 

A1203 2.72 

Cr203 52 

Cu trace 

FeO 16.  04 

Fe 1.  83 

NiO 52 

Ni 22 

Co 01 

MnO trace 

CaO 2.  23 

MgO 27.  93 

K20 13 

Na,O 1. 13 

P266 41 

S 1.  83 

H20 84 


101. 11 
Less  O  for  S 92 

100.19 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  459 

Analysis  of  the  metallic  portion  extracted  by  an  electromagnet  and  dissolved  by  copper  sulphate  gave: 

Fe  Ni          Co 

88.74        10.68        58    =100.00 

Further  study  of  the  soluble  and  insoluble  silicates  gave  the  following  as  the  probable  constitution  of  the 
meteorite: 

Metallic 2.23 

Troilite 5. 03 

Soluble  i»  acids 39.  84 

Insoluble  in  acids 52. 42 


99.52 

Wulfing  2  inquired  if  this  meteorite  does  not  belong  to  the  same  fall  as  Bluff,  and  it  seems 
not  impossible  that  such  is  the  case.  The  distance  from  Bluff  to  the  border  line  of  Travis 
County  is  only  40  miles  and  it  is  well  known  that  pieces  of  the  Bluff  meteorite  were  widely 
distributed.  The  external  appearance  of  the  meteorites  is  also  similar.  The  analysis  of  Travis 
County  shows  some  differences  from  that  of  Bluff,  especially  a  higher  percentage  of  silica  and 
•  the  presence  of  alkalies. 

Brezina,3  in  Ward's  catalogue,  classes  Travis  County  as  a  black  chondrite  and  Bluff  as  a 
brecciated  crystalline  chondrite.  It  is  possible,  therefore,  that  the  differences  are  sufficient  to 
warrant  regarding  the  falls  as  separate. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  EAKDJS.    A  new  stone  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  39,  pp.  59-61;  also  Bull.  U.  8.  Geol.  Sur- 

vey No.  78,  pp.  91-93. 

2.  1897:  WUUING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  365. 

3.  1904:  WARD.    The  Ward-Coonley  Collection  of  Meteorites,  p.  66. 

TRENTON. 

Washington  County,  Wisconsin. 

Here  also  Milwaukee,  Washington  County,  1858,  and  Wisconsin. 

Latitude  43°  22'  N.,  longitude  88°  8'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om),  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18),  of  Meunier. 

Found  1858;  described  1869.    Further  masses  found  1869,  1871. 

Weight:  Six  masses  weighing  65  kgs.  (143  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Smith1  as  follows: 

These  meteorites  were  first  brought  to  my  notice  by  Mr.  I.  A.  Lapham,  of  Wisconsin,  and  his  attention  was  called 
to  them  by  Mr.  C.  Daflinger,  secretary  of  the  German  Natural  History  Society  of  Wisconsin.  They  were  discovered 
in  the  town  of  Trenton,  Washington  County,  Wisconsin,  and  I  have  called  them  the  "Wisconsin  meteorites."  Up  to 
the  present  time  fragments  have  been  found  indicating  that  these  meteorites  were  of  the  same  fall  and  separated  at 
no  great  elevation.  They  were  found  within  a  space  of  10  or  12  yards,  very  near  the  north  line  of  the  40-acre  lot  of 
Louis  Korb,  in  latitude  43°  22'  north  and  longitude  88°  8'  west  from  Greenwich,  and  about  30  miles  northwest  of  Mil- 
waukee. They  were  so  near  the  surface  as  to  be  turned  up  with  the  plow.  They  weigh  respectively,  60,  16, 10,  and 
8  pounds  and  present  the  usual  pitted  and  irregular  surfaces.  The  largest  of  the  meteorites  in  its  extreme  dimen- 
sions is  14  inches  long,  8  inches  wide,  and  4  inches  thick,  weighing  62  pounds.  Its  specific  gravity  is  7.82  and 
composition: 

Fe  Ni          Co  P  Chi         Insoluble 

91.03        7.20        0.53        0.14         trace  .45      =99.35 

A  polished  surface  when  etched  gives  well-marked  Widmannstatten  figures.  There  ia  something,  however,  pecul- 
iar about  the  markings  on  this  iron,  which  ia  doubtless  common  to  other  irons,  but  which  has  heretofore  escaped  my 
observation;  and  I  can  not  discover,  in  a  hasty  investigation,  that  it  has  been  noticed  by  others.  My  attention  was 
called  to  this  peculiarity  by  Mr.  Lapham,  on  a  slice  of  the  meteorite  I  sent  him  etched.  Should  these  markings  be 
entitled  to  a  separate  notice,  I  propose  calling  them  "Laphamite  markings." 

An  analysis  by  Bode  2  gave  the  following  results : 

Fe  Ni  Co  P 

89.22        10.79        trace        0.69    =100.70 
Specific  gravity,  7.3272. 

In  1872  Lapham  3  reported  the  discovery  of  two  additional  masses  of  the  meteorite  weighing, 
respectively,  16.25  and  33  pounds.  These,  he  states,  were  found  in  the  same  field  as  the  others. 


460  VKMnras  XATIOXAL  ACADEMY  OF  SOESCES,  TOL^  XHL 

f  FIJI  •  ••In  i  •!••!••  ••Ilii  iina  mi  •••mill  Tli  i 


In  18S5  be*  fwher  described  the 


four  nearly  complete 


given  by  acids  is  remarkably  regular  and  approaches 

of  Lanhamtte  markmcs  ws  erxo~ 


of  naiy24  fcgB.  are  given  by  WHfiag. 
10,400  IJIIMI  and  Harvard  University  6^49 

12^17, 3,586, 3,515,  and  2,009 


- .-. : : .  :    ;  ;: 


t(tjpe«)of] 

toe  crest  HUBS  of  UBBCOBBKNI.  '^^p***"**^  rtiig  iiiff^fBffpt^  M^P  loQowi 

;  of  the  meteorite  mre  known,  both  found  in  a  p*ss  caDed  Los  ! 


the  Santa  Bha  Moimtains^  about  3O  miles  sootheast  of  Toraon,  Arizooa.  The  original  date  of 
the  finding  of  these  manes  is  not  known  but  it  ma y  have  been  as  earir  as  the  sixteenth  century. 
Oi^  of  the  masBesfe  ring-diaped  aiwl  weighed  originanv  1,51 4  pounds  (6S8  kg.).  Of  this,  1,400 
pounds  (635  kg.),  or  essentially  the  whole  maw,  is  in  the  United  States  National  Museum  in 
Washington.  This  has  been  known  by  the  names  of  Bartlett,  Ainsa,  Irwin,  King  Meteorite, 
Signet  meteorite,  Santa  Rita,  Tucson,  and  combinations  of  die  above  names.  The  other  mass 
is  elongated  kidney-shaped  and  weighs  632  pounds  &87  kg.).  It  is  preserved  practically  entire 
in  the  mnom  of  the  Cafifornia  State  Mining  Bureau  in  San  Francisco.  It  has  been  known 
the  names  of  Arizona,  Carleton,  Sierra  de  Santa  Catarina,  Tucson,  and  combinations  of 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  461 

these  names.     The  names  associated  with  the  two  masses  are  chiefly  those  of  the  localities 
where  they  were  seen  or  obtained,  or  of  parties  who  saw  the  masses  or  aided  in  their  removal. 
The  first  published  mention  of  the  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Velasco  '  in  1860.     His 
statement,  as  quoted  by  Fletcher,  is  as  follows: 

Between  the  presidio  of  Tucson  and  Tubac  ifi  a  mountain  range  called  Sierra  de  la  Madera  and  a  pass  called  Puerto 
de  los  Muchachos.  In  it  are  seen  enormous  masses  of  native  iron,  and  many  .have  rolled  to  the  foot  of  the  said  sierra. 
One  of  the  masses  of  a  moderate  size  was  transported  to  Tucson  and  has  stood  for  many  years  in  the  plaza  (square)  of 
the  said  presidio. 

The  next  mention  was  by  Dr.  John  L.  Le  Conte,2  of  Philadelphia,  in  an  oral  statement  made 
by  him  at  a  meeting  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  held  at  Albany 
in  August,  1851.  Two  accounts  of  this  statement  have  been  published.  According  to  the  first 
and  brief  official  account,  Dr.  Le  Conte,  "while  passing  through  the  village  of  Tucson  in  the 
preceding  February,  had  observed  two  large  pieces  of  meteoric  iron  in  use  by  the  blacksmiths  of 
the  town  as  anvils."  They  were  irregular  in  form,  and  although  embedded  in  the  ground  to 
make  them  steady  for  use  they  were  about  3  feet  high.  Notwithstanding  the  offer  of  a  high 
price  "he  was  unable  to  get  any  bits  broken  from  the  anvils,  but  was  guided  to  a  canyon  between 
two  mountain  ridges  in  the  immediate  vicinity  from  which  both  pieces  had  been  taken,  where 
the  masses  of  the  meteorites  were  so  abundant  as  to  have  given  name  to  the  canyon." 

A  year  later,  in  July,  1852,  the  two  large  masses  were  seen  at  Tucson  by  John  Russell 
Bartlett,4  then  the  United  States  commissioner  for  the  delimitation  of  the  United  States  and 
Mexican  frontier. 

One,  a  ring-shaped  mass,  of  which  he  gives  a  figure,  was  in  use  as  an  anvil  in  the  black- 
smith's shop.  He  wrote  as  follows : 

It  was  found  about  20  miles  distant  toward  Tobac,  and  about  8  miles  from  the  road,  where  we  were  told  are  many 
larger  masses.  There  ia  another  mass  within  the  garrison  grounds,  of  which  I  did  not  take  a  sketch.  With  much  labor 
Dr.  Webb  broke  off  a  fragment  of  this  meteorite  for  the  purpose  of  analysis. 

Bartlett  described  the  exterior  as  smooth  and  even,  the  interior  uneven  in  some  parts  and 
indented. 

In  November,  1854,  Shepard 5  gave  a  description  of  some  small  fragments,  the  largest  not 
more  than  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  in  weight,  which  had  been  sent  by  Lieut.  John  G.  Parke,  of  the 
United  States  Topographical  Engineers,  on  his  return  from  Sonora.  Parke  had  just  been 
engaged  in  the  survey  for  a  railroad  across  the  continent  and  had  chipped  off  the  fragments 
while  at  Tucson  in  February,  1854;  he  was  told  that  there  were  three  masses,  though  only  the 
two  larger  ones  were  seen  by  him.  According  to  information  supplied  by  Parke  they — 

were  found  in  a  cafiada  of  the  Santa  Rita  Mountain,  about  25  or  30  miles  to  the  south  of  Tucson.  Two  of  them  were 
shown  to  us  by  the  commandante,  both  being  used  as  anvils.  One  lies  within  the  presidio,  and  is  of  a  very  peculiar 
form,  being  angular  and  somewhat  like  a  seal  ring  of  huge  proportions.  Its  exterior  diameter  is  about  3.5  fe«t;  its 
interior  about  2  feet.  It  weighs  nearly  1,200  pounds.  The  other  piece  is  in  front  of  the  Alcalde  house.  It  weighs 
about  1,000  pounds  and  has  an  elongated  prismatic  form,  serving  well  the  purposes  of  an  anvil.  It  is  partially  buried 
in  the  soil,  but  has  2  feet  of  its  length  projecting  above  the  ground.  The  alcalde  and  commandante  would  not  con- 
sent to  our  removing  the  masses,  even  if  we  had  had  the  means. 

Shepard  observed  numerous  white  inclusions  as  large  as  pin  heads,  which  he  regarded  as 
chladnite  (enstatite) ,  and  remarked  that  the  silicate  upon  a  polished  surface  first  became  notice- 
able after  etching.  He  further  noted  the  absence  of  crystalline  structure,  found  the  tough 
iron,  resembling  white  cast  iron  in  fracture,  to  be  very  resistant  to  acid,  proved  that  it  con- 
tamed  nickel  and  determined  the  specific  gravity  as  6.66. 

Smith '  investigated  material  obtained  from  Parke.  He  observed  unusual  development 
of  Widmannstatten  figures  due  to  the  filling  of  the  hollows  with  silicates,  and  drops  of  iron 
chloride  upon  the  crust.  He  also  determined  the  specific  gravity  at  6.52  to  7.13  and  from  his 
analysis  (see  I  below)  derived  the  f ollowing  composition : 

Nickel  iron 93. 81 

Chromite 0.41 

Schreibersite 0.  84 

Olivine 5.06 

100.12 


462  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

A  few  silicate  grains  were  mechanically  isolated  and  identified  as  olivine,  which  occurs  as 
in  the  pallasite  from  Atacama,  also  in  fine-grained  aggregates. 

In  the  same  year  Genth 7  published  a  chemical  analysis ;  he  announced  that  the  iron  was 
not  passive,  as  Shepard  had  stated,  and  conjectured  a  small  quantity  of  labradorite.  The 
mean  of  three  analyses  by  Genth  follows  under  II. 

It  is  not  certain  which  of  the  two  masses  were  used  in  the  analyses  by  Smith  and  Genth. 

Michler8  named  the  locality  of  this  meteorite  Santa  Rita  (Santa  Rica),  and  the  mountain 
at  the  foot  of  which  Tuscon  is  situated,  he  named  Sierra  de  Santa  Catarina. 

In  1 863,  Brush 9  investigated  a  piece  of  the  second  mass  mentioned  and  described  by  Parke 
as  an  elongated  prism  in  form,  which  was  brought  to  San  Francisco  by  Gen.  Carleton.  The 
length  of  this  mass  was  given  as  124  cm.  and  the  weight  as  286§  kg.  According  to  Brush,  the 
iron  is  active,  has  a  specific  gravity  of  7.29,  and  appears  flecked  with  particles  of  silicate;  after 
treatment  with  acid  there  remains  a  residue  composed  of  partially  disintegrated  olivine,  schrei- 
bersite,  and  a  trace  of  chromite.  From  this  analysis  (III  below)  the  composition  was  esti- 
mated as  89.62  per  cent  nickel  iron  and  10.07  per  cent  olivine,  and  it  was  noted  that  the 
analysis  of  Smith,  estimated  in  the  same  way,  gave  an  olivine  content  of  8.70  per  cent.  Brush 
conjectured  that  the  piece  analyzed  by  Smith  came  from  the  ring-shaped  mass,  which  he  desig- 
nated as  the  "Bartlett  meteorite." 

The  above-mentioned  analyses — I,  Smith's ;  II,  Genth's ;  and  III,  Brush's — are  as  follows : 

Lab- 

Fe        Ni       Co       Cu        P        Cr      Cr203  A12O3  FeO    CaO    MgO    K2O    Na/)  SiO2  rador-  O 

ite 

I..    85.54    8.55    0.61    0.03    0.12    0.00    0.21  trace    0.00    0.00    2.04    0.00    0.00    3.02    0.00  0.00    =100.12 

II.     83.55    9.20    0.39    0.01    0.13    0.17    0.00  trace    0.00    0.51    2.26    0.10    0.17    3.01    1.05  0.00    =100.55 

III    81. 56    9. 17    0. 44    0. 08    0. 49  trace    0. 00  trace    0. 12    1. 16    2. 43    0. 00    0. 00    3. 63    0. 00  0. 61    =  99. 69 

Rose  "  described  a  section  in  the  Berlin  collection  obtained  from  Shepard  as  follows: 

The  polished  surface  is  full  of  small  round  cavities.  After  etching  it  shows  coarse-grained  composite  patches, 
some  of  which  in  a  certain  light.have  a  light  gray,  others  a  darker  gray  color;  in  other  positions  the  shading  ia  reversed. 
The  composite  patches  have  a  very  thin  edging  of  tsenite,  and  many  of  the  small  cavities  have  glazed  walls,  which 
are  conspicuous  upon  the  other  dark  surfaces.  The  composite  surfaces  show  fine,  linear,  straight  furrows,  which  have 
a  character  somewhat  different  from  the  etching  lines. 

Since  the  description  agrees  with  those  of  others,  except  for  the  failure  to  mention  the 
occurrence  of  silicate,  it  would  appear  that  this  had  been  eliminated  in  cutting  or  polishing  the 
plate. 

In  the  same  year  as  Brush,  Haidinger  15  described  the  mass  brought  by  Carleton  to  San 
Francisco,  under  the  name  Carleton-Tucson  and  gave  a  reduced  picture  after  a  photograph 
taken  by  Whitney.  He  compared  the  flat  dish-shaped  or  shield-shaped  form  of  the  meteorite 
with  that  of  Hraschina  and  distinguished  upon  the  specimen  in  the  Vienna  collection  a  smooth 
portion  of  the  surface  and  a  part  provided  with  pittings,  and  conjectured  that  the  former  was 
the  front  part  of  the  mass.  Individual  portions  of  J  to  2  cm.  in  size  show,  according  to  Hai- 
dinger, distinct  metallic  sheen,  as  well  as  occasional  fine  twin  lamellae.  He  noted  further,  a 
sort  of  a  schistose  structure,  which  was  especially  noticeable  upon  the  two  lateral  surfaces,  but 
here  curiously  enough  does  not  agree  with  their  direction.  The  structure  was  described  as 
granular  as  a  whole  and  imperfectly  schistose  in  part.  The  etched  plate  appears  crowned  with 
numerous,  small  stony  particles,  whose  distribution  is  not  entirety  uniform.  The  meteorite, 
he  thought,  should  be  designated  as  a  "granular  iron-stone."  In  a  brief  communication  to 
Haidinger,  Richthofen  gave  the  opinion  that  the  analysis  by  Smith  as  well  as  that  by  Brush, 
related  to  the  Carleton  iron,  since  the  Ainsa  iron  had  a  different  mineralogical  composition. 
It,  he  said,  contains  no  olivine,  but  whitish  crystalline  grains,  which  he  and  Whitney  regarded 
as  anorthite.  For  the  latter  ring-shaped  mass  Haidinger.  used  the  name  "Ainsa-Tucson- 
Meteorite." 

In  1863,  the  ring-shaped  mass,  which  after  the  removal  of  several  pieces  weighed  635  kgs., 
was  also  accessible,  since  it  came  as  a  gift  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington, 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA,  463 

through  the  efforts  of  Irwin  and  the  brothers  Ainsa.  Irwin  ",  who  had  come  into  posses- 
sion of  the  mass  in  1857,  while  it  lay  uneoTcred  in  a  street  of  Tucson,  gave  as  the  place  of 
discovery,  in  accordance  with  the  statement  of  the  natives,  the  Santa  Catarina  Mountains.  It 
was  asserted  that  about  200  years  before  a  fall  of  meteorites  had  taken  place  there  and  large 
masses  of  iron  had  been  left  by  it.  According  to  a  brief  notice  by  Santiago  Ainsa,11  the  iron 
was  long  known  to  the  Jesuits.  He  stated  that  in  1735  his  great  grandfather,  Juan  Baptista 
Ainsa,  had  visited  the  place  of  its  discovery,  Los  Muchadios,  in  the  Sierra  de  la  Madera,  with 
the  view  of  transporting  it  to  Spain.  The  mass  was  then  brought  to  the  garrison  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Tucson,  and  later  into  the  city  itself,  where,  for  lack  of  means  of  transportation,  it 
remained. 

Henry ,u  the  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  ^collected  these  reports  in  1863, 
whereby  he,  in  consequence  of  an  error,  changed  the  locality  to  Los  Muchachos,  in  the  Sierra 
Madre  Mountains.  He  designated  the  block  as  the  Ainsa  meteorite;  but  in  1865  "  he  stated 
that  in  future  it  should  bear  the  label,  "Irwin-Ainsa  Meteorite." 

The  kidney-shaped  mass  was  taken  possession  of  and  sent  to  San  Francisco  in  the  year  1862 
by  Gen.  James  H.  Carleton,  who  was  in  command  of  the  column  from  California.  He  presented 
the  mass  to  the  city  of  San  Francisco  as  a  memento  of  the  march  of  his  column,  and  asked  that 
it  might  be  "placed  upon  the  plaza,  there  to  remain  for  the  inspection  of  the  people  and  for 
examination  by  the  youth  of  the  city  forever."  It  was,  however,  deemed  advisable  to  keep  the 
specimen  in  a  safer  and  drier  place  and  it  was,  accordingly,  removed  to  the  museum  of  the  Society 
of  California  Pioneers.  This  building  was  destroyed  by  the  earthquake  of  1906  and  the  meteorite 
found  in  the  ruins.  It  was  then  removed  to  the  Museum  of  the  State  Mining  Bureau. 

The  shape  and  dimensions  of  this  mass  as  given  by  Whitney  M  were  as  follows: 

Shape  irregular,  but  in  general  that  of  a  fattened  elongated  slab;  length,  49  iadim;  avenge  breadth,  18  inches; 
thickness  varying  from  2  to  5  indies.    Weight,  632  pounds. 

The  dimensions  of  the  ring-shaped  mass  were  given  by  Whitney  "  as  follows: 

Greatest  exterior  diameter. 49        inches    • 

"...--;-.-;..::    :    - >          ;:.:.- 

Greatest  width  of  cental  opening 26.  5    inches 

Least  width  of  central  opening 23        inches     - 

Greatest  thickness  at  right  angles  to  plane  of  ring, 10        inches 

Width  of  thickest  part  of  ring 17.5    inches 

Width  of  narrowest  part 2.75  inches 

Weight  estimated  by  Ainsa  as L  600  pounds 

An  inscription  on  the  specimen  now  gives  the  weight  as 1 .  400  pounds 

Whitney  "  indicated  the  Sierra  de  hi  Santa  Catarina  as  the  locality  of  the  Tucson-Iron  and 
left  it  undetermined  whether  this  was  the  same  mountain  range  which  Velasco  had  called  the 
Sierra  de  la  Madera. 

The  statements  regarding  Tucson,  made  at  different  times  by  Meunier 1J'  **  have  very  little 
agreement  one  with  another.  In  1869  l7  he  gave  the  specific  gravity  of  the  olivine  as  3.35  and 
classed  the  iron  among  those  which  yield  distinct  Widmannstatten  figures;  in  1873  1B  he  pro- 
nounced Tucson  a  mixture  of  teenite  and  nickel-free  iron;  in  1884  *  he  repeated  the  statement 
with  regard  to  the  action  of  etching,  in  one  place,  while  in  another  place  he  declares  that  no  figures 
are  produced  by  the  acid;  in  1893  M  he  stated  that  Tucson  consists  of  a  distinct  alloy  of  nickel- 
iron,  Tucsonine,  with  more  than  10  per  cent  of  nickel;  the  structure  he  said  was  octahedral,  but 
the  iron  yielded  no  figures  with  acid. 

In  1S70  Haidinger  :s  assumed  a  vein-origin  formation  for  the  Carleton-Tucson  meteorite. 
For  the  ring-shaped  Ainsa-Tucson  he  assumed  the  perforation  of  a  flat  iron  mass  rotating  in  the 
direction  of  its  greatest  breadth  by  the  action  of  atmospheric  resistance.  Through  stability  of 
rotation,  he  thought  a  ring  would  form ;  if  this  continued  longer  a  disruption  would  occur  and 
fragments  somewhat  of  the  form  of  Hraschina  would  result. 

Wadsworth  :i  included  Tucson  among  the  pallasites.  According  to  him  the  silicates  are 
arranged  in  the  ring-shaped  mass  approximately  in  regular  rows,  whereby  a  certain  similarity 


464  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

to  fluid  structure  arises.  Small  grains  isolated  by  means  of  a  needle  appeared  for  the  most  part 
as  olivine  with  inclusions  of  gas  bubbles.  A  few  small  fragments,  he  stated,  behaved  like  feldspar, 
sometimes  with,  sometimes  without  twin  striping. 

Brezina 22  distinguished  three  irons  in  1885 — Canada  de  Hiero,  Carleton-Tucson  and 
Tucson- Ainsa.  The  first,  on  account  of  observed  hexahedral  cleavage,  was  included  with  the 
hexahedrites ;  the  two  latter  were,  on  the  contrary,  placed  in  different  divisions  of  the  ataxites, 
"since  they  indeed  showed  a  certain  similarity,  but  not  sufficient,  without  further  investiga- 
tion, to  class  them  together."  In  the  case  of  Carleton-Tucson,  however,  it  was  pointed  out 
that  it  showed  large  flakes  separated  by  fine,  crumpled  veins  of  schreibersite. 

In  1890  Fletcher 23  collected  all  former  investigations  of  importance,  instituted  a  critical 
examination  of  the  credibility  of-  the  d#ta  concerning  the  place  of  discovery,  and  compared  the 
structure  of  the  two  masses.  He  came  to  the  following  conclusions: 

The  true  locality  is  the  Puerto  de  los  Muchachos,  lying  between  Tucson  and  Tubac  in  the  Sierra  de  la  Madera. 
Both  masses  originated  from  the  same  locality,  belonged  to  one  and  the  same  fall  and,  according  to  authentic  specimens 
in  the  British  Museum,  agree  in  all  essential  characteristics.  The  silicate  grains  are  of  the  same  dimensions  in  bpth 
(for  the  most  part  0.1  to  0.2,  occasionally  1  mm.  in  size)  and  of  the  same  appearance;  they  are  mostly  roundish  and 
irregularly  distributed,  although  in  certain  places  they  are  elongated  in  form  and  arranged  in  parallel,  somewhat  bent 
rows;  etching  produces  no  Widmannstatten  figures,  but  an  irregular  network  of  yellow  lines  resembling  taenite  or 
schreibersite,  and  each  inclusion  is  bordered  in  the  same  way.  It  is  not  certain  to  which  mass  the  analyses  of  Shepard, 
Genth,  and  Smith  belong.  From  the  two  latter,  along  with  that  of  Brush,  I  estimated  the  following  composition,  for 
the  nickel-iron  and  olivine: 

Nickel-iron.  Olivine. 


Fe           Ni           Co          Cu                             FeO         MgB         CaO       A1203  NajO  K2O         SiO2 

89.89        9.58        0.49        0.04     =100                24.07        27.37        8.67       Trace  2.15  1.26        36.43     =99.95 

From  the  above  analyses  I  derived  the  following  mineralogical  composition: 

Smith.  Oenth.  Brush. 

Nickel-iron 90.  64  90.  03  86.  24 

Olivine 8.29  8.60  10.05 

Schreibersite 0.  77  0.  64  3. 18 

Chromite 0.30  0.73  0.53 


100.  00        100.  00        100.  00 

Fletcher  23  classed  this  iron  among  the  siderolites,  which  form  the  connecting  link  between 
the  meteoric  irons  and  the  meteoric  stones,  and  included  it,  like  Wadsworth,  with  the  pallasites. 
In  1895  Brezina,26  upon  the  ground  of  Fletcher's  investigation,  united  the  two  Tucson 
blocks  under  the  name  "Muchachos"  and  formed  of  them  the  Tucson  group,  a  subdivision  of 
the  ataxites,  for  which  the.  characteristic  is  "iron  fragments  separated  by  schreibersite  veins." 
The  individual  grains  with  their  half-shaded  markings  were  said  to  contain  oriented  rhabdite 
lamellae,  so  that  Brezina  remarked  that  the  iron  might  be  reckoned  as  a  brecciated  Chesterville 
iron.  In  regard  to  Canada  de  Hiero  it  was  merely  stated  in  the  table  of  contents  that  it  resem- 
bled Muchachos;  also  an  iron  obtained  from  Jackson  with  the  label  "La  Concepcion  in  Chi- 
huahua "  was  identified  with  Muchachos. 

Cohen  25.28.29.  made  a  careful  study  of  specimens  from  the  two  irons  with  results  as  follows: 

The  polished  sv:rfaces,  with  the  exception  of  the  stony  inclusions,  make  an  entirely  homogeneoi;s  impression. 
After  weak  etching,  however,  the  nickel-iron  appears  as  irregular  masses  which  are  distinctly  separated  from  one 
another  by  very  fine,  glistening,  zigzag  seams.  In  Carleton  they  are  somewhat  broader  and  on  that  account  show  more 
distinctly  than  in  Ainsa;  in  the  former  iron  almost  all  the  silicate  grains  too  are  surrounded  by  similar  seams  averaging 
0.01  mm.  in  width,  while  this  ia  the  case  with  only  a  few  of  the  Ainsa  grains.  These  seams  may  be  characterized  as 
teenitic  or  schreibersitic;  Rose  calls  them  simply  teenite,  and  Brezina  schreibersite.  By  experiment  with  a  fine  needle 
under  the  microscope  they  appear  to  be  ductile,  so  that  it  is  apparently  teenite  or  an  alloy  richer  in  nickel  than  the 
ordinary  nickel  iron,  but  not  so  rich  in  nickel  and  consequently  not  so  resistant  to  HC1  as  normal  teenite.  At  all  events 
upon  treating  portions  of  both  irons  with  dilute  HC1  or  copper  ammonium  chloride  no  scales  or  lamelke  remain  undis- 
solved,  though  it  is  to  be  observed  that  tsenite  as  well  as  schreibersite  in  very  fine  fragments  can  be  dissolved  in  con- 
siderable quantity. 

The  above-mentioned  grains  of  nickel-iron  are  of  varying  size;  in  the  pieces  which  I  examined  they  fall  between 
0.2  and  2  cm.  Each  grain  has  its  own  luster,  so  that  one  part  of  the  etched  surface  in  a  certain  light  appears  light  gray 
and  glistening  and  another  part  dark  gray  and  dull.  Under  the  microscope  the  nickel-iron  within  the  composition 
pieces  has  a  speckled  appearance,  but  the  patches  overlap  so  as  to  completely  obliterate  the  outlines,  and  there  is  no 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  465 

indication  of  a  structure  composed  of  distinct  grains.  All  that  is  observable  is  numerous,  tiny,  closely  compacted, 
brightly  glistening  points  apparently  produced  by  the  reflection  of  light  from  the  walls  of  inequalities  produced  by 
etching.  They  are  in  general  uniformly  distributed;  in  some  of  the  composing  pieces  they  arrange  themselves  in  such 
a  way  as  to  produce  a  sort  of  interlaced  striping  whose  direction  varies  in  each  grain.  Rhabdite,  which  according  to 
Brezina  is  present  in  oriented  form,  I  did  not  find,  nor  troilite  nor  schreibersite. 

In  thin  sections  the  silicate  inclusions  appear  to  be  chiefly  olivine.  As  also  stated  by  Wadsworth,  they  are  accom- 
panied by  plagioclase,  which  may  be  easily  distinguished  from  the  olivine  by  .the  double  refraction  and  twinning  striae. 
In  one  grain  the  olivine  is  present  only  in  the  central  portion  and  sharply  contrasts  with  a  single  small  bordering  zone. 
Such  a  zonal  formation  is  seldom  observed  in  the  case  of  meteoric  material.  According  to  estimate  from  five  thin 
sections,  plagioclase  occurs  in  such  minute  quantities  that  it  could  not  influence  the  results  of  analysis  in  any  noticeable 
degree.  Most  of  the  olivine  grains  consist  of  a  single  individual,  occasionally  spherical  in  form,  in  other  cases  roundish 
or  oval  (when  as  a  rule  they  are  twice  as  long  as  wide)  and  measure  0.05  to  0.20  mm.  in  size.  However,  they  fall  some- 
times as  low  as  0.  01  mm.  and  again  occur  as  large  as  1  mm.  In  the  case  of  the  larger  sizes  they  are  without  exception 
aggregates  of  several  grains,  and  the  resulting  form  is  usually  elongated.  Isolated  grains  were  observed  which  consisted 
of  two  straight  and  well-defined  individuals,  such  as  to  suggest  twinning.  Moreover,  such  grains  occur  very  rarely  on 
which  are  to  be  seen  indications  of  crystal  outlines.  The  distribution  is  in  general  quite  uniform  and  regular;  in  the 
case  of  Carleton,  however,  the  olivines  arrange  themselves  in  some  portions  of  the  section  quite  plainly  in  bent,  nearly 
parallel-line  systems,  which  converge  to  several  centers  and  are  entirely  independent  of  the  direction  of  the  boundaries 
of  the  nickel-iron  grains.  Upon  the  much  smaller  Ainsa  iron  specimen  this  appearance  was  not  observed.  In  this  case 
also  the  roundish  forms  prevail  to  a  greater  extent,  and  the  grains  are  on  the  average  somewhat  smaller,  although  the 
number  is  somewhat  greater,  so  that  the  total  amount  of  olivine  in  both  irons  is  approximately  the  same. 

In  thin  sections  the  olivine  appears  quite  colorless.  Undulatory  extinction  which  is  so  common  in  the  stone 
meteorites  was  not  observed  .  Many  grains  are  free  from  inclusions,  others  contain  small ,  spherical  to  roundish  opaque 
granules  (apparently  of  nickel  iron),  or  colorless  inclusions  with  one  or  more  vesicles  apparently  of  glass.  Cracks  are 
noticeably  scarce.  They  are  as  a  rule  entirely  wanting  on  the  olivines  of  small  to  medium  dimensions.  In  the  larger 
grains  and  aggregations  whose  number  is  comparatively  small,  they  are  usually  quite  abundant  and  run  very  irregu- 
larly. A  coating  of  iron  hydroxide  is  quite  common;  it  is  due  apparently  to  the  thin  section,  since  it  was  not  observed 
in  isolated  grains. 

Although  in  the  specimens  examined,  individual  differences  between  Carleton  and  Ainsa  are  observable,  it  is  to 
be  noted  that  these  are  very  meager,  and  only  to  be  discovered  by  very  careful  comparison,  so  that  they  would  not 
serve  to  distinguish  with  certainty  between  specimens  from  the  two  localitiea. 

For  the  purpose  qf  ascertaining  their  chemical  composition,  a  larger  piece  of  each  iron  was  treated  with  cold  dilute 
HC1,  in  order  to  separate  the  olivine  from  the  nickel  iron  and  obtain  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  former  for  an  analysis. 
The  isolated  grains  were  colorless  and  sometimes  clear  as  water,  sometimes  somewhat  cloudy,  apparently  because  of 
the  incipient  action  of  the  acid.  As  many  grains  were  grown  together  with  or  penetrated  by  nickel  iron,  all  of  this 
was  removed  that  could  be  separated  by  means  of  a  magnetic  knife.  But  not  all  grains  with  opaque  inclusions  could 
be  removed  without  reducing  too  much  the  quantity  of  material.  The  heavy  portion  removed  by  the  magnet  or  sepa- 
rated from  the  olivine  by  means  of  methyl  iodide,  was  treated  with  HC1,  and  a  residuum  composed  mostly  of  silicic 
acid  was  left;  this  solution  was  combined  with  the  principal  solution.  The  proportions  were  as  follows: 

Carleton  Ainsa 

Soluble  portion 96.  32  96.  61 

Residue  (SiO2) 0.82  0.67 

Olivine..  2.86  2.72 


100.00  100.00 

By  J.  Fahrenhorst's  analysis  the  following  results  were  obtained  (a  indicating  the  totals;  6  the  nickel-iron  portion). 
The  results  obtained  for  chlorine  and  carbon  in  Carleton  are  inserted  in  Ainsa. 

Ainsa 

a  b 

84.  60          89. 40 
9.  24  9.  54 

.95  .98 

.02  .02 

.02  .02 

.04  .04 

.01 
.04 
.17 
L76 
.51 

3.39 

100.  75         100. 00 
716°— 15 30 


Fe 

Carl 
a 

84  56 

eton 

b 

89  32 

NL  

8.  89 

9.18 

Co 

1  36 

1  41 

Cu... 

03 

03 

Cr  

.02 

.02 

C  

.      .04 

.04 

S... 

trace 

Cl  

.04 

p  

.16 

Si02  

L72 

MgO  

.59 

CaO  

trace 

Olivine  and  residue  

3.  68 

101.  09 

100.00 

466  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Finally,  as  the  composition  of  the  isolated  olivine: 

Si02 45.  82  44.  91 

FeO  (by  difference) 1.  75  2. 08 

CaO 3.  30  1.  33 

MgO 49. 13  51. 44 

100.  00        99.  76 
Specific  gravity,  3.24  to  3.27  (by  methyl  iodide). 

SiO2  :  MgO+CaO+FeO        1  :  1.719    1:  1.791 

As  the  olivine,  according  to  the  result  of  the  microscopical  examination  and  according  to  the  proportion  of 
KO  :  Si02  in  the  case  of  the  isolation  with  HC1,  was  not  altogether  unchanged,  a  further  portion  of  the  Carleton  iron 
was  treated  with  copper  ammonium  chloride,  which,  in  accordance  with  previous  experiments  did  not  noticeably 
affect  the  olivine,  although  a  small  portion  was  dissolved.  The  isolated  grains  appeared  under  the  microscope  color- 
less, transparent,  and  entirely  unaltered.  They  gave  the  following  composition: 

Si02 43.  29 

FeO 52 

CaO 1. 13 

MgO 54.  92 

99.86 
Specific  gravity,  3.199. 

SiO  :  FeO+CaO+MgO        1 : 1.95 

It  is  thus  certain  that  we  have  here  a  forsterite  with  a  small  mixture  of  monticellite.  The  small  amount  of  iron 
would  not  change  this  conclusion  even  if  it  could  not,  as  is  possible,  be  referred  mainly  or  entirely  to  inclusions.  The 
alkalies  could  not,  for  lack  of  material,  be  determined;  but  since  plagioclase  was  observed  only  very  sparingly  in  the 
thin  sections,  it  can  not  compose  more  than  a  fraction  of  1  per  cent  of  the  silicate  at  most.  The  entire  or  almost  entire 
absence  of  iron  oxide  in  the  olivine,  although  iron  was  present  in  so  considerable  quantity,  is  explained  by  the  fact 
that  the  oxygen  present  only  sufficed  to  oxidize  the  magnesia  and  silica,  which  have  a  greater  affinity  for  oxygen  than 
iron,  nickel,  and  cobalt. 

The  composition  of  the  nickel  iron  is  in  both  masses  so  near  alike  that  the  percentage  of  nickel  and  cobalt  does 
not  differ  materially  (10.59  per  cent  and  10.52  per  cent);  the  proportion  of  the  two  elements  is,  however,  very  different 
(Co  1.41  and  0.98  per  cent),  and  the  difference  is  so  great  that  it  can  not  be  ascribed  to  a  mistake  in  the  analysis. 

The  great  excess  of  silica  in  both  total  analyses  is  inexplicable.  It  is  also  found  in  the  analyses  by  Smith,  Brush, 
and  Genth  and  was  the  occasion  of  Fletcher's  reckoning  from  the  latter  an  olivine  with  about  24  per  cent  iron  oxide 
In  this  direction  a  still  further  investigation  is  desirable. 

If  this  excess  of  silica  be  disregarded  and  the  small  amount  of  iron  in  the  olivine  which  is  apparently  due  to  inclu- 
sions of  nickel  iron  be  overlooked,  the  following  composition  may  be  given  for  Carleton.  For  Ainsa,  were  the  necessary 
data  at  hand,  almost  the  same  figures  would  suffice. 

Nickel 
iron 

Fe 84.02         84.63          89.32 

Ni 8.63  8.89  9.18 

Co 1.33  1.37  1.41 

Cu 03  .03  .03 

Cr 02  .02  .02 

C...  .04  .04  .04 


94.07  Nickel  iron... 


100.00 


!Fe  . 
"••  

.58 

Ni.  . 

26 

1.  04  Schreibersite.  . 

Co 

04 

P... 

16 

/Fe... 

03 

0.  07  Lawrenceite.  . 

-id  

04 

{SiO,. 

2.  10 

4  82  Olivine 

CaO  

06 

MgO.  . 

2.  66 

2. 10          43.  58 
.  06  1. 14 

2.  66          55.  28 


100.00  100.00        100.00        100.00 

The  specific  gravity  was  determined  by  Leick  (at  19.8  C.)  as  7.2248;  disregarding  the  accessory  material,  that  for 
the  nickel  iron  was  as  7.7357.    Carleton  takes  on  a  strong  permanent  magnetism  and  has  a  quite  strong  coercion  force. 

As  already  stated,  the  ring-shaped  (Ainsa)  mass  is  in  the  United  States  National  Museum ; 
the  kidney-shaped  (Carleton)  mass  in  the  California  State  Mining  Bureau,  San  Francisco. 
Small  sections  are  to  be  found  in  several  collections. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  467 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  I860:  VELASCO.    Noticias  estadisticas  del  Estado  de  Sonora,  etc.,  p.  221,  Mexico,  1850. 

2.  1852:  LECONTE.    Proc.  Amer.  Aasoc.  Adv.  Sci.,  Sixth  meeting,  held  at  Albany,  1851,  pp.  188-189. 

3.  1852:  Notice  of  meteoric  iron  in  the  Mexican  province  of  Sonora.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  13,  pp.  289-290. 

4.  1854:  BABTLETT.    Personal  narrative  of  explorations  and  incidents  in  Texas,  New  Mexico,  California,  Sonora,  and 

Chihuahua,  vol.  2,  pp.  297-298,  New  York,  1854. 

5.  1854:  SHEPARD.    Notice  of  three  ponderous  masses  of  meteoric  iron  at  Tucson,  Sonora.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d 

ser.,  vol.  18,  pp.  369-372. 

6.  1855:  SMITH.    Memoir  on  meteorites. — A  description  of  five  new  meteoric  irons,  with  some  theoretical  considera- 

tions on  the  origin  of  meteorites,  based  on  their  physical  and  chemical  characters.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  2d  ser., 
vol.  19,  pp.  161-163. 

7.  1855:  GENTH.    Analysis  of  the  meteoric  iron  from  Tucson,  Province  of  Sonora,  Mexico.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser., 

vol.  20,  pp.  119-120. 

8.  1857:  MICHLER.    Report  of  the  United  States  and  Mexican  Boundary  Survey,  vol.  1,  part  1,  p.  118. 

9.  1863:  BRUSH.    Meteoric  iron  from  Tucson,  Arizona.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  36,  pp.  152-154  and  301. 

10.  1863:  WHITNEY.    On  meteoric  iron  from  Arizona.    Proc.  Calif.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  vol.  3,  pp.  34-35  and  49. 

11.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  p.  150. 

12.  1863:  IRWIN  and  AINSA.    On  the  great  Tucson  meteorite.    Rept.  Smithsonian  Inst.,  1863,  pp.  85-87. 

13.  1863:  HENRY.    [Report  regarding  history  of  above.]    Idem,  pp.  55-56. 

14.  1863:  WHITNEY.    Remarks  on  the  nature  and  distribution  of  the  meteorites  which  have,  up  to  the  present  time, 

been  discovered  on  the  Pacific  coast  and  in  Mexico.    Proc.  Calif.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  vol.  3,  pp.  240-241. 

15.  1863:  HAIDINOEH.    Das  Carleton-Tucson-Meteoreisen  im  k.  k.  Hof-Mineralien-Cabinete.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad., 

Bd.  48,  II,  pp.  301-308. 

16.  1865:  HENRY.    Rept.  Smithsonian  Inst.,  1865,  p.  67. 

17.  1869:  MEUNIER.    Recherches  sur  la  composition  et  la  structure  de  meteorites.    Ann.  Chim.  Phys.,  4th  ser., 

vol.  17,  pp.  53  and  68. 

18.  1870:  HAIDINQER.    Der  Ainsa-Tucson-Meteoreisenring  in  Washington  und  die  Rotation  der  Meteoriten  in  ihrem 

Zuge.    Sitzber.  Wien.  Akad.,  Bd.  61,  II,  pp.  506-511. 

19.  1873:  MEUNIER.    Determination  mineralogique  des  holosideres  du  Museum.    Comptes  Rend  us,  Tome  76,  p. 

1281. 

20.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  pp.  44  and  135. 

21.  1884:  WADSWORTH.    Lithological  Studies,  p.  69.  , 

22.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  218  and  220-221.. 

23.  1890:  FLETCHER.    The  meteoric  iron  of  Tucson.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9.  pp.  16-36. 

24.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m^tebriques,  p.  36. 

25.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV,  pp.  83  and  90. 

26.  1895:  BHEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  295-296. 

27.  1896:  FLETCHER.    Introduction,  p.  11. 

28.  1900:  COHEN.    Die  beiden  Meteoreisen  von  Los  Muchachos,  Tucson,  Arizona,  Festschrift  27-43,  Greifswald  1900 

Mitth.  Naturw.  ver.  von  Xeu-Vorpommern  und  Rugen,  1900,  vol.  32,  pp.  25-43. 

29.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoreitenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  86-100. 


Tulisca.     See  Tomatlan. 
Turner  Mound.     See  Anderson. 


UNION  COUNTY. 

Georgia. 

Latitude  34°  48'  N.,  longitude  84°  12'  W. 

Iron.    Coarsest  octahedrite  (Ogg)  of  Brezina;  Nelsonite  (type  5)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1853;  described  1854. 

Weight,  6.8  kgs.  (15  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Shepard,1  who  states  that  a  piece  weighing  1  pound  1.75 
ounces  was  brought  him  from  a  mass  said  to  weigh  about  15  pounds,  found  in  Union  County, 
Georgia.  Shepard  further  describes  his  specimen  as  follows: 

It  appears  to  have  formed  a  portion  of  a  somewhat  tabular  mass  about  2  inches  in  thickness.  It  is  coated  on  three 
sides  with  a  thin  scaly  covering  of  brownish-black  hydrated  peroxide  of  iron.  The  other  two  sides  present  the  appear- 
ance of  a  fresh  fracture  but  are,  nevertheless,  destitute  of  metallic  luster,  the  surfaces  being  very  irregular  and  dependent 
in  form  upon  the  peculiar  concretionary  character  of  the  mass,  which  is  strongly  analogous  to  that  of  a  very  coarse- 


468  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

grained  colophonite  garnet,  or  the  coccolite  variety  of  pyroxene.  It  is,  however,  more  or  less  traversed  by  cylindrical 
or  almond-shaped  masses  of  meteoric  pyrites,  some  of  which  are  above  an  inch  in  length  and  one-third  of  an  inch  in 
diameter. 

When  polished  it  approaches  more  nearly  to  a  silver- white  color  than  any  other  meteoric  iron.  When  acted  upon 
by  acids  it  does  not  give  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  but  only  develops  a  series  of  weblike  meshes,  or,  at  most,  a 
mottled,  maplike  delineation. 

Its  specific  gravity  =7.07.  A  fragment,  as  nearly  as  possible  free  from  pyrites,  was  found  to  contain  3.32  percent 
of  nickel.  It  is  rich  in  chromium,  and  contains  traces  of  phosphorus,  cobalt,  magnesium,  and  calcium. 

Brezina 3  in  his  1885  catalogue  grouped  Union  County  with  Nelson  County  as  a  breccialike 
octahedral  iron  (Obn).  He  remarks  that  Tschermak  considered  them  brecciated  hexahedrites 
but  that  such  a  classification  is  incorrect  because  Nelson  County  at  least  shows  evident  meshes 
inclosed  by  tsenite.  He  therefore  classed  them  as  coarsest  octahedrites  of  the  Seelasgen  group, 
having  a  brecciated  appearance  on  account  of  the  very  changeable  width  of  the  bands.  In 
18955  he  abolished  the  subgroup,  however,  and  classed  both  Nelson  County  and  Union  County 
simply  as  coarsest  octahedrites  (Ogg) . 

Meunier 4  classed  Union  County  as  nelsonite  and  gave  the  following  as  the  elementary 
composition,  presumably  as  the  result  of  analysis : 

Fe         Ni          Co 
92.  4        6.  9        trace        =99.  3        Specific  gravity,  7.  21 

Little  of  the  meteorite  appears  to  be  extant  but  more  must  have  been  obtained  than  the 
1  pound  1.75  ounces  described  by  Shepard,  as  the  Amherst  collection  possesses  2  pounds  8 
ounces.  Wulfing  lists  711  grams,  of  which  the  Washington  Shepard  collection  possesses  124 
grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1854:  SHEPARD.    New  localities  of  meteoric  iron. — 3.  Union  County,  Georgia.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  17, 

p.  328. 

2.  1859-62:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  9,  pp.  162,  174,  and  181;  No.  15,  p.  110;  No.  17,  p.  266;  No.  20,  pp.  621  and  622; 

No.  21,  pp.  586  and  589, 

3.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  217  and  234. 

4.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  23  and  24-25. 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  288. 


Utah.    See  Salt  Lake  City. 


UTE  PASS. 

Ute  Pass,  Summit  County,  Colorado. 

Here  also  Mount  Ouray. 

Latitude  39°  48'  N.,  longitude  106°  107  W. 

Iron.    Broadest  octahedrite  (Ogg)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1894;  undescribed. 

Weight,  ? 

The  only  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  be  by  Ward  l  who  gives  the  information  above. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1904:  WARD."    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection,  p.  26. 


VERNON  COUNTY. 

Vernon  County,  Wisconsin. 

Here  also  The  Clay  water  Meteorite. 

Latitude  43°  3(X  N.,  longitude  91°  IV  W. 

Stone.    Veined  crystalline  chondrite  (Cka).  of  Brezina;  Erxlebenite  (type  34)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  9  a.  m.  March  25,  1865;  described  1876. 

Weight.    One  piece  of  700  grams,  another  of  800  grams. 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Smith  1  as  follows : 

The  Wisconsin  meteorite  which  fell  on  March  25,  1865,  and  is  one  of  much  interest,  attracted  no  attention  at  the 
time  of  its  fall  outside  of  the  immediate  neighborhood  where  it  was  observed,  a  fact  due  to  the  comparatively  sparsely 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  469 

inhabited  nature  of  the  country.  It  was  brought  to  my  attention  only  a  few  months  ago  by  one  living  in  a  region  not 
far  from  where  it  fell.  He  sent  me  a  small  fragment  which  had  been  presented  to  him,  and  so  identical  was  it  in  ita 
appearance  to  the  Meno  meteorite  that  fell  in  1861,  that,  not  having  heard  of  any  fall  at  the  period  when  this  was  said 
to  have  been  found,  I  considered  it  at  first  a  fragment  of  that  rare  meteorite  which  had  found  its  way  to  that  part  of 
the  country.  But  on  further  inquiry  and  search  I  was  soon  satisfied  that  it  was  a  piece  of  an  undescribed  meteorite;  I 
have  designated  it  as  the  Claywater  meteorite.  The  following  is  the  account  I  have  been  able  to  gather  in  relation  to 
its  fall: 

In  Vernon  County,  State  of  Wisconsin,  about  latitude  43°  SO'  N.,  longitude  91°  \V  W.,  at  9  on  the  morning  of 
March  25,  1865,  a  body  was  seen  by  several  persons  passing  rapidly  through  the  atmosphere,  accompanied  with  a  loud 
rumbling  noise.  It  was  luminous  and  showed  flashes  of  light.  Its  course  was  from  northwest  to  southeast,  and  it 
exploded  at  a  supposed  altitude  of  4  miles.  At  the  time  that  the  small  fragments  were  thrown  off  from  the  main  body 
a  noise  like  the  rolling  of  musketry  was  heard.  The  main  body  seemed  to  have  a  rotary  motion,  making  about  one 
revolution  in  two  seconds  of  time. 

The  observer  from  whom  the  above  facts  were  obtained  thinks  that  the  main  body  did  not  fall  but  passed  into 
space. 

No  fragments  were  found  until  about  5  days  after  the  fall,  when  two  were  discovered  weighing  1,500  grams.  The 
curves  of  the  surfaces  of  these  fragments  would  indicate  that  they  pertained  to  a  mass  having  a  diameter  of  about  30  cm. 
No  data  were  obtained  from  which  to  calculate  its  velocity,  but  the  observer  already  referred  to  says  that  it  was  variously 
estimated  at  from  15  to  25  miles  per  second.  Of  the  two  fragments  that  fell  one  has  been  lost  or  destroyed,  the  other 
has  been  placed  in  my  possession  by  Mr.  Claywater,  who  made  the  observations  already  recorded  and  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  the  preservation  of  what  we  have  of  this  interesting  meteorite,  for  it  differs  in  ita  physical  aspects  from 
any  yet  observed  in  this  country.  The  fragment  in  my  possession  and  which  is  all  that  has  been  recovered  from  this 
fall  weighed  700  grams;  about  one- third  of  the  surface  was  covered  with  a  thick  dull  black  crust;  the  fractured  surfaces 
are  quite  granular,  and  ita  structure  porous;  it  belongs  to  the  hard  variety  of  meteoric  stones.  Examined  with  a  glass 
the  grains  are  of  a  dirty-green  color  with  a  greasy  aspect,  and  in  some  places  have  a  globular  structure.  Particles  of 
iron  are  disseminated  abundantly  through  the  mass,  and  particles  of  troilite  are  also  visible.  Its  specific  gravity  is 
3.66  and  it  is  composed  of — 

Stony  matter 78. 33 

Metallic  particles 17. 07 

Troilite 4.60 


100.00 
The  stony  matter  treated  with  aqua-regia  furnished — 

Soluble  matter 47.20 

Insoluble  matter .  52. 80 


100.00 
The  composition  of  these  two  portions  are: 

Soluble  Insoluble 

Silica 32.55  57.41 

Protoxide  of  iron 30.40  9.50 

Alumina trace  4. 00 

Magnesia 35.80  22.80 

Lime 3.70 

Soda..                                                                                            .60  2.01 


99.35  99.42 

The  metallic  particles,  completely  separated  from  the  stony  portion  are  composed  of — 

Iron 92. 15 

Nickel 7. 37 

Cobalt 28 

Copper 

99.80 
Phosphorus  (minute,  not  estimated). 


• 


In  regarding  the  above  analysis  it  is  very  evident  that  the  meteorite  i 

Bronzite,  with  probably  a  little  anorthite 41. 35 

Hyalosiderite  (olivine) 36. 98 

Xickeliferous  iron 17. 07 

Troilite 4.60 

By  Brezina  2  the  meteorite  was  classified  in  18S5  as  a  crystalline  chondrite,  and  in  1895  as 
a  veined  crystalline  chondrite  with  Pipe  Creek.  Xo  further  study  of  the  meteorite  seems  to 
have  been  made. 

It  is  distributed,  the  Harvard  University  collection  having  the  largest  amount — 200  grams. 


470  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1876:  SMITH.    An  account  of  a  new  meteoric  stone  that  fell  on  the  25th  of  March,  1865,  in  Wisconsin,  identical 

with  the  Meno-Meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  12,  pp.  207-209  (analysis). 

2.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,    pp.  191  and  233. 

3.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  261. 

Victoria.    See  Iron  Creek. 


WACONDA. 

Mitchell  County,  Kansas. 

Latitude  39°  28'  N.,  longitude  98°  3<X  W. 

Stone.    Brecciated  crystalline  chondrite  (Ccb)  of  Brezina;  Aumalite  (type  37)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1874;  described  1876. 

Weight,  45  kgs.  (901bs.). 

This  stone  is  described  by  Shepard  *  as  having  been  found  in  1870,  lying  above  ground  in 
the  grass,  upon  the  slope  of  a  ravine,  at  the  distance  of  2  miles  from  the  village  of  Waconda, 
Mitchell  County,  Kansas.  He  goes  on  to  say: 

Many  pieces  were  then  broken  off  from  the  mass,  leaving  about  one-half,  whose  present  weight  is  58  pounds,  half 
of  which  is  still  covered  by  the  original  crust.  The  freshness  of  the  specimens  was  equal  to  that  of  any  newly  fallen 
stone,  indicating  a  recent  fall. 

Its  cohesion  is  about  that  of  the  average  among  meteoric  stones.  In  this  respect,  as  well  as  shade  of  color,  it  cor- 
responds very  nearly  to  the  Searsport,  Maine,  stone  of  May  21,  1871;  but  in  structure  it  differs  in  being  less  oolitic. 
Indeed,  it  is  only  obscurely  so  at  all,  the  individuals  that  are  distinct  being  rather  granular,  often  with  well-marked 
angles,  some  of  which  suggest  the  species  augite;  others,  those  of  forsterite  (variety  boltonite).  There  is  considerable 
amorphous  whitish,  matter  interposed  among  the  grains  (in  which  they  may  be  said  to  be  embedded),  which  is  doubt- 
less a  mixture  of  minerals,  and  may  consist  of  chladnite  with  some  one  or  more  of  the  feldspars.  The  chamasite 
(nickelic  iron)  is  present  in  thickly  scattered,  very  minute,  rounded,  lustrous  grains,  requiring  for  the  most  part  the 
use  of  a  lens  for  their  discovery;  while  the  troilite  (magnetic  pyrites)  is  now  and  then  seen  in  considerable  grains,  or 
ovoidal  aggregations  of  imperfect  crystals.  The  crust  is  rather  thicker  than  usual,  of  a  dull  iron-black  color,  with  a 
slight  tinge  of  brown,  and  much  crumpled  or  reticulated.  The  specific  gravity  of  a  fragment  weighing  4.35  grams  (of 
which  two-fifths  were  covered  by  crust)  is  3.810;  that  of  a  fragment  without  crust,  weighing  3.57  grams,  is  3.58. 

By  mechanical  analysis  the  stone  gave  5.66  per  cent  of  chamasite  and  1.34  per  cent  of  troilite.  The  earthy  por- 
tion was  rather  more  than  one-half  decomposed  by  aqua  regia,  the  soluble  portion,  after  the  separation  of  the  silica, 
giving  magnesia  and  protoxide  of  iron  (with  a  little  lime)  in  the  usual  proportions  of  chrysolite.  The  matter  not 
attacked  by  acids  probably  belongs  to  augite,  some  feldspathic  species,  and  chladnite. 

There  exists  a  rumor  that  a  second  stone  has  been  found  12  miles  distant  from  the  first,  but  it  lacks  confirmation. 

Smith 2  gave  the  following  account  of  this  meteorite : 

The  meteorites  under  consideration  have  been  known  for  some  little  time,  Prof.  C.  U.  Shepard  having  given  a 
notice  of  the  Waconda  meteoric  stone  in  the  American  Journal  of  June,  1876,  he  having  acquired  the  larger  portion  of 
it;  the  remainder  has  been  kindly  presented  to  me  by  G.  W.  Chapman.  One  feature  to  be  noticed  in  connection  with 
this  meteoric  stone  is  that  the  time  of  its  fall  is  not  known,  it  having  been  discovered  in  a  ravine  near  the  village  of 
Waconda,  in  Kansas  (latitude  39°  20'  N.,  longitude  98°  107  W.).  While  there  are  three  or  four  of  these  softer  meteoric 
stones,  consisting  almost  exclusively  of  stony  matter,  the  exact  time  of  whose  fall  is  not  known,  there  is  every  reason 
to  suppose  that  their  falls  were  observed  and  that  they  were  collected  at  the  time;  but  falling  in  remote  places,  and 
on  lands  of  those  not  accustomed  to  note  precisely  the  dates  of  natural  phenomena,  the  exact  date  of  the  fall  was 
forgotten  when  it  reached  those  who  were  interested  in  these  bodies.  In  the  present  instance  nothing  was  known  to 
lead  to  its  discovery,  and  it  was  simply  gathered  up  by  an  inhabitant  of  a  sparsely  settled  region  and  laid  aside  on 
account  of  its  singular  appearance,  and  was  only  recognized  as  a  meteorite  some  time  afterwards  by  one  who  had  some 
knowledge  of  these  bodies.  Although  but  recently  brought  to  notice,  it  was  discovered  two  years  ago,  and  I  am 
inclined  to  believe  that  its  discovery  must  have  been  made  not  very  many  months  after  its  fall,  as  otherwise  it  would 
have  undergone  more  thorough  decomposition;  as  it  is,  the  interior  is  marked  with  large  blotches  of  oxide  of  iron  aris- 
ing from  oxidation  of  the  particles  of  iron  by  the  water  penetrating  from  without.  This  exposure  has  doubtless  had 
something  to  do  with  its  friability  as  a  whole,  for  many  parts  of  it  are  quite  firm  where  the  iron  is  not  oxidized,  and, 
as  Professor  Shepard  says,  it  has  the  average  cohesion  of  this  class  of  meteoric  stones.  As  he  has  already  given  a  gen- 
eral description  of  it,  I  will  not  repeat  it  here,  but  proceed  at  once  to  give  my  chemical  and  mineral  analyses.  The 
specific  gravity  of  pieces  from  the  interior  varied  from  3.4  to  3.6,  and  when  separated  mechanically  consisted  of — 

Stony  matter 90.  81 

Nickel-iron 5. 34 

Troilite..  3.85 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  471 

The  amount  of  the  last  mineral  was  made  out  by  chemical  analysis.    The  nickel  iron  contains — • 

Fe  Ni  Co          Cu  P 

86.18        12.02        0.91        0.04        trace    =99.15 

The  stony  part  treated  with  large  excess  of  aqua  regia  gave  a  soluble  part  of  69  per  cent,  insoluble  41  per  cent, 
composed  as  follows: 

Soluble  Insoluble 

Silica 34.52  54.02 

Protoxide  of  iron 30.01  18.10 

Magnesia 32.50  23.45 

Alumina 0.43  2.30 

Manganese 61  .36 

Soda  (trace  of  potash  and  lithia) 89  1.58 

Lime trace 


98. 96  99. 81 

The  analysis  clearly  shows  that  the  stony  part  of  this  meteorite  consists  of  the  usual  mixture  of  olivine  and  pyrox- 
ene minerals,  the  hyalosiderite  predominating  in  the  former  and  bronzite  in  the  latter. 

Two  minerals  were  detached  in  small  quantities  and  analyzed  separately.  The  first  was  a  dark-colored  mineral, 
readily  seen  in  small  parcels  and  veins;  this  freed  as  far  as  possible  from  the  adhering  minerals  was  found  to  be  soluble 
in  strong  hydrochloric  acid,  and  the  prolonged  action  of  this  acid  on  the  mineral,  heated  over  the  water  bath,  decom- 
posed it  very  nearly  completely.  It  is  composed  as  follows: 

Silica , 41.10 

Protoxide  or  iron 27. 20 

Magnesia 28. 31 

Alumina 89 

Manganese 32 

Soda 1.35 

Its  solubility  in  hydrochloric  acid  and  its  composition  clearly  point  it  out  to  be  of  the  olivine  type. 

The  other  mineral  was  found  only  on  one  part  of  my  specimens,  and  there  in  the  form  of  a  white  crystalline  mass 
not  exceeding  in  weight  20  milligrams.  It  looked  at  first  sight  like  enstatite,  but  there  was  sufficient  difference  in  its 
aspect  to  lead  me  to  detach  a  few  milligrams  and  test  it,  when  I  found  it  readily  and  completely  soluble  in  hydro- 
chloric acid,  and  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to  decide  on  so  minute  a  quantity  it  appeared  to  consist  only  of  silica  and 
magnesia.  Its  solubility  shows  clearly  that  it  is  not  enstatite,  and  I  can  only  imagine  it  to  be  of  the  olivine  type  and 
consisting  entirely  of  silica  and  magnesia,  occupying  the  sajne  place  among  the  unisilicates  of  the  meteorites  that  the 
enstatite  does 'among  the  bisilicates.  I  simply  note  this  fact  here,  not  as  giving  any  very  definite  results,  but  simply 
that  it  may  be  looked  into  by  those  investigating  these  subjects. 

Wadsworth  3  gave  a  description  as  follows : 

The  specimens  purchased  for  the  Whitney  collection  from  Ward  and  Howell  show  an  ash-gray  groundmass  stained 
with  brownish  spots  of  rust,  and  containing  grains  of  grayish-brown  olivine. 

The  section  shows  a  yellowish-brown  and  grayish  groundmass  containing  iron.  On  one  side  a  black  band  forming 
the  exterior  (rind)  of  the  meteorite  is  preserved.  The  groundmass  is  composed  of  olivine  grains  with  some  enstatite. 
The  yellowish-brown  color  is  owing  to  a  ferruginous  staining  of  the  silicates,  while  the  rind  is  composed  of  the  same 
minerals  as  the  interior,  but  owing  to  the  heat  to  which  it  has  been  exposed  it  has  been  burned  black.  Clear  grains  of 
untouched  silicates  (olivine  and  enstatite)  are  to  be  seen  both  in  the  interior  and  in  the  crust. 

In  one  corner  of  the  section  a  small  amount  of  fine  ash-gray  semibase  was  observed  cementing  olivine  grains. 

The  mixed  enstatite  and  augite  with  iron  and  a  ferruginous-stained  groundmass  are  shown  in  a  plate. 

Brezina  5  classified  the  meteorite  as  a  brecciated  crystalline  chondrite,  and  described  it  as 
follows : 

It  is  a  stone  of  rather  uneven  structure,  which  outwardly  is  obscured  by  the  somewhat  extensive  rusting  of  most  of 
the  pieces.  A  still  fairly  fresh  fragment  of  the  Vienna  collection  shows  the  chondritic  character.  The  principal  piece, 
of  some  4  kg.,  shows  this  characteristic  only  indistinctly,  on  account  of  the  progress  of  the  rusting,  while  on  the  contrary 
the  brecciated  character  is  here  very  distinctly  shown.  Dark  blue-gray  particles  alternate  extensively  with  white, 
quite  like  Weston.  Occas  onally  these  two  sorts  of  particles  border  upon  one  another  in  large  and  quite  level  faces. 
Nodules  consisting  of  a  mixture  of  troilite  and  nickel  iron  attain  a  size  of  1  to  2  cm.  In  one  place  a  nodule  of  50 
grams  weight  with  hardened  groundmass  was  found  which  contained  many  chondri  broken  in  two  and  was  covered  with 
a  thick  bark-like  crust. 

The  58-pound  mass  described  by  Shepard  is  in  the  Amherst  collection.     From  other  sources 
about  30  pounds  must  have  been  obtained,  83  Wulfing 6  lists  15,786  grams  distributed. 


472  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

• 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1876:  SHEPARD.     Notice  of  the  meteoric  stone  of  Waconda,  Mitchell  County,  Kansas.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol. 

11,  pp.  473-^74. 

2.  1877:  SMITH.     Examination  of  the  Waconda  meteoric  stone,  Bates  County  meteoric  iron,  and  Rockingham  County 

meteoric  iron. — Waconda  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  13,  pp.  211-213  (Analysis). 

3.  1884:  WADSWORTH.    Studies,  pp.  93-94. 

4.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  168,  177,  and  232. 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  241  and  258. 

6.  1897:  WOLFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  379. 


Waldo  County.     See  Searsmont. 
Waldron  Ridge.     See  Wallens  Ridge. 


WALKER  COUNTY. 

Alabama. 

Here  also  Alabama  1843,  Claiborne  and  Lime  Creek,  in  part,  and  Morgan  County. 

Latitude  33°  5(X  N.,  longitude  87°  15'  W. 

Iron.    Hexahedrite  (H)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1832. 

Weight,  75  kga.  (165  Ibs.). 

The  history  and  characters  of  this  meteorite  have  been  summarized  by  Cohen 22  as  follows: 

According  to  Troost,1  an  iron  mass  of  75-kg.  weight  was  found  in  1832  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Walker  County  by 
a  hunter  living  in  Morgan  County,  who  preserved  it  in  his  house  until  1843;  in  this  year  the  mass  came  into  the  posses- 
sion of  Troost.  It  was  of  an  irregular  oval  form,  with  a  smooth  exterior  covered  with  a  thick  coating  of  rust  and  afforded 
a  compact,  crystalline  fracture  with  noticeable  triangular  folia.  Upon  the  etched  surface  appeared  lines  which  formed 
equilateral  triangles,  except  where  elongated  at  the  section  surface.  Upon  cutting  into  the  iron  a  nodule  GJ  cm.  in 
size  and  easily  loosened  from  its  matrix  was  found.  It  had  a  thin,  glistening,  white  metallic  zone  surrounding  it 
(probably  troilite  with  a  schreibersite  border).  The  exterior  sweat  iron  chloride,  while  the  interior  was  free  from 
chlorine. 

The  data  from  Shepard  2  are  set  aside  by  the  above  observations. 

According  to  Reichenbach  3>  7>  the  nearly  half  spherical  piece  covered  with  a  coating  of  rust  about  1J  cm.  thick 
contained  in  his  collection  was  very  similar  to  that  of  Braunau.  It  showed  no  Widmannstatten  figures,  and  consisted 
almost  exclusively  of  kamacite,  which  showed  no  indication  of  granular  structure,  but  formed  a  crystalline  individual 
containing,  however,  delicate  patches  of  plessite  bordered  with  taenite  and  rich  in  needles  >(  taken  at  that  time  for 
taenite !) ;  "  In  the  most  delicate  manner  a  spray  of  the  finest  parallel  straight  lines  runs  through  the  whole,  exactly  like  those 
of  Hauptmannsdorf ,  penetrating  the  entire  mass  of  iron  and  crossed  at  acute  angles  by  other  straight  lines  also  parallel 
to  one  another."  In  addition  to  the  needles,  Reichenbach  described  other  accessory  constituents:  Bronze-colored 
iron  sulphide  in  roundish  nodules  as  much  as  2.5  cm.  in  size,  "Kiesflecke,"  small  particles  of  graphite,  schreibersite 
alone  and  grown  together  with  iron  sulphide,  numerous  larger  and  smaller  flakes  and  granules  scattered  through  the 
kamacite  without  any  order  and  parallel  banded  isinglass  on  the  edges  of  the  mass.  Reichenbach  emphasized  the 
absence  of  swathing  kamacite  and  the  fact  that  Walker  County  belongs  to  the  least  complex  meteoric  irons.  The  occur- 
rence of  chlorine  is  mentioned  in  a  way  which  creates  the  impression  that  he  did  not  observe  it  himself.  Reichenbach 
was  evidently  convinced  that  his  material  was  a  portion  of  the  Claiborne  (Lime  Creek)  iron  described  by  Jackson, 
since  he  cited  the  analyses  of  Hayes.  Because  of  the  high  percentage  of  nickel  given  by  the  latter,  he  at  first  compared 
his  piece  with  Babbs  Mill  and  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Rose  12  also  compared  the  Reichenbach  section  with  the  Braunau  iron;  it  showed,  he  said,  besides  etching  lines 
and  cross  sections  of  rhabdite  a  few  large  gray  concretions  of  a  metallic  luster  in  the  form  of  grains  and  needles.  Accord- 
ing to  Huntington,14  Walker  County  shows  "octahedral  cleavage"  and  "figures"  which  fall  between  those  of  Butler 
and  Coahuila,  although  comparing  more  nearly  with  the  latter.  It  is,  however,  coarser  and  shows  more  distinctly 
"Tschermak's  Trias." 

So  far  as  Meunier's  ls  brief  mention  indicates,  it  would  appear  that  Walker  County  is  not  represented  in  Paris. 

The  following  description  is  based  principally  upon  an  end  piece  from  the  Tubingen  collection,  weighing  1,740 
grams,  and  having  a  section  surface  of  100  sq.  cm. 

The  exterior  is  composed  of  a  coating  of  rust  of  considerable  thickness,  but  from  the  state  of  preservation  of  the 
evenly  and  thickly  distributed  shallow  saucer-like  depressions  no  material  alteration  of  form  due  to  weathering  has 
taken  place. 

After  weak  etching  the  Neumann  lines  come  out  distinctly,  of  which  a  few  systems  by  their  length  (occasionally  as 
as  much  as  3  cm.)  and  depth  are  quite  sharply  distinguished  from  the  others,  although  they  are  only  distinctly  visible 
under  the  microscope.  The  distribution  is  very  irregular.  In  a  few  places  they  lie  closely  compacted  together,  fre- 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  473 

quently  intersecting  one  another;  usually,  however,  they  occur  more  sparingly  and  so  widely  separated  that  they  but  sel- 
dom intersect.  A  sharp  contrast  between  the  lines  is  often  observed  also.  Between  the  etching  lines  and  in  the  larger 
spaces  free  from  the  latter  the  nickel  iron  is  unusually  rich  in  cloaely  and  regularly  distributed  pittings.  Although 
these  appear  to  be  all  of  the  same  character,  I  consider  it  possible,  judging  from  the  conspicuous  abundance  of  rhabdite 
in  a  solution,  and  the  comparatively  small  number  of  visible  needles  of  this  substance,  that  they  are  not  exclusively 
etch-pittings,  but  that  rhabdite,  slightly  etched  and  oriented  perpendicular  to  the  section  surface,  contributes  to  the 
formation  of  these  depressions.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  larger  and  deeper  etching  lines,  as  well  as  of  larger  rhab- 
dites  and  even  at  a  somewhat  greater  distance  from  the  schreibersite,  the  pittings  "are  wanting  as  a  rule,  so  as  to  produce 
a  smooth  and  shiny  etching  zone — of  a  maximum  breadth  of  about  a  millimeter — in  which  by  the  aid  of  a  powerful 
glass  still  finer  etching  lines  can  be  discerned,  and  which  show  the  same  oriented  luster  as  the  principal  mass  of  the 
nickel  iron.  Upon  this  zone  is  found  by  the  side  of  the  schreibersite  an  area  of  nickel  iron  which,  in  sharp  contrast  to  the 
bright  and  uniform  oriented  sheen  of  the  principal  mass,  appears  dull  gray  and  of  a  dull  luster.  Where  the  schreibersite 
lies  isolated  and  widely  separated  the  two  areas — of  which  the  outer  is  twice  as  wide  as  the  inner — follow  the  outline 
of  the  schreibersite.  Where  the  schreibersites  are  nearer  together  the  dull  zones  become  united  and  form  extended 
and  very  irregular  but  sharply-defined  dull  patches,  which  give  the  etching  surface  a  very  peculiar  appearance.  But  as 
large  portions  of  the  nickel  iron  do  not  have  this  character,  it  may  be  wanting  on  small  specimens  of  the  Walker  County 
iron.  These  dull  gray  patches  give  the  impression  of  fine-grained  nickel  iron;  but  as  finer  etching  lines  may  be  dis- 
cerned within  these  areas  I  consider  it  probable  that  densely  crowded  and  deepened  etch  pittings  are  the  cause  of  the 
varying  appearance  of  such  portions  of  the  etching  surface.  The  rhabdites,  mostly  1  mm.  long,  often  shorter,  in  isolated 
instances  reaching  a  length  of  8  mm.  and  arranged  in  two  directions  perpendicular  to  each  other,  are  so  fine  that  they 
can  only  be  distinguished  from  etching  lines  by  the  aid  of  a  high-power  microscope.  In  a  certain  light  they  appear, 
however,  as  very  fine,  brightly  gleaming  streaks.  The  distribution  is  so  irregular  that  spaces  of  4  sq.  cm.  in  size  are 
entirely  free  from  them,  while  they  are  much  crowded  in  some  places.  Nickel-iron  phosphide  occurs  also  in  the  form 
of  schreibersite,  irregularly  distributed;  it  consists  of  elongated  crystals  as  much  as  1  cm.  in  size  with  uneven  surfaces, 
which  after  polishing  appear  hollowed  out  under  the  protection  of  a  small  compact  border  zone.  Whether  the  crystals 
possess  a  porous  center  or  are  compacted  together  with  troilite  and  daubr^elite  at  the  central  part,  which  crumbles  out 
by  polishing,  can  not  be  determined.  Troilite  in  distinctly  recognizable  inclusions  is  not  to  be  found  on  the  100 
sq.  cm.  section  surface;  however,  there  occur  here  a  few  fine  lamellae  easily  mistakable  for  etching  lines  and  having  a 
different  orientation  from  that  of  the  rhabdite,  which  I  regard  as  Reichenbach  lamellae,  which  were  also  mentioned  by 
Reichenbach  10  on  the  London  specimen  ("scales  as  thin  as  parchment  and  4  cm.  long").  Troilite  has  been  observed 
on  other  specimens,  however,  and  an  isolated  portion  proved  to  be  an  excellent  conductor  of  electricity.21  In  general, 
nevertheless,  accessory  material  occurs  very  sparingly  in  the  Walker  County  iron,  as  Reichenbach  has  already  shown. 

Walker  County  takes  on  a  strong  permanent  magnetism;  Leick  determined  the  specific  magnetism  to  be  0.58 
absolute  units  per  gram. 

In  the  course  of  dissolving  a  piece  of  considerable  size  in  much  diluted  HC1  the  following  observations  were  made.19 
In  the  nickel-iron,  deep  straight  rills  are  gradually  formed,  apparently  because  the  dissolution  proceeded  rapidly 
along  the  twin  lamellse.  The  rhabdite  is,  as  a  rule,  between  0.001  and  0.004  mm.  thick,  but  both  dimensions  were  not 
infrequently  exceeded  (observed  extremes,  0.0009  and  0.03  mm.).  The  insoluble  residue  contained  chromite  and 
grains  of  silica.  The  former  consisted  of  irregular  grains  and  fragments,  besides  fine  octahedrons  and  dodecahedrons. 
Among  the  silicate  grains  much  the  most  prominent  are  colorless  ones,  with  low  interference  colors  and  mostly  high, 
but  occasionally  low,  indices  of  refraction.  Next  in  amount  come  colorless  strongly  doubly  refracting  grains,  some- 
times with  an  index  of  refraction  which  approaches  very  closely  that  of  Canada  balsam,  sometimes  with'  a  wider 
border.  Sparingly  occur  colorless,  six-sided  plates  resembling  tridymite  with  weak  anomalous  double  refraction — 
bluish,  pleochroitic  grains  with  weak  double  refraction  and  distinct  but  not  very  broad  outline — broken  grains. 
Finally,  there  remained  a  lamella  of  echreibereite  10  mm.  long,  2  mm.  wide,  and  about  0.25  mm.  thick,  whose  pres- 
ence was  not  noticed  before  treating  the  plate  with  HC1. 

Analysis  (Hildebrand): 

Fe  Xi  Co  Cu  Cr  P  S 

94.14        5.30        0.64        0.06        0.05        0.28        0.19     =100.66  Sp.  gr.,  7.7806. 

Composition: 

Nickel-iron 97.  70 

Schreibersite 1. 81 

Daubreelite 0. 14 

Troilite..  0.35 


100.00 

Walker  County  has  been  much  confused  with  Limestone  Creek,  also  with  a  pseudometeorite. 
The  history  of  these  errors  is  given  by  Cohen,22  as  follows : 

According  to  a  brief  communication  from  Fletcher,  the  principal  mass  (65.75  kgs.)  of  this  iron  was  offered  for  sale 
in  1843,  under  the  name  Alabama,  by  Troost,  through  the  medium  of  Heuland,  to  the  British  Museum,  which  acquired 
22.5  kgs.  It  may  be  assumed  with  certainty  that  the  remainder  of  the  mass  came  into  the  possession  of  Reichenbach, 
since  he  states  that  the  other  half  of  his  piece  was  in  London  (9.119),  and  since  the  two  pieces  together  weigh  62.5  kgs. 


474  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

This  corresponds  quite  well  with  the  weight  of  the  portion  brought  to  Europe,  if  we  consider  that  Reichenbach  gave 
a  portion  of  his  specimen  to  other  collections,  for  example  157  grams  to  Berlin.  In  1843,  only  Claiborne  (Lime 
Creek)  was  known  in  the  literature  as  coming  from  Alabama  (Troost's  work  on  Walker  County  first  appeared  in  1845), 
and  it  is  easily  explained  from  this  fact  that  both  pieces  were  originally  referred  to  Claiborne  and  that  they  were  cata- 
logued as  such.  Although  Heuland  gave  the  correct  locality  as  early  as  1845,  the  name  was  first  changed  in  the 
catalogue  of  the  British  Museum  in  1863,  while  Reichenbach  apparently  overlooked  this  fact.  Wherever  in  other 
collections  specimens  are  found  with  the  label  "Claiborne,"  which  were  obtained  from  Reichenbach,  they  likewise 
belong  to  Walker  County.  This  is  certainly  the  case  with  regard  to  the  231-gram  section,  designated  as  Claiborne, 
in  the  Vienna  Museum. 

The  first  mention  of  the  locality  "Morgan  County"  is  found  in  Buchner,  who  adds  that  he  could  find  no  printed 
notice  concerning  it.  He  refers  to  a  70-gram  section  in  Vienna,  which  resembles  Braunau.11  Brezina  says  of  this 
section,  that  it  is  a  hexahedrite  probably  found  in  1849,  which  Shepard  sent  with  the  remark,  "I  send  the  new 
Morgan  County  iron  (formerly  called  Walker  County)."  Brezina  adds  that  "Fletcher  assumes  that  the  locality,  Mor- 
gan County,  is  to  be  extended  to  include  our  hexahedral  specimen  designated  as  Walker  County,  1832."  18  (This 
65-gram  section,  very  imperfectly  etched,  also  belongs  without  doubt  to  the  herein  described  Walker  County  speci- 
men.) Shepard  probably  made  a  mistake  from  the  fact  that  a  hunter  living  in  Morgan  County  found  the  Walker 
County  iron  and  kept  it  in  his  house  for  11  years. 

Finally,  there  are  in  many  collections  pseudometeorites  under  the  name  of  Walker  County  or  Morgan  County. 
This  error  may  have  been  extended  by  Shepard,  since  he  analyzed  and  described  a  pseudometeorite  instead  of  the 
supposed  Walker  County  iron.  He  found  99.89  per  cent  iron  in  this  specimen,  and  regarded  Walker  County  accord- 
ingly as  proof  that  nickel-free  iron  can  have  a  meteoric  origin.  The  specific  gravity,  as  well  as  the  character  of 
the  etched  surface,  as  described,  indicates  a  pseudometeorite.  Here,  for  example,  belong  sections  of  a  mass  desig- 
nated as  Walker  County  in  Berlin  and  Vienna,  which,  according  to  Gregory,  came  from  the  Smith  collection,  as  well 
as  a  "Morgan  County"  specimen  at  Tubingen. 

It  appears,  accordingly,  that  Claiborne  (Lime  Creek)  in  the  Reichenbach  collection,  as  well  as  the  material 
donated  by  him  under  this  name,  is  in  fact  Walker  County,  and  that  under  the  name  Walker  County  (Morgan  County) 
hexahedrites  and  pseudometeorites  are  to  be  found  in  collections.  The  former  originate  from  the  Troost  mass,  the 
latter  were  probably  distributed  by  Shepard,  who  supposed  that  the  piece  examined  by  him  came  from  Walker  County. 

The  largest  pieces  of  the  meteorite  as  at  present  distributed  are  at  Tubingen  (40  kg.)  and 
London  22.5  kg. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1845:  TROOST.    Description  of  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron,  which  fell  near  Charlotte,  Dickson  County,  Tennessee,  in 

1835;  of  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  discovered  in  De  Kalb  County,  Tennessee;  of  a  mass  discovered  in  Green 
County,  Tennessee;  of  a  mass  discovered  in  Walker  County,  Alabama.  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  49, 
pp.  344-346. 

2.  1846:  SHEPARD.    Report  on  meteorites.    Idem,  2d  ser.,  vol.  2,  p.  382;  and  vol.  4,  pp.  74-75. 

3.  1858:  VON  REICHENBACH.    Uber  die  Rinde  der  meteorischen  Eisenmassen.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggen- 

dorff,  GUI,  p.  638. 

4.  1858:  Die  Meteoriten  und  die  Kometen  nach  ihren  gegenseitigen  Beziehungen.    Idem.  vol.  105,  p.  448. 

5.  1859:  Die  meteorischen  Kiigelchen  des  Capitain  Callum.    Idem,  vol.  106,  p.  488. 

6.  1859:  Jnordnung  und  Eintheilung  der  Meteoriten.     Idem,  vol.  107,  pp.  175-176. 

7.  1859:  tiber  die  chemischen  Beschaffenheit  der  Meteoriten.    Idem,  p.  263. 

8.  1859:  Uber  die  Zeitfolge  und  die  Bildungsweise  der  naheren  Bestandtheile  der  Meteoriten.     Idem,  vol.  108, 

pp.  457-158. 

9.  1861:  Tiber  das  innere  Gefuge  der  naheren  Bestandtheile  des  Meteoreisens.    Idem,  vol.  114,  pp.  100,  119,  122, 

128,  131,  262,  479,  481-483,  and  489-490;  and  vol.  115,  pp.  150-151  and  156. 

10.  1862:  Uber  die  naheren  Bestandtheile  des  Meoreisens.    Idem,  vol.  115,  pp.  621-622  and  629-630;  and  vol.  116, 

pp.  584-585  and  588-590. 

11.  1863:  BUCHNER.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  191. 

12.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  p.  49. 

13.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  218  and  221. 

14.  1887-1888:  HUNTINGTON.    Catalogue  of  all  recorded  meteorites.    Proc.  Amer.  Assoc.  Adv.  Sci.,  new  ser.,  vol. 

23,  p.  56. 

15.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  m6t6oriques,  p.  72. 

16.  1894:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  III.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.,  Wien,  Bd.  9,  pp.  114-116. 

17.  1895:  Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Idem,  Bd.  10,  pp.  82  and  87-89. 

18.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  290. 

19.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  204-206. 

20.  1897:  COHEN,    tiber  ein  angebliches  Meteoreisen  von  Walker  County,  Alabama.    M.  N.  V.    Neu-Vorpommern 

und  Rugen.    XXIX.    35-39. 

21.  1898:  Meteoreisen-Studien  VII.    Ann.  k.  k.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.,  Wien,  Bd.  13,  p.  58. 

22.  1903:  Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  166-173. 


Walker  Township.     See  Grand  Rapids. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  475 

WALLENS  RIDGE. 
Claibome  County,  Tennessee. 
Here  also,  Waldron  Ridge. 
Latitude  36°  3(X  N.,  longitude  83°  30"  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og),  of  Brezina;  Arvaite  (type  7),  of  Meunier. 
Found  and  described  1887. 
Weight,  8  kgs.  (18  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Kunz  *  as  the  Waldron  Ridge  meteorite.  Ledoux  * 
stated  that  the  mass  was  found  by  a  prospector  on  Waldron  Ridge,  10  miles  northeast  of  Cum- 
berland Gap,  Tennessee.  The  United  States  topographic  maps  of  the  region,  however,  do  not 
give  the  name  of  Waldron  Ridge.  They  give  Wallens  Ridge,  about  10  miles  southeast  of 
Cumberland  Gap.  It  seems  probable  to  the  writer  that  this  was  the  locality  of  find  of  the 
meteorite  and  he  has  therefore  changed  the  name  accordingly. 

Kunz's1  account  of  the  meteorite  was  as  follows: 

During  March,  1887,  Judge  Fulkereon,  of  Tazewell,  Claibome  County,  Tennessee,  received  from  some  prospector 
in  the  vicinity  specimens  of  what  was  supposed  to  be  an  ore  of  iron.  Some  of  these  were  sent  to  Dr.  J.  M.  Harbison 
and  Prof.  W.  E.  Moses,  of  Rnoxville,  Tennessee,  to  Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry,  of  the  School  of  Mines,  Professor  Safford,  of  the 
University  of  Tennessee,  and  others.  Through  the  kindness  of  the  three  former  gentlemen  specimens  have  come  into 
my  possession.  This  iron  is  one  of  the  Caillite  group  of  Meunier.  In  structure  it  is  one  of  the  octahedral  irons.  On 
the  largest  piece,  weighing  15  pounds,  thia  is  very  marked,  as  it  is  scarcely  altered.  All  the  other  pieces,  weighing 
collectively  several  pounds,  have  been  detached  from  around  thia  piece  which  was  apparently  the  center  of  the  mass. 
The  smaller  pieces  all  show  considerable  weathering.  Several  perfect  octahedrons  and  one  tetrahedron  were  obtained 
by  simply  breaking  the  iron  off  with  the  fingers,  it  separating  very  readily  at  the  cleavage  plates  between  which,  in 
nearly  all  instances,  were  thin  folia  of  schreibersite.  Troilite  was  also  observed  as  well  as  graphite,  clearly  suggesting 
that  this  iron  is  identical  with  the  Cosby  Creek,  Cocke  County,  the  Sevier  County,  the  Greenbrier  County  mass  in  the 
British  Museum,  and  the  Jennies  Creek,  Wayne  County,  West  Virginia,  meteorites  which,  although  independently 
described,  are  evidently  parts  of  one  meteorite,  as  suggested  by  Huntington,  which  either  exploded  on  entering  our 
atmosphere  so  that  the  fragments  traveled  according  to  their  impetus,  or  else  threw  off  these  pieces  at  various  periods 
of  its  course.  In  all  there  was  perhaps  about  3  pounds,  although  it  was  supposed  at  first  that  there  was  a  whole  mine  of 
it.  The  other  pieces  were  obtained  after  the  15-pound  piece  and  not  one  of  them  weighed  more  than  a  pound. 

Ledoux  2  gave  the  following  account: 

In  this  connection  I  will  show  another  meteorite  which  I  verbally  described  before  this  academy  in  1887.  It  is 
from  Waldron  Ridge,  10  miles  northeast  of  Cumberland  Gap,  Tennessee.  It  weighs  12  pounds  and  was  found  by  a 
prospector  for  iron  who  sent  it  to  me  for  analysis  in  May,  1887.  From  the  same  locality,  later  in  the  year,  a  larger  piece 
was  also  sent  me,  which  by  order  of  the  owner,  I  turned  over  to  Mr.  Kunz.  It  is  of  the  ordinary  nickel-iron  variety 
containing: 

Fe J 93.86 

Ni. .  6. 01 


99.87 

It  undoubtedly  belongs  to  the  group  of  meteorites  that  have  been  found — all  with  similar. characteristics — in 
eastern  Tennessee  and  Virginia,  described  by  Kunz  and  others. 

Meunier 3  classed  the  meteorite  as  arvaite  and  remarked  that  it  possessed  all  the  characters 
of  that  type. 

Huntington  *  remarked  that  the  Waldron  Ridge  iron  was  generally  accepted  to  be  identical 
with  that  of  Cocke  County.  Later  authorities  do  not,  however,  agree  with  this  conclusion. 

The  structure  of  the  meteorite  is  described  by  Brezina 5  as  follows: 

The  lamellae  are  quite  long,  straight,  in  some  places  hatched  and  somewhat  swollen.  The  taenite  is  normally 
developed.  Fields  are  less  abundant  than  the  bands  and  filled  with  kamacite-like  combs.  Upon  the  polished  surfaces 
ribs  of  cohenite  appear  crowded  together  in  some  places,  in  other  places  large  crystals  of  schreibersite  up  to  5  cm.  long 
and  8  mm.  thick,  clustered  together  in  radiating  bunches,  are  seen  covered  with  an  envelope  of  schreibersite  of  0.3  mm. 
in  thickness  of  another  color  set  in  swathing  kamacite.  Outcroppings  of  troilite  and  graphite  of  the  size  of  peas  may 
be  seen  surrounded  by  schreibersite  and  troilite  grains. 

The  iron  is  distributed,  the  Vienna  Museum  having  the  largest  piece  (3,873  grams). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1887:  KUNZ.    On  some  American  meteorites. — On  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from  Waldron  Ridge,  Claibome  County, 

Tennessee.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  34,  pp.  475-476. 

2.  1889:  LEDOUX.    The  Pipe-Creek  Meteorite.    Trans.  New  York  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  8,  p.  187  (analysis). 


476  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

* 

3.  1893:  MEUNIEB.    Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  29  and  32. 

4.  1894:  HUNTINOTON.     The  Smithville  meteoric  iron.     Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  29,  p.  259  (chart  of 

region). 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  287. 

WARRENTON. 

Warren  County,  Missouri. 

Latitude  38°  50'  N.,  longitude  91°  1(X  W. 

Stone.    Omans  type  of  crystalline  chondrite  (Ceo)  of  Brezina;  Ornansite  (type  46)  of  Meunier. 

Fell  7.15  a.  m.  January  3,  1877. 

Weight,  about  45  kgs.  (100  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  almost  wholly  by  Smith  *  as  follows: 

About  sunrise  on  January  3,  1877,  5  miles  from  Warrenton  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  latitude  38°  507  N.,  longitude 
91°  10'  W.,  a  sound  was  heard  by  certain  observers  similar  to  the  whistle  of  a  distant  locomotive  or,  as  stated  by  others, 
like  the  passage  of  a  cannon  ball  through  the  air.  The  sound  came  from  the  northwest  and  became  louder  and  louder 
to  four  observers  near  Warrenton.  Upon  looking  up  they  saw  an  object  falling,  which  struck  a  tree,  breaking  off  the 
limbs  and  then  coming  to  the  ground  with  a  crash.  The  observers  were  50  or  60  meters  distant  from  the  spot  where  it 
fell.  On  approaching  the  place  they  saw  a  mass  of  stone  broken  into  a  number  of  pieces.  From  the  fragments  they 
suppose  it  to  have  been  originally  of  a  conical  form  and  about  18  inches  in  length.  The  snow  was  melted  and  the  frozen 
ground  thawed  near  where  it  fell,  but  the  pieces,  although  warm,  were  easily  handled.  The  weight  was  estimated  to 
have  been  about  100  pounds;  but  whether  this  estimate  be  correct  or  not  only  about  10  or  15  pounds  of  fragments  have 
been  preserved,  a  good  portion  of  which  is  in  my  possession,  mostly  in  small  fragments;  some  specimens  are  in  the 
cabinet  of  Yale  College  and  others  scattered  about  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  where  it  fell. 

As  regards  its  temperature  at  the  time  of  falling,  I  would  say  that  I  have  a  specimen  which  gives,  as  it  were,  a 
satisfactory  record  that  it  was  not  very  hot  when  it  struck  the  tree,  for  a  portion  of  the  fibers  of  one  of  the  branches 
is  adhering  to  the  surface,  entangled  in  the  rough  crust  of  the  stone,  and  these  delicate  fibers  show  not  the  slightest 
4gn  of  having  been  heated.  A  fact  to  be  noted  in  connection  with  the  fall  of  this  meteorite  is  that  no  explosion  was 
heard,  or  any  luminous  phenomena  produced  by  its  passage  through  the  air  after  it  was  first  noticed;  this  may  be  in 
part  due  to  the  fact  that  the  fall  happened  at  sunrise;  but  it  was  no  doubt  a  meteorite  well  spent  in  its  rapid  motion 
through  the  atmosphere  and  dropped  quietly  like  an  exhausted  bird  in  its  flight.  Its  direction,  so  far  as  made  out, 
was  from  northwest  to  southeast. 

Aspect  of  the  stone. — It  has  its  own  points  of  peculiar  interest,  and  is  not  like  any  meteorite  that  I  am  familiar  with, 
except  the  Ornans  meteorite,  which  fell  July  11, 1868,  and  this  it  resembles  closely  in  every  particular,  as  may  be  seen 
by  comparing  my  results  with  those  of  Pisani  (Comptes  Rendus  Acad.  Sci.,  1868,  vol.  2,  p.  663),  although  his  method 
of  recording  the  analytical  results  is  different  from  mine,  and  the  specific  gravity  as  made  out  by  him  is  higher  than 
mine,  which  is  not  singular  in  different  specimens  of  these  porous  bodies.  Its  crust  is  dull  black  and  quite  thick;  in 
many  places  of  several  centimeters  square  from  2.5  to  3.5  mm.  thick  (the  thickest  I  have  ever  seen),  where  the  cmst 
is  a  rough  scoria  that  sometimes  terminates  abruptly  on  a  smooth  portion  of  the  crust,  and  is  doubtless  produced  by 
the  melted  matter  on  the  surface  being  forced  backward  and  opposite  to  the  direction  of  the  flight  of  the  stone,  being 
swept  off  one  portion  of  the  surface,  and  leaving  this  part  smooth  and  piled  up  behind  it  in  the  form  of  a  surface  scoria. 

The  interior  of  the  stone  has  a  uniform  dark  ash  color,  and  is  soft  and  easily  crushed;  the  latter  fact  accounts  for 
its  having  broken  into  fragments  as  it  struck  the  ground.  Its  specific  gravity  is  3.47,  and  the  amount  of  metallic 
matter  contained  in  it  is  small. 

Chemical  composition.— The  stone  pulverized  and  freed  from  metallic  particles  gave  on  analysis  an  amount  of 
sulphur  equal  to  3.51  per  cent  of  troilite;  the  amount  of  nickeliferous  iron  was  small,  being  equal  to  2.01  per  cent. 
The  stony  minerals  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid  gave — 

Soluble  in  acid 80.40 

Insoluble  in  acid 19.  60 

composed  as  follows: 

Soluble.     Insoluble. 

Silica 33.  02  56.  90 

Iron  protoxide 37.  57  10. 20 

Alumina 0. 12  0. 20 

Lime : trace  7.  62 

Magnesia 28. 41  22. 41 

Soda 0. 07  1. 00 

Nickel  oxide 1.  54        

Cobalt  oxide 0.  31        

Chromium  oxide 0.  33 

101.  04        97.  66 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  477 

I  obtained  chrome  oxide  0.33  per  cent,  indicating  0.50  of  chrome  iron,  if  the  chrome  be  present  in  that  form.  There 
is  no  way,  however,  by  which  I  can  decide  this  question,  although  it  is  probable,  since  the  chrome  is  in  the  insoluble 
part;  the  oxide  of  nickel,  with  the  exception  of  perhaps  a  minute  portion,  belongs  to  the  composition  of  the  soluble 
silicates. 

The  nickeliferous  iron  contained  in  this  stone  is  very  small  in  quantity.    This  on  analysis  gave — 

Iron 88.51 

Nickel 10.21 

Cobalt..  0.60 


99.32 

Mineral  constituent*  of  the  Warrenton  meteorite. — A  microscopic  examination  did  not  give  me  any  clear  indications, 
for  it  is  not  possible  to  prepare  a  good  section  for  observation.  Its  chemical  examination,  however,  shows  the  usual 
uni  and  bisilicatea  of  the  olivine  and  bronzite  and  pyroxenic  types.  The  most  marked  feature  is  the  preponderance 
of  the  olivine  minerals,  constituting  four-fifths  of  the  ma«g  The  proportion  of  the  mineral  constituents  is  about  as 
follows: 

Olivine  minerals 76. 00 

Bronzite  and  pyroxene  minerals 18. 00 

Nickeliferous  iron .*. 2. 00 

Troilite 3. 50 

Chrome  iron : 0. 50 

Meunier3  gives  two  figures  illustrating  the  structure  of  the  meteorite  and  remarks:' 

The  Warrenton  meteorite  so  much  resembles  that  of  Ornans,  which  fell  July  11,  1868,  as  to  indicate  that  the  two 
were  detached  from  the  same  mass.  It  is  very  friable,  which  explains  its  division  into  fragments  at  the  time  of 
striking  the  earth. 

Brezina,4  in  1885,  classed  the  meteorite  with  Ornans  as  a  spherical  chondrite  and  remarked: 

The  chondri  are  so  numerous  that  they  quite  crowd  out  the  groundmass.  The  two  stones  (Ornans  and  Warren- 
ton) are  very  similar,  have  a  blue-gray  color,  and  a  thick  dull  cruet. 

In  1895,5  he  gave  the  date  of  sunrise  on  the  day  of  fall  of  the  meteorite  (January  3,  1877) 
as  7.19  a.  m. 

The  distribution  of  1,614  grams  of  the  meteorite  is  listed  by  Wulfing';  the  whereabouts  of 
the  remainder  do  not  appear. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1877:  SMITH.    Note  of  the  recent  fall  of  three  meteoric  stones  in  Indiana,  Missouri,  and  Kentucky. — No.  2.  On 

January  3,  1877,  at  sunrise,  in  Warren  County,  Missouri.    Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  13,  p.  243. 

2.  1877:  SMITH.    A  description  of  the  Rochester,  Warrenton,  and  Cynthiana  meteoric  stones,  which  fell,  respec- 

tively, December  21,  1876,  January  3,  1877,  and  January  23,  1877,  with  some  remarks  on  the  previous  falls  of 
meteorites  in  the  same  regions. — 2.  Warrenton  (Missouri)  meteorite.  Amer.  Joum.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  14,  pp. 
222-224  (analysis)  and  227-229. 

3.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  pp.  280,  283  (illustration),  284-285,  494,  and  523-524. 

4.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  190-191  and  233. 

5.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  259. 

6.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  381. 


Washington.     See  Farmington. 
Washington  County,  1858.    See  Trenton. 

Waterloo.    See  Seneca  Falls. 
Wayne  County,  1858.     See  Wooster. 
Wayne  County,  1883.    See  Jennies  Creek. 


WEAVER. 

Weaver  Mountains,  near  Wickenburg,  Maricopa  County,  Arizona. 

Latitude  33°  58'  N.,  longitude  112°  35'  W. 

Iron.    Ataxite,  Dba  (Klein). 

Found  1898. 

Weight,  38.8  kgs.  (85.5  Ibs.). 


478  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  first  mention  of  this  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  by  Ward,1  who  gives  the  above 
data  and  states  that  the  meteorite  is  undescribed. 

Klein  2  reported  the  following  analysis  by  Lindner  (specific  gravity,  7.108) : 

Insoluble 

gray 

Fe  Ni  Co  S  P  residue 

80.78        17.92        0.84        0.15        0.12  0.15    =99.96 

The  main  mass  is  in  the  museum  of  the  University  of  Arizona. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1904:  WARD.    Catalogue  of  the  Ward-Coonley  collection  of  meteorites,  p.  27. 

2.  1904:  KLEIN.    Mitth.  uber  Meteoriten.    Sitzber.  Konigl.  preuss.  Akad.,  Bd.  32. 


WELLAND. 

Ontario,  Canada. 

Latitude  43°  O7  N.,  longitude  79°  15'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1888;  described  1890.   • 

Weight,  8  kgs.  (17.75  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  chiefly  described  by  Howell l  as  follows : 

This  meteorite  was  found  April  30,  1888,  about  1.5  miles  north  of  Welland,  Ontario,  Canada.  It  was  plowed  up  by 
Walter  Caughell,  on  land  owned  by  a  Mr.  Shannon,  and  attracted  attention  by  its  weight,  but  not  being  considered 
valuable  it  was  thrown  aside  after  a  small  piece  weighing  5  ounces  had,  with  much  difficulty,  been  broken  off.  This 
piece  was  kept  by  Mr.  George  Holland,  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Shannon,  until  September  last,  when  he  gave  it  to  Dr. 
McCallum,  his  family  physician,  who,  being  convinced  that  it  was  meteoric,  forwarded  it  to  me.  Mr.  Holland  was 
in  due  time  engaged  to  search-for  the  original  mass,  which  he  finally  found  December  9, 1889,  in  a  pile  of  old  iron  inside 
of  an  old  stove  oven. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  the  original  size  of  the  mass  since  it  has  been  so  long  exposed  to  oxidation  that  none 
of  the  outer  crust  or  characteristic  pittings  remain,  the  general  form  only  being  preserved,  which  is  that  of  a  kidney- 
shaped  mass.  There  has  doubtless  been  considerable  reduction  in  bulk.  The  two  greatest  dimensions  of  the  mass 
are  8  by  6  inches  (15  by  20  cm.). 

After  being  freed  from  all  loose  scales  and  including  the  first  piece  broken  off  its  total  weight  was  17.75  pounds. 

At  several  points  the  octahedral  structure  is  well  shown  and  the  decomposition  of  the  iron  enabled  me  to  collect 
the  tsenite  in  amount  sufficient  for  analysis,  which  has  been  given  Mr.  J.  M.  Davison  for  that  purpose.  A  polished 
section  of  the  iron  treated  with  dilute  acid  shows  the  Widmannstatten  figures  rather  coarse  and  strong,  not  unlike  the 
Toluca  irons.  The  entire  absence  of  troilite,  as  far  as  can  be  detected  in  the  various  sections,  is  a  marked  feature  of 
the  iron,  the  only  indication  of  its  presence  being  the  small  amount  of  sulphur  shown  in  the  following  analysis  kindly 
furnished  by  Mr.  Davison: 

Fe  Ni  C  S 

91.17        8.54        0.06        0.07     =99.84 

Specific  gravity=7.87. 

Owing  to  its  freedom  from  troilite  and  schreibersite  and  the  separated  condition  of  the  plates  Davison  2  regarded 
the  iron  a  good  one  for  analysis  of  the  different  nickel-iron  alloys.  He  obtained  the  following  results: 

Plessite. 


Fe... 

Kamacite. 
93  09 

Kamacite-like 
part. 

92  81 

Taenite-like 
part. 

72  98 

Tasnlte. 
74.78 

Ni  

6.  69 

6.97 

25.87 

2432 

Co 

25 

.19 

.83 

33 

C  

02 

.19 

.91 

.50 

100. 05  100. 16  100. 59  99. 93 

Davison's  conclusion  from  the  analysis  and  structure  was  that  the  plessite  of  Welland  was 
made  up  of  thin  alternating  lamellae  of  kamacite  and  ta?nite. 

Brezina3  gives  the  following  observations: 

The  mass  is  so  much  weathered  that  the  three  elements  of  its  composition  may  be  mechanically  separated.  An 
octahedron  9  cm.  in  size  was  weathered  out  in  one  place.  The  bands  are  long  and  straight,  somewhat  grouped  and 
swollen,  tsenite  well  developed,  meshes  filled  almost  entirely  with  kamacite-like  combs,  very  rarely  with  dark-gray 
plessite.  The  kamacite  and  combs  are  much  degranulated  and  slightly  and  very  finely  hatched.  Riba  of  cohenite 
are  abundant  in  the  kamacite. 

The  meteorite  is  distributed.     Vienna  possesses  1,521  grams. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  479 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1890:  HOWELL.     Description  of  new  meteorites.— The  Welland  meteorite.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Scl,  vol.  1,  pp. 

86-87  (analysis  and  illustration). 

2.  1891:  DAVISON.    Analyses  of  kamacite,  taenite,  and  plessite  from  the  Welland  meteoric  iron.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci., 

3d  ser.,  vol.  42,  pp.  64-66. 

3.  1895:  BKEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  284. 

4.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  p.  82,  87. 


West  Liberty.    See  Homestead. 


WESTON. 

Fairfield  County,  Connecticut. 
Latitude  41°  15'  N.,  longitude  73°  23'  XV. 

Stone.    Brecciated  crystalline  chondrite  (Ccb)  of  Brezina;  Limerickite  (type  32)  of  Meunier. 
Fell  6.30  a.  m.  December  14,  1807;  described  1809. 

Weight:  A  shower  of  stones,  the  largest  weighing  about  90  kgs.  (200  Ibs.).    The  weights 
recorded  by  Silliman  and  Kingsley  give  a  total  of  about  135  kgs.  (300  Ibs.). 

The  phenomena  of  this  fall  were  fully  described  by  Professors  Silliman  and  Kingsley,  and 
their  account  was  printed  in  full  or  in  abstract  in  several  places.  The  full  account  which  they 
gave  is  as  follows :  * 

The  meteor,  which  has  so  recently  excited  alarm  in  many  and  astonishment  in  all,  first  made  its  appearance  in 
Weston,  about  a  quarter  or  half  past  6  o'clock,  a.  m.,  on  Monday,  the  14th  inst.  [December,  1807].  The  morning  waa 
somewhat  cloudy;  the  clouds  were  dispersed  in  unequal  masses,  being  in  some  places  thick  and  opaque,  in  others 
light,  fleecy,  and  partially  transparent;  while  spots  of  unclouded  sky  appeared  here  and  there  among  them.  Along 
the  northern  part  of  the  horizon,  a  space  of  10°  or  15°  was  perfectly  clear.  The  day  had  merely  dawned  and  there  was 
little  or  no  light,  except  for  the  moon,  which  was  just  setting.  Judge  Wheeler,  to  whose  intelligence  and  observation, 
apparently  uninfluenced  by  fear  or  imagination  we  are  indebted  for  the  substance  of  t.hia  part  of  our  account,  was 
passing  through  the  inclosure  adjoining  his  house  with  his  face  to  the  north  and  his  eyes  on  the  ground  when  a  sudden 
flash,  occasioned  by  the  transition  of  a  luminous  body  across  the  northern  margin  of  the  clear  sky,  illuminated  every 
object  and  caused  him  to  look  up.  He  immediately  discovered  a  globe  of  fire  just  then  passing  behind  the  first  cloud 
which  was  very  dark  and  obscure,  although  it  did  not  entirely  hide  the  meteor. 

In  this  situation  its  appearance  was  distinct  and  well  defined,  like  that  of  the  sun  seen  through  a  mist.  It  rose 
from  the  north  and  proceeded  in  a  direction  nearly  perpendicular  to  the  horizon,  but  inclining  by  a  very  small 
angle  to  the  west  and  deviating  a  little  from  the  plane  of  a  great  circle  but  in  pretty  large  curves,  sometimes  on  one 
side  of  the  plane  and  sometimes  on  the  other,  but  never  making  an  angle  with  it  of  more  than  4°  or  5°.  It  appeared 
about  one-half  or  two-thirds  the  diameter  of  the  full  moon.  This  description  of  its  apparent  magnitude  is  'vague,  but 
it  was  impossible  to  ascertain  what  angle  it  subtended.  Its  progress  was  not  so  rapid  as  that  of  common  meteors  and 
shooting  stars.  When  it  passed  behind  the  thinner  clouds  it  appeared  brighter  than  before,  and  when  it  passed  the 
spots  of  clear  sky  it  flashed  with  a  vivid  light,  yet  not  so  intense  as  the  lightning  in  a  thunderstorm  but  rather  like  what 
is  commonly  called  heat  lightning.  Its  surface  was  apparently  convex. 

Where  it  was  not  too  much  obscured  by  thick  clouds,  a  conical  train  of  paler  light  was  seen  to  attend  it,  waving, 
and  in  length  about  10  or  12  diameters  of  the  body.  In  the  clear  sky  a  brisk  scintillation  was  observed  about  the 
body  of  the  meteor,  like  that  of  a  burning  firebrand  carried  against  the  wind. 

It  disappeared  about  15°  short  of  the  zenith  and  about  the  same  number  of  degrees  west  of  the  meridian.  It  did 
not  vanish  instantaneously,  but  grew  pretty  rapidly  fainter  and  fainter,  as  a  red-hot  cannon  ball  would  do,  if  cooling 
in  the  dark,  only  with  much  more  rapidity. 

There  was  no  peculiar  smell  in  the  atmosphere,  nor  were  any  luminous  masses  seen  to  separate  from  the  body. 
The  whole  period,  between  its  first  appearance  and  total  extinction,  was  estimated  at  about  30  seconds. 

About  30  or  40  seconds  after  this,  three  loud  and  distinct  reports,  like  those  of  a  4-pounder  near  at  hand,  were 
heard.  They  succeeded  each  other  with  as  much  rapidity  as  was  consistent  with  distinctness,  and  all  together  did 
not  occupy  3  seconds.  Then  followed  a  rapid  succession  of  reports,  less  loud  and  running  into  each  other  so  as  to  pro- 
duce a  continued  rumbling,  like  that  of  a  cannon  ball  rolling  over  a  floor,  sometimes  louder  and  at  other  times  fainter; 
some  compared  it  to  the  noise  of  a  wagon  running  rapidly  down  a  long  and  stony  hill;  or  to  a  volley  of  musketry  pro- 
tracted into  what  is  called,  in  military  language,  a  running  fire.  This  noise  continued  about  as  long  as  the  body  was 
in  rising,  and  died  away  apparently  in  the  direction  from  which  the  meteor  came. 

The  accounts  of  others  correspond  substantially  with  this.  Time  was  differently  estimated  by  different  people, 
but  the  variation  was  not  material.  Some  augmented  the  number  of  loud  reports,  and  terror  and  imagination  seem, 
in  various  instances,  to  have  magnified  every  circumstance  of  the  phenomenon. 


480  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  only  thing  which  seemed  of  any  importance,  beyond  this  statement,  was  derived  from  Mr.  Elihu  Staples, 
who  said  that  when  the  meteor  disappeared,  there  were  apparently  three  successive  efforts  or  leaps  of  the  fireball, 
which  grew  more  dim  at  every  throw,  and  disappeared  with  the  last. 

Such  were  the  sensible  phenomena  which  attended  this  meteor.  We  purposely  avoid  describing  the  appear- 
ances which  it  assumed  in  other  places,  leaving  this  task  to  others  who  have  the  means  of  performing  it  more  accurately; 
while  we  proceed  to  detail  the  consequences  which  followed  the  explosions  and  apparent  extinction  of  this  luminary. 

We  allude  to  the  fall  of  a  number  of  masses  of  stone  in  several  places,  principally  within  the  town  of  Weston. 
The  places  which  had  been  well  ascertained  at  the  period  of  our  investigation  were  six.  The  most  remote  were  about 
9  or  10  miles  distant  from  each  other,  in  a  line  differing  little  from  the  course  of  the  meteor.  It  is  therefore  probable 
that  the  successive  masses  fell  in  this  order,  the  most  northerly  first,  and  the  most  southerly  last.  We  think  we  are 
able  to  point  out  three  principal  places  where  stones  have  fallen,  corresponding  with  the  three  loud  cannon-like 
reports,  and  with  the  three  leaps  of  the  meteor,  observed  by  Mr.  Staples.  There  were  some  circumstances  common 
to  all  the  cases.  There  was,  in  every  instance,  immediately  after  the  explosions  had  ceased,  a  loud  whizzing  or  roar- 
ing noise  in  the  air,  observed  at  all  the  places,  and,  so  far  as  was  ascertained,  at  the  moment  of  the  fall.  It  excited 
in  some  the  idea  of  a  tornado;  in  others,  of  a  large  cannon  shot  in  rapid  motion;  and  it  filled  all  with  astonishment 
and  apprehension  of  some  impending  catastrophe.  In  every  instance  immediately  after  this  was  heard  a  sudden  and 
abrupt  noise,  like  that  of  a  ponderous  body  striking  the  ground  in  its  fall.  Excepting  one,  the  stones  were  more  or 
less  broken.  The  most  important  circumstance  of  the  particular  cases  were  as  follows: 

1.  The  most  northerly  fall  was  within  the  limits  of  Huntington,  on  the  border  of  Weston,  about  40  or  50  rods  east 
of  the  great  road  from  Bridgeport  to  Newton,  in  a  crossroad,  and  contiguous  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Merwin  Burr.    Mr. 
Burr  was  standing  in  the  road  in  front  of  his  house,  when  the  stone  fell.    The  noise  produced  by  its  collision  with  a 
rock  of  granite  on  which  it  struck,  was  very  loud.    Mr.  Burr  was  within  50  feet  and  immediately  searched  for  the 
body,  but,  it  being  still  dark,  he  did  not  find  it  till  half  an  hour  after.     By  the  fall  some  of  it  was  reduced  to  powder, 
and  the  rest  of  it  was  broken  into  very  small  fragments,  which  were  thrown  around  to  the  distance  of  20  or  30  feet. 
The  granite  rock  was  stained  at  the  place  of  contact  with  a  deep  lead  color.    The  largest  fragment  which  remained 
did  not  exceed  the  size  of  a  goose  egg,  and  this  Mr.  Burr  found  to  be  still  warm  in  his  hand.    There  was  reason  to  con- 
clude, from  all  the  circumstances,  that  this  stone  must  have  weighed  about  20  or  35  pounds. 

Mr.  Burr  has  a  strong  impression  that  another  stone  fell  in  an  adjoining  field,  and  it  was  confidently  believed  that 
a  large  mass  had  fallen  into  a  neighboring  swamp,  but  neither  of  these  had  been  found.  It  is  probable  that  the 
stone,  whose  fall  has  now  been  described,  together  with  any  other  masses  which  may  have  fallen  at  the  same  time, 
was  thrown  from  the  meteor  at  the  first  explosion. 

2.  The  masses  projected  at  the  second  explosion  seem  to  have  fallen  principally  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Mr. 
William  Prince's,  in  Weston,  distant  about  5  miles,  in  a  southerly  direction  from  Mr.  Burr's.    Mr.  Prince  and  fam- 
ily were  still  in  bed,  when  they  heard  a  noise  like  the  fall  of  a  very  heavy  body,  immediately  after  the  Explosions. 
They  formed  various  unsatisfactory  conjectures  concerning  the  cause;  nor  did  even  a  fresh  hole  made  through  the 
turf  in  the  door  yard,  about  25  feet  from  the  house,  lead  to  any  conception  of  the  cause,  or  induce  any  other  inquiry 
than  why  a  new  post  hole  should  have  been  dug  where  there  was  no  use  for  it.    So  far  were  this  family  from  con- 
ceiving of  the  possibility  of  such  an  event  as  stones  falling  from  the  clouds.    They  had,  indeed,  formed  a  vague 
conjecture  that  the  hole  might  have  been  made  by  lightning,  but  would  probably  have  paid  no  further  attention  to  the 
circumstance  had  they  not  heard,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  that  stones  had  fallen  that  morning  in  other  parts  of  the  town. 
This  induced  them,  toward  evening,  to  search  the  hole  in  the  yard,  where  they  found  a  stone  buried  in  the  loose 
earth  which  had  fallen  in  upon  it.    It  was  2  feet  from  the  surface;  the  hole  was  about  12  inches  in  diameter,  and  as 
the  earth  was  soft  and  nearly  free  from  stones,  the  mass  had  sustained  little  injury,  only  a  few  fragments  having  been 
detached  by  the  shock.    The  weight  of  this  stone  was  about  35  pounds.    From  the  descriptions  which  we  have  heard, 
it  must  have  been  a  noble  specimen,  and  men  of  science  will  not  cease  to  deplore  that  BO  rare  a  treasure  should  have 
been  immediately  broken  in  pieces.    All  that  remained  unbroken  of  this  noble  mass  was  a  piece  of  12  pounds  weight, 
since  purchased  by  Isaac  Bronson,  Esq.,  of  Greenfield,  with  the  liberal  view  of  presenting  it  to  some  public 
institution. 

Six  days  after,  another  mass  was  discovered,  half  a  mile  northwest  from  Mr.  Prince's.  The  search  was  induced 
by  the  confident  persuasion  of  the  neighbors  that  they  heard  it  fall  near  the  spot  where  it  was  actually  found  buried 
in  the  earth,  weighing  from  7  to  10  pounds.  It  was  found  by  Gideon  Hall  and  Isaac  Fairchild.  It  was  in  small  frag- 
ments, having  fallen  on  a  globular  detached  mass  of  gneiss  rock,  which  it  split  in  two,  and  which  by  it  was  itself 
shivered  in  pieces. 

The  same  men  informed  us  that  they  suspected  another  stone  had  fallen  in  the  vicinity,  as  the  report  had  been 
distinctly  heard,  and  could  be  referred  to  a  particular  region  somewhat  to  the  east.  Returning  to  the  place,  after  an 
excursion  of  a  few  hours  to  another  part  of  the  town,  we  were  gratified  to  find  the  conjecture  verified  by  the  actual 
discovery  of  a  mass  of  13  pounds  weight,  which  had  fallen  half  a  mile  to  the  northeast  of  Mr.  Prince's.  Having  fallen 
in  a  plowed  field,  without  coming  into  contact  with  a  rock,  it  was  broken  only  into  two  principal  pieces,  one  of 
which,  possessing  all  the  characters  of  the  stone  in  a  remarkable  degree,  we  purchased;  for  it  had  now  become  an 
article  of  sale.  It  was  urged  that  it  had  pleased  Heaven  to  rain  down  this  treasure  upon  them,  and  they  would  bring 
their  thunderbolts  to  the  best  market  they  could.  This  was,  it  must  be  confessed,  a  wiser  mode  of  managing  the 
business  than  that  which  had  been  adopted  by  some  others  at  an  earlier  period  of  these  discoveries.  Strongly  im- 
pressed with  the  idea  that  these  stones  contained  gold  and  silver,  they  subjected  them  to  all  the  tortures  of  ancient 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  481 

alchemy,  and  the  goldsmith's  crucible,  the  forge,  and  the  blacksmith's  anvil,  were  employed,  in  vain,  to  elicit  riches 
which  existed  only  in  the  imagination. 

Two  miles  southeast  from  Mr.  Prince's,  at  the  foot  of  Tashowa  hill,  a  fifth  mass  fell.  Its  fall  was  distinctly  heard 
by  Mr.  Ephraim  Porter  and  his  family,  who  live  within  40  rods  of  the  place  and  in  full  view.  They  saw  a  smoke  rise 
from  the  spot,  as  they  did  also  from  the  hill,  where  they  are  positive  that  another  stone  struck,  as  they  heard  it  dis- 
tinctly. At  the  time  of  the  fall,  having  never  heard  of  any  such  thing,  they  supposed  that  lightning  had  struck  the 
ground,  but  after  three  or  four  days,  hearing  of  the  stones  which  had  been  found  in  their  vicinity,  they  were  induced 
to  search,  and  the  result  was  the  discovery  of  a  mass  of  stone  in  the  road,  at  the  place  where  they  supposed  the  light- 
ning had  struck.  It  penetrated  the  ground  to  the  depth  of  2  feet  in  the  deepest  place;  the  hole  was  about  20  inches 
,  in  diameter,  and  its  margin  was  colored  blue  from  the  powder  of  the  stone  struck  off  on  its  fall. 

It  was  broken  into  fragments  of  moderate  size,  and  from  the  best  calculations  might  have  weighed  20  or  25  pounds. 
The  hole  exhibited  marks  of  much  violence,  the  turf  being  very  much  torn  and  thrown  about  to  some  distance. 
It  is  probable  that  the  fouristones  last  described  were  all  projected  at  the  second  explosion;  and,  should  one  be 
discovered  on  the  neighboring  hill,  we  must,  without  doubt,  refer  it  to  the  same  avulsion. 

3.  Last  of  all,  we  hasten  to  what  appears  to  have  been  the  catastrophe  of  this  wonderful  phenomenon. 
A  mass  of  stone,  far  exceeding  the  united  weight  of  all  which  we  have  hitherto  described,  fell  in  a  field  belonging 
to  Mr.  Elijah  Seely  and  within  30  rods  of  his  house. 

A  circumstance  attended  the  fall  of  this  which  seems  to  have  been  peculiar.  Mr.  Elihu  Staples,  a  man  of  integrity, 
lives  on  the  hill  at  the  bottom  of  which  this  body  fell  and  witnessed  the  first  appearance,  progress,  and  explosion  of  the 
meteor.  After  the  last  explosion  a  rending  noise,  like  that  of  a  whirlwind,  passed  along  to  the  east  of  his  house  and 
immediately  over  his  orchard,  which  is  on  the  declivity  of  the  hill.  At  the  same  instant  a  streak  of  light  passed  over 
the  orchard  in  a  large  curve  and  seemed  to  pierce  the  ground.  A  shock  was  felt  and  a  report  heard  like  that  of  a  heavy 
body  falling  to  the  earth,  but  no  conception  being  entertained  of  the  real  cause  (for  no  one  in  the  vicinity  with  whom 
we  conversed  appeared  to  have  ever  heard  of  the  fall  of  stones  from  the  skies)  it  was  supposed  that  lightning  had  struck 
the  ground.  Three  or  four  hours  after  the  event  Mr.  Seely  went  into  his  field  to  look  after  his  cattle.  He  found  that 
some  of  them  had  leaped  into  the  adjoining  inclosure  and  all  exhibited  strong  indications  of  terror.  Passing  on  he 
was  struck  with  surprise  at  seeing  a  spot  of  ground  which  he  knew  to  have  been  recently  turfed  over  all  torn  up  and 
the  earth  looking  fresh,  as  if  from  recent  violence.  Coming  to  the  place  he  found  a  great  mass  of  fragments  of  a  strange- 
looking  stone  and  immediately  called  for  his  wife,  who  was  second  on  the  ground. 

Here  were  exhibited  the  most  striking  proofs  of  violent  collision.  A  ridge  of  micaceous  schist,  lying  nearly  even 
with  the  ground  and  somewhat  inclining  like  the  hill  to  the  southeast,  was  shivered  to  pieces  to  a  certain  extent  by  the 
impulses  of  the  stone,  which  thus  received  a  still  more  oblique  direction,  and  forced  itself  into  the  earth  to  the  depth 
of  3  feet ,  tearing  a  hole  of  5  feet  in  length  and  4.5  feet  in  breadth  and  throwing  large  masses  of  turf  and  fragments  of  stone 
and  earth  to  the  distance  of  50  and  100  feet.  Had  there  been  no  meteor,  no  explosions,  and  no  witnesses  of  light  and 
shock  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  any  person  contemplating  the  scene  to  doubt  that  a  large  and  heavy  body 
had  really  fallen  from  the  skies  with  tremendous  momentum. 

This  stone  was  all  in  fragments,  none  of  which  exceeded  the  size  of  a  man's  fist,  and  was  rapidly  dispersed  by 
numerous  visitors,  who  carried  it  away  at  pleasure.  Indeed,  we  found  it  very  difficult  to  obtain  -a  sufficient  supply  of 
specimens  of  the  various  stones,  an  object  which  was  at  length  accomplished  principally  by  importunity  and  purchase. 
From  the  best  information  which  we  could  obtain  of  the  quantity  of  fragments  of  this  last  stone,  compared  with  its 
specific  gravity,  we  concluded  that  its  weight  could  not  have  fallen  much  short  of  200  pounds.  All  the  stones  when 
first  found  were  friable,  being  easily  broken  between  the  fingers;  this  was  especially  the  case  where  they  had  been 
buried  in  the  moist  earth,  but  by  exposure  to  the  air  they  gradually  hardened.  Such  were  the  circumstances  attending 
the  fall  of  these  singular  masses.  We  have  named  living  witnesses;  the  list  of  these  may  be  augmented,  but  we  consider 
the  proof  as  sufficient  to  satisfy  any  rational  mind.  Further  confirmation  will  be  derived  from  the  mineralogical 
description  and  chemical  examination  of  these  stones. 

The  specimens  obtained  from  all  the  different  places  are  perfectly  similar.  The  most  careless  observer  would 
instantly  pronounce  them  portions  of  a  common  mass  and  different  from  any  of  the  stones  commonly  seen  on  this  globe. 
Of  their  form  nothing  very  certain  can  be  said,  because  only  comparatively  small  fragments  of  the  great  body  of  the 
meteor  have  been  obtained.  Few  of  the  specimens  weigh  1  pound,  most  of  them  less  than  half  a  pound  and  from  that 
to  the  fraction  of  an  ounce.  Mr.  Bronson's  piece  is  the  largest  with  which  we  are  acquainted;  we  possess  the  next, 
which  weighs  6  pounds  and  is  very  perfect  in  its  characteristic  marks,  and  we  have  a  good  collection  of  smaller  speci- 
mens, many  of  which  are  very  instructive.  They  possess  every  irregular  variety  of  form  which  might  be  supposed  to 
arise  from  accidental  fracture  with  violent  force.  On  many  of  them,  however,  and  chiefly  on  the  large  specimens,  may 
be  distinctly  perceived  portions  of  the  external  part  of  the  meteor. 

It  is  everywhere  covered  with  a  thin  black  crust  destitute  of  splendor,  and  bounded  by  portions  of  the  large  irregular 
curve  which  seems  to  have  inclosed  the  meteoric  mass.  This  curve  is  far  from  being  uniform  It  is  sometimes  depressed 
with  concavities  such  as  might  be  produced  by  pressing  a  soft  and  yielding  substance.  The  surface  of  the  crust  feels  harsh 
like  the  prepared  fishsMn,  or  shagreen.  It  gives  sparks  with  the  steel.  There  are  certain  portions  of  the  stone  covered 
with  the  black  crust,  which  appear  not  to  have  formed  a  part  of  the  outside  of  the  meteor  but  to  have  received  this 
coating  in  the  interior  parts,  in  consequence  of  fissures  or  cracks  produced  probably  by  the  intense  heat  to  which  the 
body  seems  to  have  been  subjected.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone  is  3.6,  water  being  1.  The  color  of  the  mass  of 
716°— 15 31 


482  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

the  stone  is  mainly  a  dark  ash,  or  more  properly  a  leaden  color.  It  is  interspersed  with  distinct  masses  from  the  size  of 
a  pin's  head  to  the  diameter  of  1  or  2  inches,  which  are  almost  white,  resembling  in  many  instances  the  crystals  of  feld- 
spar in  some  varieties  of  granite  and  in  that  species  of  porphyry  known  by  the  name  of  verd  antique.. 

The  texture  of  the  stone  is  granular  and  coarse,  resembling  some  pieces  of  gritstone.  It  can  not  be  broken  by  the 
fingers  but  gives  a  rough  and  irregular  fracture  with  the  hammer. 

On  inspecting  the  mass  four  distinct  kinds  of  matter  may  be  perceived  by  the  eye. 

1.  The  stone  is  thickly  interspersed  with  black  globular  masses,  most  of  them  spherical  but  some  are  oblong  and 
irregular.    The  largest  are  of  the  size  of  a  pigeon  shot  but  generally  they  are  much  smaller.    They  can  be  detached 
with  any  pointed  iron  instrument  and  leave  a  concavity  in  the  stone.    They  are  not  attractable  by  the  magnet  and 
can  be  broken  with  the  hammer. 

2.  Masses  of  yellow  pyrites  may  be  observed.    Some  of  them  are  of  a  brilliant  golden  color  and  are  readily  dis- 
tinguished with  the  eye. 

3.  The  whole  stone  is  thickly  interspersed  with  metallic  points,  many  of  them  evident  to  the  eye,  and  they 
appear  numerous  and  distinct  with  a  lens.    Their  color  is  whitish  and  was  mistaken  by  the  discoverers  of  the  stone  for 
silver.    They  appear  to  be  mainly  malleable  iron  alloyed  with  nickel. 

4.  The  lead-colored  mass  which  cements  these  things  together  has  been  described  already  and  constitutes  by  far 
the  greater  part  of  the  stone.    After  being  wet  and  exposed  to  the  air  the  stone  becomes  covered  with  numerous  reddish 
spots,  which  do  not  appear  in  a  fresh  fracture  and  arise  manifestly  from  the  rusting  of  the  iron. 

Finally,  the  stone  has  been  analyzed  in  the  laboratory  of  this  college  according  to  the  excellent  instructions  of 
Howard,  Vauquelin,  and  Fourcroy.  The  analysis  was  hasty  and  intended  only  for  the  purpose  of  general  information. 
The  exact  proportions  and  the  steps  of  the  analysis  are  reserved  for  more  leisure,  and  may  be  given  to  the  philosophical 
world  through  another  medium.  It  is  sufficient  for  the  general  reader  to  be  informed  that  the  stone  appears  to  consist 
of  the  following  ingredients:  Silex,  iron,  magnesia,  nickel,  and  sulphur. 

The  two  first  constitute  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  stone;  the  third  is  in  considerable  proportion,  but  much  less 
than  the  others;  the  fourth  is  probably  still  less,  and  the  sulphur  exists  in  a  small  but  indeterminate  quantity. 

Most  of  the  iron  is  in  a  perfectly  metallic  state;  the  whole  stone  attracts  the  magnet,  and  this  instrument  takes  up  a 
large  portion  of  it  when  pulverized.  Portions  of  metallic  iron  may  be  separated,  so  large  that  they  can  be  readily 
extended  under  the  hammer.  Some  of  the  iron  is  in  combination  with  sulphur  in  the  pyrites  and  probably  most  of  the 
iron  is  alloyed  by  nickel. 

Quantitative  analysis  by  Silliman  gave  the  following  results: 

Si03        Fe2O3         MgO         NiO         S         CaO       A1203       Cr2O,       MgO 

51.5         38.0  13.0          1.5        1.0        =105. 

Warden  2  gave  the  following  description  and  analysis: 

This  meteoric  stone  is  surrounded  with  a  thin,  black,  wrinkled  crust.  It  is  composed  for  the  most  part  of  a  granular, 
readily  breakable  substance,  of  an  earthy  appearance  and  ash-gray  color,  which  in  some  places  inclines  to  a  grayish 
white.  The  particles  which  have  the  latter  color  are  rounded  and,  as  it  were,  kneaded  into  the  rest  of  the  mass  so  that 
they  form  round  or  oval  specks  in  the  gray  mass.  The  sharp  corners  scratch  glass.  The  specific  gravity  is  not  far 
from  3.3. 

Upon  the  fractured  surface  the  stone  shows:  (1)  Individual  grains,  which  may  be  readily  removed  from  the  cells 
in  which  they  are  embedded,  which  resemble  the  mass  of  the  stone,  except  that  it  is  more  compact  and  of  a  more  uniform 
fracture;  in  a  bright  light  traces  of  a  laminated  texture  may  be  observed;  (2)  grains  of  iron  which  become  white  by 
polishing,  flatten  out  under  the  hammer,  and  attract  the  magnetic  needle  very  noticeably;  (3)  grains  of  oxidized  iron 
of  a  rusty  color;  (4)  extremely  small  metallic  particles  of  a  silver- white  color,  which  I  took  for  iron  particles,  since  the 
native  iron  of  Kamsdorf  and  the  pseudovolcanic  is  silver  white  in  some  places.  I  obtained  no  traces  of  iron  sulphide 
although  the  analysis  indicates  its  presence. 

All  portions  of  the  stone  are  attracted  by  the  magnet  but  no  polarity  is  apparent.  The  iron  is  plainly  visible  in 
some  places  and  is  so  interspersed  throughout  the  rest  of  the  mass,  in  which  it  is  not  visible,  that  the  smallest  par- 
ticles, into  which  it  can  be  divided  follow  the  magnet.  I  observed  this  peculiarity  even  in  the  above-mentioned 
particles.  From  this  meteoric  mass  have  been  obtained  stones  weighing  6,  8,  36,  and  even  100  pounds. 

The  analysis  yielded  the  following  results: 

Silica 41 

Sulphur 2f 

Chromic  acid 2J 

Aluminum 1 

Lime 3 

Magnesia 16 

Oxide  of  iron 30 

Oxide  of  manganese 1 J 

Loss.... 3 

100 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  483 

An  estimation  of  the  height,  direction,  velocity,  and  magnitude  was  made  by  Bowditch.* 
His  conclusions  were  that  the  course  of  the  meteor  was  south  7°  west,  in  a  direction  nearly 
parallel  to  the  earth  and  at  a  height  of  about  18  miles.  It  was  visible  for  a  distance  of  107 
miles,  and  its  velocity  was  about  3.5  miles  per  second. 

Herricfc:  *  studied  the  path  and  velocity  of  the  meteorite,  with  the  following  results : 

The  meteor  which  cast  down  stones  in  several  places  in  and  about  Weston,  in  thin  State,  on  the  morning  of  Mon- 
day, December  14,  1807,  excited  uncommon  attention  far  and  wide,  and  full  accounts  of  ita  interesting  phenomena 
were  published  in  the  highly  valuable  memoirs  of  Professors  Silliman  and  Kingsley  and  of  Doctor  Bowditch.  To  the 
elaborate  calculations  of  the  latter  we  are  indebted  for  our  knowledge  concerning  its  height,  direction,  velocity,  and 
magnitude. 

The  case  of  the  Weston  meteor  is  one  of  exceeding  importance,  because  it  is  probably  the  only  instance  where  a 
meteor  from  which  stones  are  known  to  have  come  to  the  earth  has  been  sufficiently  well  observed  for  the  determina- 
tion of  ita  velocity.  This  element  is  of  great  value  on  account  of  ita  bearing  on  the  relation  between  meteorites  and 
shooting  stars.  There  can,  indeed,  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  many  of  the  meteors  which  have  been  seen  and  heard 
to  explode,  and  whose  phenomena  have  been  submitted  to  calculation,  were  true  meteorites;  but  this  is  a  case  where 
there  is  absolute  certainty. 

Doctor  Bowditch  ascertained  that  the  course  of  the  Weston  meteorite  "was  about  south  7°  west,  in  a  direction  nearly 
parallel  to  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  at  the  height  of  about  18  miles."  It  was  about  a  mile  farther  from  the  earth's 
surface  when  it  exploded  than  when  it  first  appeared.  The  length  of  ita  path  from  the  time  it  was  first  seen  until  it 
exploded,  as  determined  from  the  observations  made  at  Rutland,  Vermont,  and  at  Weston,  was  at  least  107  miles. 
This  space  being  divided  by  the  duration  of  the  flight,  as  estimated  by  two  of  the  observers,  viz,  30  seconds,  we  have 
for  the  meteor's  relative  velocity  about  3.5  miles  a  second.  The  observations  made  at  Wenham,  Massachusetts,  are 
probably  less  exact  in  this  respect  and  need  not  be  mentioned  here.  Every  one  accustomed  to  observations  on 
meteors  knows  how  difficult  it  is  accurately  to  determine  the  duration  of  their  visible  flight.  An  inexperienced 
observer,  however  intelligent,  will  frequently  give  the  time  ten  or  even  twenty  fold  too  large.  The  apparent  motion 
of  the  Weston  meteor  was  probably  much  slower  than  that  of  most  meteors,  but  it  seems  to  me  highly  improbable  that 
its  visible  flight  could  have  exceeded  15  or  20  seconds.  Mr.  Page,  the  observer  at  Rutland,  Vermont,  says:  "Motion 
very  rapid,  probably  30  seconds  in  sight."  The  arc  traversed  by  the  meteor  as  there  seen  was  not  over  15°.  Now,  it 
is  scarcely  credible  that  any  man  could  consider  as  very  rapid  the  motion  of  a  meteor  at  the  rate  of  1  degree  in  2  seconds 
of  time.  It  will  perhaps  be  deemed  improper  to  introduce  here,  at  this  distant  period,  the  recollected  observation  of 
one  not  unversed  in  science,  who  saw  the  meteor  from  a  spot  a  few  miles  northwest  of  this  city,  and  who  is  confident 
that  it  could  not  have  been  in  sight  as  long  as  10  seconds.  I  will  therefore  make  no  further  use  of  his  testimony. 
There  are,  however,  two  considerations  which  may  throw  some  light  on  this  point. 

1.  The  meteor,  if  a  satellite,  must  have  moved  with  a  velocity  greater  than  3.5  miles  per  second,  because  if  it  did 
not  the  earth's  attraction  would  soon  have  brought  the  whole  mass  to  the  ground.    But  it  is  certain  that  much  the 
greater  portion  passed  on.    In  order  to  have  done  this,  through  the  air,  at  the  height  of  18  miles,  it  must  have  had  a 
velocity  not  less  than  5  miles  per  second. 

2.  According  to  Mr.  E.  Staples  (one  of  the  observers  at  Weston),  "when  the  meteor  disappeared,  there  were  appar- 
ently three  successive  efforts  or  leaps  of  the  fireball  which  grew  more  dim  at  every  throe  and  disappeared  with  the 
last."    Soon  after  the  meteor  disappeared  were  heard  three  principal  heavy  reports,  which  "succeeded  each  other 
with  as  much  rapidity  as  waa  consistent  with  distinctness,  and  altogether  did  not  occupy  3  seconds."    Professors 
Silliman  and  Kingsley,  who  thoroughly  examined  the  region  where  the  stones  fell  a  few  days  after  the  event,  say: 
"We  think  we  are  able  to  point  out  three  principal  places  where  stones  have  fallen,  corresponding  with  the  three  loud 
cannonlike  reports,  and  with  the  three  leaps  of  the  meteor."    The  account  given  by  Mr.  Isaac  Bronson  of  an  investi- 
gation made  December  19,  1807,  by  himself  and  Rev.  Horace  Holley  confirms  this  position. 

(1)  The  most  northerly  fall  was  in  Huntingdon,  on  the  border  of  Weston,  near  the  house  of  Mr.  Merwin  Burr. 
(2)  The  second  principal  deposit  was  near  the  house  of  Mr.  William  Prince,  "in  Weston,  distant  about  5  miles  in  a 
southerly  direction  from  Mr.  Burr's."  (3)  The  third  and  probably  the  largest  collection  fell  near  the  house  of  Mr. 
Elijah  Seeley,  "at  the  distance  of  about  4  miles  from  Mr.  Prince's." 

Although  it  is  not  certain  that  these  several  masses  came  in  the  same  direction  from  the  meteoric  body,  yet  until 
the  contrary  appears,  it  may,  not  unfairly,  be  assumed  that  they  did;  and  consequently  the  interval  of  space  at  which 
they  struck  the  earth  furnishes  some  measure  of  the  velocity  of  the  meteor  relative  to  the  earth's  surface.  The  state- 
ment will  permit  us  to  allow  not  quite  a  second  of  time  between  each  report,  and  we  thus  obtain  a  velocity  as  great  as 
4  or  5  miles  a  second.  This  result  is  of  course  no  more  than  a  rude  approximation  to  the  truth. 

The  velocity  thus  far  spoken  of  is  only  the  velocity  relative  to  the  earth.  Here  the  question  arises,  if  the  meteor 
was  not  a  satellite  of  the  earth,  what  was  ita  absolute  rate  of  motion?  Now,  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  path  of  the 
m'eteor  must  have  been  nearly  in  the  same  direction  with  that  of  the  earth  at  the  time.  Their  directions  in  azimuth 
were  almost  identical;  the  direction  of  the  meteor's  path  in  altitude  appears  to  have  been  a  little  below  that  of  the 
earth.  If  the  meteor  was  moving  around  the  sun,  then  nearly  the  whole  of  the  earth's  velocity  (at  that  season)  of 
rather  more  than  19  miles  a  second  must  be  added  to  the  meteor's  relative  velocity  to  obtain  the  true  velocity.  In 
this  view  its  absolute  rate  of  motion  will  be  found  to  have  been  at  least  20  miles  a  second. 


484  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

It  remains  only  to  inquire  whether  it  is  more  probable  that  the  VVeston  meteorite  was  a  satellite  of  the  earth  or 
a  primary  body  moving  around  the  sun.  If  the  meteor  had  passed  the  earth's  surface  in  the  direction  opposite  to 
that  of  the  earth's  motion,  with  about  the  relative  velocity  which  it  exhibited,  then  we  might  be  compelled  to  con- 
sider it  a  satellite  of  the  earth.  But  the  peculiar  direction  in  which  it  moved  makes  it  an  ambiguous  case.  We  must, 
therefore,  resort  to  other  instances  for  a  solution  of  the  question.  Numerous  observations  on  meteoric  fireballs  which 
were  without  doubt  real  meteorites  have  been  made  and  computed.  It  has  most  generally  been  found  that  when- 
ever they  come  in  a  direction  more  or  less  opposed  to  that  of  the  earth's  motion  their  velocity  is  greater  than  10  miles 
a  second,  which  proves  them  to  be  in  revolution  about  the  sun  and  not  about  the  earth.  Their  velocity  has  indeed 
more  than  once  exceeded  30  miles  a  second.  It  is  then  from  analogy  altogether  probable  that  the  Weston  meteor 
was  a  body  revolving  around  the  sun,  and  that  if  it  approached  the  earth  from  the  contrary  direction  it  would  have 
been  found  moving  with  a  relative  velocity  of  not  less  than  40  miles  a  second. 

Partsch 5  described  the  specimens  in  the  Vienna  collection  as  follows : 

The  groundmass  shows  two  different  colors,  a  dark  ash  gray  and  a  bright  grayish- white.  These  generally  appear 
in  one  and  the  same  stone  beside  each  other,  though  they  may  perhaps  also  alone  constitute  small  stones.  Also,  the 
fragments  which  we  have  seen  are  the  same  grayish-white  and  often  dotted  with  brownish  flakes  of  rust  and  others 
dark  ash-gray,  showing  that  stones  of  different  falls  are  indicated.  The  spherical  aggregates  are  very  noticeable  in  the 
stone  of  Weston.  They  occur  in  great  quantity  and  perfection  but  of  small  size,  though  on  the  darker  portions  they 
are  somewhat  more  distinguishable.  Metallic  iron  is  present  in  small  quantity  but  finely  scattered.  Yet  finer  is 
the  troilite,  easily  seen  on  broken  surfaces  and  crust  with  very  rough  and  uneven  lines  or  shimmering.  This  is  a 
characteristic  and  easily  recognizable  variety  of  meteor  stone. 

Shepard 9  mentioned  the  occurrence  of — 

mica  in  a  single  instance  in  small,  brownish-gray,  pearly  scales  attached  to  a  mass  of  nickeliferous  iron  weighing  54 
grams  from  the  meteoric  stone  of  Weston. 

Shepard 7  also  gave  a  brief  description  of  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

Its  crust  is  thicker  than  in  the  majority  of  our  meteoric  stones,  though  less  perfectly  continuous  and  well  formed, 
being  rough,  dull,  and  filled  with  crevices.  The  color  is  brownish-black.  When  broken,  the  interior  shows  occa- 
sional joints  with  plumbaginous  coatings.  The  prevailing  color  within  is  a  dark  pearl-gray.  Scattered  through  the 
mass  at  frequent  intervals  are  patches  of  a  lighter  color,  imparting  to  it  a  subporphyritic  aspect.  These  lighter  por- 
tions do  not  consist  of  a  perfectly  homogeneous  mineral,  but  rather  of  a  semipulverulent  substance,  which  is  prob- 
ably decomposing  howardite.  The  main  ingredient  of  the  meteorite  is  a  purplish-gray  (sometimes  greenish-gray) 
mineral,  in  rounded  grains,  which  appear  to  be  olivinoid.  These  again  are  mixed  with  other  imperfectly  formed 
grains  of  a  lighter  colored  yellowish  mineral  (often  stained  by  oxide  of  iron).  This  latter  substance  is  taken  for 
howardite  also.  Magnetic  pyrites  (less  abundant  than  in  most  stones)  is  irregularly  disseminated  in  highly  tarnished 
grains. 

The  nickel-iron  is  more  abundant  than  in  any  meteoric  stone  yet  described,  presenting  itself  not  only  in  little 
points,  but  in  continuous  threads  and  veins  and  in  oval-pitted  masses,  sometimes  of  more  than  50  grams  weight.  One 
of  these,  in  my  possession,  strikingly  resembles  in  shape  some  of  the  lumps  of  meteoric  iron  in  their  natural  state. 

Eeichenbach 8  gives  several  observations  regarding  Weston,  as  follows: 

The  dark-gray  meteorites,  including  Weston,  show  markings  resembling  a  fine  network  of  small,  hackly  particles 
of  iron,  where  present  in  sufficient  quantity  to  appear,  which  make  a  network  tliroughout  the  whole  stone. 

*##*#**** 

Weston  is  a  conspicuous  example  of  "meteorites  in  a  meteorite,"  i.  e.,  one  which  contains  so  many  inclusions  of 
all  sorts  of  crystals  and  other  bodies  as  to  resemble  a  breccia  or  sandstone  conglomerate. 

********* 

A  small  piece  of  Weston  the  size  of  a  hazelnut,  among  others  of  the  same  sort,  shows  an  appearance  of  having  lain 
for  some  time  under  leaves,  which,  however,  was  not  the  case,  and  it  appears  more  or  less  etched  about  the  edge. 
Upon  the  exterior  one  can  detect  parallel  streaks  of  a  blackish  roughness  which  run  around  it.  These  are  evidently 
the  blackish  points  of  its  layers  of  formation.  If  one  strokes  them  with  the  finger,  with  a  somewhat  soft  skin,  one  sees 
that  these  are  not  mere  inequalities  of  the  stony  matter,  but  that  they  are  sharp,  needlelike  projections  which  appear 
under  the  glass  as  iron.  Here  the  iron  network  lies  open  on  a  small  scale,  just  as  it  does  on  a  large  scale  in  the  case 
of  the  Pallasites.  One  sees  herein  the  part  which  the  iron  plays  in  the  structure,  although  this  aerolite  does  not 
belong  to  the  stones  richest  in  iron. 

********* 

Weston  is  an  example  of  many  stones  with  a  flecked  appearance,  in  which  the  greater  portion  of  the  stone  is  gray, 
with  sharply  defined  specks  of  a  whiter  color  in  it,  or  the  reverse,  so  that  the  stone  acquires  a  spotted  appearance. 

In  1869  the  account  of  the  meteorite  originally  given  by  Silliman  and  Kingsley  was  repub- 
lished  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,9  but  no  new  data  seem  to  have  been  recorded. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  485 

A  portion  of  a  mass  (3.49  grams)  in  the  Yale  College  collection  was  tested  by  Wright10  in 
1876  for  gases,  and  the  following  results  obtained: 

H  CO,         CO          X         CH, 

13.06        80.78        2.20        2.33        1.63    =100.00 
Traces  of  chlorine  were  also  obtained. 

Meunier  "  classed  the  meteorite  as  Limerickite,  the  characteristics  of  which  are  as  follows: 

Coherent  rock  of  bluish  ash-gray  color  inclosing  small,  more  friable  -white  grains.  The  principal  mass  is  formed 
of  magnesian  silicates,  some  of  which  resist  the  action  of  acids  while  others  are  attacked.  Nickel-iron  and  troilite  are 
easily  visible.  Analysis  shows  the  presence  of  chromite. 

Brezina12  in  1885  classified  Weston  as  a  breccialike  spherical  chondrite.     He  says: 

Tschermak  classed  Weston  as  Cw+Cc,  which  would  be  correct  if  part  were  white  and  the  rest  spherically  chon- 
dritic,  so  that  the  loose  chondri  were  only  in  the  gray  portions.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case,  the  chondri  being  found 
in  both  parts  equally. 

Xewton  13  noted  that  the  nickel-iron  in  Weston  formed  a  system  of  lamellae  resembling 
that  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures,  when  viewed  in  a  certain  light  upon  a  polished  surface  of 
the  stone. 

Farrington  1S  called  attention  to  a  symmetrical  distribution  of  the  masses  of  the  meteorite 
by  weight  in  falling,  as  follows: 

In  connection  with  the  meteorite  fall  which  occurred  at  Weston,  Connecticut,  December  14,  1807,  a  well-marked 
distribution  of  the  masses  according  to  weight  took  place  to  which  attention  does  not  seem  to  have  been  called  in 
detail  hitherto.  In  Silliman  and  Kingsley's  account  the  fact  is  noted  that  stones  fell  from  the  meteorite  at  six  differ- 
ent places,  over  an  area  9  to  10  miles  in  length.  It  is  stated  by  these  authors  that  these  masses  fell  in  a  line  differing 
little  from  the  course  of  the  meteor,  and  probably  in  the  order  of  the  most  northerly  first  and  the  most  southerly  last. 
The  relation  of  the  weight  of  the  masses  to  this  order  was  not  traced  by  these  authors,  however.  This  relation  as  shown 
by  the  subsequent  account  is  as  follows:  The  most  northerly  fall  (near  Mr.  Burr's)  broke  into  fragments  from  striking 
a  rock  of  granite.  Its  estimated  weight  was  20  to  25  pounds.  The  next  fall  was  at  Mr.  Prince's,  5  miles  south  from 
Mr.  Burr's.  This  stone  weighed  36.5  pounds.  About  half  a  mile  northwest  of  this,  however,  one  was  found  weighing 
7  to  10  pounds,  and  half  a  mile  northeast  one  weighing  13  pounds.  These  two  masses  were  doubtless  related  to  the 
36-pound  mass.  The  next  mass  in  a  southerly  direction  was  found  2  miles  southeast  of  Mr.  Prince's,  at  Mr.  Porter's. 
This  was  also  broken,  but  is  regarded  as  having  weighed  from  20  to  25  pounds,  and  was  probably  also  related  to  the 
36-pound  mass.  The  largest  mass  of  all  fell  near  Mr.  Elijah  Seely's,  about  4  miles  from  Mr.  Prince's.  The  direction 
of  this  locality  from  the  others  is  not  stated,  but  from  the  context  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  was  south.  This 
mass  weighed  about  200  pounds.  The  distribution  of  the  masses  thus  shows  a  distinct  arrangement  according  to  weight 
and  direction.  As  Bowditch  determined  by  an  independent  investigation  that  the  course  of  the  meteor  was  south 
7°  west,  it  is  evident  that  the  smaller  stones  fell  first.  The  distribution  of  the  masses,  as  above  noted,  also  accords 
with  the  statements  of  several  witnesses  at  the  time  that  the  sound  of  three  separate  explosions  accompanied  the  pas- 
sage of  the  meteor.  The  smaller  masses  near  Mr.  Prince's  were  evidently  thrown  off  at  the  time  of  the  second  explosion. 

Although  so  large  a  quantity  of  stones  fell  from  this  meteorite  only  a  small  portion  seems 
to  have  been  preserved.  Wulfing  u  lists  only  18,267  grams  as  preserved,  or  about  40  pounds. 
Of  this  the  Yale  University  collection  possesses  the  largest  amount,  15,300  grams,  or  about 
30  pounds. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1809:  SnoiMAX  and  KINGSLEY.    Memoir  on  the  origin  and  composition  of  the  meteoric  stones  which  fell  from  the 

atmosphere  in  the  County  of  Fairfield,  and  State  of  Connecticut,  on  the  14th  of  December,  1807;  in  a  letter, 
dated  February  18,  1808,  from  Benjamin  Silliman,  professor  of  chemistry  in  Yale  College,  Connecticut,  and  Mr. 
James  L.  Kingsley  to  Mr.  John  Vaughan,  librarian  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society.  Read  March  4, 1808. 
Trans.  Amer.  Philos.  Soc.,  vol.  6.  pp.  323-325,  335-345:  Chemical  examination  of  the  stones  which  fell  at 
Weston  (Connecticut)  December  14,  1807,  by  Benjamin  Silliman,  professor  of  chemistry  in  Yale  College. 

2.  1810:  WARDEN*.    Description  et  analyse  d'une  pierre  meteorique  tombee  a  Weston  dans  1'Amerique  septentrionale, 

le  decembre  1807.    Ann.  Chim.,  Bd.  73,  1810,  pp.  293-299. 

3.  1815:  BOWDITCH.    An  estimate  of  the  height,  direction,  velocity,  and  magnitude  of  the  meteor  that  exploded  over 

Weston,  in  Connecticut,  December  14,  1807.  With  methods  of  calculating  observations  made  on  such  bodies. 
Mem.  Amer.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  Cambridge,  vol.  3,  pt.  2,  1815,  pp.  213-236. 

4.  1839:  HEHRICK.    Account  of  a  meteor  seen  in  Connecticut  December  14,  1837;  with  some  considerations  on  the 

meteorite  which  exploded  near  Weston  December  14, 1807.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  1st  ser.,  vol.  37,  pp.  132-135. 
6.  1843:  PARTSCH.    Meteoriten,  pp.  41-42. 


486  MEMOIKS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

6.  1846:  SHEPARD.     Report  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  set.,  vol.  2,  p.  380. 

7.  1848:  SHEPARD.    Keport  on  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  6,  p.  410. 

8.  186-:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  11,  pp.  296,  297,  and  304. 

9.  1869:  SILLIMAN  and  KINGSLEY.    An  account  of  the  meteor  which  burst  over  Weston,  in  Connecticut,  in  Decem- 

ber, 1807,  and  of  the  falling  of  stones  on  that  occasion.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  47,  pp.  1-8. 

10.  1876:  WRIGHT.    On  the  gases  contained  in  meteorites.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  11,  pp.  259-262;  idem,  vol. 

12,  pp.  167  and  169. 

11.  1884:  MEUNIER.    Meteorites,  p.  227. 

12.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  190. 

13.  1893:  NEWTON.    Lines  of  structure  in  the  Winnebago   County  meteorites  and  in  other  meteorites.    Amer. 

Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  45,  pp.  153  and  355. 

14.  1897:  WULPING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  1897,  p.  384. 

15.  1907:  FAKBINGTON.    Meteorite  studies,  II.    Publ.  Field  Columbian  Mus.  Geol.  ser.,  vol.  3,  pp.  128-129. 


White  Sulphur  Springs.    See  Greenbrier  County. 
Whitfield  County.    See  Dalton. 


WICHITA  COUNTY. 
Texas. 

Here  also  Austin  1836,  Brazos,  Red  River  1875,  and  Young  County. 

Latitude  33°  12'  N.,  longitude  98°  40'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina;  Arvaite  (type  7)  of  Meunier. 

Known  since  1836;  described  1860. 

Weight,  145  kgs.  (320  Ibs.). 

The  first  account  of  this  meteorite  was  given  by  Shumard  *  as  follows: 

The  interesting  specimen  of  meteoric  iron  we  are  about  to  describe  is  preserved  in  the  State  Geological  Cabinet  at 
Austin,  where  at  our  earnest  solicitation  it  was  deposited  by  the  late  Maj.  R.  S.  Neighbors,  United  States  Indian  agent, 
who  obtained  it  during  the  month  of  May,  1836,  from  the  eastern  side  of  Brazos  River  about  60  miles  from  the'  Comanche 
Reserve,  in  latitude  34°  N.,  longitude  100°  W. 

The  history  of  this  meteorite  as  furnished  by  Major  Neighbors  is  in  substance  as  follows: 

For  many  years  its  existence  was  known  to  the  Comanches,  who  regarded  it  with  the  highest  veneration  and  believed 
it  possessed  of  extraordinary  curative  virtues.  They  gave  to  it  the  names  Ta-pic-ta-car-re  (Standing  Rock),  Po-i- 
wisht-car-re  (Standing  Metal),  and  Po-a-cat-le-pi-le-car-re  (Medicine  Rock),  and  it  was  the  custom  of  all  who  passed 
by  to  deposit  upon  it  beads,  arrowheads,  tobacco,  and  other  articles  as  offerings. 

According  to  the  Indians  the  mass  was  first  discovered  by  the  Spaniards,  who  made  several  ineffectual  attempts 
to  remove  it  on  pack  mules  but  were  finally  compelled  to  abandon  it  on  account  of  its  great  weight. 

The  Comanches  at  first  endeavored  to  melt  the  mass  by  building  large  fires  around  it,  but  failing  in  this,  they 
next  attempted  to  break  it  in  pieces,  in  which  they  were  likewise  unsuccessful;  they  then  conceived  the  idea  that  it 
was  a  wonderful  medicine  stone  and  therefore  worthy  of  their  most  profound  regard. 

When  the  meteorite  was  conveyed  to  the  Indian  reserve  the  Comanches  collected  in  great  numbers  around  their 
valued  medicine  stone  and,  whilst  manifesting  their  attachment  by  rubbing  their  arms,  hands,  and  chests  over  it, 
earnestly  besought  Major  Neighbors  to  permit  them  to  keep  it  at  the  agency.  The  mass  was,  however,  shortly  after- 
wards (July,  1836)  taken  to  San  Antonio,  where  it  remained  in  the  possession  of  Major  Neighbors  until  last  summer, 
when  it  was  forwarded  by  him  to  Austin. 

The  present  weight  of  the  specimen  is  320  pounds,  but  the  original  weight  was  perhaps  3  or  4  pounds  greater,  a  piece 
having  been  cut  off  from  the  larger  end  before  it  came  into  our  possession.  The  form  is  flattened  ovoid,  or  truncated 
pyramidal,  with  the  angles  more  or  less  rounded.  It  measures  2  feet  in  length  by  1  foot  in  width;  at  the  larger  extremity 
the  thickness  is  about  8  inches  and  at  the  smaller  4  inches;  the  surface  is  marked  with  irregular,  smooth,  shallow 
depressions,  and  for  the  most  part  presents  a  dark  somewhat  oily  appearance,  though  in  places  it  is  covered  with  a  thin 
film  of  oxide  of  iron.  The  freshly-cut  surface  has  a  bright  silvery  gray  hue  which  becomes  tarnished  after  being  exposed 
for  a  time  to  the  air.  The  iron  is  remarkable  for  its  toughness  and  malleability. 

An  analysis  of  this  iron  was  made  by  Prof.  W.  P.  Riddell  in  the  laboratory  of  the  Geological  Survey  and  he  has  fur- 
nished the  following  statement  of  its  composition: 

Agreeably  to  your  request  I  herewith  furnish  you  a  statement  of  the  results  of  my  analysis  of  the  meteoric  iron 
presented  to  the  State  Cabinet  by  the  late  Maj.  R.  S.  Neighbors: 

I.  -The  assay  was  dissolved  in  aqua  regia,  which  effected  a  complete  solution. 

II.  The  solution  was  carefully  neutralized  by  aqua  ammonia  and  then  an  excess  of  chloride  of  ammonium  added. 

III.  The  peroxide  of  iron  was  precipitated  by  benzoate  of  ammonia. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  487 

IV.  To  the  filtrate  of  III  excess  of  caustic  potassa  was  added  to  precipitate  the  oxide  of  nickel.    This  precipitate 
exhibited  no  trace  of  cobalt,  as  shown  by  the  blowpipe,  etc. 

V.  The  filtrate  from  IV  was  next  evaporated  to  dryness  and  ignited;  the  residue  rediasolved  in  aqua  regia  and  to 
the  solution  excess  of  potassa  added;  digested  for  several  hours;  precipitate  very  slight,  affording  only  very  faint 
traces  of  cobalt  but  decided  indications  of  nickel. 

VI.  Miscellaneous  qualitative  tests  were  made  which  it  is  unnecessary  here  to  enumerate,  as  no  other  ingredients 
were  detected. 

The  following  is  the  summary  of  results: 

Nickel 10.007 

Iron 89.993 

Cobalt..  Trace 


100.000 
Mallet 4  described  the  meteorite  as  follows : 

The  following  is  the  history  of  the  Wichita  County  meteoric  mass  as  given  me  by  Hon.  Henry  P.  Brewster,  com- 
missioner of  insurance,  statistics,  and  history  of  the  State  of  Texas,  a  gentleman  whose  personal  knowledge  of  the  State 
in  its  early  days  is  extensive  and  accurate: 

The  meteorite  was  found  on  the  upper  waters  of  Red  River  in  what  is  now  the  county  of  Wichita,  not  far  from  the 
Red  River  itself,  on  the  opposite  side  of  that  stream  from  the  part  of  the  Indian  Territory  at  present  set  apart  for  the 
Kiowas,  Comanches,  and  Apaches.  It  had  been  set  up  as  a  kind  of  "fetich "  or  object  of  worship  or  veneration  by  the 
Indians,  "who  revered  it  as  foreign  to  the  earth  and  coming  from  the  Great  Spirit,"  at  a  point  where  several  converging 
trails  indicated  periodical  visits  to  the  spot.  In  1858  or  1859  Major  Neighbors,  then  commanding  at  Fort  Belknap, 
sent  a  wagon  after  the  mass  and  had  it  brought  into  the  fort.  It  was  thence  sent  in  a  Government  wagon  to  San  Antonio 
and  subsequently  moved  to  Austin,  and  there  deposited  in  the  old  Capitol  building,  where  it  remained  until  the 
destruction  of  the  building  by  fire  some  three  years  ago.  Removed  from  the  ruins,  it  was  placed  in  a  passage  on  the 
ground  floor  of  the  temporary  Capitol  now  in  use  while  the  new  and  very  handsome  structure,  intended  for  the  perma- 
nent seat  of  the  State  government,  is  being  erected.  During  last  winter  the  meteorite  was  turned  over  by  the  State 
authorities  to  the  University  of  Texas  and  is  now  preserved  in  the  university  building  at  Austin. 

The  mass  has  an  irregular,  elongated  pearlike  shape,  somewhat  flattened,  a  good  deal  larger  at  one  end  than  the 
other,  with  tolerably  smooth  general  surface  but  with  well-marked  concavities  or  shallow  pittings,  in  every  way  present- 
ing the  appearance  of  a  typical  metallic  meteorite.  There  is  no  well-defined  crust  but  merely  a  thin,  closely-adhering 
film  of  oxide  on  the  surface.  There  is  no  appearance  of  any  effect  from  the  Capitol  fire  through  which  it  passed;  very 
probably  the  weight  of  the  mass  may  have  carried  it  rapidly,  on  the  giving  way  of  the  floor,  down  to  some  position  in 
the  basement  in  which  it  was  sheltered  from  the  heat  by  masonry  rubbish  accumulated  over  it.  The  dimensions  of  the 
specimen  in  its  original  state  were — 


Maximum  length 595 

Maximum  breadth 305 

Maximum  thickness 223 

The  weight  was  a  little  under  160  kgs..  as  determined  on  a  rather  rough  platform  balance. 

A  piece  was  cut  off  one  end  in  order  to  display  the  character  of  the  interior.  Most  of  the  iron  was  compact  and 
tolerably  soft,  tough,  and  malleable.  Here  and  there  occurred  nodules  of  troilite  of  considerable  size,  the  principal  onea 
ranging  from  5  or  6  up  to  23  mm.  in  diameter.  Signs  of  the  presence  of  thin  plates  of  schreibersite  could  be  seen  even 
without  the  use  of  acid,  but  that  ingredient  is  not  very  abundant.  The  average  specific  gravity  of  the  whole  mass  was 
probably  pretty  fairly  represented  by  that  of  a  slice  weighing  204  grams,  which  was  found=7.841  at  24°  C. 

A  polished  surface  having  been  etched  with  nitric  acid,  Widmannstatten  figures  were  clearly  brought  out,  the 
broad  bands  of  crystalline  nickel  iron  (with  finer  subordinate  markings  upon  them)  contrasting  strongly  with  the  more 
sparingly  occurring,  well-defined  lustrous  lines  of  schreibersite. 

Chemical  analysis  of  an  average  sample  of  the  shavings  taken  off  by  a  planing  machine  in  cutting  through  the  mass 
gave: 

Iron 90.769 

Nkkel 8.342 

Cobalt 0.265 

Manganese Trace 

Copper 0. 018 

Tin 0.004 

Phosphorus 0.141 

Sulphur 0.016 

Graphitic  carbon 0. 190 

Silica 

Magnetic  oxide  iron 


'1  0.132 


99.877 


488  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

A  separate  examination  of  the  troilite  nodules  proved  them  to  consist  of  ferrous  sulphide  with  a  little  nickel  and 
traces  of  manganese  and  chromium.  The  nickel  may  very  possibly  have  existed  in  the  form  of  minute  granules  of 
nickel  iron  or  schreibersite,  and  the  chromium  may  in  like  manner  be  referred  to  an  admixture  of  little  particles  of 
daubr6elite. 

The  most  interesting  point  about  this  specimen  is  perhaps  the  probability  of  its  forming  a  separate  portion  of  the 
same  meteoric  fall  from  which  was  derived  the  large  iron  meteorite,  weighing  1,635  pounds,  first  described  by  Colonel 
Gibbs  in  1814,  and  which  haa  long  been  a  prominent  object  in  the  mineralogical  collection  of  Yale  College  at  New 
Haven,  Connecticut.  The  latter  is  said  to  have  been  found  "near  the  head  of  Trinity  River,  a  few  miles  west  of  the 
Cross  Timbers,  Texas,  latitude  32°  7'  N.,  longitude  95°  1(X  \V.  of  London."  It  is  said  to  have  been  "one  of  a  large 
number  of  meteoric  masses  which  are  reported  to  exist  at  the  locality  mentioned  above."  The  statement  of  locality 
is  not  quite  clear;  the  spot  designated  by  latitude  and  longitude  is  in  the  northern  part  of  the  present  Cherokee  County 
near  the  line  of  Smith  County  and  rather  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Neches  than  of  the  Trinity,  though  not  far  from 
the  latter  and  about  240  miles  from  the  locality  of  Wichita  County  where  the  meteorite  now  described  was  found. 
Even  such  a  distance  perhaps  does  not  altogether  exclude  the  idea  of  simultaneous  fall,  and  it  is  of  course  quite  possible 
that  the  mass  found  to  be  regarded  with  attention  and  veneration  by  the  Indians  may  have  been  carried  to  the  spot 
where  they  afterwards  preserved  it.  There  seems  to  be  some  uncertainty  as  to  how  many  meteoric  irons  from  Texas 
have  before  now  been  noticed  and  are  to  be  found  in  the  mineralogical  collections  of  the  world.  In  a  catalogue  of  the 
collection  of  Prof.  C.  U.  Shepard,  published  in  1857,  in  the  second  part  of  his  treatise  on  mineralogy,  page  436,  there 
is  mentioned  a  meteoric  iron  from  "Texas  (Red  River),  U.  S.  A.,  found  in  1808."  In  Rarnmelsberg's  Handbuch  der 
Mineralchemie  (Leipzig,  1860)  are  noticed,  page  917,  specimensfrom  "Red  River  in  Louisiana,"  and  from  "Texas," 
with  the  statement  that  according  to  Partach  these  are  probably  identical;  this  opinion  is  undoubtedly  correct;  the 
analyses  quoted  show  that  both  represent  the  Yale  College  specimen.  In  the  recent  (1880)  catalogue  of  meteorites  in 
the  collection  of  the  Indian  Museum  at  Calcutta  No.  108  is  quoted  on  page  38  as  two  specimens  from  "  Red  River,Texas, 
TJ.  S.  A.,  found  in  1814,"  No.  27,  on  page  31,  as  a  specimen  which  "apparently  has  been  fired,  from  Denton  County, 
Texas,  U.  S.  A.,  found  in  1856,"  and  No.  39,  on  page  32,  as  from  "Brazos  River,  Texas,  U.  S.  A.,  found  in  1856."  It 
may  be  questioned  whether  Nos.  27  and  39  refer  to  portions  of  the  same  or  of  different  masses;  the  same  date  is  given, 
but  the  shortest  distance  from  any  part  of  Denton  County  to  the  Brazos  is  about  40  miles,  this  county  being  traversed 
by  affluents  of  the  Trinity.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  iron  now  described  agrees  closely  with  that  reported  for  the 
Gibbs  meteorite  of  the  Yale  College  collection.  The  results  of  the  chemical  analysis  are  also  very  similar  to  those 
obtained  for  the  latter  by  B.  Silliman,  jr.,  and  Hunt.  It  is  stated  that  this  latter  "incloses  a  few  small  masses  of 
magnetic  pyrites";  this  statement  probably  referring  to  troilite  nodules  like  those  which  are  conspicuous  inclosures  in 
the  University  of  Texas  specimen.  The  Widmannstatten  figures  developed  by  etching  this  University  of  Texas  iron 
do  not  closely  resemble  those  of  the  Yale  College  specimen,  as  shown  in  a  lithographed  figure  published  in  connection 
with  the  (Gottingen)  inaugural  dissertation  on  metallic  meteorites  of  William  S.  Clark  (1852),  copied  from  one  published 
by  Prof.  B.  Silliman,  jr.,  but  the  difference  in  appearance  may  be  largely  due  to  difference  in  the  planes  of  section 
in  relation  to  those  of  crystallization  in  the  particular  pieces  submitted  to  the  etching  process. 

In  the  Vienna  Catalogue  for  1 885  Brezina  5  groups  Wichita  among  octahedrites  with  coarse 
lamellae,  Arva  group,  and  describes  it  as  follows,  giving  two  plates  to  illustrate  its  appearance: 

Most  striking  are  the  great  troilite  inclusions  which  are  surrounded  with  a  shell  of  graphite,  then  one  of  schrei- 
bersite, finally  one  of  swathing  kamacite.  *  *  *  Wichita  shows  very  beautifully  on  account  of  the  great  length 
of  its  bands,  extraordinarily  long  fields,  which  are  filled  partly  with  dark  plessite,  partly  with  combs. 

From  the  structure,  Brezina  further  asserts  the  improbability  of  a  union  of  Wichita  with 
Cross  Timbers. 

Cohen  and  Weinschenk 8  give  the  following  analyses  of  some  shavings  and  a  section  of 
this  meteorite: 

For  the  shavings— 

Fe  Ni          Co 

91.67        7.93        0.40    =100 
For  the  section — 

Nickel  iron 85. 41 

Tsenite 1. 47 

Schreibersite 6. 07 

Crystals  resembling  cohenite 6.  04 

Angular  fragments 1. 01 

100.00 
The  crystals  of  cohenite  gave : 

Fe  Ni          Co  C 

82.42        9.96        2.20        5.08     =99.66 

The  cohenite  is  described  as  brittle  and  metalloid. 

The  tsenite  gave: 

Fe  Ni  Co  Cu  P          Schreibersite 

60.73        30.46        1.46        trace        0.16  5.73        =98.54 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  489 

As  the  above  analysis  of  cohenite  gave  a  formula  (Fe,  Ni,  Co)4  C,  instead  of  the  formula 
(Fe,  Ni,  Co)s  C  obtained  for  the  cohenite  of  other  meteorites,  the  cohenite  of  Wichita  was 
studied  again  by  Cohen,*  and  the  following  result  obtained  from  an  analysis  by  Sjostrom : 

Fe  Xi          Co          C 

90.80        2.37        0.16        6.67    =100.00 

This  result  gives  the  formula  (Fe,  Ni,  Co),  C. 

The  following  series  of  analyses  by  Manteuffel  is  given  by  Cohen:9 

Fe  Xi  Co  Cu  P            C 

I.         92.37  6.74  0.59  0.03  0.03        ....  =99.76 

II.         92.67  6.71  0.59  0.03        =100.00 

III.  89.36  8.62  0.72  0.02  0.97        0.31  =100.00 

IV.  92.26  7.13  0.58  0.03        =100.00 

I.  Analysis  of  a  portion  obtained  from  a  section  of  Wichita. 

II.  After  deduction  of  the  schreibersite  reckoned  from  the  phosphorus. 

III.  The  chemical  composition  reckoned  from  the  now  accessible  determinations,  when  we  assume  for  the  unan- 
alyzed  schreibersite  the  formula  Fe2  Xi  P  with  1.30  per  cent  Co,  and  identify  the  angular  fragments  with  the  kamacite. 

IV.  After  deducting  schreibereite  and  cohenite. 
Mineralogical  composition: 

Kamacite 84. 98 

Tsenite 2.64 

Schreibersite 6. 34 

Cohenite..  6.04 


100.00 
The  structure  of  the  iron  is  thus  described  by  Meunier : 10 

This  is  a  remarkable  stone,  in  which  the  pencils  of  schreibersite  are  quite  numerous  and  exceptionally  well 
oriented.  In  reality,  they  are  more  or  less  discontinuous  and  their  thickness  is  not  entirely  uniform.  The  angles 
at  which  they  intersect  are  entirely  conformed  to  those  of  the  octahedron.  The  schreibersite  consists  of  masses  with 
more  or  less  irregular  outlines  often  measuring  1  cm.  in  longest  diameter,  and  a  sort  of  envelope  to  which  other  sub- 
stances contribute,  particularly  graphite  about  the  pencils  of  pyrrhotine.  These  pencils  often  attain  large  dimen- 
sions. One  of  them  measures,  in  section,  20  by  11  mm.  The  sulphide  contained  in  them  is  very  pure  and  of  a  per- 
fectly uniform  bronze  shade;  certain  cavities  appear  in  them  which  may  have  resulted  from  the  process  of  polishing 
The  exterior  surface  is  covered  with  a  secondary  coating  of  graphite,  very  even,  compact,  and  black,  unequally  thick 
near  the  points  and  whose  outlines  appear  to  be  nevertheless  ordered  according  to  those  of  the  sulphide.  There  is  a 
minimum  of  very  nearly  zero  at  the  two  extremities  of  the  small  diameter  of  the  kidneys  and  a  very  obvious  maxi- 
mum at  the  two  extremities  of  the  large  diameter.  In  many  places  this  envelope  of  graphite  is  covered  again  with  a 
coating  of  pyrrhotine  identical  in  appearance  with  that  of  the  central  mass,  and  is  separated  from  the  schreibersite 
envelope  by  a  very  thin  film  of  graphite. 

This,  as  will  be  observed,  is  a  most  remarkable  structure,  and  one  which  recurs  in  its  most  general  features  in  the 
heart  of  many  other  meteoric  irons. 

By  etching,  the  Wichita  meteorite  gives  Widmannstatten  figures  in  which  the  kamacite  frequently  attains  a  size 
of  2  mm.  Among  these,  filaments  of  tsenite  frequently  appear,  often  of  an  isabell-yellow  color  which  distinguishes 
them  very  definitely  from  the  steel-gray  groundmaas. 

In  the  above  description  Meunier  seems  to  have  confused  schreibersite  with  cohenite,  the 
latter  being  an  abundant  and  important  constituent  of  this  iron. 

In  the  Vienna  Catalogue  for  1895,  Brezina11  further  described  the  structure  of  Wichita 
as  follows : 

Wichita  shows  ffequent  alternations  between  portions  nearly  free  from  cohenite  and  similar  portions  bearing 
cohenite,  and  is  distinguished  by  the  manifold  character  of  the  outcroppings  of  troilite  and  graphite,  which  usually 
show  a  corona  of  schreibersite  and  over  this,  less  frequently,  still  another  zone  of  cohenite,  and  finally  a  coating  of 
swathing  kamacite.  Graphite  and  troilite  alternate  in  the  lumps  which  attain  as  much  as  6  cm.  diameter,  now  zone- 
wise,  usually  beginning  with  the  troilite  in  the  center,  less  frequently  with  the  graphite;  again,  but  not  so  frequently, 
lying  side  by  side.  The  graphite  occurs  as  bands  between  the  core  and  the  periphery  of  the  troilite  lumps,  and  thus 
it  has  sometimes  a  perfectly  uniform  width  (in  one  case  of  0.5  mm.)  and  follows  all  the  inequalities  of  the  exterior. 
On  one  place  in  the  trias  there  occurs  an  outcropping  of  cohenite  with  schreibersite  envelope,  and  more  frequently 
with  a  corona  of  cohenite.  The  schreibersite  is  for  the  most  part  finely  porous;  the  cohenite  shows  individual  fissures, 
but  is  otherwise  smooth  and  of  a  bright  luster. 

The  name  of  Brazos  has  been  often  applied  to  this  meteorite  but  if  .Mallet  is  right  in  stating 
that  it  was  found  in  Wichita  County,  Brazos  is  inappropriate  as  the  Brazos  River  runs  far  south 
of  Wichita  County. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  University  of  Texas. 


490  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  I860:  SHUMARD.    Notice  of  meteoric   iron   from  Texas.     Trans.    Acad.    Sci.    St.  Louis,   vol.  1,   p.   622-623. 

(Analysis  by  Riddell.) 

2.  1858-1862:  VON  REICHENBACH.    No.  6,  p.  448;  No.  9,  pp.  174,  181;  No.  10,  pp.  359,  365;  No.  15,  pp.  110,  124, 

126;  No.  16,  pp.  261,  262;  No.  17,  pp.  266,  272;  No.  18,  p.  487;  No.  19,  pp.  149,  154;  No.  20,  p.  622. 

3.  1884:  MALLET.    On  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from  Wichita  County,  Texas.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  28,  pp. 

285-288  (new  analysis). 

4.  1885:  BKEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  155,  207,  215-216,  and  234  (pis.  2  and  3). 

5.  1886:  HUNTINGTON.    Crystalline  structure.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  32,  p.  295. 

6.  1889:  BHEZINA.    Cliftonit  aus  dem  Meteoreisen  vonMagura,  Arvaer  Comitat.  Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofrnus.  Wien, 

Bd.  4,  p.  105. 

7.  1891:  COHEN  and  WEINSCHENK.    Meteoreisen-Studien.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  6,  pp.  131, 

152-155  (analysis),  161,  162,  164,  and  165. 

8.  1892:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien.     Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  7,  pp.  154-155,  158  (Cu),  159, 

160,  and  161. 

9.  1893:  MEUNIEH.    Revision  des  fers  me'te'oriques,  pp.  28-30  (illustration  of  etching). 

10.  1895:  BBEZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  285. 

11.  1895:  COHEN.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10,  pp.  83,  84,  85,  86,  and  91. 

12.  1897:  COHEN.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  12,  pp.  56-58. 


WILLAMETTE. 

Clackamas  County,  Oregon. 

Latitude  45°  22'  N.,  longitude  122°  35'  W. 

Iron.    Coarse  octahedrite  (Og)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1902;  described  1904. 

Weight,  13.5  tons  (27,000  Ibs.),  computed. 

The  first  scientific  mention  of  this  meteorite  appears  to  have  been  by  Kunz  *  who  gave  the 
following  account: 

This  great  meteoric  masa  was  found  in  the  autumn  of  1902  by  Mr.  Dale,  a  prospector,  on  land  belonging  to  the 
Oregon  Iron  and  Steel  Company  about  2  miles  south  of  Oregon  City.  The  official  statement  of  its  location  is  T.  2  S., 
R.  1  E.  of  Willamette  meridian.  It  was  dug  loose  from  the  soil  and  removed  on  a  truck  to  adjacent  land  belonging  to 
Mr.  Ellis  Hughes,  where  a  suit  is  now  (January,  1903)  in  progress  for  its  recovery.  The  mass  is  roughly  conical  or 
dome-shaped,  extensively  pitted  and  at  one  point  perforated.  The  mass  measures  10  feet  in  length  by  7  in  width 
and  5  in  height. 

In  February,  1904,  the  locality  was  visited  by  Ward  and  a  full  account  of  the  meteorite 
was  given  by  him  as  follows:2 

This  most  interesting  meteorite,  noble  in  size  and  wonderful  in  physical  features,  was  found  near  the  border  of 
Clackamas  County,  Oregon,  in  the  autumn  of  1902.  At  this  point  in  its  course  the  Willamette  River,  80  miles  south 
of  its  junction  with  the  Columbia,  runs  between  high  banks  of  sedimentary  rocks.  At  Oregon  City,  16  miles  south  of 
Portland,  these  banks  come  as  cliffs  down  close  to  the  river,  which  on  the  western  side  they  follow  southward  for  3J 
miles  to  the  town  of  Willamette.  This  meteorite  having  been  found  2  miles  from  this  town  (to  the  northwest),  I  have 
given  it  the  name  Willamette  meteorite.  Its  exact  locality  is  latitude  45°  22'  N.,  longitude  122°  35'  W.  The  region 
immediately  surrounding  is  a  series  of  hills,  distant  foothills  of  the  Cascade  Range,  with  their  steeply  sloping  sides  cut 
into  by  streamlets  flowing  into  the  Willamette.  One  of  these  streams  is  the  Tualitin.  On  a  hillside,  3  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Tualitin,  fell,  apparently  centuries  ago,  the  Willamette  siderite,  the  third  largest  iron  meteorite  in  the  world. 
The  region  is  a  wild  one,  covered  by  a  primeval  forest  of  pines  and  birch,  little  visited  and  largely  inaccessible.  Here 
on  the  spur  of  the  hill  in  a  small  level  area  lay  the  great  iron  mass,  lightly  buried  in  soil  and  the  carpet  of  accumulated 
vegetable  debris.  In  the  valley,  half  a  mile  away,  there  lives  with  his  family,  a  humble,  intelligent  Welshman,  Mr.  Ellis 
Hughes.  He  had  formerly  worked  in  Australian  mines.  He  had  with  him  in  1902  a  prospector  named  Dale,  and 
together  they  roamed  over  the  hills  seeking  minerals.  One  day  a  blow  on  a  little  rock  projecting  from  the  soil  showed 
it  to  be  metal.  They  dug  and  found  its  great  dimensions  and  learned  that  it  was  iron.  It  was  on  land  which  they 
learned  belonged  to  a  land  company.  For  some  months  they  kept  the  find  a  secret,  hoping  to  buy  the  land  on  which 
the  "mine"  was  located.  Some  months  later  they  ascertained  in  some  way  that  their  supposed  iron  reef,  which  they 
had  found  to  be  but  10  feet  long  and  a  yard  or  more  deep,  was  a  meteorite.  They  became  more  secretive  than  ever 
and  covered  their  find  most  carefully. 

In  August,  1903,  Mr.  Dale  in  the  meantime  having  left  the  country,  Mr.  Hughes  conceived  the  idea  of  bringing  the 
great  iron  mass  to  his  house,  a  distance  of  nearly  three-fourths  of  a  mile.  This  seemed  an  almost  impossible  task,  he  having 
only  his  son  of  15  years  and  a  smali  horse  as  motive  power.  But  he  was  an  old  miner,  full  of  mechanical  resources,  and  also 
full  of  pluck  and  energy.  With  infinite  pains  he  fashioned  a  simple  capstan  with  a  chain  to  anchor  it  and  a  long  braided 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  491 

wire  rope  to  roll  up  on  it,  as  his  horse  traveled  around,  as  a  winch.  Then  he  fashioned  an  ingenious  car  with  log  body 
timbers  and  sections  of  a  tree  trunk  for  wheels,  also  some  heavy  double-sheaved  pulleys.  By  wearisome  blocking  up 
and  leverage  he  succeeded  in  capsizing  the  great  mass  directly  upon  the  car  and  lashed  it  there  securely.  Then  he 
stretched  out  his  100-foot  hauling  wire  rope,  attached  one  end  of  it  to  the  car  and  the  other  to  his  staked-down  capstan 
and  started  his  horse  around.  The  great  mass  moved  slowly  for  the  ground  was  soft  and,  even  with  boards  put  under 
them  and  constantly  changed,  the  wheels  sank  deep  into  the  mud.  Some  days  they  moved  little  more  than  the  length 
of  the  car,  on  others  they  covered  10,  20,  and  one  day  50  yards.  After  three  months  of  almost  incessant  toil  the  giant 
meteorite  reached  Hughes's  own  land,  where  it  now  rests. 

The  Hughes,  father  and  son,  had  worked  unobserved  for  all  these  months  in  the  dense  forest.  Their  nearest 
neighbors,  a  mile  away,  do  not  seem  to  have  been  aware  of  what  they  were  doing.  But  when  the  great  find  was 
announced  people  came  trooping  up  the  little  valley,  first  from  near-by  Willamette,  then  from  Oregon  City,  and  then 
from  Portland  to  see  the  celestial  wonder.  News  soon  came  to  the  Portland  Land  Company  and  they  promptly  claimed 
the  meteorite  as  having  been  taken  from  their  land.  Hughes  refused  to  give  up  possession,  which  latter  he  believes 
is  a  strong  point  in  the  matter.  So  a  suit  at  law  has  commenced  with  all  prospects  of  a  stoutly  fought  legal  battle.  The 
suit  should  come  off  during  the  spring  of  1904,  but  it  may  be  delayed.  Public  opinion  is  divided  as  to  the  probable 
outcome,  but  sympathy  lies  mainly  with  Hughes,  the  finder  of  the  mass,  who  is  the  only  man  in  common  life  or  among 
scientific  collectors  on  record  as  having  run  away  with  a  14- ton  meteorite. 

The  dimensions  and  shape  of  the  mass  are  given  by  Ward  as  follows: 

Extreme  length,  10  feet  3.5  inches.  Extreme  breadth  across  base,  7  feet.  Extreme  vertical  height  from  base  to 
summit,  4  feet.  Total  circumference  of  the  base,  25  feet  4  inches.  The  upper  dome  part  is  circular  in  form;  from  the 
middle  point  to  the  base  it  expands  before  and  behind  into  an  oval  form.  *  *  *  But  regarding  the  mass  at  a  right 
angle  to  this,  which  gives  an  end  view,  the  sides  of  the  central  dome  part  are  almost  vertical,  with  very  little  enlarge- 
ment or  flaring. 

The  meteorite  has  thus  the  form  of  a  huge  abbreviated  cone,  having  its  base  on  two  sides  so  prolonged  as  to 
produce  an  oval,  whose  long  diameter  is  one-third  greater  than  its  transverse  diameter.  There  are  no  angular  out- 
lines to  the  mass  as  a  whole;  ajl.  whether  in  vertical  or  horizontal  section,  is  bounded  by  broad  curves- 

The  mass  lay  buried  in  the  ground  with  the  point  downwards.  This  position,  with  the  apex  or  cone  buried  below, 
is  unquestionably  the  one  which  it  held  when  it  passed  through  the  earth's  atmosphere.  Its  front  face  in  its  flight 
was  the  apex  of  the  cone.  All  features  of  the  surface  harmonize  with  this  view.  The  upper  half  of  this  apex  is  devoid 
of  any  striae  such  as  frequently  occur  on  the  front  surface  of  a  stone  meteorite.  Nor  are  there  here  any  well-defined 
pittings.  If  these  have  ever  existed  they  are  now  completely  effaced.  This  part  of  the  great  mass  seems  to  have 
undergone  but  one  change  since  it  entered  our  atmosphere  and  was  subjected  to  the  friction  of  the  air.  The  denuding 
influence  of  this  friction  may  well  be  considered  to  have  induced  the  generally  round  and  even  character  of  the  upper 
cone,  though  no  fine  polish  or  striation  remains.  The  one  effect  noticeable  on  all  this  area  is  the  presence  of  little 
spots  or  patches  from  1  to  3  or  4  cm.  in  length,  of  material  which  seems  more  dense  and  of  a  faintly  deeper  shade  than 
that  of  the  main  mass.  These  appear  over  all  the  surfaces  in  question,  sprinkled  indiscriminately,  without  order  or 
alignment.  They  stand  slightly  elevated  above  the  level  of  the  surface,  and  might  be  called  scabs.  I  am  disposed 
to  regard  them  as  flows  of  melted  matter,  which  were  once  more  widespread  or  continuous,  but  now  show  simply  as 
patches. 

As  to  the  lower  half  of  the  cone,  there  is  first  a  large  border  18  or  20  inches  wide,  entirely  around  the  mass,  which 
is  quite  covered  with  the  characteristic  pittings,  which  are  well  defined  and  continuous  but  shallow.  They  are  usually 
oval  in  form,  with  a  greater  diameter  of  from  3  to  8  cm.  They  appear  to  have  no  distinct  form  or  alignment;  and  they 
meet  and  merge  into  one  another  with  only  a  fuller,  slightly  pronounced  crest  between  them. 

A  second  feature  in  this  lower  half  of  the  great  cone  is  the  series  of  round  bore  holes,  sprinkled  irregularly  all 
around  it  and  more  generally  near  the  lower  border.  These  holes,  which  are  so  noticeable  a  feature  of  the  Canon  Diablo 
siderite,  as  also  in  the  Tazewell  and  Youndegin  (Australian)  masses,  are  beautifully  sharp  and  well  defined.  They 
are  usually  nearly  circular  in  section,  1  to  3  inches  in  diameter,  and  from  3  to  4  or  more  inches  in  depth.  These  holes, 
notably  those  of  the  smaller  diameter,  are  sometimes  materially  larger  in  their  inner  portions  than  they  are  at  their 
outer  orifice.  This  feature,  observable  also  in  the  Canon  Diablo  masses,  seems  to  militate  strongly,  if  not  conclusively, 
against  any  theory  of  their  having  been  caused  by  the  boring  action  of  the  air  in  the  meteorite's  downward  flight. 
They  are  undoubtedly  due  to  the  presence  of  lengthened  cylindrical  nodules  of  troilite  or  some  other  sulphuret  which 
have  subsequently  decomposed  and  have  generally  dropped  out.  An  interesting  specimen  in  the  Ward-Coonley 
collection  is  a  mass,  some  15  inches  in  diameter,  of  Canon  Diablo  iron  with  such  a  circular  hole,  its  orifice  being  open 
while  all  the  lower  part  is  occupied  by  the  still  remaining  troilite  nodule.  In  the  Willamette  iron  no  less  than  nine 
of  these  holes  pierce  the  mass  from  its  upper  surface  quite  through  to  the  base  below. 

The  third  feature  of  this  forward  face  of  the  iron  is  one  which  now  makes  it  the  most  remarkable  meteorite  known 
to  science.  This  is  the  existence  of  deep,  broadly  open  basins  and  broad  furrows  or  channels  cutting  down  deeply 
into  the  mass.  The  basins  are  distributed  alike  over  the  lower  cone  area.  The  furrows  reach  vertically  quite  across 
this  belt  to  the  lower  edge  or  base  of  the  mass,  whose  border  they  break  with  deep  channeling.  These  deep  bowllike 
cavities  and  furrows  exist  more  upon  one  side  of  the  mass  than  upon  the  other.  One  of  these  cavities  measured  19 
inches  long  by  14  inches  wide  and  5  inches  deep.  Others,  some  of  which  from  their  form  might  be  called  basins, 
others  caverns,  were  of  various  diameters  at  the  mouth,  5  to  10  inches  and  from  4  to  12  inches  in  depth.  In  all  cases, 


492  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

these  cavities  had  their  widest  extension  or  opening  toward  the  apex  of  the  cone.  Nothing  can  be  clearer  than  that 
this  was  produced  by  the  tremendous  friction  of  the  densely  compressed  air  through  which  the  meteorite  passed  on 
its  way  to  earth. 

The  air,  which  was  compressed  in  front  of  the  mass  to  a  density  comparable  to  that  of  some  solid  substance,  has 
flown  back  past  the  apex  and  the  sides  o£  the  cone'  with  a  friction  force  almost  inconceivable  in  its  intensity.  The 
air  crowded  in  front  of  a  meteorite  having  a  velocity  of  60  miles  per  second  has  furthermore  been  shown  by  physicists 
to  have,  by  reason  of  its  compression,  a  heat  of  over  5,000°  Centigrade  (9,000°  Fahr.),  a  heat  calculated  to  melt  away 
any  surface  which  it  enveloped.  It  is  to  the  melting,  rubbing,  and  chiseling  effect  of  this  compressed  air,  with  its 
following  air  stream,  that  we  may  attribute  all  the  glazing,  pitting,  hollowing,  and  channeling  which  has  been 
observed  on  the  front  side  of  the  cone  and  upon  the  flaring  base  of  the  great  meteorite.  That  the  melting  should  be 
more  complete  on  the  forward  part  of  the  cone  is  easily  conceivable.  Also,  it  is  clear  that  the  boring  and  channeling 
power  of  the  air  should  be -most  exercised  on  the  basal  flanges,  on  which  it  more  directly  impinged.  The  effects  are 
colossal,  and  words  but  feebly  express  the  impression  made  by  the  eight  of  the  great  cone,  with  its  torn,  excavated 
sides.  It  seems  impossible  in  theory,  but  the  whole  is  made  easily  credible  in  seeing  and  studying  the  effect. 

It  is  probable  that  this  mass  contained  great  nodules  or  even  long  cylindrical  inclusions  of  some  mineral  softer 
and  more  subject  to  attrition  than  is  the  iron  of  which  it  seems  to  be  wholly  composed.  These  inclusions  may  have 
determined  the  position  and  greatly  enlarged  the  size  of  these  excavations.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the  long  fur- 
rows. In  these,  the  upper  part  of  the  wall  hangs  over  as  a  rim,  leaving  the  tube  or  gutter,  as  seen  from  the  side, 
larger  within  than  in  its  outside  exposure.  These  furrows,  as  well  as  one  of  the  holes,  gouge  deep  recesses  out  of  the 
otherwise  continuous  border  of  the  mass.  The  lower  part  of  the  cone  rolls  smoothly  around  to  join  its  base. 

The  original  surface  of  the  base  was  slightly  crowning;  was  covered  with  well-developed  normal  pittings  of  great 
similarity  of  character  in  all  parts.  The  remaining  areas  of  this  surface  are  in  every  case  thus  covered.  Further- 
more, we  observe  the  striking  manner  in  which  the  base  of  the  mass  was  drilled  and  bored  by  the  clean  round  holes. 
Counting  only  those  that  are  of  limited  diameter,  there  are  over  30,  varying  from  0.5  to  2.5  inches  across,  and  from 
3  or  4  inches  to  an  unmeasurable  depth.  Indeed,  quite  a  few  of  them  which  are  near  the  periphery,  pass  completely 
through  the  mass.  One  of  these  perforating  vertical  bores  or  drill  holes  is  seen  at  the  base  of  the  figures;  the  other 
two  are  visible  toward  the  extreme  left.  The  position  of  these  upon  the  base,  the  re^r  side  of  the  meteorite,  argues 
strongly  for  their  origin  from  preexisting  cylindroid  nodules  of  troilite.  The  inner  trend  of  some  of  these  bores  is  quite 
irregular,  and  the  surface  roughened  with  sharp  tortuous  ridges.  Some  few  of  the  holes  join  each  other  below,  anasto- 
mosing as  may  sometimes  be  seen  in  sections  of  long  troilite  nodules  in  the  face  of  a  section  of  siderite.  In  the  fre- 
quency of  these  long  round  holes  and  their  general  distribution  over  all  sides  of  the  mass,  the  present  meteorite  resem- 
bles, though  it  surpasses,  Canon  Diablo. 

But  attention  is  strongly  drawn  away  from  these  aerial  features  to  a  most  singular  and  astonishing  group  of  con- 
cavities and  caverns.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  labryinthine  and  chaotic  outspread  of  these.  They  cross  the  mass 
from  side  to  side  and  from  end  to  end.  Yet  they  have  no  regularity  of  distribution  or  system  of  alignment.  They 
make  a  confusion  of  kettle  holes,  washbowls,  or  small  bathtubs.  One  of  the  latter,  crossing  the  mass  diagonally  is 
3  feet  long  by  10  to  15  inches  across  and  of  an  average  depth  of  16  inches.  Another,  nearly  circular,  is  2£  feet  in 
diameter  and  18  inches  in  deepest  part.  This  one  is  quadrifid  in  its  bottom;  each  of  the  four  areas  being  a  distinct 
basin,  swelling  gently  up  from  its  center  to  the  sharp  crest  running  between  it  and  its  neighbors.  To  describe  these 
caverns  individually  would  be  impracticable  as  well  as  useless.  This  extraordinary  meteoritic  phenomenon  is  evi- 
dently produced  by  decomposition  due  to  the  action  of  water.  They  are  not  the  product  of  erosion  as  are  the  deep 
holes  and  channels  of  the  other  side  of  the  mass.  There  are  here  no  lines  of  flow,  no  connections  in  the  nature  or  trend 
of  the  depressions.  It  has  been  noted  that  this  meteorite  lay  in  its  original  bed,  as  it  fell,  with  the  conical  end  down, 
and  the  flat  base  upward  and  quite  level;  that  it  lay  just  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  in  a  soil  charged  throughout 
with  vegetable  matter,  the  accumulation  of  centuries  under  the  falling  leaves  and  branches  of  a  primeval  forest. 
Moreover,  western  Oregon  is  a  region  marked  as  a  rain  belt  ever  since  its  first  exploration.  Every  condition  was  ful- 
filled for  the  decomposition  of  this  great  mass  of  iron,  so  situated  that  its  surface  was  always  soaked  with  water  heavily 
charged  with  carbonic  acid,  due  to  vegetable  decomposition.  Under  such  conditions  the  oxidation  of  the  mass  would 
go  on  rapidly.  The  depressions  would  soon  be  initiated;  these  would  fill  with  water,  and  thenceforth  the  dissolution 
of  the  mass  would  proceed  rapidly  with  ever  increasing  area  and  rapidity.  This  action  would  never  be  intermitted 
or  minimized ;  for  while  the  frosts  of  the  short  winter  may  have  materially  lessened  the  chemical  action  for  a  time 
each  year,  the  increased  mechanical  effects  of  freezing  and  thawing  would  quite  compensate  for  this  diminution  of 
the  destructive  work.  It  is  especially  noticeable  in  studying  these  caverns  that  certain  portions  of  the  surface  of  the 
mass  are  entirely  without  them,  holding  today  not  only  the  original  superficial  level,  but  also  retaining  in  fullest 
degree  the  pittings  and  all  other  markings  which  the  mass  showed  when  it  fell.  These  areas  of  original  surface  stand 
as  islands  in  the  waste  depressions  produced  by  the  process  of  decomposition;  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  these  inter- 
vening areas  have  been  undermined  by  the  same  process  which  produced  the  caverns.  The  projecting  portion  of 
these  areas  are  frequently  penetrated  by  the  noticeable  borings  already  described.  Again,  the  intervening  walls 
between  the  caverns  have  been  eaten  through  in  at  least  10  places,  leaving  large  irregular  openings  between  the 
large  excavations.  These  basins  or  caverns  have  a  rough,  sandy  surface,  not  to  be  compared  with  the  smooth  semi- 
polished  inner  wall  of  the  holes  bored  by  the  friction  of  the  atmosphere.  The  difference  is  as  evident,  and  somewhat 
the  same,  as  that  between  a  glaciated  rock  and  a  sawed  or  ground  rock  surface.  Here  is  again  occasion  for  the  sup- 
position that  these  excavations  are  in  some  measure  due  to  the  presence  of  a  softer  and  more  easily  decomposed 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  493 

material  throughout  the  mass  of  iron,  such  as  troilite,  only  in  this  case  its  disappearance  would  be  due  to  decompo- 
sition rather  than  erosion. 

This  great  meteorite  has  shown  itself  to  be  quite  unique  in  the  distinct  and  essentially  diverse  phenomena  which 
it  presents.  On  the  one  hand,  it  offers  the  most  extensive  case  of  aerial  erosion  helped  by  fusion.  No  other  meteorite, 
whether  stone  or  iron,  offers  such  extensive  holes  and  furrows  caused  by  aerial  attrition.  On  the  other  hand,  it  affords 
a  case  of  discrete  decomposition  due  to  aqueous  causes,  far  beyond  anything  ever  before  noted  on  these  celestial  bodies. 

In  the  presence  of  these  two  marks  of  cosmic  power,  all  other  features  of  the  meteorite  seem  to  dwindle.  Even 
its  great  size  loses  some  of  its  impressiveness.  How  great  and  dazzling  and  wonderful  must  have  been  the  illumina- 
tion within  a  radius  of  many  hundred  miles  when  this  mass  fell.  With  what  aerial  commotion,  explosion,  and  pyro- 
technics must  it  have  traversed  the  atmosphere  and  with  what  unearthly  screeching  sought  its  final  home,  "losing 
itself  in  the  continuous  woods  where  rolls  the  Oregon." 

The  weight  of  the  mass  remains  to  be  determined.  The  mean  of  several  careful  computations,  based  upon  num- 
erous measures  of  its  dimensions,  and  upon  the  known  specific  gravity  of  the  iron,  makes  the  meteorite  weigh  about 
27,000  pounds,  or  13.5  tons. 

An  examination  of  the  etching  figures  of  the  iron  made  by  Preston  is  further  reported  by 
Ward  as  follows: 

An  etched  section  of  the  Willamette  iron  shows  it  to  belong  to  the  octahedral  group  and  to  that  division  (No.  56) 
which  is  designated  as  broad  octahedrite  (Og).  But  this  structure  is  somewhat  dimmed  by  numerous  small  flakes  of 
a  very  much  brighter  and  more  lustrous  iron  than  that  of  the  kamacite  blades,  and  seeming  to  have  no  regular  or  defi- 
nite form — the  largest  of  them  having  a  diameter  of  not  more  than  6  to  7  mm.  These  plates,  at  least  in  part,  are 
apparently  hexahedral,  as  some  of  the  larger  ones  show  Neumann  lines  on  their  etched  surfaces.  The  patches  of  pies- 
site  are  decidedly  small,  but  occasionally  show  the  alternating  layers  of  kamacite  and  plessite  formerly  known  as  Lap- 
ham  markings.  The  tsenite  lines  are  plainly  visible  along  the  edges  of  the  kamacite  plates.  There  are  numerous 
small  troilite  nodules  from  1  to  3  mm.  in  size  scattered  promiscuously  throughout  the  section,  and  a  few  rod-shaped 
ones  1  mm.  in  width,  and  in  some  instances  up  to  15  mm.  in  length.  The  largest  troilite  nodule  found  in  several  sec- 
tions was  28  mm.  in  diameter.  It  incased  several  small  patches  of  the  nickeliferous  iron.  No  schreibersite  is  appar- 
ent to  the  eye,  nor  would  it  be  expected  trom  the  small  amount  of  phosphorus  found  in  the  analysis  of  the  iron.  The 
exterior  of  the  mass  in  our  possession  is  of  a  dull  reddish-brown  color,  much  oxidized,  with  a  tendency  to  scale  in 
small  flakes.  The  fractured  surface  of  this  iron  is  much  more  coarsely  granular  in  structure  than  that  of  any  other 
iron  with  which  the  present  writer  is  familiar. 

Two  analyses  of  the  iron  are  given  by  Ward,  one  (1)  by  Davison,  the  other  (2)  by  Whitfield: 

Fe  Ni  Co          P 

1.  91.65  7.88  0.21        0.09    =99.83 

2.  91.46  8.30         =99.76 

Specific  gravity,  7.7. 

Winchell 3  gave  an  account  of  a  suit  regarding  the  ownership  of  the  meteorite  and  some  of 
the  traditions  concerning  it  as  follows: 

It  was  decided  by  the  Iowa  supreme  court,  in  the  case  of  the  Winnebago  meteorite,  that  the  meteorite  belongs  to 
the  owner  of  the  land  on  which  it  falls.  The  tenant  found  the  stone  and  sold  it.  The  owner  brought  suit  to  regain  it  and 
after  some  years  of  litigation  and  delay  the  court  assigned  the  meteorite  to  the  owner  of  the  land. 

The  Oregon  meteorite  case  is  somewhat  different.  A  metallic  mass  is  admitted  by  both  parties  to  be  of  meteoric 
nature  and  origin,  and  as  such,  according  to  the  Iowa  decision,  it  belongs  to  the  owner  of  the  land  on  which  it  fell. 
The  date  of  its  fall,  however,  is  unknown  and  there  is  evidence  tending  to  show  that  it  was  a  piece  of  personal  property, 
separate  from  the  land  on  which  it  was  found,  for  many  years  prior  to  the  date  of  discovery.  The  issue  and  the  attendant 
conditions  have  been  stated  as  follows  by  the  Oregon  Journal: 

The  Oregon  City  meteorite  case  was  argued  before  the  supreme  court  yesterday.  This  is  an  action  brought  by  the 
Oregon  Iron  &  Steel  Company  to  obtain  possession  of  the  metallic  meteorite  found  by  Ellis  Hughes  in  November,  1902, 
on  the  land  of  the  Oregon  Iron  &  Steel  Company,  about  2.5  miles  west  of  Oregon  City.  The  interesting  subject  of  thia 
controversy  was  found  standing  upright  on  a  slight  knoll.  It  is  of  metallic  composition  with  a  dull,  rusty  surface,  its 
top  or  flat  surface  being  gouged  out  into  huge  pot  holes  or  washbowls.  As  it  stood  it  resembled  very  much  in  appearance 
a  mammoth  mushroom  or  inverted  bell,  in  size,  7  by  10  feet  across  at  the  top  and  4.5  feet  thick,  its  weight  being  esti- 
mated at  from  3  to  4  tons.  It  has  the  specific  gravity  of  soft  iron,  and  in  composition  is  90  per  cent  soft  iron,  10  per  cent 
nickel,  with  a  trace  of  cobalt. 

Hughes  alleged  that  this  was  an  abandoned  Indian  relic  and  that  he  was  the  first  white  discoverer  of  it,  and  believing 
he  had  a  right  to  it  he  constructed  a  rude  wagon  and  hauled  it  to  his  own  home,  about  }  of  a  mile  distant.  He  alleged 
that  this  meteorite  was  the  property  of  the  Clackamas  tribe  of  Indians  (now  disbanded  and  nearly  all  dead),  and  that 
they  had  a  tradition  that  this  magic  rock,  called  by  them  "Tomanowos,"  came  from  the  moon  and  possessed  super- 
natural influence.  He  claimed  that  it  was  fashioned,  erected,  maintained,  and  used  by  them  to  hold  the  fluid  in  which 
they  were  wont  to  dip  their  arrows  before  engaging  in  battle  with  their  Indian  foes,  and  that  their  young  warriors  were 
compelled  to  journey  over  there  and  visit  this  spirit  being  on  the  darkest  nights.  To  substantiate  these  claims  two 


494  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Indian  witnesses  were  produced  who  testified  that  the  above  facts  were  true,  according  to  the  legends  of  their  tribes. 
One  of  them  was  a  member  of  the  Klickitat  tribe  of  Indians  and  the  cither  was  a  Wasco  Indian. 

Both  parties  to  this  case  agree  that  the  object  is  a  meteorite  but  no  proof  has  been  offered  by  either  to  show  when 
it  arrived  on  the  earth.  The  Oregon  Iron  &  Steel  Company  denies  that  it  is  an  Indian  relic  and  claims  title  to  it  by 
virtue  of  ownership  of  the  land  upon  which  it  was  found. 

It  may  safely  be  assumed,  probably,  that  this  iron  fell  on  the  land  where  it  was  found  although  there  is  no  proof  of  it. 
The  Indians  who  previously  visited  and  worshipped  it  could  not  have  transported  it.  If  they  had  ownership  of  the 
land  they  owned  the  specimen.  As  they  did  not  remove  it  when  the  land  passed  from  them  it  would  seem  that  the 
meteorite  went  with  the  land.  But  the  consideration  that  they  had  used  it  as  a  special  object,  for  a  special  purpose, 
foreign  to  the  uses  to  which  land  as  such  is  devoted  seems  to  make  it  an  object  of  personal  property.  They  may  have 
erected  it  in  the  position  in  which  it  stood  and  may  have  deepened  the  "potholes"  on  its  upper  surface.  If  a  man 
sculptures  a  statue  from  some  rock  on  his  land,  when  he  sells  the  land  the  statue  does  not  go  with  the  land.  If  the 
Clackamas  Indians  did  not  own  the  land,  and  yet  visited  and  controlled  the  specimen  for  a  specific  use  without  objection 
from  others,  it  seems  reasonable  to  assume  that  the  specimen  was  not  an  appurtenance  of  the  land  and  that  they  had  a 
right  to  remove  it.  If  they  abandoned  it,  without  removal,  it  seems  to  belong  to  that  class  of  Indian  relics  of  which 
many  examples  are  known  and  of  which  the  finder,  rightly  or  wrongly,  becomes  the  owner. 

If  the  specimen  is  an  Indian  relic  the  ownership  thereof  may  still  be  in  the  owner  of  the  land.  He  is  a  trespasser 
who  wilfully  passes  on  to  his  neighbor's  domain;  and  he  is  still  more  a  trespasser  if  he  removes,  against  the  owner's 
protest,  any  of  the  property  of  his  neighbor. 

NOTE. — Since  the  foregoing  was  written  the  Oregon  supreme  court  has  decided  this  case  as  follows  as  published  in 
the  Portland  Oregonian: 

Oregon  Iron  &  Steel  Company,  respondent,  vs.  Ellis  Hughes,  appellant,  from  Clackamas  County,  T.  A.  McBride, 
judge;  affirmed;  opinion  by  Chief  Justice  Wolverton. 

Held,  that  a  meteoric  rock  is  a  part  of  the  real  property  upon  which  it  falls,  and  evidence  that  Indians  worshipped 
the  rock  and  dipped  their  arrows  in  the  water  held  in  its  cavities  is  not  sufficient  to  show  that  the  Indians  had  dug  the 
rock  from  the  ground  and  acquired  title  to  it  as  personal  property.  The  question  whether  Indian  ownership  and  aban- 
donment is  sufficient  ground  upon  which  to  predicate  title  in  the  finder  is  not  decided. 

The  court  did  not  consider  the  evidence  as  to  the  ownership  of  the  specimen  as  personal  property  by  the  Indians 
of  sufficient  force  to  warrant  the  reference  of  the  case  to  a  jury  for  determination.  That  evidence  failing,  there  was  left 
the  bare  question  as  to  whether  the  meteorite  belonged  to  the  real  estate  or  to  the  finder.  In  that  the  Oregon  court 
coincided  with  the  Iowa  court  in  re  Winnebago  meteorite. 

The  meteorite  is  chiefly  preserved  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1904:  KUNZ.    Science,  n.  s.,  vol.  19,  p.  108. 

2.  1904:  WARD.    Proc.  Rochester  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  4,  pp.  137-148,  plates  13-18. 

3.  1905:  WINCHELL.    Amer.  Geol.,  vol.  36,  pp.  47-49  and  250-257. 


Williamsport.     See  Bald  Eagle. 

Wilson  County  iron.    See  Cocke  County. 

Wilson  County  stone.    See  Cross  Roads. 

Winnebago  County.    See  Forest  City. 

Wisconsin,  1858.    See  Trenton. 
Wisconsin,  1884.    See  Hammond. 


WILLIAMSTOWN. 

Grant  County,  Kentucky. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found,  1892. 

Weight,  31  kgs.  (68  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Ho  well '  as  follows: 

This  siderite  was  secured  from  A.  E.  Ashcraft,  who  found  it  April  25, 1892,  on  his  farm  in  Grant  County,  Kentucky, 
3  miles  north  of  Williamstown.  It  is  a  thin  flat  rectangular  mass  measuring  12  by  16  inches;  it  is  2.5  inches  thick  in 
the  center  thinning  to  a  blunt  edge  at  either  end,  looking  not  unlike  a  large  double-edged  axe.  The  total  weight  of 
the  mass  was  68  pounds,  or  about  31  kg.,  and  had  a  specific  gravity  of  8.1.  It  was  entire  when  it  reached  me  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  ounces  broken  from  one  of  the  thin  edges.  We  have  cut  the  iron  into  a  number  of  sections  which 
etch  very  readily,  showing  it  to  be  a  typical  octahedrite  of  medium  coarseness,  as  seen  in  the  accompanying  full-size 
cut  of  one  of  the  smaller  sections.  It  will  be  seen  from  this  cut  also  that  the  kamacite  bands  are  massed  together  to  a 
considerable  extent,  leaving  an  unusually  small  number  of  plessite  blocks;  these  when  deeply  etched  are  seen  to  be 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  495 

crossed  by  minute  parallel,  broken  threads  of  taenite.  In  addition  to  the  three  regular  distinct  systems  of  kamacite 
bands  there  is  another,  less  regular,  system  of  broader  bands  averaging  in  width  about  3  mm.,  which  cross  the  other 
bands,  uninterruptedly  in  some  cases,  for  a  distance  of  4  cm.  The  apparent  thickness  of  these  bands  is  greatly  exag- 
gerated by  the  angle  at  which  they  are  cut.  Comparison  of  sections  shows  that  while  the  other  systems  are  cut  at 
approximately  right  angles  these  broader  bands  are  cut  at  an  angle  of  60°  or  70°,  which  would  seem  to  show  that  in 
reality  they  are  no  thicker  than  the  others.  Unfortunately  our  cut  shows  these  bands  but  faintly. 

Troilite  seems  to  be  pretty  generally  distributed  through  the  mass  but  mostly  in  very  small  grains,  although  the 
cuttings  revealed  one  nodule  0.75  inches  in  diameter  and  two  others  of  about  0.5  inch  each.  The  total  amount  of  thia 
mineral,  however,  is  small,  as  might  have  been  inferred  from  the  specific  gravity  and  the  general  smoothness  of  the 
surface. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Wirt  Tassin,  of  the  United  States  National  Museum,  for  a  chemical  analysis  oi  t.hia  iron  and 
some  notes  on  its  structure,  as  follows: 

The  structure  of  the  etched  »urface  is  octahedral.  The  three  alloys,  kamacite,  taenite,  and  plessite,  are  present. 
The  kamacite  bands  are  of  average  length  and  the  lamellae  vary  in  width  from  0.5  to  1.5  mm.  The  teenite  bands  are  of 
capillary  size  and  are  often  irregular  in  trend  and  distribution.  Occasionally  the  fairly  uniform  structure  is  interrupted 
by  broad  irregular  bands  which  have  a  length  about  twice  that  of  their  width.  Here  and  there  are  nodules  of  troilite, 
some  of  which  inclose  carboniferous  matter.  These  troilite  nodules  are  usually  bounded  by  a  thin  line  of  schreibersite. 
The  material  available  for  analysis  gave: 

Fe 9L54 

Ni 7.26 

Co 52 

Cu 03 

Cr 05 

P 12 

S 17 

C 004 

Si. .  .    Trace 


99.694 
The  meteorite  is  distributed. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1908:  Ho  WELL.    Description  of  the  Williamstown  meteorite.    Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  25,  pp.  49-50.    (Chit 
of  etched  surface.) 

WOOSTER. 

Wayne  County,  Ohio. 

Here  also  Wayne  County,  1858. 

Latitude  40°  5V  N.,  longitude  81°  5&  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om);  Burlingtonite  (type  17)  of  Meunier. 

Found  1858;  described  1864. 

Weight,  about  22.5  kgs.  (50  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  first  described  by  Smith1  as  follows: 

The  existence  of  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  from  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  has  been  known  to  me  for  some  years;  but 
I  have  delayed  noticing  its  existence,  hoping  to  obtain  the  mass,  and  thus  give  a  more  complete  description  of  it  than 
I  am  able  to  do. 

My  attention  was  first  called  to  it  by  Prof.  James  C.  Booth,  of  the  United  States  Mint  at  Philadelphia,  it  having 
been  brought  to  him  by  Peter  Williams,  of  Wooster,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  who  supposed  it  to  be  a  mass  of  silver  or 
some  other  precious  metal.  Professor  Booth  saw  at  once  that  it  was  meteoric  iron,  and  tried  to  procure  it  from  Mr. 
Williams;  but  from  some  notion  of  its  possessing  considerable  intrinsic  value  he  retained  it,  and  since  that  time  both 
the  iron  and  Mr.  Williams  have  been  lost  sight  of. 

Professor  Booth  detached  a  small  portion  of  it,  part  of  which  specimen  he  placed  at  my  disposal,  with  the  fol- 
lowing memorandum:  "Meteoric  iron,  given  me  in  1858  by  Peter  Williams,  of  Wooster,  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  It 
was  a  rounded  mass,  weighing  about  50  pounds,  and  found  by  him  in  a  woods  near  the  above  place  while  gathering 
bowlders  to  pave  a  town.  It  exhibits  the  usual  figures  on  application  of  acid  to  a  smooth  surface." 

As  it  is  a  well-authenticated  meteorite,  it  is  proper  to  make  a  record  of  it.  Its  specific  gravity  is  7.901,  and  it  is 
composed  of — 

Iron 93. 61 

Nickel 6. 01 

Cobalt 73 

Copper,  very  minute,  not  estimated. 

Phosphorus 13 

100.48 
There  was  a  very  small  quantity  of  manganese,  that  has  been  estimated  along  with  the  nickel. 


496  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Brezina 2  classed  the  meteorite  with  the  Trenton  group  of  the  octahedrites  with  medium 
lamellae.  The  group  characters  are: 

Lamellse  straight,  swollen,  little  grouped,  with  oriented  sheen,  neither  hatched  nor  spotted.    Fields  abundant, 
combs  likewise;  plessite  not  much  darker  than  kamacite. 

Meunier  3  classed  the  meteorite  as  Burlingtonite.  He  states  that  even  upon  the  small 
specimen  of  the  collection  acids  show  the  tsenite  and  braunite  very  neatly. 

The  whereabouts  of  the  large  mass  of  the  meteorite  do  not  seem  to  be  known.  Wulfing  4 
records  the  distribution  of  only  49  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1864:  SMITH.    A  new  meteoric  iron  from  Wayne  County,  Ohio. 

Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  38,  pp.  385-386  (analysis). 

2.  1885:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  211  and  234. 

3.  1893:  MEUNIER.    Revision  des  fers  meteoriques,  p.  50. 

4.  1897:  WULFING.    Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  p.  389. 


Wyoming.    See  Silver  Crown. 
Xiquipilco.    See  Toluca. 


YANHUITLAN. 

State  of  Oaxaca,  Mexico. 

Here  also  Oaxaca,  Misteca  in  part,  Goldbach's  iron,  and  Teposcolula. 

Latitude  17°  40"  N.,  longitude  97°  (X  W. 

Iron.    Fine  octahedrite  (Of)  of  Brezina. 

Known  1804;  described  1863. 

Weight,  421  kgs.  (926  Ibs.). 

As  stated  under  Misteca,  this  mass  has  been  much  confused  with  it.  Fletcher  8  decided 
that  the  two  belonged  to  one  fall.  Owing,  however,  to  differences  in  structure  and  composition, 
Brezina  10  separated  the  two,  and  his  conclusion  is  generally  concurred  in. 

The  account  of  Yanhuitlan,  given  in  1840,2  states  that  the  mass  was  found  by  some 
Indian  laborers  while  tilling  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  called  in  the  Mistec  language 
Deque- Yucunino.  The  laborers  transported  the  mass  to  the  town,  and  it  was  used  as  an  anvil 
for  some  years.  In  1825  A.  F.  Morney,  an  Englishman,  saw  the  mass  and  had  a  piece  cut  off, 
which  he  analyzed  and  found  to  contain  iron,  nickel,  and  silica.  In  1864  it  was  removed  to 
the  City  of  Mexico,  where  it  remains  in  large  part  in  the  National  Museum,  according  to 
Castillo.3 

According  to  the  description  of  Rio  de  la  Loza,3  the  shape  of  the  mass  is  that  of  an  irregu- 
lar tetrahedron,  or  an  inclined  pyramid  with  three-sided  base.  Dimensions,  1 .20  meters  high 
and  0.65  meter  thick. 

Castillo  3  described  the  mass  as  of  irregular  shape,  similar  to  a  steep  pyramid  0.65  meter 
high,  four  faces  of  which  are  large  and  uneven,  two  small  and  flat,  and  the  edges  of  the  pyra- 
mid irregularly  truncated.  The  irregularities  of  the  surface  show  different  forms,  some  being 
pyramidal  and  some  round  or  forming  great  hollows. 

Rio  de  la  Loza  gives  the  following  analysis: 

Fe 96. 58 

Ni 1.83 

Loss  on  ignition 36 

Calcareous  earth 60 

Clay 61 

Siliceous  earth,  carbon,  etc 02 

100.00 
Specific  gravity,  7.82. 

Rammelsberg  6  gives  a  partial  analysis  in  which  the  nickel  is  reported  as  6.21  per  cent  and 
the  cobalt  0.27  per  cent. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  497 

Cohen  "  gives  the  following  analysis  by  Dr.  O.  Burger: 

Fe  Ni          Co          Cu          Or  P  S 

91.87        7.36        0.65        0.02        0.01        0.09        0.02    =100.02 

The  structure  of  the  etching  figures  is  thus  described  by  Brezina:10 

Lamellae  of  medium  length,  straight  (except  for  mechanical  deformation),  bunched,  well  defined;  kamacite 
strongly  granular,  taenite  normal.  Fields  small,  filled  partly  with  kamacite-like  and  strongly  granular  and  partly 
with  dark-gray  plessite.  Width  of  the  bands,  0.25  mm. 

With  Yanhuitlan,  Brezina  unites  an  iron  obtained  from  Carl  Goldbach,  who  acquired  it 
from  a  collection  where  it  had  a  label  stating  that  it  had  been  brought  by  Humboldt  from 
Mexico  from  a  meteorite  used  as  an  anvil. 

Cohen  ll  describes  the  etching  figures  as  follows: 

The  strongly  predominating  lamellae  are  of  medium  length,  straight,  and  as  a  rule  grouped.  The  kamacite  ia 
composed  of  grains  measuring  about  0.1  mm.  in  cross  section,  the  boundaries  of  which  are  more  sharply  seen  the  more 
that  they  are  magnified.  Such  magnification  also  shows  partly  reflecting,  partly  dull  points  which  probably  indicate 
a  further  structure  of  more  minute  grains.  On  strong  etching  the  kamacite  resolves  into  a  clear,  strongly  reflecting 
groundmass  in  which  black,  dull  particles  0.02  mm.  in  diameter,  of  rounded  or  elongated  form  lie  now  isolated,  now 
arranged  in  parallel  lines.  Taenite  is  to  be  plainly  seen  only  under  the  microscope  so  that  with  the  naked  eye  the 
lamellae  can  not  be  readily  distinguished.  The  fields  are  abundant  and  uniformly  distributed.  They  rarely  exceed 
1  sq.  mm.  in  area  and  are  filled  as  a  rule  by  dark,  compact  plessite,  easily  yielding  to  acids.  Glistening  spangles 
can  be  seen  in  this  under  the  microscope.  These  fields  are  plainly  visible  but  others,  commonly  larger,  can  only 
be  distinguished  with  difficulty.  They  are  made  up  either  of  small  complete  lamellae  or  of  granular  kamacite  scarcely 
distinguishable  from  that  of  the  bands.  The  plessite  of  this  kind  is  attacked  with  more  difficulty  by  acids  than  the 
first  named.  In  the  plate  lying  before  me  troilite  appears  only  in  small,  compact,  round  to  elongated  nodules,  which 
in  a  breadth  of  4  mm.  contain  one  to  two  daubreelite  bands  nearly  1  mm.  broad  and  are  not  surrounded  by  swathing 
kamacite.  Schreibersite  I  nowhere  detected. 

As  stated,  the  meteorite  is  chiefly  in  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico.     Ward,  however, 

reports  16,380  grams  in  the  Ward-Coonley  collection. 
•          . 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1804:  DEL  Rio.    Tablas  Mineralogicas,  p.  57. 

2.  1840:  El  Mosaico  Mexicano,  Bd.  3,  p.  219. 

3.  1863:  CASTILLO  and  DE  LA  LOZA.    Descripcion  de  la  masa  de  hierro  meteorico  de  Yanhiutlan.    Boletin  de  la  Sociedad 

de  Geografia  y  EstadLstica  de  la  Republica  Mexicana,  1st  ser.,  vol.  10,  pp.  661-672. 

4.  1865:  BCCHNER.    Zweiter  Xachtrag.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  124,  p.  599  (Cholula). 

5.  1S66:  BUHKABT.    Fundorte  III  (Abbildung  der  grossed  Masse  von  Misteca,  damals  noch  421  kgr.  schwer).    Xeues 

Jahrb.,  1866,  p.  402-108. 

6.  1869:  RAMMELSBERG.    Ueber  zwei  Meteoreisen  aus  Mexico.    Zeitschr.  deutsch.  geol.  Gesellsch.,  Bd.  21,  p.  83. 

7.  1870:  BURKART.    Fundorte  IV.    Neues  Jahrb.  Min.,  1870,  pp.  688-689,  and  692. 

8.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  Meteorites,  Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  96,  99,  102,  104,  and  171-173. 

9.  1892:  EASTMAN.    The  Mexican  Meteorites.    Bull.  Philos.  Soc.  Washington,  vol.  12,  p.  47. 

10.  1895:  BREZINA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  268  and  275-276. 

11.  1905:  COHEN.    Meteoritenkunde,  Heft  3,  pp.  316-320. 


YORK. 

York  County,  Nebraska. 

Latitude  40°  45'  X.,  longitude  97°  30'  W. 

Iron.    Medium  octahedrite  (Om)  of  Brezina. 

Found  1878;  described  1898. 

Weight,  835.2  grains  (1.8  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  was  described  by  Barbour  1  as  having  been  plowed  up  at  the  localityabove 
mentioned  in  1878. 

It  is  an  iron  showing  Widmannstatten  figures  simply  on  burnishing  and  also  upon  etching.     Its  shape  is  discoidal 
with  large  shallow  pits. 

Analysis  by  Kunz  *  is  as  follows : 

Fe  Xi          Co 

87.96        7.38        0.74    =96.08 
716°— 15 32 


498  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

The  iron  now  forms  a  part  of  the  Kunz  collection  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1898:  BABBOUH.    Pub.  Nebraska  Acad.  Sci.  in  Proc.  Nebraska  State  Hist.  Soc.,  2d  ser.,  vol.  2,  p.  275. 

2.  1903:  BAEBOUK.    Eeports  Nebraska  Geol.  Survey,  vol.  1,  p.  182.     (Cuts  of  meteorite  and  etching  figures.) 


Yorktown.     See  Tomhannock  Creek. 


ZACATECAS. 

Mexico. 

Latitude  22°  47'  N.,  longitude  102°  32'  W. 

Iron.    Zacatecas  group  of  brecciated  octahedrites  (Obz)  of  Brezina;  Caillite  (type  18)  of  Meunier. 

First  mentioned  in  1792. 

Weight,  780  kgs.  (1,716  Ibs.). 

This  meteorite  seems  to  have  been  first  mentioned  in  the  Gazetas  de  Mexico  x  in  1792,  as 
follows : 

From  time  immemorial  there  has  been  in  the  old  St.  Domingo  Street  of  the  city  of  Zacatecas  a  stone,  half  buried 
in  the  ground,  which  has  been  called  iron  stone  by  reason  of  its  solidity.  As  to  its  origin  there  is  only  an  oral  tradition 
that  it  was  found  by  one  of  the  first  colonists  when  working  the  Quebradilla  mine  and  has  been  lying  near  the  door 
of  his  house  ever  since.  It  was  noticed  there  by  Sonneschmid,  recognized  by  him  as  native  iron,  and  recommended 
to  the  attention  of  the  Government.  Don  Fermin  Apecechea  had  it  taken  to  his  house  and  weighed;  the  weight  was 
ound  to  be  2,000  pounds.  The  mass  is  somewhat  more  than  1.5  yards  long,  not  so  much  in  breadth,  and  somewhat 
over  a  quarter  of  a  yard  in  thickness. 

The  mention  by  Sonneschmid 2  the  present  compiler  has  not  been  able  to  consult. 
Humboldt  s  merely  quotes  Sonneschmid's  information,  as  does  also  Chladni.4 

Burkart5  saw  the  Zacatecas  meteorite  in  1825  and  described  it  as  follows: 

• 

This  iron  is  4.5  feet  in  length,  1  foot  9  inches  wide,  and  of  an  average  thickness  of  9  inches.  The  specific  gravity 
is  7.5  and  the  entire  mass  considerably  heavier  than  it  was  estimated  by  Sonneschmid,  who  fixed  its  weight  at  2,000 
pounds.  Its  form  is  quite  irregular,  although  without  prominent  angles  or  sharp  edges.  The  exterior  is  tolerably 
smooth,  but  it  has  considerable  pittings  and  is  marked  by  many  cracks  and  crevices.  The  iron  of  the  mass  is  malle- 
able, ductile,  and  consequently  only  slightly  disruptable.  It  seems  to  contain  many  isolated  particles;  at  all  events 
the  polished  surface  shows  rounded  and  jagged  specks,  which  form  a  streak  of  a  metallic  luster,  shading  to  yellow. 
The  fracture  is  granular  and  jagged;  several  veins  are  noticeable  in  a  few  places.  The  color  of  the  metal  is  pale  steel 
gray,  approximating  silver  white  on  the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other,  dark  steel  gray.  Etching  produces  only  weak 
and  irregular  Widmannstatten  figures. 

Partsch  8  described  a  section  in  the  Vienna  collection  as  follows : 

Compact  native  iron  with  a  quite  unusual  quantity  of  pyrrhotite  (and  also  some  pyrites)  distributed  through  the 
whole  mass,  chiefly  in  round  or  lens-shaped  nodules.  The  large  polished  piece  in  the  possession,  of  Reichenbach, 
brought  by  Burkart  to  Europe,  shows  the  sulphide  so  distributed  in  the  iron  that  it  forms  an  incomplete  network. 
The  above  suggestion  that  the  sulphide  may  be  of  twofold  origin  comes  from  the  fact  that  two  colors  and  two  specific 
gravities  may  be  distinguished.  The  iron  shows  zigzag  clefts  and  on  well-polished  surfaces  furrowed  lines  are  visible 
which  run  in  different  directions.  No  true  Widmannstatten  figures  formed  on  etching,  but  the  already  mentioned  lines 
are  straight  and  commonly  lie  near  together.  The  rectangular  fields  between  paths  of  lines  are  filled  with  points  and 
fine  striae.  These  are  seldom  parallel  but  run  in  various  directions  and  often  radially.  This  is  on  the  whole  a  highly 
characteristic  and  remarkable  iron,  and  is  difficult  to  describe. 

In  1849  Bergemann  *  made  a  study  of  some  borings  of  Zacatecas,  brought  to  him  by  Burk- 
art, as  follows: 

Although  the  meteoric  iron  from  Zacatecas  has  been  already  repeatedly  described,  an  analysis  of  the  same  is  still 
wanting.  At  the  request  of  Dr.  Burkart  I  therefore  undertook  to  make  such  an  analysis,  the  more  willingly  because 
I  had  obtained  through  his  kindness  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  borings  produced  in  the  cutting  of  several  large  pieces 
of  the  iron  in  Zacatecas. 

Specks  of  a  yellowish-gray  color,  measuring  one-half  to  one  line  in  diameter,  occur  in  this  iron,  which  appear  to 
consist  of  magnetic  pyrites.  Five  or  six  of  them  may  be  counted  upon  a  section  surface  1.5  to  2  inches  in  size.  Accord- 
ing to  Partsch,  however,  the  specimens  of  the  Vienna  collection  and  especially  a  large  piece  of  the  famous  Reichen- 
bach collection  contain,  besides  magnetic  pyrites,  possibly  also  pyrites,  both  scattered  through  the  meteoric  iron  like 
a  network,  and  this  interspersed  sulphur  compound  is  regarded  as  the  reason  why  the  Widmannstatten  figures  can 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  499 

scarcely  be  produced  at  all  upon  this  meteorite.  Nevertheless,  according  to  what  I  had  opportunity  to  see  of  them, 
so  general  a  distribution  of  the  iron  sulphide  seems  improbable  and  I  accordingly  regarded  the  outcrop  as  magnetic 
pyrites  exclusively. 

The  borings  to  be  used  for  the  analysis  were  quite  thin  and  much  rusted;  the  other  particles  clinging  to  these 
gave  no  indication  of  their  character.  The  borings  were  carefully  cleansed  with  weak  sulphuric  acid,  washed,  and 
dried  by  the  boiling  heat  of  the  water. 

The  mean  of  three  determinations  of  the  specific  gravity  gave  7.4891,  which  agrees  fairly  well  with  the  figures 
given  by  Burkart  and  Rumler. 

The  iron  was  not  completely  dissolved  by  acid.  The  residue,  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid,  after  three  weigh- 
ings made  in  the  course  of  the  qualitative  analysis,  amounted  to  a  mean  of  3.78  per  cent. 

In  the  decomposition  of  the  iron  there  was  developed,  along  with  the  hydrogen  gas,  a  carbon  compound  of  the 
same,  and  the  carbon  in  this  was  accordingly  determined  separately.  The  combustion  method  of  Regnault  or  Bro- 
meis  was  not  adapted  to  this  case,  since  it  would  be  impossible  to  reduce  the  iron  to  ^o  fine  a  powder  as  would  be 
necessary  in  order  to  obtain  an  exact  result,  without  running  the  risk  of  contaminating  the  meteoric  iron  with  par- 
ticles of  the  pulverizing  tools. 

The  analysis  gave  the  following: 

Fe 85.094 

Xi 9.895 

Co 668 

Cu 030 

Mg 187 

C .' 164 

C(Fe) 334 

X  (=schreibereite) 1.649 

Y  (=chromite) 1. 482 

S..  9.845 


100.348 
The  phosphoric  metal  consists  of:  Per  cent. 

Iron  and  nickel 1. 103 

Phosphorus 546 

The  principal  constituents  of  this  meteoric  iron  are,  accordingly,  iron  and  nickel,  and  approximately  9  atoms  of 
iron  to  1  atom  of  nickel,  a  ratio  such  as  Rammelsberg  found  in  the  magnetic  portion  of  the  meteoric  stone  from  Klein- 
Wenden  and  such  as  seems  to  recur  generally  in  the  case  of  most  metepric  irons.  So  great  a  percentage  of  iron  sul- 
phide as  the  above  figures  of  Partsch  assumes  for  this  mass  is  certainly  not  indicated  by  the  present  analysis,  the 
results  of  which,  however,  correspond  fully  with  the  exterior  characteristics  of  those  specimens  which  I  had  oppor- 
tunity to  see.  Magnetic  pyrites  occur  isolated  only  in  a  few  places  and  even  large  fragments  of  the  borings  may  be 
dissolved  without  developing  even  a  trace  of  hydrogen  sulphide,  while  it  is  often  visibly  present  in  other  small  par- 
ticles. If  the  mass  of  the  sulphur  compound  be  estimated  according  to  the  quantity  of  sulphur  and  if  the  composi- 
tion of  the  magnetic  pyrites,  according  to  Frankenheim,  be  assumed  as  FeS,  this  will  correspond  with  2.269  per  cent 
of  magnetic  pyrites,  and,  therefore,  there  remains  83.21  per  cent  of  iron  combined  with  nickel. 
The  meteorite  consists  of: 

Nickel  iron 93.  77 

Magnetic  pyrites 2. 27 

Chrome  iron 1. 48 

Schreibersite 1.  65 

Carbon...  .49 


99.66 

This  meteorite,  in  respect  of  its  iron  content,  stands  quite  near  to  the  meteoric  iron  of  Elbogen,  but  it  contains 
a  much  greater  quantity  of  foreign  ingredients — almost  6  per  cent — whereby  the  production  of  the  Widmannstatten 
figures  must  be  made  considerably  more  difficult. 

Xoggerath  8  mentioned  the  production  of  Widmannstatten  figures  on  the  mass  as  follows: 
The  figures  were  brought  out  by  etching;  the  specimens  also  showed  surfaces  upon  which  certain  figures  were 
produced  by  tarnishing,  such  as  usually  occur  in  the  case  of  steel.  The  specimens  were  derived  from  two  different 
iron  masses,  both  from  Mexico,  the  one  from  Zacatecas  and  the  other  from  the  neighborhood  of  Toluca.  Both  masses, 
in  the  produced  Widmannstatten  figures,  show  very  markedly  the  peculiar  character  of  meteoric  iron;  although  the 
markings  upon  the  Toluca  mass  are  finer  than  those  of  Zacatecas.  The  specimens  belong  to  the  academic  mineral 
collection  at  Bonn;  Sprecher  first  permitted  their  preparation  anew  in  the  prescribed  manner. 

Bergemann  •  made  a  further  examination  of  the  Zacatecas  iron  in  1857,  as  follows: 

I  obtained  from  Burkart  a  fragment  of  the  Zacatecas  meteorite,  which  I  had  already  examined  for  the  purpose 
of  repeating  the  analysis.  This  seemed  desirable  since  Manross  had  published  the  results  of  the  analysis  of  a  meteoric 
iron  of  unknown  locality,  which  possessed  an  external  resemblance  to  that  of  Zacatecas,  and  even  the  etched  surface 


.500  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

showed  much  similarity  with  that  of  Zacatecas.  It  appeared  possible  to  Burkart  to  assume  that  both  aerolites  origi- 
nated from  one  fall.  I  think,  however,  that  there  is  much  against  this  assumption.  In  the  meteorite  of  unknown 
locality,  which  was  examined  by  WShler  and  analyzed  by  Manross,  granules  of  olivine  and  a  granule  of  an  apple- 
green  mineral  were  found.  I  found  nothing  of  this  sort  in  the  Zacatecas  iron,  and  while  even  the  results  of  the  analy- 
ses of  aerolites  from  one  and  the  same  find  do  not  agree  entirely,  still  the  quantity  of  the  individual  constituents 
differ  so  much  in  this  case  that  it  is  not  possible  to  assume  that  they  are  all  from  one  fall. 

In  the  repetition  of  the  investigation  of  the  Zacatecas  iron  I  found  no  terrestrial  mineral.  The  insoluble  residue 
remaining  after  treatment  with  dilute  muriatic  acid  was  tested  with  the  microscope  at  200  diameters,  but  it  appeared 
entirely  homogenous.  It  might  be  assumed  that  the  small  olivine  particles  were  decomposed  by  the  action  of  the 
muriatic  acid,  since  the  iron  solution  contained  a  small  quantity  of  magnesia;  in  that  case,  however,  the  presence  of 
silicic  acid  would  also  become  apparent,  but  this  was  not  found,  and  besides  only  dilute  muriatic  acid  was  used  for 
dissolving  and  the  action  of  this  was  assisted  only  by  slightly  warming. 

In  the  determination  of  the  essential  constituents  of  this  meteoric  iron  I  obtained  such  a  close  approximation  to 
my  own  former  results  and  such  a  wide  divergence  from  Manross's  published  results,  that  I  could  not  suppose  that  the 
iron  examined  by  the  latter  belonged  to  Zacatecas. 
The  second  analysis  gave: 

Fe 85. 42 

Ni 9.  73 

Co 44 

Schreibersite. . .  1. 05 


96.64 
Muller  10  gave  a  description  and  analysis  of  a  piece  of  the  iron  as  follows: 

I  made  an  examination  of  a  specimen  which  was  brought  some  years  previous  from  Zacatecas,  passing  from  M.  F. 
D' Arcais,  a  mining  director  of  that  region,  to  Mr.  Brice  Wright,  of  London,  in  order  to  determine  whether  it  was  identical 
with  a  former  acquisition  from  that  country  or  whether  it  should  be  considered  as  a  new  one. 

The  piece  from  which  the  material  for  the  examination  was  taken  was  of  irregular  shape  and  was  evidently  a  pro- 
jection cut  from  a  larger  mass.  It  weighed  about  20  ounces  and  those  sides  which  from  their  black  crust  evidently 
formed  part  of  the  exterior  of  the  original  were  irregularly  impressed  and  rounded  at  the  edges. 

The  iron  is  soft,  tough,  and  difficult  to  break.  The  fractured  surface  shows  a  highly  developed  laminated  structure. 
The  polished  surface  contains  irregular  and.  circular  spots,  which  are  metallic  and  of  a  dark  bronze  color;  when  it  is 
tarnished  or  etched  there  appear  bright  points,  which  are  generally  arranged  in  lines,  intersecting  each  other  in  various 
directions.  An  oblique  and  intense  illumination  shows  the  intermixture  of  this  bright  substance  throughout  the  mass 
of  the  iron. 

The  etched  surface  does  not  exhibit  any  Widmannstatten  figures  like  the  iron  from  Xiquipilco,  Durango,  and 
others  from  Mexico,  but  presents  the  crystalline  appearance  of  tinned  iron  when  subjected  to  the  action  of  an  acid 
(moir6  metallique),  resembling  in  this  respect  the  iron  formerly  brought  from  Zacatecas  and  analyzed  by  Bergmann. 

The  iron  is  not  passive  and  is  dissolved  with  facility,  even  in  diluted  hydrochloric  acid,  when  slightly  warmed, 
leaving  a  small  insoluble  residue  which,  however,  dissolves  entirely  in  aqua  regia. 

The  dark  bronze-colored  nodules  embedded  in  the  iron  likewise  dissolve  with  great  ease  in  dilute  acids,  with  evolu- 
tion of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  and  behave  in  every  respect  like  monosulphide  of  iron. 

Three  analyses  yielded  the  following  results: 

I.  II.  III. 

Fe '. 89.84  91.30  90.91 

Ni 5.96  5.82  5.65 

Co 0.62  0.41  0.42 

P 0.25  0.23 

S 0.13        0.07 

Si 0.50 

C trace.  trace.  trace. 

Mg trace.  trace.  trace. 

Insoluble...                                                                           3.08  2.19  2.72 


99. 63        99. 97        100. 50 
The  insoluble  residue  after  treatment  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  was  further  analyzed,  with  the  following 

results: 

Fe 75.02 

Ni 14.52 

P...  .  10.23 


99.77 

This  analysis  furnishes  an  additional  proof  that  the  substance  termed  schreibersite,  and  which  forms  a  character- 
istic component  of  almost  every  meteoric  iron,  is  of  very  variable  composition;  the  quantities  of  iron,  nickel,  and  phos- 
phorus which  are  the  principal  constituents,  differ  very  materially  in  the  schreibersite  of  different  kinds  of  meteoric 


METEOKITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  501 

The  hydrogen  was  tested  for  carburetted  hydrogen  but  none  was  found.  Neither  arsenic,  manganese,  nor  chro- 
mium was  found  in  thi^meteoric  iron,  and  none  of  the  minerals  which  are  insoluble  in  acids  and  which  are  sometimes 
met  with  in  meteoric  iron  were  detected  in  this  specimen. 

The  above  examination  shows  that  this  specimen  is  different  from  that  of  the  former  meteorite  from  the  same 
locality.  Even  allowing  for  a  discrepancy  in  the  quantities  of  the  constituents  which  might  vary  with  the  irregularity 
in  which  the  schreibersite,  insoluble  sulphides,  and  sulphate  of  iron  are  distributed  in  the  nickeliferous  iron,  the  entire 
absence  of  carbon  or  graphite  and  chromic  iron  which,  according  to  Bergmann.  amount  to  0.49  for  carbon  and  1.48  for 
chromic  iron,  can  not  be  considered  accidental. 

Rose  "  described  a  specimen  in  the  Berlin  collection  as  follows: 

This  is  an  iron  of  very  characteristic  structure  which  can  only  be  seen  in  a  large  piece.  Besides  many  small  pieces 
the  Berlin  Museum  possesses  an  almost  rectangular  piece  1  inch  thick,  3  inches  broad  and  3.5  inches  long,  cut  from  a 
larger  piece  which  was  brought  by  Burkart  from  Mexico.  Sides  of  the  plate  are  in  part  formed  by  natural  surfaces. 
On  an  etched  surface  one  sees  that  this  iron  consists  of  coarse  granular  pieces  which  are  about  1  inch  in  diameter  and 
irregularly  bounded,  and  that  these  consist  of  pieces  lying  parallel  to  the  faces  of  the  octahedron  as  in  the  iron  meteorites 
which  give  Widmannstatten  figures.  The  component  pieces  are  not  very  regularly  bounded  but  their  direction  is 
straight  as  one  can  see  from  the  included  schreibersite,  which  also  shows,  on  cut  surfaces,  connected  fine  striae.  Under 
the  microscope,  however,  one  sees  that  these  striae  consist  of  single  pieces  which  lie  beside  one  another  in  one  or  more 
rows,  or  in  single  pieces  in  part  regularly  banded  and  lying  in  parallel  position.  They  are  thus  incomplete  crystals. 
Included  crystals  of  rhabdite  do  not  occur,  though  the  schreibersite  in  many  pieces  is  so  abundant  and  fine  that  one 
could  easily  mistake  the  two.  In  certain  lights  one  also  sees  a  part  of  the  component  pieces  «>iining;  another  part  not, 
though  the  latter  shine  if  the  lighting  is  different.  Troilite  is  abundant  in  small  irregular  particles  and  is  distinguished 
by  its  dark  color.  It  has  a  thin  coating  of  metallic  luster  which  can  not  be  distinguished  from  echreibersite;  also  small 
particles  of  graphite  within  it.  On  the  natural  surface  two  round  furrowed  impressions  occur  which  Reichenbach 
considers  to  have  been  produced  by  the  weathering  out  of  troilite. 

Rose  also  gives  a  drawing  of  an  etched  section  of  Zacatecas  and  of  schreibersite  crystals 
found  in  it. 

Cavaroz  12  gave  the  following  note  regarding  the  meteorite: 

In  the  same  hacienda  (Zacatecas)  there  is  also  a  block  of  iron  discovered  a  long  time  ago  at  Zacatecas.  A  small 
portion  of  it  was  with  great  difficulty  cut  off  to  be  carried  to  England  for  examination.  The  block  which  remains  may 
be  70  cm.  in  length,  30  in  width,  by  25  in  thickness.  It  is  irregularly  rectangular  in  form.  The  upper  surface  is  indented 
with  gmall  rounded  cups.  The  nature  of  the  ground  upon  which  this  block  was  found  and  with  which  it  had  no  relation, 
and  the  peculiar  quality  of  malleability  belonging  to  this  iron,  create  the  presumption  that  the  mass  is  of  meteoric 
origin. 

Reichenbach  1S  makes  frequent  mention  of  Zacatecas,  the  most  important  of  his  observations 
being  as  follows: 

It  has  a  hard  elaglike  crust  which  scratches  glass  easily  and  takes  a  fine  polish.  It  is  embedded  in  the  angles  of  the 
exterior  surface  and  if  present  with  the  iron  upon  a  polished  section  it  is  readily  recognized  by  the  fact  that  upon  etching 
the  iron  is  more  or  less  attacked  all  over,  but  the  slag  patches,  somewhat  reddish  black  in  color,  retain  their  glassy  luster 
unchanged. 

********** 
It  is  grouped  in  class  9,  group  1.    This  class  includes  all  iron  meteorites  without  Widmannstatten  figures.    *    *    * 
The  first  group,  in  which  Can-fort  and  Zacatecas  are  included,  is  not  without  certain  marks  which  correspond  in  a 
measure  to  Widmannstatten  figures,  but  in  a  different  and  undeveloped  way,  and  distorted  on  account  of  the  inter- 
mingling with  much  pyrites. 

********* 
Others  again  (of  the  iron  meteorites)  show  an  entirely  crystalline  structure  of  a  peculiar  and  distinct  variety  which 
we  never  meet  with  upon  nonmeteoric  metal,  such  as    *    *    *    Zacatecas,    *    *    *    etc. 

********* 
We  consider  aext  the  fine  Zacatecas  meteorite  which  Burkart  brought  with  him  from  Mexico.  It  consists  of  a 
composition  of  many  iron  fragments  the  size  of  walnuts.  But  these  fragments  are  seeded  with  numerous  roundish, 
elongated,  and  sometimes  vermiform  particles  of  pyrites  from  the  size  of  hempseed  to  that  of  small  peas.  All  are 
rounded,  nowhere  jagged,  and  incompletely  inclosed  in  the  iron.  *  *  *  The  magnetic  pyrites  is  the  older;  the  iron 
is,  moreover,  the  younger  member  of  the  compound. 

********* 

Zacatecas  shows  the  Widmannstatten  figures  upon  the  raw  fracture  without  the  labor  of  polishing  or  etching. 

********* 

If  one  would  see  a  meteorite  in  which  the  swollen  appearance  as  well  as  the  grouping  of  the  kamacite  is  especially 

well  developed  he  must  turn  to  Zacatecas.    There  he  will  see  the  abundant  inclusions  of  magnetic  pyrites  everywhere 

enveloped  in  kamacite,  arranged  in  every  direction,  and  the  outer  surface  of  the  kamacite  diverted  by  pyrite,  shaped 

in  all  possible  swellings  and  bendings.    A  large  piece  of  Zacatecas  weighing  some  12  pounds,  in  my  collection,  which 


502  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

I  had  cut  in  5  parts  by  3  incisions  in  different  directions,  and  etched  in  different  degrees,  yielded  figures  which  I 
regard  as  an  example  of  well-developed  kamacite  formed  in  both  directions  indicated  (either, crumpled  or  straight). 
********* 
Zacatecas  belongs  with  meteoric  iron  of  the  Triassic  system,  in  which  no  combs  have  been  observed. 
********* 
Zacatecas  exhibits  an  especially  well  marked  case  of  the  inclusion  of  iron  sulphide  in  an  envelope  of  puffy  kamacite, 
surrounded  by  the  usual  trias  of  which  the  meteorite  is  mainly  composed.    Zacatecas  has  no  regular  Widmannstatten 
figures,  but  a  crystalline  structure  which  approaches  very  near  to  it. 

********* 
Zacatecas  contains  many  scattered  particles  with  a  whitish  luster  which  often  run  into  short  rows. 
********* 
In  Zacatecas  the  magnetic  pyrites  are  entirely  enclosed  with  Glanzeisen  (Lamprite). 
********* 
The  metallic  luster  shows  very  distinctly  in  Zacatecas. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *'*  * 

In  my  specimen  of  Zacatecas  iron  sulphide  occurs  in  small  nodules  of  from  6  to  3  lines  in  diameter  with  a  bronze- 
colored  appearance  resembling  gun  metal,  sometimes  polished  and  sometimes  with  dull  unburnished  appearance. 
********* 
The  iron  sulphide  in  Zacatecas  assumes  the  vermiform  shape. 

********* 
The  cones  (of  schreibersite)  or  the  tubular  molds  of  the  same  occur  in  Zacatecas  upon  a  specimen  in  the  Berlin 
University  collection,  but  in  comparatively  smaller  forms  about  the  thickness  of  a  pen  quill.    Zacatecas  contains, 
also,  larger  and  smaller  fragments  of  roundish,  bronze-colored  iron  sulphide  embedded  in  it. 

********* 
Zacatecas  affords  a  fine  example  of  the  occurence  of  iron  glass.    In  the  middle  of  a  fragment  of  this  meteorite 
there  appears  upon  the  weakly  etched  section  surface  a  black,  brightly  glistening  circle,  somewhat  elongated,  which 
consists  of  iron  glass.    It  has  a  narrow  canal  from  below  outward,  through  which  it  filled  from  the  outside. 

********* 
A  specimen  of  Zacatecas  in  my  collection  shows  more  or  less  pronounced  fissures  where  the  iron  is  sundered. 

Burkart 14  discussed  the  locality  from  whence  Zacatecas  may  have  come,  as  follows : 

Unfortunately  the  locality  (hacienda)  at  which  Cavaroz  made  a  long  halt,  before  his  arrival  at  Zacatecas,  is  not 
indicated  by  name,  nor  is  it  even  mentioned  from  which  side  of  Zacatecas  it  is  reached.  Cavaroz  mentions  the  occur- 
rence of  fossil  remains  of  mammals  not  far  from  Cuquio.  This  is  a  little  town  (Lat.  21°  40'  N.)  15  leagues  northeast 
from  Guadalajara,  in  the  State  of  Jalisco,  in  which  such  remains  are  found  at  different  points.  May  we  conclude  from 
this  that  it  is  reached  from  Cuquio  to  the  latter  (hacienda)  and  then  from  this  hacienda  farther  northward  toward  Zaca- 
tecas, or  is  it  reached,  with  the  French  troops  from  Mexico,  by  another  road  to  Zacatecas?  In  both  cases,  the  hacienda 
in  question  would  be  south  of  Zacatecas.  Yet  this  determines  nothing  concerning  the  place  of  discovery  of  the 
meteorite  in  question,  since  there  are  many  fine  haciendas  in  the  extensive  environs  of  Zacatecas.  The  iron  is  said 
to  have  been  brought  a  long  time  ago  from  Zacatecas  to  its  new  locality;  but  it  is  not  mentioned  where  it  was  found 
there,  and  still  Cavaroz  concludes  from  the  character  of  the  ground  in  the  locality  that  it  was  meteoric  (and  not  ter- 
restrial) iron. 

In  Zacatecas,  where  I  lived  for  a  long  time  and  which  I  frequently  visited,  I  heard  nothing  about  any  second 
piece  of  meteoric  iron  having  been  in  existence  there  at  an  earlier  date.  'According  to  very  uncertain  data,  the  speci- 
men which  belonged  there  is  said  to  have  come  thither  from  the  north,  then  to  have  lain  at  the  neighboring  mine — 
Guebradilla — and  from  thence  to  have  been  brought  into  the  city.  I  had  received  no  information  from  England  in 
regard  to  the  examination  there  of  any  meteoric  iron  from  a  hacienda  in  the  neighborhood  of  Zacatecas.  Consequently, 
Doctor  Cavaroz  himself,  or  else  some  one  of  his  companions  of  the  French  army  in  Mexico,  may  be  able  to  give  more 
exact  information  concerning  the  locality  in  question,  than  this  Daubre'e,  who  has  obtained  a  great  reputation  in  this 
field,  because  of  his  investigation  of  different  meteorites,  may  be  in  a  position  to  obtain. 

Brezina,15  in  1885,  placed  Zacatecas  in  a  group  by  itself  as  a  brecciated  octahedrite.  The 
characteristics  of  this  group  he  defined  as  follows:  , 

Walnut-sized  parts,  each  showing  octahedral  structure,  with  numerous  large  troilite  nodules  2  to  3  mm.  pene- 
trated by  small,  often  to  large,  troilite  plates. 

Castillo  18  states  that  the  Zacatecas  meteorite- 
was  originally  found  in  the  Eue  Royale,  of  the  city  of  Zacatecas,  and  was  moved  to  the  hacienda  of  Cieneguillas,  the 
property  of  the  Gordoa  family.    It  has  the  form  of  a  parallelopipedon  1.06  m.  in  length,  0.5  m.  in  width,  and  0.25  m. 
in  height  or  thickness.    Its  volume  is  132  cu.  dm.,  and  its  density  7.7,  giving  a  weight  of  1,000  kg. 

Fletcher  17  remarks  that  the  piece  of  Zacatecas  referred  to  by  Cavaroz  12  as  having  been 
taken  to  England  for  study  is  probably  the  one  weighing  20  pounds,  which  was  described  and 
analyzed  by  Miiller  in  1859. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  503 

Meunier  18  grouped  Zacatecas  as  an  appendix  to  Caillite,  and  made  the  following  observa- 
tions : 

In  small  specimens  Zacatecas  is  without  doubt  a  Caillite,  the  museum  having  a  specimen  which  shows  this  very 
neatly.  But  on  other  pieces,  especially  if  large,  one  sees  that  the  mass  results  from  the  union  of  numerous  intimately 
grouped  elements  which  resemble  a  species  of  breccia.  This  character,  certainly  of  great  geogenic  importance,  would 
perhaps  justify  the  creation  of  a  special  type  for  Zacatecas,  but  at  present  we  are  not  reduced  to  this  extremity. 

Brezina,19  in  1895,  gave  a  plate  showing  the  appearance  of  a  section  of  Zacatecas.  He 
states  that  the  troilite  laths  are  rare  and  the  troilite  nodules  irregular  through  union  with  plates 
and  lenses  of  the  same  substance.  With  Zacatecas  he  groups  Barranca  Blanca. 

Cohen  ^  found  Zacatecas  capable  of  acquiring  a  weak  permanent  magnetism. 

Later,21  he  made  a  detailed  study  of  the  structure  and  composition  of  a  section  of  the  mass, 
as  follows: 

A  piece  weighing  92+  grams,  after  removing  all  visible  troilite,  was  dissolved  in  55  days  with  strong  evolution 
of  hydrogen  sulphide,  in  one  part  HCl+20aq.  It  dissolved  more  easily  than  any  meteoric  iron  which  I  have  hith 
erto  investigated.  Action  of  the  acid  was  also  very  uniform,  the  surface  of  the  plate  remaining  relatively  smooth, 
instead  of  forming  cavities  in  the  process  of  solution  as  usual.  From  time  to  time  large  pieces  broke  away  in  conse- 
quence of  the  coarse  granular  structure.  The  small  remaining  angular  pieces,  as  usual,  were  very  slowly  attacked. 
After  removing  these,  also  schreibersite,  taenite,  and  little  troilite  nodules,  there  remained  a  not  further  separable 
residue  of  1.68  grams.  Investigation  of  the  latter  gave  the  following  result  (I): 


Fe  

I 
10.  22 

II 
7.11 

Ni  

46.  82 

1 

Co. 

70 

J37.47 

Cu  

81 

2.84 

Cr 

30 

trace 

P  

8.  96 

0.88 

s 

4.  £7 

c 

1.86 

5.60 

CaO 

.16 

MeO 

.     .            12 

Res.  . 

2.  43 

19.95 

77.05 

73.85 

The  23  per  cent  lacking  may  be  ascribed  to  water  and  oxygen,  which  were  probably  taken  up  during  the  long  treat- 
ment of  the  piece  with  acid.  The  residue  insoluble  in  aqua  regia  appeared  to  be  chromite  with  transparent,  colorless, 
doubly  refracting  grains  showing  a  broad  border  in  Canada  balsam.  It  often  contained  opaque  inclusions.  Since, 
in  addition  to  these,  turbid,  flaky  particles  were  seen,  silicates  decomposable  by  acids  may  be  present  in  small  quan- 
tity. The  character  of  the  residue  of  1.68  grams  is  difficult  to  determine,  owing  to  its  high  content  of  nickel  and  cop- 
per and  low  content  of  iron.  If  chromium  is  reckoned  as  daubreelite  and  sulphur  as  troilite,  there  remains  after 
deducting  CaO,  MgO,  and  Cu,  8.96  P,  2.55  Fe,  and  47.51  Ni+Co,  which  corresponds  to  an  iron-nickel  phosphide  poor 
in  iron  or  an  almost  pure  nickel  phosphide.  This  has  not  hitherto  been  known,  and  is  less  to  be  expected  in  Zaca- 
tecas, since  the  isolated  schreibersite  is  especially  poor  in  nickel.  It  may  here  be  noted  that  the  residue  obtained  by 
Derby  from  Canyon  Diablo,  which  was  likewise  distinguished  by  its  high  content  of  nickel  and  copper  and  low  con- 
tent of  iron,  contained  much  less  phosphorus.  Derby's  result  is  shown  above  under  II.  Evidently,  this  portion  of* 
Zacatecas  should  be  further  investigated,  and  it  would  be  also  desirable  to  learn  in  what  form  the  copper  is  present, 
since  it  is  very  probable  that  in  many  iron  meteorites  there  occurs  an  unknown  copper-rich  ingredient.  Assuming 
the  above  calculation  of  daubreelite  and  troilite  to  be  correct,  the  total  result  of  disintegration  of  the  meteorite  is  as 

follows: 

Grams         Per  cent 

Soluble  nickel-iron 87. 1426  94. 47 

Angular  pieces 0. 3703  0. 40 

Taenite 0. 1554  0. 17 

Schreibersite 2. 8258  3. 06 

Troilite 0. 2356  0. 26 

Daubreelite 0. 0140  0.02 

Nickel  phosphide  ? 0.9948  1.08    • 

Carbon 0. 0312  0. 03 

Chromite  and  silicate  grains 0.0693  0.07 

Undetermined  residue  rich  in  copper 0.4056  0.44 

92. 2446        100 


504  MEMOIRS  NATIONAL  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES,  VOL.  XIII. 

Schreibersite  occurs  as  small  plates,  grains,  and  flakes.  Larger  crystals  do  not  seem  to  have  been  present  in  the 
plate  investigated,  but  it  may  be  that  they  were  destroyed  in  the  process  of  solution.  The  result  of  analysis  of  the 
echreibersite  by  Scherer  follows  under  III.  Ilia  gives  the  composition  calculated  to  100  after  removal  of  the  chro- 
mium reckoned  as  daubreelite  and  the  chromite  contained  in  the  insoluble  residue.  The  older  analysis  of  Miiller 
is  given  (IV)  for  comparison. 

Ill  Ilia  IV 

Substance  taken 0. 5375  gr.  0. 5245  gr. 

P :..     15.12          16.10          10.23 

Fe 68.37          72.62          75.02 

Ni 10.07          10.72          14.52 

Co 0.52  0.56          

Cr 0.32          

S(calc.) 0.39          

Chromite...  4.60 


99. 39        100. 00          99. 77 
From  Ilia:    Fe  :  Ni  (Co)  :  P=2.4992  :  0.3702  : 1 

Fe+Ni  (Co)  :  P=2.869  : 1 

The  chromite  occurs  as  highly  lustrous  grains  with  conchoidal  fracture.  It  gave  qualitative  tests  for  iron,  chro- 
mium, aluminum,  .and  magnesium.  The  taenite  occurs  in  relatively  small  plates  which  were  not  obtained  in  suffi- 
cient quantity  for  analysis.  An  analysis  which  I  made  of  the  solution  gave  the  following  results  after  deduction  of 
daubreelite  (0.05  per  cent)  and  schreibersite  (0.69  per  cent): 

Substance  taken 0. 8703  gr. 

Fe 94. 15 

Ni ~. 5. 18 

Co 0. 61 

Cu 0. 017 

Cr 0. 023 

P. .  0. 113 


100. 093 
From  this  the  total  mineralogical  composition  would  be  as  follows: 

Nickel-iron 94. 34 

Schreibersite 3. 54 

Troilite 26 

Daubre'elite 10 

Chromite  and  silicate 21 

Carbon .' 03 

Nickel  phosphide  ? 1. 08 

Undetermined  residue 44 


100 

As  the  above  would  not  give  the  total  composition  on  account  of  the  lack  of  taenite,  a  mass  analysis  was  made  by 
Scherer.  The  material  employed  for  the  analysis  was  cut  from  the  plate  previously  mentioned.  Scherer's  analyses 
follow  under  VI  and  VII.  VIII  gives  the  mean  and  Villa  the  analysis  calculated  to  100,  after  the  deduction  of  6.34 
per  cent  of  schreibersite  and  0.41  per  cent  of  daubreelite.  The  latter  was  calculated  from  the  sulphur.  Whether  the 
'sulphur,  as  determined,  is  too  low  or  whether  the  chromium  may  be  present  in  some  other  soluble  combination  could 
not  be  ascertained  owing  to  lack  of  material.  The  total  content  of  chromium  reckoned  as  daubreelite,  which  amounts 
to  2.4  per  cent,  is  doubtless  too  high;  also  the  calculation  of  the  total  phosphorus  as  schreibersite  is,  according  to  the 
investigation  of  the  nonmagnetic  residue,  of  doubtful  accuracy.  Zacatecas  seems  to  contain  components  which  have 
not  been  hitherto  recognized  in  iron  meteorites,  and  investigation  should  therefore  be  carried  on  with  more  abundant 
material. 

The  results  given  under  Villa  show  nearly  the  composition  of  the  nickel-iron.  They  also  show  that  of  the  older 
analyses  only  those  by  M  tiller  apply  to  the  meteoric  iron  now  generally  recognized  as  that  of  Zacatecas. 

The  analyses  by  Bergemann  probably  were  made  on  another  meteoric  iron.  He  stated  that  he  obtained  his 
material  from  Burkart,  but  either  a  different  iron  must  have  been  found  near  Zacatecas  or  some  exchange  of  pieces 
took  place.  This  is  the  more  probable  since  the  percentages  of  nickel  plus  cobalt  in  his  two  analyses  agree  so  well. 
Of  course,  it  is  not  impossible  that  different  pieces  of  one  iron  meteorite  may  show  such  variation  of  chemical  com- 
position, but  it  is  hardly  likely. 


METEORITES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.                                   505 

VI  VII  VIII         Villa 

Substance  taken 0.7043gr.  0.7681  gr. 

Fe 92.09  ....  92.09          92.82 

Xi 5.891  698  f5.98           5.63 

Co 91J  I    .91  .92 

Cr 68  .80  .74             .63 

P 1.02  ....  1.02 

S .18  .18. 

Insoluble...                                                      .04  ....  .04 


100. 63  100. 96        100. 00 

The  meteorite  is  at  present  preserved  almost  entire  in  the  museum  of  the  School  of  Mines, 
City  of  Mexico.  In  addition,  about  24  kgs.  are  reported  t>£  Wulfing  in  collections,  the  Univer- 
sity of  Tubingen  possessing  5,128  grams,  the  British  Museum  3,847  grams,  and  the  University 
of  Bonn  3,436  grams. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1.  1792:  Gazeta  de  Mexico,  Tomo  5,  No.  7,  pp.  58-60. 

2.  1804:  SOXXESCHMID.    Beschreibung  der  vorzuglichsten  Bergwerks-Reviere  in  Mexico  oder  Xeuspanien,  p.  192. 

3.  1811:  VON  HUMBOLDT.    Essai  politique  sur  le  royaume  de  la  nouvelle  Espagne,  vol.  1,  p.  293;  vol.  2,  p.  582. 

4.  1819:  CHLADXI.     Feuermeteore,  pp.  336-338  (?)  and  434. 

5.  1836:  BUREAUX.    Aufenthalt  und  Reisen  in  Mexico  in  den  Jahren  1825-1834,  Bd.  1,  p.  389.    Stuttgart. 

6.  1843:  PABTSCH.    Meteoriten,  pp.  122-125. 

7.  1849:  BERGEMAXX.    Ueber  das  Meteoreisen  von  Zacatecas.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem.,  Poggendorff,  Bd.  78,  pp. 

406-113.    (Analysis.) 

8.  1853:  XOGGERATH.    Meteoreisen-massen  nut  Widmannstadt'schen  Figuren.    Neues  Jahrb.  Min.,  p.  174. 

9.  1857:  BERGEMANN.    Untbrsuchungen  von  Meteoreisen. — Meteoreisen  von  Zacatecas.    Ann.  Phys.  und  Chem., 

Poggendorff,  Bd.  100,  pp.  255-256.     (Xew  analysis.) 

10.  1859:  MULLER.    On  a  meteoric  iron  from  Zacatecas,  in  Mexico.    Quart.  Journ.  Chem.  Soc.,  vol.  2,  pp.  236-240. 

11.  1863:  ROSE.    Meteoriten,  pp.  66-67,  pi.  2. 

12.  1864:  CAVAROZ.    Casements  fossiles  decouverta  en  diversea  parties  du  Mexico. — Corps  d'origine  me'tebrique. 

Comptes  Rendus,  Tome  59,  pp.  1099-1100. 

13.  1858-1865:  VON  REICHEXBACH.    Xo.  8,  p.  488;  No.  9,  pp.  175,  176,  and  182;  No.  11,  p.  291;  No.  12,  p.  456;  No. 

15,  pp.  100  and  125;  No.  17,  p.  273;  No.  18,  pp.  480,  484,  487,  and  489;  No.  19,  p.  155;  No.  20,  pp.  622,  627,  and 
629;  Xo.  21,  p.  587;  and  No.  25,  p.  437. 

14.  1870:  BURKART.    Fundorte  IV.    Neues  Jahrb.  Min.,  pp.  686-688  and  692. 

15.  18S5:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  pp.  200,  217,  and  234. 

16.  1889:  CASTILLO.    Catalogue,  p.  4. 

17.  1890:  FLETCHER.    Mexican  meteorites.    Mineral.  Mag.,  vol.  9,  pp.  99,  104, 162-164,  and  474. 

18.  1893:  MEUXIER.    Revision  des  fers  meteorique,  pp.  52  and  60. 

19.  1895:  BREZIXA.    Wiener  Sammlung,  p.  289. 

20.  1895:  COHEX.    Meteoreisen-Studien  IV.    Ann.  K.  K.  Naturhist.  Hofmus.  Wien,  Bd.  10  (Not.)  pp.  83,  84,  and  85. 

21.  1897:  COHEX.    Meteoreisen-Studien  V.    Idem,  Bd.  12,  pp.  47-51. 

22.  1897:  WULFIXG.     Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  pp.  392-394. 


INDEX  OF  METEORITES  DESCRIBED. 


Page. 

Aberdeen 48 

Adargas 21 

Admire 23 

Aeriotopos 52 

Ainsa 460 

Ainsworth 25 

Alabama,  1834 269 

Alabama,  1843 472 

Albany  County 60 

Albuquerque 211 

Alexander  County 25 

Algoma 26 

Allegan 29 

Allegheny  County 353 

Allegheny  Mountains 216 

Allen  County : 404 

Amana 227 

A  mat  pa 31 

Ameca  Ameca 31 

Anderson 32 

Andover 34 

Annapolis 324 

Ahnighito ." 106 

Apoala 34 

Arispe 35 

Arizona,  1851 460 

Arizona,  1891 96 

Arlington : 36 

AsheviUe 37 

Asheville,  1835 73 

Asheville,  1854 254 

Auburn 38 

Augusta,  1848 114 

Augusta  County 423 

Austin,  1836 486 

Austin,  1856 160 

Avilez 40 

B. 

Babb'sMill 41 

Bacubirito 45 

Badger 390 

Baird's  Farm 37 

Bald  Eagle 47 

Bartlett 460 

Bates  County 86 

Batesville 256 

Bath 48 

Bath  Furnace 49 

Battle  River 245 

Bear  Creek 52 

Bear  River. .                          52 


Pago. 

Beaver  Creek 55 

Bella  Boca 58 

Bethlehem 60 

Billings 62 

Bishopville 63 

Black  Mountain 73 

Blount  County 429 

Bluff 74 

Bocas 77 

Bolson  de  Mapimi 128 

Botetourt  County 77 

Brazos  River 486 

Brazos,  1808 366 

Brenham 78 

Bridgewater 83 

British  America,  1871 245 

Brookville 389 

Buncombe  County,  1835 73 

Buncombe  County,  1839 37 

Burke  County,  1882 271 

Burke  County,  1890 83 

Burlington 84 

Butcher  Iron 128 

Butler 8S 

C. 

Cabarras  County 193 

Cabarrus  County 193 

Cabin  Creek 89 

Cacaria 91 

Cambria 93 

Caney  Fork ". 420 

Canton 94 

Canoncfto 211 

Cany  Fork 420 

Canyon  City 95 

Canyon  Diablo 96 

Cape  Girardeau 104 

Cape  York 106 

Capitan 172 

Carleton 460 

Carlton 107 

Carthage 109 

Carthago 109 

Caryfort 420 

Casas  Grandes Ill 

Casey  County 113 

Castalia 113 

Castine 114 

Central  Missouri 115 

Chambord 116 

Charcas 116 

507 


508 


INDEX  OF  METEORITES  DESCRIBED. 


Page. 

Charles  County 324 

Charlotte 119 

Chattooga  County 226 

Cherokee  County,  1868 286 

Cherokee  County,  1894 94 

Cherokee  Mills 94 

Chester  County 121 

Chesterville 121 

Chilkat 122 

Chilkoot 122 

Chulafinee 123 

Chupaderos • 124 

Cincinnati 126 

Claiborne 269 

Claiborne,  1853.. 431 

Clarke  County 269 

Claywater 468 

Cleburne  County 123 

Cleveland 127 

Coahuila 128 

Cocke  County 136 

Colfax 133 

Collin  County 291 

Colorado,  1866 52 

Concepcion 21 

Coney  Fork 109 

Coon  Butte 134 

Coopertown 135 

Cosby  Creek 136 

Cosina 145 

Costilla 146 

Couch  Iron 203 

Crab  Orchard 147 

Cranberry  Plains 358 

Crawford  County 301 

Cross  Roads 150 

Cross  Timbers 366 

Crow  Creek 416 

Cuba i 150 

Cuernavaca.- 151 

Cumberland  County 147 

Cynthiana « . .  153 

D. 

Dacotah 356 

Davidson  County 167 

Dakota 356 

Dalton 154 

Danville 156 

Deal 157 

Decatur  County 360 

De  Cewsville -. 158 

Dekalb  County 420 

Deep  Springs 159 

Denton  County 160 

Denver 52 

Denver  County 52 

Descubridora 161 

De  Sotoville 164 

Dickson  County 119 

Dolores  Hidalgo 145 

Drake  Creek 167 

Duel  Hill..  .  169 


E. 


Page. 


Eagle  Station 171 

East  Tennessee,  1840 136 

East  Tennessee,  1853 431 

East  Tennessee,  1860 127 

East  Tennessee,  1887 315 

East  Tennessee,  1891 257 

Eau  Claire 218 

Echo " 397 

ElCapitan 172 

Eldorado  County 412 

Ellenboro 133 

Elm  Creek 1 173 

Elmo 256 

Emmett  County 176 

Emmitsburg 173 

Estacado 174 

Estherville 176 

F. 

Fairfield  County 479 

Farmington 184 

Fayette  County 74 

Felix 188 

Ferguson 190 

Fisher 190 

Flows 193 

Floyd  County 243 

Floyd  Mountain 243 

Fomatlan 454 

Forest  City 195 

Forsyth 199 

Forsyth  County 200 

Fort  Duncan 203 

Fort  Pierre 206 

Franceville 208 

Frankfort 209 

Franklin  County 209 

Frederick  County 173 

Fulton  County 380 

G. 

Gargantillo 454 

Garrett  County 277 

Gettysburg 317 

Gibbs  Iron 366 

Gilpin  County 389 

Glorieta 21 1 

Grand  Rapids 215 

Green  County 41 

Greenbrier  County 216 

Guernsey  County 329 

Guilford  County 217 

H. 

Hacienda  de  Bocas 77 

Hacienda  Concepcion 21 

Hamblen  County 315 

Hamilton  County 107 

Hammond , 218 

Harrison  County 221 

Hartford 293 

Hastings  County 292 

Haviland..  78 


INDEX  OF  METEORITES  DESCRIBED. 


509 


Pag*. 

Haydsn  Creek 222 

Hendersonville 223 

Henry  County,  1889 241 

Henry  County,  1857 275 

Heredia 225 

Highland  County 361 

Hollands  Store..' 226 

Homestead 227 

Honduras 386 

Hopewell  Mounds 240 

Hopper 241 

Howard  County 261 

Huejuquilla 241 

Humboldtlron 241 

I. 

Illinois  Gulch 242 

Independence 260 

Independence  County 256 

Indian  Valley ." 243 

Iowa  County 227 

Irapuato 263 

Iredell 244 

Iron  Creek 245 

Ironhannock  Creek 456 

Irwin 460 

Irwin-Ainsa - 460 

Ivanpah 246 

Ixtlahuaca 436 

J. 

Jackson  County 248 

Jalisco 454 

Jamaica 287 

Jamestown 248 

Jennies  Creek 250 

Jerome 251 

Jewell  Hill 254 

Joe  Wright  Mountain 256 

Johnson  County 89 

Jonesboro 257 

K. 

Kanawha 250 

Kansada ..- 328 

Kendall  County 258 

Eenton  County 260 

Kiowa  County 78 

Knoxville. . ." 431 

Kokomo 261 

Koesuth  County 195 

L. 

La  Charca 263 

La  Grange 263 

La  Grange,  1878 74 

Lancaster  County 264 

Laramie  County 416 

Laurens  County 265 

Lea  Iron 127 

Leavenworth  County 457 

Leland 195 

Lexington  County 266 


Page. 

Lick  Creek 267 

Lime  Creek,  1832 472 

Lime  Creek,  1834 269 

Limestone  Creek 269 

Lincoln  County 349 

Linn  County 293 

linville 271 

Little  Piney 272 

Livingston  County 417 

Lockport 93 

Locust  Grove 275 

Lonaconing 277 

Long  Island 277 

Loa  Angeles 412 

Los  Reyes 284 

Losttown 286 

Louisiana 366 

Lucky  Hill 287 

Luis  Lopez 287 

Lumpkin 288 

1C. 

MacHnney 291 

Macon  County 38 

Madison  County 254 

Madoc 292 

Marengo 227 

Mariaville 292 

Marion 293 

Marshall  Count}' 2% 

Marshall  County,  1893 355 

Mart 297 

Maverick  County 203 

Mazapil 298 

Mecklenburg  County 193 

Mezquital 300 

Millers  Run 353 

Milwaukee 459 

Mincy 301 

Missouri,  1839 272 

Misteca 305 

Mitchell  County '. 470 

Moctezuma 307 

Modoc.... 307 

Monmouth  County 157 

Monroe 193 

Monroe  County 199 

Morelos 31 

Morgan  County 472 

Morito 312 

Monistown 315 

Mount  Joy 317 

Mount  Ouray 468 

Mount  Vernon 318 

Muchachos 460 

Murfreesboro 322 

Murphy 322 

Muskingum  County 329 


Xanjemoy 324 

Xash  County 113 

Nashville..!  167 


510 


INDEX  OF  METEORITES  DESCRIBED. 


Nebraska 206 

Nelson  County 326 

Ness  County 328 

Newberry  County 387 

New  Concord 329 

New  Jersey 157 

Newton  County 301 

Niagara 342 

Nobleboro 342 

Nuevo  Leon 128 

0. 

Oakley 344 

Oaxaca 305 

Old  Fork 250 

Oldham  County 263 

Ophir 242 

Oroville 345 

Oscuro  Mountains 346 

Oteego  County 84 

Ottawa 347 

P. 

Pacula 347 

Perm  mm  on  Creek 348 

Petersburg 349 

Phillips  County 277 

Pine  Bluff 272 

Pipe  Creek 352 

Pittsburgh 353 

Plymouth 355 

Polk  County 190 

Ponca  Creek 356 

Poplar  Camp 358 

Poplar  Hill 358 

Port  Orford 358 

Port  Tobacco 324 

Prairie  Dog  Creek 360 

Pricetown 361 

Putnam  County 362 

R. 

Ranchito 45 

Rancho  de  la  Pila 364 

Rancho  de  la  Preea 366 

Red  River 366 

Red  River,  1875 486 

Red  Willow  County 371 

Reed  City 371 

Rensselaer  County 456 

Richmond 372 

Rich  Mountain 378 

Robertson  County 135 

Robinson  Station 153 

Rochester 380 

Rockingham  County 418 

Rockwood 147 

Rodeo 385 

Rogue  River  Mountains 358 

Rosario 386 

Ruffs  Mountain 387 

Rushville 389 

Russel  Gulch...  .  389 


Page. 

Rutherford  County,  1847 322 

Rutherford  County,  1880 133 

S. 

Sacramento  Mountains 390 

Saint  Croix  River 218 

Saint  Elizabeth 287 

Saint  Francois  County 391 

Saint  Genevieve  County 393 

Salem 417 

Saline 394 

Saltillo 128 

Salt  Lake  City 397 

Salt  River 398 

San  Angelo 400 

Sancha  Estate 203 

Sanchez  Estate 203 

San  Emigdio  Mountains 401 

San  Francisco  del  Mezquital 300 

San  Gregorio 312 

San  Pedro  Springs 403 

Santa  Apolonia 403 

Santa  Catarina  Mountains 460 

Santa  Fe  County 211 

Santa  Rita 460 

Santa  Rosa,  1837 128 

Saskatchewan 245 

Scott 404 

Scottsville 404 

Seal-amount 406 

Searsport 406 

Selma 408 

Seneca  Falls : 410 

Seneca  River 410 

Sevier  County 136 

Shingle  Springs 412 

Sibley  County 36 

Sierra  de  las  Adargas 21 

Signet  Iron ".  460 

Silver  Crown 416 

Smith  County 109 

Smithland 417 

Smiths  Mountain 418 

Smithville 420 

Staunton 423 

Stewart  County 288 

Stutsman  County 248 

Southeastern  Missouri 391 

Summit 429 

Surprise  Springs 430 

T. 

Taney  County 301 

Taos 460 

Tazewell 431 

Teocaltiche 434 

Teposcolula 496 

Texas,  1808 366 

Thurlow 435 

Tlacotepec 436 

Toluca 436 

Tomatlan 454 

Tombigbee  River 164 


INDEX  OF  METEORITES  DESCRIBED. 


511 


Page. 

Tomhannock  Creek 456 

Tonganoxie 457 

Travis  County 458 

Trenton • 459 

Trinity  County 95 

Trinity  County,  N.  Mex 211 

Troy 60 

Tucson 460 

Tulisca 454 

Turner  Mound 32 

u.- 

Union  County 467 

Utah 397 

UtePass 468 

V. 

Vernon  County 468 

Victoria 245 

W. 

Waconda 470 

Waldo  County 406 

Waldron  Ridge 475 

Walker  County ; 472 

Walker  Township 215 

Wallens  Ridge 475 

Warrenton • 476 

Washington 184 

Washington  County,  1858 459 

Waterloo 410 


Page 

Wayne  County,  1858 495 

Wayne  County,  1883 250 

Weaver 477 

Welland 478 

West  Liberty 227 

Weston 479 

White  Sulphur  Springs 216 

Whitfield  County 154 

Wichita  County 486 

Willamette 490 

Williamsport 47 

Wilson  County,  iron , ]36 

Wilson  County,  stone " 150 

Winnebago  County 195 

Wisconsin,  1858 459 

Wisconsin,  1884 218 

Williamstown 494 

Wooster 495 

Wyoming 416 

X. 
Xiquipilco 436 

Y. 

Yanhuitlan 496 

York 497 

Yorktown..  .  456 


Zacatecas. 


498 


INDEX  TO   INTRODUCTION. 


Page. 

Adelbert  College,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

Amherst  College,  meteorite  collection  of 15 

Bibliography  of  catalogue 9 

British  Museum,  American  meteorites  in 15 

Buchner,  catalogue  of 7 

California  State  Mining  Bureau,  meteorite  collection  of .' 14 

Cohen,  E.,  catalogue  of 7 

Collections  of  meteorites 13 

Distribution  of  meteorites : 11 

Factors  affecting  distribution  of  meteorites 12 

Field  Museum  of  Natural  History,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

Harvard  University,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

J.  Lawrence  Smith  Fund 8 

Mapping  of  meteorites 10 

Mexican  National  Museum,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

Mexican  School  of  Mines,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

Milwaukee  Public  Museum,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

Number  of  meteorites  in  each  State .'. 12 

Paris  Museum,  American  meteorites  in 15 

Philadelphia  Academy  of  Sciences,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

St.  Louis  Academy  of  Sciences,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

Shepard,  Charles  U. ,  work  of 15 

Smith,  J.  Lawrence,  work  of 15 

University  of  Minnesota,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

United  States  National  Museum,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

Vienna  Museum,  American  meteorites  in 15 

Wiilfing,  E.  A.,  catalogue  of 7 

Yale  University,  meteorite  collection  of 14 

512 


INDEX  OF  MAPS. 


\lfthama 

Plate. 
9 

New  England  States.  

Plate. 
.    .                 1 

33 

New  Jersey 

4 

Yrizona 

30 

New  Mexico  

28 

Yrkansas 

18 

New  York  

2 

(  'alifornia 

31 

North.  Carolina 

Central  America 

36 

North  Dakota.  .  . 

19 

27 

Ohio 

11 

Cuba                                                

36 

OntaHn 

34 

Delaware 

5 

Oregon 

32 

Georgia 

8 

Pennsylvania 

3 

Idulio 

25 

South  Carolina  .... 

7 

Indiana  

12 

South  Dakota  

20 

Iowa 

16 

Tennessee 

10 

Ivansas 

22 

Texas 

23 

Kentucky      

10 

Utah 

29 

Maryland 

5 

Virginia. 

6 

Mexico         .           .  .   .   . 

35 

Western  Canada  .        

33 

Michigan 

13 

West  Indies 

36 

Minnesota  . 

15 

West  Virginia 

6 

Missouri                      

17 

Wisconsin 

14 

Montana 

•24 

Wyoming 

•>6 

Xebraska                             

-n 

71C°—  15  33 

513 

o 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  1. 


NLW  LNGLAND 
5TATL5 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  4. 


NLW  JFR5F  Y 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  8. 


Hollands&cre 
\  *  Losttovrn 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  9. 


•  nubu 
11. 

ONTGOMLRY. 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  12. 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  13. 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  14. 


Memoirs  National  Acaderry  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plat;  15. 


nilNNLSOTA 


E       - 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  25. 


I 


o 
>- 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of   Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  28. 


NLW    MLXICO 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  29. 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  30. 


I  14 


III 


110 


109 


33 


32 


ARIZONA 


113 


\\Z 


III 


I  I  o 


10-3 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  31. 


:- 


•J^//yDrv,se    Spr/nqs. 

•   0™. 


San  Lmiydi'o  Ronye. 
*     Cc/ 


CALIFORNIA 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  33. 


0 


1ELVILLL  BAf. 

GREENLAND. 


75"  70" 


0^ 


\ 


A 


B  R  I  T  l  5M 


A 


C  OLD  M  B  I  A 


ALASKA 

\  /LSTL^N 


CANADA  ^ 

^ 


Beaver  Creefi. 
5I-ION*     CcA, 


Iron    Creek 

53-o/V. 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  34. 


ONTARIO, 

dANADA 


Memoirs  National  Academy  of  Sciences  XIII. 


Plate  36. 


CLNTRAL  AHLfMCA 


